"Robert Reed - Sister Alice" - читать интересную книгу автора (Reed Robert)

Eleven

Twelve

Thirteen

Fourteen

Fifteen

Sixteen

About the Author

Acknowledgments
A special thanks to Gardner Dozois for publishing the original novellas, and to my editor, Jim Frenkel.

Book 1
Sister Alice
One
тАЬI found myself daydreaming, remembering my childhood as a wonderful time clothed in simple fun and
sweet easy victoriesтАжI was reveling in how perfectly carefree my first taste of life had beenтАжand that
was the moment when my instincts first warned me, whispering in my countless ears that our work had
gone seriously, tragically wrongтАжтАЭ

тАФAliceтАЩs testimony

XO TOLD THEIRsquad this was a lousy place to build and their fort was sick with flaws, and the Blues
were sure to crush them, and, of course, every disaster would be RavleenтАЩs fault. He said it with his best
whiny voice, making it impossible to ignore his grousing. She had no choice but to come over,
interrupting their drills to tell Xo to quit. But he wouldnтАЩt quit. He laughed in her face, and said, тАЬYouтАЩre
no general.тАЭ Ord heard him plainly. Everyone heard him. Ravleen had no choice but to knock him off his
feet and give him a good sharp kick. Xo was a Gold, and she was their Sanchex, the GoldтАЩs eternal
general. She had every right to punish him, aiming for his belly and ribs. But Xo refused to cooperate. He
started cursing, bright poisonous words hanging in the air. тАЬYouтАЩre not Sanchex,тАЭ he grunted. тАЬYouтАЩre
just a Sanchex face stuffed full of shit, and IтАЩm not scared of you.тАЭ Ravleen moved to his face, breaking
his nose and cheekbones, the skin splitting and blood spattering on the new snow. Everyone watched.
Ord stood nearby, watching their snow melt into the blood, each diluting the other. He saw XoтАЩs face
become a gooey mess, and he heard the boyтАЩs voice finally fall away into a sloppy wet laugh.

Tule stepped up, saying, тАЬIf you hurt him too much, he wonтАЩt be able to hurt anyone else.тАЭ

Ravleen paused, panting from her hard work. Tule was right. Their general dropped her foot and pushed
her long black hair out of her eyes, grinning now, making sure everyone could see her confidence. Then
she knelt, making a ball out of the bloody snow, asking, тАЬWho wants to help this shit home?тАЭ

Tule was closest, but she despised Xo. She didnтАЩt approve of disobedience; it was her endless duty to
keep their clan working smoothly, bowing to every one of RavleenтАЩs demands.