"Andre Norton - Brother To Shadows" - читать интересную книгу автора (Norton Andre)

Its head twisted and turned on a long neck as if it were trying to escape, not the priest's
hold upon its body, but the glare of his eyes. Until at last the man's will overcame that of
the Kag, the turning head was still, and it was held eye to eye with him as if being
hypnotized, which it was after a manner.

There was a long pause and then the priest stepped quickly to the window and the Kag
arose and was gone, spiraling out over the countryside, but still as much under his control
as if he held it on a leash. It would follow, it would spy. When death struck down that
upstart its master would speedily learn.
JOFRE NOTED THOSE SIGNS OF STORM, YET HE DID NOT quicken pace. For the
first hour after leaving the Lair he had country comparatively easy to travel. For he could
keep for awhile to the travelers' road. He swung along at the controlled gait for a long
journey, with a divided mind which had come from his training.

One-half of his attention was for his surroundings and footing, the other probed into the
future. He felt so oddly alone, though the Brothers, for the most part, operated singly, but
always on a set task, and he was without that guidance. He set to gaining full control, first
visualizing the map he was to follow, then examining in turn all the possible points of
knowledge which could aid him in the future.

The history of the Brothers was thickly entangled with the intrigues and conspiracies of
many small courts and kingdoms. All they knew of off-world came largely through
hearsay. Many, such as the Shagga priest, wanted to keep it that way. Only because the
Master had been far looking and ambitious in a new fashion did Jofre have those scraps
he clung to.

A city had been already established on the plain where the first spacer exploring starship
had set down on Asborgan. Now there were, in fact, two cities, the old and a new one
which had grown up nearer the port landing and in which there were strange off-world
buildings housing beings of different races, different species even.

On the outer fringe of this newer city along the port side there was a third collection of
buildings, seedy inns, trading marts in which there were few questions asked as to the
source of goods offered. Here the outcasts of both Asborgan's native stock and the scum
which followed the star lanes as a blot gathered and held a strong hold of their own.

Jofre had heard of the Thieves Guild, which spread talons to seize across half the star
lanes. There was said to be a branch of that which had gained a foothold here,
incorporating into its very diverse assembly native talent. In addition there were those
who had met with such misfortune that they had fallen to a point of no return. He had
been told of drugs which drove men wild, giving them great power for a short time, but
condemning them to miserable deaths. All the evil which an intelligent mind could
conceive gathered there in that dismal sink.
Yet that must be his own first goal. As a Brother he could not shelter in the old cityтАФfor
he wore no lord's badge. Also there would be a need for coins to pay his way. The better
portion of the space city would see him as a curiosity and so suspect. No, he must dive
into the dark quarter until he could find his way about.

In his decision Jofre had no fear of either the law or the lawless. The conception that a