"Larry Niven - Limits" - читать интересную книгу автора (Niven Larry)

"No, just a big carving...urn...it could have been animated once. The
magic was going out of everything. The merpeople were all gone; the
mainlanders were trying to learn to catch their own fish, and we had trouble
getting food. Nihilil was thinking of moving the whole court to Beesh. Am I
rambling too much, darling?"

"No telling what we can use. Keep it up."

"The inside stairs lead down from the kitchen, through the laundry room
on this floor, and through Thone's room on the lower floor."

"Thone." Karskon's hand strayed to his belt buckle, which was silver,
and massive; which was in fact the hilt of a concealed dagger. "He's not as
big as Rordray, but I'd hate to have him angry with me. They're all too big.
We'd best not be caught...unless we, or you, can find a legitimate reason for
being in Thone's room?"

Durily scowled. "He's just not interested. He sees me, he knows I'm a
woman, but he Doesn't seem to care...or else he's very stupid about
suggestions. That's possible."

"If he's part of a were-lion family -- "

"He wouldn't mate with human beings?" Durily laughed, and it sounded
like silver coins falling. No, he thought, she wouldn't have had trouble
seducing a young man...or anything male. I gave her no trouble. Even now,
knowing the truth

"Our host isn't a were-lion," she said. "Lions eat red meat. We've
brought red meat to his table, but he was eating fish. Lions don't lust for a
varied diet, and they aren't particular about what they eat. Our host has
exquisite taste. If I'd known how fine a cook he is, I'd have come for that
alone."

"He shows some other signs. The whole family's big, but he's a lot
bigger. Why Docs he shave his face and clip his hair short? Is it to hide a
mane?" -

"Docs it matter if they're lions? We don't want to be caught," Durily
said. "Any one of them is big enough to be a threat. Stop fondling that canape
sticker, dear. This trip we use stealth and magic."

Oddly reluctant, Karskon said, "Speaking of magic...

"Yes. It's time."

"You're quite right. They're hiding something," Rordray said absently.
He was carving the meat from a quarter of ox and cutting it into chunks,
briskly, apparently risking his fingers at every stroke. "What of it? Don't we
all have something to hide? They are my guests. They appreciate my food."