"Mike Resnick - A Miracle Of Rare Design" - читать интересную книгу автора (Resnick Mike)

тАЬI was born unable to speak clearly,тАЭ answered Lennox, тАЬand I do not meet your gaze because I am ashamed
of my shortcoming.тАЭ
It seemed like a reasonable answer, but something about it was terribly wrong, because without another word
the Firefly launched himself at Lennox, his hands reaching out to clutch at the human's throat.
Lennox was caught completely off-guard by the suddenness of the attack, and an instant later was struggling
for his life as the Firefly's hands tightened around his neck. He delivered a swift knee to the groin, which
would have disabled any human opponent, but had no effect whatsoever on the Firefly. A thumb to the armpit
elicited a groan, but did not make the Firefly relinquish his hold. Lennox felt himself becoming dizzy as he
gasped futilely for air. Spots began appearing before his eyes, and finally he decided the only chance he had
of surviving was to match surprise with surprise. He swiftly moved a hand to his face and pulled at the scarf
that covered it until it was fully exposed.
The Firefly's eyes widened."You are a Man!"
Lennox used that instant to twist free. He didn't dare give his opponent time to think or call for help, and he
instantly delivered a crippling kick to the Firefly's left knee. The Firefly grunted and fell to the ground and
Lennox, his scarf in his hands, swiftly wrapped it around the Firefly's neck and began tightening it.
The Firefly struggled to free himself, furiously at first, then with ever weaker efforts, until he finally lay still.
Lennox made sure he was alive, then quickly dragged him to the darkest section of the street, where he
bound and gagged him with his own scarves.
As quick and silent as the battle had been, Lennox still could not believe that Fireflies weren't pouring into the
street to determine the cause of the commotion, and decided that, early or not, he would be safer
approaching the pyramid than remaining where he was. Keeping to the shadows as much as possible, he
began walking to the north, his eyes and ears alert to every motion and sound.
When he had left the city and covered half the distance, he heard the draft animals of a caravan off to his
right. He hid behind a rocky outcrop and watched as they came into view. There were six Fireflies mounted
atop their beasts, and they led a train of thirty more animals, all carrying heavy burdens, each tied
halter-to-tail to the beast ahead of it. With the sun down, four of the Fireflies had their hands and heads
exposed, and he stared in fascination. They may have been dull and lackluster by day, but because of some
element in their skins they literally glowed by night.
He briefly considered cutting the last animal loose with his knife, slicing its cargo loose, and mounting it, but
they were noisy, temperamental animals, and he didn't want to risk exposure if the creature should start its
characteristic bleating.
Still, the caravan offered him some protection once they reached the blazing torches that surrounded the
pyramid, and the tracks they made would cover his own footprints, so he waited until the first twenty animals
had walked by and then quickly walked out from behind his outcropping and began walking alongside the
twenty-first beast. Its head shot up and its eyes widened when it became aware of him, but it remained silent
and continued walking. Lennox kept as close to it as he could, in case any of the six riders should chance to
look back, but their attention was centered on the glowing torches up ahead.
The caravan came to a halt within a quarter mile of the pyramid, and Lennox slipped into the darkness just
before one of the Fireflies walked down the row of animals to make sure none had broken loose. The Fireflies
then exchanged low whispers and began walking down a path that was marked by torches.
Lennox watched as they got to within thirty feet of the base of the pyramid, genuflected, made a complicated
gesture with their hands, and began slowly walking around it in a counterclockwise direction.
He looked about for some sign of a priest or leader, but the only Fireflies he could see were the six members
of the caravan. It didn't make any sense. This was their holiest of holy places: Therehad to be more going on
than a handful of Fireflies walking in a large circle.
And suddenly he became aware that therewas more going on. The Fireflies from the village were approaching
in force, thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of them. They were marching toward the pyramid in single
file, and while they were still half a mile away, he quickly realized that he wouldn't be able to simply become
a part of their procession as he had joined the caravan, for a number of them also bore torches, and if they
kept to the same path as the caravan, they would not pass within sixty feet of him. He'd never be able to