"Ann Maxwell - Concord 2 - A Dead God Dancing" - читать интересную книгу автора (Maxwell Ann)

тАЬYou need me because the natives wouldnтАЩt follow your bony ass to water if they were dying of
thirst.тАЭ
тАЬYour arrogance will kill us,тАЭ said Nevin. тАЬIf we canтАЩt function as a group weтАЩll all die.тАЭ
DiriтАЩs laugh shattered Nevin into silence. тАЬBut I donтАЩt need anyone,тАЭ she said triumphantly. тАЬAll I
have to do is take off my clothes and the natives will worship me.тАЭ
 Lhar weighed alternatives with the speed and precision of a computer. He could use psi to control
Diri, but to enforce it he would have to break her. Physical force would be the same.
*Syza.*
Immense reluctance, then acquiescence to his command.
Lhar stood and walked almost lazily toward Diri. тАЬYou think youтАЩre vital because only you can
inspire the natives to worship?тАЭ
Diri smiled. тАЬIтАЩm the one who looks like their God.тАЭ
тАЬBut if you werenтАЩt the only cheap goddess on the planet, then youтАЩd need us, wouldnтАЩt you?тАЭ
Diri moved her hands impatiently in the direction of the waterbag. тАЬIтАЩm the only goddess, so whyтАФтАЭ
тАЬYes or no, Skandiri-Li.тАЭ
тАЬYes!тАЭ
Lhar smiled,, but the gesture lacked all trace of warmth or comfort. His gray-crystal eyes moved to
Syza.
*Give her a song sheтАЩll understand, but donтАЩt break her. She is still the most convenient goddess
around.*
*The only thing that animal understands is sex.*
*Sex reflects the mind behind it. No more. No less.*
Lhar purposely wrapped around his thought a nimbus of emotional imagery. He felt SyzaтАЩs dismay
with the subtle intimacy of emotive mindtouch. Hastily she narrowed mindtouch to a curt relay of
information.
*Then IтАЩll give her what she understands. Warn TтАЩMero. Guard your own mind.*
Syza turned slowly to face Nevin. When she spoke her voice was so soft that he could barely hear
her words.
тАЬIn order to make Diri understand, IтАЩll have to sing to the most ... to her abundant lust. You wonтАЩt
hear all of my song. If you had mind training you could cope with the little youтАЩll hear. IтАЩm sorry, Nevin.тАЭ
Abruptly Syza turned away and confronted Diri.
тАЬWill you cooperate with us, obey Lhar as we all must?тАЭ she asked tonelessly.
Diri laughed
Syza bowed her head momentarily. Only Lhar sensed the lash of her rebellion overridden by the
primal drumroll of her voice. Lhar closed his mind to the hot tentacles of melody, to the notes that
aroused and burned with lust. NevinтАЩs breathing rasped in the still air, yet Lhar knew that Nevin was
aware of only part of the song. LharтАЩs mind leaped across NevinтАЩs with stunning force. Diri writhed with
the same mindless lust she had sought to inspire in Lhar. Too soon. Too much. TooтАФ
*Syza!*
His mental command split like lightening across the turgid storm of song, but the song only deepened,
became violence seething on the brink of eruption. In the instant that Lhar sent Syza spinning into
unconsciousness, TтАЩMeroтАЩs control broke. The crystal knife flashed wildly in his hand and he fell upon
Diri with a hoarse cry.
LharтАЩs mind seared across TтАЩMeroтАЩs for an instant, then withdrew. The knife quivered in the ground
next to Diri but even Lhar was not sure whether he or TтАЩMero had willed it to miss her straining silver
flesh.
Lhar turned his back on the violent black-silver coupling and carried Syza out into the chill night air.
Returning consciousness brought shudders of revulsion to her thin body. She gagged convulsively. When
he would have comforted her she lashed out at him.
He waited until she controlled her retching, then said, тАЬGo back inside, Syza. Tomorrow will be a