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

whom and as long as I wish," he snapped in reply to my
unaskedquestion."Tactile illusion as well --feel!" He thrust forth a furred
forelimb, whichI touched. Under my fingers it was little different from the
toy, exceptthat it had life and was not just fur laid over stuffing."Yes." I
sat back on my heels, convinced. Eet was right, as so often hewas--often
enough to irritate a less logical being such as I. In his ownform Eet was
strange enough to be noticed, even in a space port, where thereis always a
coming and going of aliens and unusual pets. He could furnish aclue to our
stay here. I had never underrated the Guild or their spy system.But if they
had a reading on Eet, then how much more so they must have meimprinted on
their search tapes! I had been their quarry long before I metEet, ever
since after my father's murder, when someone must have guessedthat I had
taken from his plundered office the zero stone their man had notfound. They
had set up the trap which had caught Vondar Ustle but not me.And they had
laid another trap on the Free Trader, one which Eet had foiled,although I did
not know of it until later. On the planet of ruins they hadactually held me
prisoner until Eet again freed me. So they had hadinnumerable chances
of taping me for their hounds--a fact which wasfrightening to
consider."You will think yourself a cover." Eet's calm order cut
across myuneasiness."I cannot! Remember, I am of a limited species--" I
struck back with thebaffled anger that realization of my plight aroused in
me."You have only the limits you yourself set," Eet returned
unruffled."Perceive--"He waddled on his stumpy pookha legs to the opposite
side of the room, andas suddenly flowed back into Eet again, stretching
his normal body upagainst the wall at such a lengthening as I would not have
believed even hissupple muscles and flesh capable of. With one of his
paw-hands he managed totouch a button and the wall provided us with a mirror
surface. In that I sawmyself. I am not outstanding in any way. My hair is
darkish brown, which istrue of billions of males of Terran stock. I have
a face which is wideacross the eyes, narrowing somewhat to the chin,
undistinguished for eithergood looks or downright ugliness. My eyes are
green-brown, and my brows,black, as are my lashes. As a merchant who travels
space a great deal, I hadhad my beard permanently eradicated when it first
showed. A beard in a spacehelmet is unpleasant. And for the same reason I wear
my hair cropped short.I am of medium height as my race goes, and I have
all the right number oflimbs and organs for my own species. I could be
anyone--except that theidentification patterns the Guild might hold on me
could go deeper and befar more searching than a glance at a passing
stranger.Eet flowed back across the room with his usual liquid movement, made
one ofhis effortless springs to my shoulder, and settled down in position
behindmy neck, his head resting on top of mine, his hand-paws flat on either
sideof my skull just below my ears."Now!" he commanded. "Think of another
face--anyone's--"When so ordered I found that I could not--at first. I looked
into the mirrorand my reflection was all that was there. I could feel Eet's
impatience andthat made it even more difficult for me to concentrate. Then
that impatiencefaded and I guessed that he was willing it under control."Think
of another." He was less demanding, more coaxing. "Close your eyes ifyou
must--"I did, trying to summon up some sort of picture in my mind--a face
which wasnot my own. Why I settled for Faskel I could not say, but somehow my
fosterbrother's unliked countenance swam out of memory and I concentrated upon