"Andre Norton - Jern Murdock 02 - Uncharted Stars" - читать интересную книгу автора (Norton Andre)

us."Nothing--yet." But his mind-send was faint, as a voiced whisper might
be,or as if most of his mind was occupied with some other pressing problem.I
found, a second or two later, the end of the ladder, as my hand, rising
togrope for a new hold, struck painfully instead against a hard surface.
Ispread my fingers to read what was there. What I traced by touch was
acircular depression which must mark a trap door. Having made sure of that,
Iapplied pressure, first gently and then with more force. When there was
noreassuring yield I began to be alarmed. If the bolt hole of this door
waslocked, we would have to recourse but to return to the level of the
robos,and I did not want to think of that.But my final desperate shove must
have triggered whatever stiff mechanismheld the door and it gave, letting
in a weak light. I had wit and controlenough left to wait for a very long
moment for any warning from Eet.When he sent nothing I scrambled out into a
place where the walls werestudded with gauges, levers, and the like,
perhaps the nerve center thatcontrolled the robos. Since there was no one
there and a very ordinary doorin the nearest wall, I breathed a sigh of
heart-felt relief and set aboutmaking myself more presentable, plucking Eet
out of my unsealed tunic andfastening that smoothly. As far as I could
tell, examining my clothes withcare, I bore no traces of my late venture
through the bowels of thecaravansary and I should be able to take to
the streets without notice.Always providing that the door opposite me
would eventually lead me tofreedom. What it did give on was a very small
grav lift. I set the indicatorfor street level and was wafted up to a short
corridor with doors at eitherend. One gave upon a walled court with an
entrance for luggage conveyers.And I hop-skipped with what speed I could
along one of those, to drop intoan alley where a flitter from the port
unloaded heavier transport boxes."Now!" Eet had been riding on my shoulder,
his pookha body less well adaptedto that form of transport than his true
form. I felt his paws clamp oneither side of my head as he had earlier done
when showing me how one's facecould be altered. "Wait!"I did not know his
purpose, since he did not demand I "think" a face. Andthough that waiting
period spun out, making me uneasy, he did not alter hisposition. I was sure he
was using his own thought power to provide me with
adisguise."Best--I--can--do--" The paws fell away from my head and I
reached up tocatch him as he tumbled from his place. He was shaking as if
from extremefatigue and his eyes were closed, while he breathed in short
gasps. Oncebefore I had seen him so drained--even rendered
unconscious--when he hadforced me to share minds with the Patrolman.Carrying
Eet as I might a child, and shouldering my flight bag, I went downthe alley. A
back look at the building had given me directions. If I had atail who had
not been confused by our exit, he had no place to hide here.The side way fed
into a packed commercial street where the bulk of thefreight from the port
must pass. There were six heavy-duty transport beltsdown its middle,
flanked on either side by two light-duty, and thereremained room for a
single man-way, narrow indeed, which scraped along thesides of the
buildings it passed. There was enough travel on it to keep mefrom being
unduly conspicuous, mainly people employed at the port to handlethe
shipments. I dropped my bag between my feet and stood, letting the waycarry
me along, not adding speed by walking.Eet had spoken of the Diving Lokworm,
which was still a mystery to me, and Ihad no intention of visiting the