"II - Chainer's Torment" - читать интересную книгу автора (McGough Scott)

of his blade poised over the trooper's eye. He stared
defiantly at the officer.
"Get stuffed. You're not touching me."
The officer opened his beak in a cruel aven smiled.
"You're hostile, even for a criminal. And now that you've
attacked us, we have every right to take you down. Luckily,
I think you're young enough to be successfully
rehabilitated." He drew his own sword, and the bird at his
feet croaked ominously.
Chainer knew that when members of the Order spoke of
rehabilitation they really meant brainwashing. As he
prepared to fight and run, Chainer reached down to check
the satchel at his side. As soon as his fingers made
contact through the tough leather, the Nantuko suddenly
exploded into violent motion. The mantis rose up and
shrieked a trilling, high-pitched alarm. It flailed its
forelimbs wildly as it tried to strike at Chainer, and it
accidentally knocked the officer into the bird.
Chainer nimbly dove over the mantis's sharp-hooked
appendage and rolled onto his feet. He began to run, but
the mantis sprang into the air and landed well ahead of him
on the path. It was still chit-tering and swinging wildly.
Chainer had never fought a Nantuko before and wasn't
sure where he should aim his chain. He hesitated, and in
that moment noticed that the mantis wasn't trying to strike
him any more. In fact, it seemed to be trying its level
best to avoid touching him at all, while putting on a loud
display to drive Chainer away from the city. Was the
enormous bug actually afraid of him?
On a hunch, Chainer took his satchel from his waist and
held it out at the mantis. The Nantuko keened and fell
back, seemingly terrified of the satchel's contents.
Chainer lunged forward, and the Nantuko sprang away.
Chainer didn't waste the opportunity. He sprinted away
from the Order party at top speed. He heard the officer
ordering trooper Baankis to pursue and the frantic trilling
of the Nantuko. He risked one last glance over his shoulder
and saw the bug had turned and was calling into a small,
swampy, wooded area of the salt flats. From within the
stunted glade, something roared in reply. Chainer felt the
ground nimble beneath his running feet and heard the ear-
splitting crack of live timber being splintered as
something very large came forward to answer the Nantuko's
call.
Chainer fixed his eyes back on the city and
concentrated on running as fast as he could.

* * * * *

Roup's tavern was on a lonely side street well off the