"Moore, C L - Dust of Gods UC" - читать интересную книгу автора (Moore C. L)

SmithТs pale stare met YaiplТs black one across the table. Silence hung between them forit moment. Then Smith said,
УAny objection to us having a little talk with those two over there?Ф
УNone at all,Ф answered the hoarse whisper promptly. УGo now~ if you like.Ф
Smith rose without further words. Yarol pushed back his chair noiselessly and followed him. They crossed the floor with the spacemanТs peculiar, shifting walk and slid into opposite chairs between the huddling two.
The effect was startling. The Earthman jerked convulsively and i~ned a pasty face, eloquent with alarm, toward the interruption. The drylander stared from SmithТs face to YarolТs in dumb terror. Neither spoke.
УKnow that felloW over there?Ф inquired Smith abruptly, jerking his head toward the table they. had quitted..
After a momentТs hesitation the two heads turned as one. When they faced around ~aia the terror on the EarthmanТs face was giving way to a dawning comprehension. He said from a dry throat, УHeЧheТs hiring you, eh?Ф -
Smith nodded. The Earthman Сs face crumpled into terror again and he cried,
УDonТt do it. For GodТs sake, you donТt know!Ф
УKnow what?Ф
The man glanced furtively round the room and licked his lips uncertainly. A curious play of conflicting emotions flickered across his face. .
УDangerousЧ:Ф he mumbled. УBetter leave well enough alone. We found that out.Ф
УWhat happened?Ф -
The Earthman stretched out a shaking hand for the segir bottle and poured a brimming glass. He drained it before he spoke, and the incoherenceof his speech may have been due to the glasses that had preceded it.
УWe went up toward the polar mountains, where be said. Weeks.. . it was cold. The nights get dark up there... dark. Went into the cave that goes through the mountainЧa long way. . . . Then our lights went outЧfull-charged batteries in new super-Toinlinson tubes, but they went out like candles, and in the darkЧin the dark the white thing came. . . .У -
A shudder went over him strongly. He reached out shaking hands for the segir bottle and poured another glass, the rim clicking against his teeth as he drank. Then he set down the glass hard and said violently,
УThatТs all. We left. DonТt remember a thing about getting outЧor much more than starving and freezing in thч saltiands for a long time. Our supplies ran lowЧhadnТt been for himТ СЧnodding across the tableЧТ СweТd both have died. DonТt know how we did get out fmallyЧbut weТre out, understand? Out! Nothing could hire us to go backЧweТve seen enough. ThereТs something about it thatЧthat makes your head acheЧwe saw . . . never mind. ButЧТ:
He beckoned Smith closer and sank his voice to a whisper. His eyes rolled fearfully.
УItТs after us. DonТt ask me what . . . I donТt know. ButЧfeel it in the dark, watchingЧwatching in the
dark....Ф -
The voicC sank to a mumble and he reached again for the
segir bottle. . -
УItТs here nowЧwaitingЧif the lights go outЧ watchingЧmustnТt let the lights go outЧmore segir
The bottle clinked on the glass-rim, the voice trailed away into drunken mutter ngs.
Smith pushed back his chair and nodded to Yarol. The two at the table did not seem to notice their departure. The drylander was clutching the segir bottle in turn and pouring out red liquid without watching the glassЧan apprehensive one-eyed stare turned across his shoulder.
Smith laid a hand on his companionТs shoulder and drew him across the room toward the bar. Yarol scowled at the approaching bartender and suggested,
УSuppose wч get an advance for drinks, anyhow.Ф
УArewetakingit?Ф -
УWell, what dТyou think?Ф
УItТs dangerous; You know, thereТs something worse than whisky wrong with those two. Did you notice the EarthmanТs eyes?Ф
УWhites showed all around,Ф nodded Yarol. УIТve seen madmen look like that.Ф
УI thought of that, too. He was drunk, of course, and probably wouldnТt be so wild-sounding, soberЧbut from the looks of him heТll never be sober again till he dies. No use trying to find out anything more from him. And the otherЧ well, did you ever try to find out anything from a drylander? Even a sober one?Ф
Yarol lifted expressive shoulders. УI know. If we go into this, we go blind. Never dig any more out of those drunks.
But something certainly scared them.Ф
УAnd yet, Уsaid Smith, УIТd like to know more about this. Dust of thegodsЧand all that. Interesting. Just what does he Want with this dust, anyhow?Ф
УDid you believe that yarn?Ф
УDonТt knowЧIТve comeacross some pretty funny things here and there. He does ~t half-cracked, of course, butЧ well, those fellows back there certainly found something Out of the ordinary, and they didnТt go all the way at that.Ф
УWell, it~heТll buy us Сa drink I say letТs take the job, Уsaid Yarol. УIТd as soon be scared to death later as die of thirst now. What do you say?Ф
УGood enough,Ф shrugged Smith. УIТm thirsty, too.Ф
The little man looked up hopefully as they reseated themselves at the table.
УIf we can come to terms,Ф tuid Smith, УweТll take it.
And if you can give us some idea of what weТre looking for,
and why.Ф
УThe dust of Pharol,Ф said the husky voice impatiently. УI told you that.Ф
УWhat dТyou want with it?Ф
The little bright eyes stared suspiciously across the table into SmithТs calm gaze.
УWhat business is it of yours?Ф
УWeТre risking our necks for it, arenТt we?Ф
Again the bright, small eyes bored into the EarthmanТs. The husky voice fell lower, to the very echo of a whisper, and he said, secretly. -
УIТll tell you, then. After all, why not? You donТt know how to use itЧitТs of no value to anyone but me. Listen, thenЧI told you that the Three incarnated themselves into a material form to use as a door through which they could reach humanity. They had to do it, but it was a door that opened both waysЧthrough it, if one dared, man could reach the Three. No one dared in those daysЧthe power beyondТwas too terrible. It would have been like walking straight through a gateway into hell. But time has passed since then. The gods have drawn away from humanity into farther realms. The terror that was Pharol is only an echo in a forgetful world. The spirit of the god has goneЧbut not wholly. While any remnant of that shape which was once incarnate Pharol cxists, Pharol can be reached. For the man who could lay hands on that dusk, knowing the requisite rites and formulae, all knowledge, all power would lie open like a book. To enslave a god!Ф