"Ardath Mayhar - Khi to Freedom" - читать интересную книгу автора (Mayhar Ardath)

disappeared into that downward curve. I followed my golden guide into
the place, holding my innate caution in control with difficulty. But there
was no feel of threat in that smoothly cut and polished tunnel. Light
glowed within the walls at elbow height, and the floor glittered like black
marble. When we reached a level place, the tunnel ran straight, the ribbon
of light reflected in the dark floor as far as I could see. My days of
unaccustomed and muscle-straining travel seemed to fall upon me all at
once. I sighed as I went forward.
тАЬYou are weary,тАЭ said the golden Khi. тАЬIt is not far, truly. We need not
travel the length of this corridor, only a short way more. Then you may
rest and find nourishment. I, Khi-Sang, assure you of that. Even now we
are approaching the doorway.тАЭ
Though I looked closely at the shining walls I could see no opening, not
even a hairline crack that might mark one. Lime and Owl had stopped
ahead of us. When we drew even with them, Khi-Sang lifted her (its?)
hand again. A segment of the tunnel fogged to nothingness. An oval of
light appeared, and at that point a side passage opened to the left. It was
very short, and at its end was a round chamber that seemed cut from
topaz, its faceted walls multiplying the golden light that seemed to
emanate from the air of the room.
A pair of Khi waited beside a circular table on which was a display of
foodstuffs that caught my always-hungry attention immediately. Even the
strangely lovely shapes of the Khi who rose to greet us hardly distracted
me.
When I had satisfied my hunger and had time to look at the Khi
carefully I found them to be even more unorthodox than I had thought. No
life-form in any of the Ginli tapes mentioned anything like them, either in
physical form (and I had an odd feeling that that form wasnтАЩt as
substantial as it seemed) or in ability for telepathic communication.
Beautiful they were, without doubt. The тАЬfeelтАЭ I got from them was
altogether good.
When they were sure that we were sufficiently rested and fed, they sat
down with us at the cleared table and proceeded to attune the Varlian and
me into the network of minds that was their system of communication.
Surprisingly quickly, because of my knowledge of the Varlian language,
they were able to key themselves into my own native tongue, which was
not the Terranglo that was the common tongue of space but my own
peopleтАЩs polyglot, which had grown from roots in one of TerraтАЩs
now-extinct languages. With the aid of technical terms from other
languages, the illustrations for which they picked effortlessly from my
mind as I pictured processes and equipment and even illustrations from
filmed books, they were soon able to feel at ease inside my mind.
 But when I tried at last to warn them of their deadly danger from the
Ginli, I met a stone wall. In no way could I convince them to take the Ginli
seriously. When I pictured scenes from my own memory (the fate of the
Reer was topmost among them, not to mention cultures that I had seen
subtly warped and torn apart by Ginli machinations) they understood, but
such things caused no concern among them. I pictured my own fate, if I
were caught alive. The thought of all those trapped brains, doomed forever
to do the GinliтАЩs work, seemed to sadden but not to frighten the Khi.