"Judith Moffett - The Bird Shaman's Girl" - читать интересную книгу автора (Moffett Judith)

jounced along, but her makeup was streaked with tears.

Her grandfather, Edgar Carstairs, was making the sledcar labor up the
mountain at its top speedтАФnot that fast but still way too fast for the
condition of the road. Both of them kept being thrown around, but Lexi had
no way to hold on; her hands had been tied behind her with a leather boot
lace. GranpaтАЩs face wore a funny look of grim satisfaction. Once he and
RoLayne had got Lexi bundled into the car, heтАЩd paid no attention to her,
except that when she had askedтАФcareful not to sound panickyтАФтАЭWhatтАЩs
happening? Where are we going?тАЭ he stopped the car just long enough to
pull her arms behind her and whip the thong around her wrists.

тАЬThatтАЩs in case you should take a notion to jump out,тАЭ he said. тАЬWeтАЩre
going someplace no Hefn and no Hefn-lovers would ever think to look. And
by the way,тАЭ he added in a mean voice, тАЬdonтАЩt you worry about me lovinтАЩ on
you anymore. The very idea of lovinтАЩ on a little brat that would go and tattle
to the Gaians makes me sick.тАЭ He whirled on her suddenly. тАЬYou ought to
be ashamed! Embarrassing me, thatтАЩs bad enoughтАФdo you know you got
me thrown in jail? Your own grandfather? But slinging mud at the Church,
now, thatтАЩs beyond anything.тАЭ

Granpa looked a little crazy while making this speech, glaring at Lexi,
spit spraying, face working. The car lurched wildly. She shrank away from
him in fear. Also in guilt. Despite what the counselor kept telling her, and
what Pam and her dad had told her, Ephremite conditioning went
bone-deep with Lexi.

They ground along in silence for a while. Finally she asked timidly,
тАЬDo Mom and Dad know where youтАЩre taking me?тАЭ

Granpa smirked. тАЬYour mom knows where I told her I was taking you,
but thatтАЩs not where weтАЩre going. And your dad, heтАЩs a know-nothinтАЩ from the
word go. Now I want you to sit still and shut your mouth.тАЭ

This was a side of Granpa Lexi had never seen, or even consciously
suspected. All her life he had treated her like a princess, in a kind of
artificial, saccharine way, even when he was doing things to her in the dark.
She had dreaded spending time with him alone, but she hadnтАЩt exactly
been terrified, like afraid for her life. But this crazy-seeming stranger
frightened her so much it was hard to think.

The one hopeful thing was that sheтАЩd left the message for Pam after
catching a glimpse of her Granpa, who wasnтАЩt allowed to be anywhere
around her right now, through the window in the wardrobe trailer bathroom.
SheтАЩd come out, gone straight to the phone, and made the call, reluctant
somehow to say in her message what she was calling about. Then it was
time to do a scene, and then another scene that had required multiple
takes, and after that Marcee said she was done for the day. LexiтАЩd been on
her way to get out of makeup when her mother, sounding happy and
excited, had called to her to come and look at something out behind the