"Robin McKinley - Water" - читать интересную книгу автора (McKinley Robin)

Nothing happened. She was about to plead again, but then changed her mind and lowered herself a
little further, drew a deep breath and ducked beneath the surface. Through closed lips she started to hum
the music Mercy had taught her, and now she discovered why it needed to be hummed, not sung. It
wasnтАЩt just that she couldnтАЩt open her mouth under waterтАФthe sea-people spoke with words, so they
must be able to. It was because now her whole body acted as a sort of sounding-board from which the
slow notes vibrated. She could feel them moving away from her through the water, and when she rose to
draw breath and sank again, they were still there, the same wavering air that she had heard Mercy hum
so often, but this time coming out of the depths where the sea-child lay hidden.
Pitiable joined the music, weaving her own notes through it as she had learned to do with Mercy
those last days, until she needed to draw breath again, but before she sank back, the surface stirred and
the sea-girlтАЩs head appeared, staring at her from only a few feet away, lips parted, desperate with fear.
Pitiable smiled at her and hummed again, in the air this time. The sea-girl answered and moved
closer, slowly, but then came darting in and gave Pitiable a quick, brushing kiss and swirled away.
Pitiable smiled and beckoned. Now the girl came more gently, and stayed, letting Pitiable take her good
arm by the wrist and wind it around her own neck and then turn so that the girlтАЩs body lay along PitiableтАЩs
back and Pitiable could try to climb out the way she had come.
She gestured first, trying to explain that though they had to start inland, she would turn seaward as
soon as they reached the top of the rock. The girl seemed to understand, and hummed the tune again,
with a querying rise at the end.
тАЬYes,тАЭ said Pitiable. тАЬI will take you to the sea.тАЭ
The great fish tail became desperately heavy as she dragged it from the water, but the girl understood
the need and spoke and knocked with her closed knuckles against PitiableтАЩs shoulder to stop her
climbing while she deftly swung her tail sideways and up so that it lodged among the fallen boulders and
Pitiable was now lifting only half her weight as she climbed on. PitiableтАЩs small body was wiry from its
household tasks, and since Mercy had fallen ill, she had had to learn how to lift and shift burdens beyond
her apparent strength, so she strove and grunted up the cleft, with the girl helping as best as she could,
until she could roll her out onto the surface and climb gasping beside her.
From then on she could crawl, with the sea-girlтАЩs arm round her neck and the chilly body pressed
against her back and the tail slithering behind. The rock promontory that held the pool tilted steadily
down towards the incoming tide. It had weathered into sharp ridges, painful to crawl on, but Pitiable
barely noticed, because a tremendous thought had come to her and given her fresh strength. She herself
belonged body and soul to Probity, to beat and use in whatever way he chose until he finally killed her.
Until then she was utterly trapped in that pit, with no escape. But here, now, there was this one thing she
could prevent him from doing. He would not have the sea-girl, to join her in the pit. Not now, not ever.
So she crawled on. Soon the sea-girl was gulping and panting from being too long in the air, but she
lay still and trusting as the sea came slowly nearer. At last one flank of the promontory sloped down with
the small waves washing in beside it, and Pitiable could crawl down until the sea-girl, judging her
moment,тАФwas able to convulse herself sideways into the backwash and slither on through the foam to
deeper water. In the haze of her huge effort Pitiable barely saw her go, but when her vision cleared and
she looked out to sea, she saw the girl beckoning to her from beside the tip of the promontory.
Wearily she rose and staggered down. The sea-girl gripped the rock with her good hand and
dragged herself half out of the water. Pitiable sat beside her with her feet dangling into the wave-wash.
Her knees and shins, she noticed, were streaming with blood. The sea-girl saw them and made a grieving
sound.
тАЬItтАЩs all right,тАЭ said Pitiable. тАЬIt is only scratches.тАЭ
Face to face they looked at each other.
тАЬYou must go now,тАЭ said Pitiable. тАЬBefore he comes back.тАЭ
The sea-girl answered. She craned up. Pitiable bent so that they could kiss.
 тАЬI must dress myself before the men come,тАЭ she said. тАЬGoodbye.тАЭ
She gestured to herself, and up the shore, and then to the sea-girl and the open sea. The sea-girl