"MIchael Moorcock - The Dancers At The End Of Time 01 - An Alien Heat" - читать интересную книгу автора (Moorcock Michael)

cloth of plain damask were ivory plates containing pale fish, potatoes, meringue, vanilla ice-cream and,
glaring rather dramatically, from the centre of it all, a lemon.
The Iron Orchid smiled with her amber lips and, reaching for an oyster, asked: "How do you mean,
my love, 'virtuous'?" Her perfect hand, powdered the very lightest shade of gold, hovered for a second
over the oyster and then withdrew. She used the hand, instead, to cover a small yawn.
Her son stretched on his soft pillows. He, too, felt tired after the exertions of eating, but dutifully he
continued with the subject. "I'm not thoroughly sure what it means. As you know, most devastating of
minerals, most enchanting of flowers, I have studied the language of the time quite extensively. I must
possess every tape that still exists. It provides considerable amusement. But I cannot understand every
nuance. I found the word in a dictionary and the dictionary told me it meant acting with 'moral rectitude'
or in conformity with 'moral laws' тАФ 'good, just, righteous.' Bewildering!"
He did take an oyster. He slid it into his mouth. He rolled it down his throat. It had been the Iron
Orchid who had discovered oysters and he had been delighted when she suggested they meet on this
beach and eat them. She had made some champagne to go with them, but they had both agreed that they
did not care for it and had cheerfully returned it to its component atoms.
"However," he continued, "I should like to try it for a bit. It is supposed to involve 'self-denial' " тАФ
he forestalled her question тАФ "which means doing nothing pleasurable."
"But everything, body of velvet, bones of steel, is pleasurable!"
"True тАФ and there lies our paradox! You see the ancients, mother, divided their sensations into
different groupings тАФ categories of sensations, some of which they did not find pleasurable, it seems. Or
they did find them pleasurable and therefore were displeased! Oh, dearest Iron Orchid, I can see you are
ready to dismiss the whole thing. And I despair, often, of puzzling out the answer. Why was one thing
considered worth pursuing and another not? But," his handsome lips curved in a smile, "I shall settle the
problem in one way or another, sooner or later." And he closed his heavy lids.
"Oh, Carnelian!"
She laughed softly and affectionately and stretched across the cloth to slip her slender hands into his
loose robe and stroke his warmth and his blood.
"Oh, my dear! How swift you are! How ripe and rich you are today!"
And he drew himself to his feet and he stepped over the cloth and he laid his tall body down upon
her and he kissed her slowly.
And the sea sighed.

When they awoke, still in each other's arms, it was morning, though no night had passed. For their
own pleasure someone had doubtless been engaged in rearranging time. It was not important.
Jherek noticed that the sea had turned a deep pink, almost a cerise, and was clashing dreadfully
with the beach, while on the horizon behind him he saw that two palms and a cliff had disappeared
altogether. In their place stood a silver pagoda, about twelve storeys high and glittering in the morning
sun.
Jherek looked to his left and was pleased to see that his aircar (resembling a steam locomotive of
the early 20th century, but of about half the size, in gold, ebony and rubies) was still where they had left
it.
He looked again at the pagoda, craning his neck, for his mother still relaxed with her head against
his shoulder. His mother, too, turned to look as a winged figure left the roof of the pagoda and flew
crazily away towards the east, swerving and dipping, circling back, narrowly missing the sharp edge of
the pagoda's crest, and at last disappearing.
"Oh," said the Iron Orchid getting to her feet. "It is the Duke of Queens and his wings. Why will he
insist that they are successful?" She waved a vague hand at the departed duke. "Goodbye. Playing one of
his solitary games, again, I suppose." She looked down at the remains of the lunch and made a face. "I
must clear this away." With a wave of the ring on her left hand she disseminated the lunch and watched
the dust drift away on the air. "Will you be going there, this evening? To his party?" She moved her