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

away, skin crawling, scalp tightening as if the old wound there were about to reopen. A thought came,
and she could do nothing to hold it back:He can hear me.

тАЬLenora!тАЭ Angel called. тАЬA present for you, and it will be ready soon.тАЭ She pointed at the sea and a
huge geyser rose, glinting silver and yellow from the moonsтАЩ contrasting light. Krotes scattered as the
water fell into a wave, tumbling across the ground until it broke around the glowing sculpture.

The stone hissed as its framework was suddenly cooled. And as the steam died away, Angel appeared
by LenoraтАЩs side. She leaned in close, her breath hot. тАЬItтАЩs yours,тАЭ she whispered. тАЬYour machine, your
ride, and soon IтАЩll give it life.тАЭ She turned away and surveyed the assembled Krotes. тАЬYouтАЩllall have one!
Machines of war, for you to do what youтАЩve trained for: take Noreela. Soon the ships will be here, and
your fellow Krotes will follow you east and south and west. I name every one of you here a captain, and
Lenora is your mistress. You answer to her, and she will answer to us. And the rewards at the end of this
war will be beyond imagining.тАЭ She turned back to Lenora. тАЬIтАЩm giving you my army,тАЭ she said. тАЬUse it
well. I know your intentions, Lenora. I know your aims.тАЭ She came close so that only Lenora could hear
what she said. тАЬI know what you hear and what speaks to you, but ignore that calling until youтАЩve fulfilled
your purpose. YouтАЩre herefor me, andbecause of me.тАЭ

тАЬYes, Mistress,тАЭ Lenora whispered.Not long to wait, she thought. And she hoped that the shade of her
dead child could hear the promise in those words.

тАЬAnd now, life for your machine.тАЭ Angel walked to the fallen hawk with the dead boy still on its back.
She laughed. тАЬOh, SтАЩHivez, evenyou must appreciate the symbolism of this!тАЭ

The Mage laid one hand on the hawk and the other on the dead farm boyтАЩs arm. Beneath her hands, the
flesh of both began to shimmer and ripple, and soon the stench of cooking meat once again permeated
the air. She moved back slowly, melted flesh flowing like thick honey, then she swiveled and thrust her
hands at the sculpture.

Flesh flew. Blood misted the air as if blown by a sudden gust of wind. Bones cracked and ruptured,
impacting the rock, delving inside and crackling as they fused back together. The flesh of the boy and the
hawk melded and filled the fighting machine, flooding hollows within its rocky construct, then building
layer upon layer around its outside. Blood greased its joints. The dead hawk shrank as more of its flesh
was scoured away. The boyтАЩs corpse was no more.

Angel lowered her hands and stepped back. Lenora saw that she was panting slightly, her shoulders
stooped a little too much, and she wondered again at how much this new magic was draining the Mages.
But then Angel looked at her, and behind her smile Lenora saw a strength she had never witnessed
before. Not just physical strengthтАФAngel had always been strongтАФbut a strength of purpose. There
was no doubt in Angel, and no fear. She was unstoppable.

тАЬHere it is,тАЭ Angel said. She pointed back at the machine. тАЬAnd here you are.тАЭ

Lenora fell to her knees. She clasped her hands to her head and pressed, trying to squeeze out the thing
she felt inside. She was intimately aware of the strange life that had just been created, and even as she felt
AngelтАЩs calming touch and heard her soothing words, she knew that this was something never meant to
be.

Take care,Angel whispered in her mind,youтАЩre strong, Lenora, and this is feeble and weakтАФa
machine, a tool for you to command and use. It lives like an animal down a hole, not like you, not