"A. E. Merritt - Dwellers in the mirage" - читать интересную книгу автора (Merritt A. E)

The girl was gone!

I stood, nightmare horror such as I had never known in worst of
nightmares paralysing me--

The child had trusted me . . . I had smiled at her, and she had trusted
me . . . and I had summoned the Kraken to destroy her!

Searing remorse, white hot rage, broke the chains that held me. I saw
the fragment of yellow stone in its place, the black tentacle inert
within it. At my feet lay the old priest, flat on his face, his
withered body shaking; his withered hands clawing at the rock. Beside
their drums lay the lesser priests, and flat upon the floor of the
cavern were the nobles--prostrate, abased, blinds and deaf in stunned
worship of that dread Thing I had summoned.

I ran to the tapestried doorway. I had but one desire--to get out of the
temple of Khalk'ru. Out of the lair of the Kraken. To get far and far
away from it. To get back . . . back to the camp-home. I ran through
the little room, through the passages and, still running, reached the
entrance to the temple. I stood there for an instant, dazzled by the
sunlight.

There was a roaring shout from hundreds of throats--then silence. My


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sight cleared. They lay there, in the dust, prostrate before me--the
troops of the Uighur spearsmen.

I looked for the black stallion. He was close beside me. I sprang upon
his back, gave him the reins. He shot forward like a black thunderbolt
through the prostrate ranks, and down the road to the oasis. We raced
through the oasis. I bad vague glimpses of running crowds, shouting.
None tried to stop me. None could have stayed the rush of that great
horse.

And now I was close to the inner gates of the stone fort through which
we had passed on the yesterday. They were open. Their guards stood
gaping at me. Drums began to beat, peremptorily, from the temple. I
looked back. There was a confusion at its entrance, a chaotic milling.
The Uighur spearsmen were streaming down the wide road.

The gates began to close. I shot the stallion forward, bowling over the
guards, and was inside the fort. I reached the further gates. They were
closed. Louder beat the drums, threatening, commanding.

Something of sanity returned to me. I ordered the guards to open. They