"Michael Kane - 01 - Warriors Of Mars" - читать интересную книгу автора (Moorcock Michael)

Earth of my own age. Somehow I could not be-
lieve it was any Earth, of the past or the future.
Yet it could not be the only other obvious planet in
our solar systemЧMarsЧfor Mars was a dead, arid
planet of red dust and lichen. Yet the size of the
Sun and the fact that gravity was less here than on
Earth seemed to indicate Mars.

It was in a daze of speculation that I allowed the
girl to lead me through the golden gates of the
city, through its tree-lined streets, towards a palace
of shining white stone. People, men and women
dressedЧif dressed is the wordЧsimilarly to the
girl, glanced in polite curiosity at my white lab
coat and grey pants which I was still wearing.

We mounted the steps of the palace and entered
a great hall, hung with banners of many colors, on
which were embroidered strange emblems, myth-
ical beasts and words traced out in a peculiar
script which also reminded me of Sanskrit.

Five galleries rose around the hall and in the
centre a fountain played. The few simply-dressed
people who stood conversing in the hall waved

cheerfully to the girl and gave me that same look
of polite curiosity I had received in the streets.

We walked through the hall, through another
doorway and up a spiral staircase of white marble.
Here she paused on the landing and opened a door
that at first looked like metal but on closer observa-
tion proved to be wood of incredible hardness and
polish.

The room in which I found myself was quite
small. It was barely furnished, with a few rugs of
brightly dyed animal skins scattered about and a
series of cupboards around the walls.

The girl went to one of these cupboards, opened
it and took out two metal circlets in which were set
radiant gems of a kind completely unknown to me.
She placed one of these on her head and indicated
that I should imitate her with the second. I took
the circlet and fitted it over my own head.

Suddenly a voice spoke inside my skull. I was as-
tonished for a second, until I realized that here was