"Janet Morris - Crusaders In Hell" - читать интересную книгу автора (Morris Janet E)

The woman jerked hard on Enkidu's arm and pleaded with him, saying, "Enkidu,
my hero, you are not afraid of that chariot without horses, are you? Come with
me, where wonders abound, if you are brave. But if you are a coward, kiss me
goodbye and stay behind!"
Her blond hair whipped around her face in the gale as her pale eyes searched
his for an answer and behind them, the once-proud dog began to howl.
"But Gilgamesh ..." Enkidu shouted back as the man stopped and waved again-a
man dressed in the colors of the land and with furrows on his brow, a man as
tall as Gilgamesh and as bold, for he had come from the belly of the bird.
"Enkidu," pleaded the woman, releasing his arm and running toward the other
man. Halfway there, she halted and looked back: "Enkidu, come! Let me save
your life!"
The man beyond the woman wore weapons about his person, fine weapons of the
most powerful kind. In one hand he held a plasma rifle; around his neck hung
far-seeing goggles.
His other hand was outstretched, beckoning Enkidu with a gesture all men
understood. Then he grabbed for the woman and jerked her abruptly toward him.
Words were exchanged between them and the man dragged the caravan woman away,
toward the belly of the bird while, all around, the caravanners huddled in
fear and none lifted a hand to help her.
Behind Enkidu, under the wagon, her dog began to Keen.
Enkidu ran toward the black bird with wide strides, strides that ate up the
distance and brought him to the bird's side as the other man and the woman
reached it. There the noise was too great for speech and the wind too fierce
for open eyes. Squinting, Enkidu saw the woman clamber up into the dark belly
of the bird and reach back with her white arm, her fine fingers outstretched
to him.
Her mouth was open. She was calling his name. She wanted him to jump into the
belly of the bird with her.
And while all the people and the dog with whom he'd just argued were watching,
Enkidu made his decision.
He went up to the bird. He touched the bird's side, and found it to be metal.
He grabbed the bird's feet, and found handholds there.
He climbed into the bird of metal, into the dark and stinking shadows of its
belly, and there he took the woman in his arms.
"Nice job, Tanya," said the man who wore the colors of the land. "Better get
him away from the window. He's not going to like the rest of this."
The woman from the caravan cooed at Enkidu and pulled him gently toward a
couch among a magical wall of temple lights while, outside, the noise became
unbearable.
Enkidu jumped up from the couch and ran to the place where he'd entered the
belly of the bird, but there was no opening there. He ran along the wall until
he came to a window, and there he paused.
Outside, the ground was becoming tiny and on it people were falling. From
their bodies, blood was pouring. From the wagons, flame was spouting. From his
vantage in the belly of the bird rising up into the sky, Enkidu could see it
all.
And he could separate the sounds now, those he heard. One sound was that of
the bird rising toward the sky, but the other sound was more terrible. The
other sound was that of chain guns and cannon, of automatic-weapons fire