"Andre Norton - Solar Queen 03- Voodoo Planet" - читать интересную книгу автора (Norton Andre)

his word aloneтАФeven if they were fronting a rain of Thorkian death darts and that order was to advance.
But, on the other hand, Dane would never have asked a favor, and the best he hoped for was to be able to
perform his duties without unfavorable comment upon their commission. He had no reason to believe
Jellico was willing to agree to this.

тАЬYou have two weeksтАЩ planet-side leave coming, Thorson. If you want to spend it on Khatka . . . тАЭ Jellico
actually grinned then. тАЬI take it that you do. When do we up-ship, sir?тАЭ

тАЬYou said that you must wait for the return of your other crew membersтАФshall we say mid-afternoon
tomorrow?тАЭ The Chief Ranger stood up and put Sinbad down though the cat protested with several sharp
meows.

тАЬSmall lion,тАЭ the tall Khatkan spoke to the cat as to an equal, тАЬthis is your jungle, and mine lies elsewhere.
But should you ever grow tired of traveling the stars, there is always a home for you in my courts.тАЭ

When the Chief Ranger went out the door, Sinbad did not try to follow, but he uttered one mournful little
cry of protest and loss.
тАЬSo he wants a troubleshooter, does he?тАЭ Tau asked. тАЬAll right, IтАЩll try to hunt out his goblins for him; itтАЩll
be worth that to visit Khatka!тАЭ

Dane, remembering the hot glare of the Xecho spaceport, the sea one could not swim in, contrasted that
with the tri-dees he had seen of the green huntersтАЩ paradise on the next planet of the system. тАЬYes, sir!тАЭ he
echoed and made a haphazard choice for the cooker.

тАЬDonтАЩt be too lighthearted,тАЭ Tau warned. тАЬIтАЩll say that any stew which was too hot for that Ranger to
handle might give us burned fingersтАФand quick. When we land on Khatka, walk softly and look over your
shoulder, and be prepared for the worst.тАЭ


II

LIGHTNING PLAYED along the black ridges above them, and below was a sheer drop to a river which
was only a silver thread. Under their boots, man-made and yet dominating the wildness of jungle and
mountain, was a platform of rock slabs, fused to support a palace of towering yellow-white walls and
curved cups of domes, a palace which was also half fortress, half frontier post.

Dane set his hands on the parapet of the river drop, blinked as a lightning bolt crackled in a sky-splitting
glare of violet fire. This was about as far from the steaming islands of Xecho as a man could imagine.

тАЬThe demon graz prepare for battle.тАЭ Asaki nodded toward the distant crackling.

Captain Jellico laughed. тАЬSupposed to be whetting their tusks, eh? I wouldnтАЩt care to meet a graz that could
produce such a display by mere tusk whetting.тАЭ

тАЬNo? But think of the reward for the tracker who discovers where such go to die. To find the graveyard of
the graz herds would make any man wealthy beyond dreams.тАЭ

тАЬHow much truth is there in that legend?тАЭ Tau asked.

The Chief Ranger shrugged. тАЬWho can say? This much is true: I have served my life in the forests since I