"Ann Maxwell - Fire Dancer 3 - Dancer's Illusion" - читать интересную книгу автора (Maxwell Ann)

tired of my taste, that is.тАЭ

тАЬAt least you donтАЩt itch anymore.тАЭ

тАЬExcept my eyes,тАЭ she said, knuckling them in exasperation. тАЬOh well, nothingтАЩs perfect.
Not even a Zaarain construct.тАЭ She blinked rapidly and looked for the illusionists. They
were gone. тАЬWhere are they?тАЭ

Kirtn looked around. All he saw was flowers, ferns, trees, and a cluster of First People
humming softly among themselves. They must have stopped growing eons in the past, for
their crystal faces were worn and dull. Their songs were still pure, though, as haunting as
an autumn moonrise.

And then he realized that the stones were singing a BreтАЩn work song. The biggest-stone
laughed, shimmered, and became fтАЩlTiri. Beside him was iтАЩsNara, equally amused. The
illusionistsтАЩ pleasure was so transparent that Kirtn could not be angry. He smiled and
made a gesture of defeat.

Fssa made a startled sound. тАЬThey fooled even me,тАЭ he whistled. тАЬTheir sounds were
real, and shaped just like First People.тАЭ

тАЬDid you bounce sound off us?тАЭ asked fтАЩlTiri.

тАЬNo. I just listened.тАЭ

тАЬTry it.тАЭ

The illusionists promptly became the image of First People. They chimed and quivered
sweetly.

Fssa went through a series of transformations, then froze in an odd convolution of quills
and cups. тАЬGot you!тАЭ

The stones became furred quadrupeds sleeping in the sun, snoring deeply.
тАЬWhere did they go?тАЭ hissed Fssa, then answered his own question by changing shapes
until he caught the illusionists again. тАЬThere!тАЭ

The furred animals became a carpet of flowers covered in silence. At least, to Rheba and
Kirtn it was silence. To Fssa, it was a sound absorber. No matter which frequency he
used to probe, no echo returned. The illusionists were effectively invisible to him. In
desperation, he assumed the grotesque fungoid shape that he used to talk with Rainbow.

Rheba yelped and knocked Fssa out of her hair. тАЬForget it, snake! IтАЩll take silent illusion
to your sonic reality.тАЭ

Fssa collapsed into a dark snake shape. тАЬI didnтАЩt hurt you, did I? I barely whispered,тАЭ he
added meekly, turning black with chagrin.

She bent over and put him back into her hair. тАЬEven a whisper on that wavelength gives
me a headache.тАЭ