"Steven Piziks - Smoke and Mirrors" - читать интересную книгу автора (Piziks Steven)

"What is it?" Dagmar said helplessly. "What can I do?"
"Nothing," Ramdane panted through clenched teeth. Dagmar helped him sit up, and he opened his
tunic. "Look."
Everyone looked. Three ugly welts on Ramdane's chest formed the numeral one.
"The greaseball is scratching that mirror. He's telling me we've only got one day left to meet
himтАФwith the gorgon's head," Ramdane gasped.
Dagmar assisted Ramdane to a chair. For once her internal little girl was quiet. "There's nothing to
worry about," she soothed without believing it for a minute.
"Right," Ramdane replied dully. "We've been in worse spots. Maybe we could set up an ambush."
And then a thought struck Dagmar. She looked at Granny Carver's fireplace, then at Ramdane. Her
internal girl clapped her hands with wicked glee.
"No," Dagmar said. "I have a better idea."
***
"Did you bring me the head?" the greasy talismonger demanded from his vantage point across the
clearing.
"Right here," Dagmar said, holding up a small strongbox. She held her still-polished shield in the
other hand. "We'll bring it out as soon as you show us the mirror."
Grinning crookedly, the greasy talismonger dipped into a pouch and pulled out the bit of glass. "Do
you feel your familiar, talismonger?" he taunted. "Can you sense her fear? One little accident is all it would
take."
He dropped the mirror.
Dagmar and Ramdane let out a single cry. Time slowed, and Dagmar watched the mirror turn end
over end as it headed for the rocky ground. The talismonger negligently flipped his foot, allowing the
mirror to bounce off one toe into a patch of grass.
"Clumsy," he clucked, squatting to retrieve the object. He straightened and looked mockingly at
Ramdane. "I'm sorry. Did I frighten you both?"
Dagmar opened her mouth but her heart was beating at the back of her throat and she couldn't
formulate a reply. Apprehension warred with red-tinged anger.
Kill him! urged the internal little girl, and Dagmar really wanted to listen.
"I'll just put the box in the middle of the clearing," she called quickly. "After I've backed away, you
come and exchange it for the mirror. And we'll all be home in time for supper."
The talismonger nodded jerkily. "Hurry up," he ordered. "The sun's going down."
Dagmar stumped past the boundary of trees and set Granny's heavy, metal-bound box on a flat
stone in the exact center of the tiny meadow. Then she backed away, careful to keep her shield pointing
in the talismonger's direction. Sunlight glinted off the shiny surface, creating a wobbly circle of light on the
grass. The talismonger's eyes flicked toward it, then back to Dagmar.
"Don't try to blind me with that," he warned.
 "Wouldn't dream of it," Dagmar said, still backing away. "I can see you're way too smart to fall for
that trick."
The talismonger looked suspicious, but didn't reply. Dagmar waggled her shield one more time,
sending the bit of light dancing across the ground. Behind her, she heard Ramdane chanting softly, though
the greasy talismonger didn't seem to notice. His attention wandered between Dagmar, the box, and the
light.
That's right, you bastard. Pretty light. Look at the pretty light. Never mind what Ramdane is
doing. Pretty, pretty light.
Once Dagmar was safely back on the other side of the clearing, the talismonger sidled cautiously
out to the box. Exultant avarice gleamed in his eyes as he opened it and reached inside without looking,
examining the contents by touch alone.
Three . . . , Dagmar counted, two . . . one.
The greed dropped from the talismonger's face, replaced by a thunderous fury. With a screech, he