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

hard day. Or do you want to talk about what happened?тАЭ
Syza laughed bitterly.
тАЬTalk? With you? YouтАЩd push a child into filth and then patronize it with a helping hand.тАЭ
тАЬYouтАЩre not a child, Syza. Your choices are no longer a childтАЩs easy choices between pure good and
pure evil. Were Diri to rule us, we, and all the natives of Tal-Lith, would die. A waste, for Diri as much
as for everyone else. I could have controlled Diri, but I would have destroyed the arrogance that is
essential to her dancing. Then the natives would also have been destroyed. By balancing her arrogance
with humiliationтАФтАЭ
тАЬтАФused me, just like everyone always has.тАЭ
тАЬOf course,тАЭ snapped Lhar. тАЬWould you have preferred the other alternatives? Would you?тАЭ
Syza did not conceal her loathing.
Lhar laughed humorlessly. тАЬNot that way, Syza. ThatтАЩs too easy. Think! What would you have
done?тАЭ
LharтАЩs mind bored through her defenses, compelling an answer, disturbing deeply buried memories of

loathing, hatred falling, death-pouring discovery of
тАЬStop it! I donтАЩt want to know!тАЭ
Lhar let her scream echo before he spoke quietly, implacably, тАЬThen know this, Agent Zomal. Group
leaders are selected for their ability to make choices while others are strangling on their emotions.тАЭ
He moved away abruptly and stepped back into the tent.

II
LHAR TESTED THE BELLY STRAP ON HIS TAMAN. THE beast looked too thin to support its
own weight, much less that of a rider. The chest and barrel and buttocks which had formerly swelled with
excess water were now flattened. The drifs looked as though they had been squeezed dry. The last
echoes of the storm still stirred their coarse coats and made seeing painful, but the khaner could wait no
longer. If water were not found today a drif would be killed and its scant fluids shared among the
humans. In two days, at most the taman would turn on the drifs, then fight among themselves for a moist
scrap from the kill. In three days humans and animals alike would be dead.
Lhar jerked the belly strap tight. The tamanтАЩs teeth clicked indolently near his wrist. He mounted and
looked over the assembled group. TтАЩMero seemed impassive as always, but apparently his taman sensed
otherwise; in a blur of motion it reached around to savage TтАЩMeroтАЩs leg. TтАЩMero reacted just in time.
The taman got a mouthful of boot delivered with enough force to be heard up and down the canyon.
Lhar let out his breath, glad to know that a night with Diri had not completely addled the guardian.
Diri herself was slouched bonelessly in the saddle. She had made an effort to be cooperative in breaking
camp and had refrained from more than a longing look at the slim waterbag tied onto SyzaтАЩs taman.
Syza herself had not spoken to anyone. Lhar assumed she had slept with the drifsen, for when he
came out of the tent before the first hint of light, the drifs were rounded up and the taman roped together
waiting for their burdens.
Nevin sat gingerly on his taman. Though he had saddled and mounted it without incident, he
obviously did not trust it. But other than making a deliberate effort to avoid Syza, he seemed to have
absorbed the nightтАЩs experiences without harm.
The khaner moved slowly down the canyon under LharтАЩs eyes. He moved in to check the belly strap
on DiriтАЩs taman, then bent to tighten it without stopping either animal.
тАЬKeep an eye on that strap, Diri. Getting dumped on these rocks would hurt more than your
dancing.тАЭ
Diri smiled widely. тАЬI didnтАЩt think you cared about my ass.тАЭ
тАЬTry me when youтАЩre not thirsty,тАЭ he said as he reined his drif away. тАЬAnd pull up your gritscarf or
youтАЩll be coughing rocks by the end of the day.тАЭ
DiriтАЩs mobile mouth rippled into a pout, but like his tamanтАЩs clicking teeth, the gesture owed more to