"Jeffrey Lord - Blade 19 - Looters of Tharn" - читать интересную книгу автора (Lord Jeffery)

depressions in the ground. Two hours after starting out Blade saw a herd of wild horses on the horizon.
When he was certain that there were no Tharnians anywhere around, he sent the machine sweeping in
toward the herd. It was an unpleasant job, but it had to be done. He had to test out the purple ray's
effects on a live target and see them with his own eyes. Yet he could not reasonably ask the people to
sacrifice any of their animals.

The horses began to scatter as the machine swept toward them. Blade activated the controls for the
purple ray, but did not unlock and swing the turret. From the air and against a moving target it was easier
to aim the whole machine. He sighted in on one young stallion running a little apart from the herd, and
held him in the cross-hairs as Krimon watched, pale and wide-eyed.

Two hundred feet. A hundred and fifty. A hundred. Get in close-beam weapons dissipate energy at long
ranges. Fifty feet away, and right behind the poor beast. Blade swallowed, and pressed the firing button.

The whole inside of the machine filled with a purple glare. Krimon let out a yell of fright, started so
violently that he nearly fell to the floor, and clapped both hands over his eyes. Blade watched the purple
ray leap out and envelop the horse. Then it was his turn to let out a yell.

He had made a perfect shot. But the horse was still alive, still on its feet, still galloping like the wind. For
all the harm Blade had done the horse, he might as well have hit it with a ping-pong ball!

"Krimon!" he snapped. "Watch what happens when I shoot at the horse this time!"

The neuter forced himself to watch the screen as Blade swung the machine in a wide circle around the
horse and swooped to the attack a second time. Again purple light and purple death struck out. Again
the horse galloped across the plain without even breaking stride.

Krimon's eyes widened until they seemed to fill his entire face.

"What-that-it cannot be!" he stammered.

"But it looks like it is," said Blade shortly. "We'll try a third time. If that damned horse keeps running
after that "

It did.

Krimon shook his head. "Never has the purple ray failed to bring death wherever it strikes. Mazda, have
you-done something-to alter this machine?"

Blade shook his head. "I don't yet know enough about this machine and its weapons to try." Perhaps it
wasn't wise for a god to admit that he didn't know everything. But the people would find out sooner or
later that on some things Mazda was as much in the dark as they were.

Blade went on. "I wanted to see with my own eyes how the purple ray killed. But it did not kill. This
surprised me. I would like to know why."

"So, I think, would the people," said Krimon. His voice still shook slightly, but there was a wry grin on
his thin face that told Blade the neuter had recovered his nerve. Blade headed the machine west again.
When he had it back to the desired course and speed he turned to Krimon.