"Jody Lynn Nye - The Grand Tour" - читать интересную книгу автора (Nye Jody Lynn)

heavy as a trunk.
Chuck had to blink as Keir led them through a low arch. Just like that, the walls of the building
dropped away into the distance, and the ceiling shot upwards into midnight gloom. The quiet landscape
was painted with silvery light from a full moon that hung above them like a benevolent face. They
were outside in a grassy meadow. A grand, winding stone staircase spiraled down and around out of
nowhere, until it came to rest on the ground between a pair of classic, alabaster, nude statues, one man
and one woman. It was so tall Chuck couldnтАЩt see what was at the top. He had no notion of its scale
until he spotted a bundle painted in chiaroscuro at its foot. He squinted. It was a woman. Had she
walked down it and gone to sleep at the bottom or, Chuck shuddered, with a hollow feeling in his
belly, fallen down it? She lay very still, with her round cheek pillowed on one arm, a wing of hair
draped over her face. Cloth bags and suitcases of several sizes lay scattered around her.
тАЬIs she hurt?тАЭ he asked Keir. His voice was a hushed whisper in this calm place.
тАЬOh, no,тАЭ Keir assured him. тАЬSometimes they come this way. All depends on whatтАЩs comfortable
for you.тАЭ He signed for the two men to stay back as he trotted towards the sleeper, shifting from
woman to silver-coated wolf. Chuck shook his head, marvelling. If this alternate realm was as
wonderful as the guide, heтАЩd never want to go back to his mundane existence. The wolf nudged the
sleeper with his nose. She sat up, looked startled for a moment, then reached out to touch its furry ears
with an expression of pure delight.
In every way this newcomer was the opposite of the male stranger. She was short, heavy-set, with
wide hips and a large bosom, dressed in swathes of soft, earth-toned cloth and jingling with jewelry at
neck, wrists, and ankles. She gathered up her possessions as if she was used to doing it, and followed
Keir toward the rest of the group. Her eyes never left the furry back.
тАЬIs that it?тАЭ Chuck asked, impatiently, peering around his briefcases. His bags were getting heavier.
тАЬTwo more,тАЭ Keir assured him, trotting alongside his charges with his pink tongue hanging out of
his mouth.
Chuck fidgeted behind his heap of luggage as they entered another vision of the outdoors, this one
as sunlit as the other had been moonlit. He waited impatiently while a cloud began to drop slowly from
the sky. He was only momentarily beguiled by the color changes it sustained, shading like a rainbow
from green to blue to violet as it descended toward the ground. When it touched down, Keir stepped
forward. He became an angel with golden halo and iridescent white wings, as beautiful as anything
Chuck had ever seen in a piece of classical art. Was this his true form? If so, Chuck was fortunate that
Keir would consent to interact with mere mortals.
He felt awe rising in him as the angel offered a hand to the woman resting on the cloudтАЩs surface
like a pearl in the palm of a celestial hand. She rose in a flutter of flowing white garments. Taller than
the male stranger, she was ethereally thin, with hollow cheekbones, a narrow nose and thin lips. Her
large hazel eyes regarded the Angel Keir almost blankly. Her hair was dark blonde, and fell in straight
tresses down her back. A silver chain belt hung slack about her narrow hips, hanging there without
visible means of support. The other woman, whom Chuck could now see had hair of a defiant shade of
red, stared at her distrustfully. The dainty grace of the newcomer made her look coarse and earthy.
Chuck fell a little in love with the newcomer. She epitomized beauty. The very power of that
realization made him feel shy about looking at her. He glanced up at her through his eyelashes. When
lightning didnтАЩt strike him down, he stared at her more openly. She didnтАЩt seem to mind, or even
notice. She was too taken up with studying her surroundings. He was glad. He felt refreshment in
taking in her image. If she was so perfect already, Chuck wondered why she was here.
When the lady in white climbed down, Chuck could see that the chain around her hips extended
into a hollow in the cloud. Attached to the silvery links were several silken bags and tapestry-covered
boxes shaped like treasure chests that dragged behind her as she walked. She seemed entirely unaware
of them or their weight. The Angel Keir beckoned to her, and she followed meekly, without
acknowledging she could see any of the others.
Chuck thought that Keir must have forgotten about the fifth member of the group, for he led the