"Tim Lebbon - Dusk 02 - Dawn" - читать интересную книгу автора (Lebbon Tim)

Alishia looked around. She saw Kosar sitting a few steps away with his back to them, head bowed.
Closer, on her left, Trey was kneeling and smiling at her, though the smile was dark in his eyes. There
was no Rafe. There was no AтАЩMeer. Of course not. That was finished now. AтАЩMeer was dead and Rafe
was gone. She wondered how long ago the flame of destruction had been lit in the land.

She looked up and saw the death moon hanging heavy and fat. It gave light, but she did not like the feel
of it on her skin: it reminded her of the light of those library flames. The darkness seemed false and
unreal. Wrong.

тАЬWhere are we?тАЭ she said. тАЬWhatтАж?тАЭ She trailed off, noticing the shattered ribs of the great machine
that had borne them aloft. Beyond them, shadows lay close to the ground. They were no longer moving.

тАЬWe came down,тАЭ Hope said. тАЬThe machine faded and we came down.тАЭ

тАЬMy face,тАЭ Alishia said. She touched her cheek and it was warm, not cool. Her arm still tingled. She
wondered whether she had been burned in her dream.

тАЬSorry,тАЭ Hope said, sounding anything but. тАЬI slapped and shook you to wake you up. You were
screaming and shouting, and thereтАЩs no saying whatтАЩs out there to hear. Besides, youтАЩve been asleep too
long.тАЭ

тАЬWhatтАЩs too long?тАЭ

тАЬAlmost a day,тАЭ Trey said.

Alishia looked at the fledge miner, smiling, and was grateful to see the smile returned. His eyes were
wider than she had ever seen them. She supposed this subdued light suited him well. тАЬIt was sunset when
we left the machinesтАЩ graveyard,тАЭ she said. She looked up, and though she saw no sign of the sun
smearing the horizon, still it did not appear to be fully dark. The weak light was flat and unnatural, like the
light in the library of her dream.

тАЬItтАЩs about that time again now,тАЭ Trey said. тАЬButтАжтАЭ He trailed off, sketching in the dust with his finger.

тАЬThey took Rafe,тАЭ Alishia said. тАЬHeтАЩs gone. HeтАЩs dead.тАЭ

тАЬHeтАЩs not dead!тАЭ Hope snapped.

Alishia closed her eyes and felt the weight of what he had left her. It was an alien presence in her mind,
contained yet filled with potential. It shied away from the dark. The more she sought it, the farther away it
seemed to go, as if scared of what it would see through her eyes.

тАЬHe is dead,тАЭ she said, тАЬand the magic he carried has been stolen.тАЭ

тАЬHecanтАЩt be dead!тАЭ Hope said. She shook her head and looked at each of them in turn; Alishia, Trey,
KosarтАЩs back. тАЬItcanтАЩt just end like this.тАЭ
 тАЬThe Mages turned the sky dark,тАЭ Trey said. тАЬWe flew south for a while, then the machine just seemed
to lose its power. It drifted lower. Its ribs started to crack and crumble. The ground shook. We dragged
you into the center and sat there, and we landed here a little while ago.тАЭ He continued shaping dust and
stones with his hand, as though building something new.