"George R. R. Martin - In the House of the Worm" - читать интересную книгу автора (Martin George R R)before him.
Suddenly Annelyn felt Groff's hand on his chest, pushing, pushing. ├втВм┼УBack,├втВмтАв the knight whispered, oh-so-softly, and this time Annelyn gladly went deeper into the shadows. Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong. Neither Vermyllar nor the Meatbringer was carrying a torch. "Get up,├втВмтАв the Meatbringer said. ├втВм┼УGet up and walk. I'm not going to carry you." Vermyllar rose unsteady and whimpering. ├втВм┼УDon't,├втВмтАв he said. ├втВм┼УIt's dark. I can't see. Don't." The Meatbringer pricked him with the knife. ├втВм┼УIn and to the left,├втВмтАв he said. ├втВм┼УFeel if you can't see, animal. Feel.├втВмтАв And Vermyllar went into the tunnel, groping for the wall, sobbing, seeming to look straight at Annelyn before he turned to the left. But the Meatbringer never glanced their way as he went by, prodding Vermyllar forward with his blade. To Annelyn it seemed a solid hour that he stood in the black of the middle tunnel, but it could only have been minutes. Finally the sound of Vermyllar's protests and wails dwindled to a small noise down below them. Then Groff spoke. ├втВм┼УNo torch,├втВмтАв he said, and even his stern voice seemed shaken. ├втВм┼УThe man's eyes are possessed by a groun." "Are we going back?├втВмтАв Riess said. "Back?├втВмтАв Groff was outlined in the red light of the door. ├втВм┼УNo. No. But we must see. A torch, we must have a torch. We will catch them. We know the way he went, and the Manworm's great-grandson "Why does he want Vermyllar?├втВмтАв Annelyn said, in a whisper. His wits had fled him. "I can conjecture,├втВмтАв Groff said. ├втВм┼УBut we will see.├втВмтАв He gave orders, and the three of them began to roam the small length of burrow, feeling for torch grips. Riess found nothing but an air duct, but Annelyn's hands finally closed over a familiar bronze fist. It held a torch. While Riess lit it, Annelyn turned to Groff. ├втВм┼УA fist, the work of the yaga-la-hai, here, in the groun-runs. How is that, Groff?" "These were not always groun-runs. The worm-children carved these burrows, a million years ago. The grouns drove them upward in a great war, or so it is said. The burrows that have always been the grouns├втВмтДв are different. Now the grouns cluster below, and the yaga-la-hai above; both were created many and strong, and both we and they have decayed, as all things great and small decay in the sight of the White Worm. So these tunnels and the Chambers of the Last Light and our Undertunnel are all empty where once they were full." Riess, holding the torch, made the sign of the worm. "Come,├втВмтАв Groff said. ├втВм┼УThe burrow goes straight a long way, down and down, but it finally breaks, and we must not lose them." So they began to walk├втВмтАЭRiess with the torch and Groff with his ax, Annelyn clutching his stiletto├втВмтАЭand they made good speed. The burrow was utterly empty: a long, wide stretch of hot-mouthed air ducts and |
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