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

stopped, he settled for crossing his arms and tucking his hands in his armpits.
Ceremonies were going on, prayers and chants were being uttered, glowing golden bodies were strutting in
set patterns, but Lennox was oblivious to it all. He knew he was going to die, slowly and painfully, piece by
piece, in greater agony than he had ever imagined in his worst nightmares. He concentrated on his hatred of
Chomanche, which was the only thing that could even momentarily take his mind off his pain.
Two gold-robed Fireflies came up to Chomanche and whispered something to him. He nodded, replied, and
turned to Lennox.
тАЬYou told me that you came alone.тАЭ
тАЬI did,тАЭ muttered Lennox.
тАЬYou persist in lying to me,тАЭ said Chomanche. тАЬThat is most unwise.тАЭ
He nodded his head almost imperceptibly, and a sword came down from beyond Lennox's range of vision,
severing the front half of his left foot. Blood spurted out and another scream escaped him as he almost lost
consciousness.
тАЬA party of twenty Men is approaching Brakannan,тАЭ continued Chomanche. тАЬThey can have only one reason,
and that of course is to find you. When they are convinced you are not there, they will come here.тАЭ
тАЬI know nothing about them,тАЭ whispered Lennox, as another tourniquet was applied to his left leg.
тАЬWe cannot let them come here,тАЭ said Chomanche. тАЬWe would have to kill them all, and we have no desire to
bring your Republic's ships to Grotamana. Therefore, they will find you halfway between Brakannan and the
pyramid, and, having found you, they will proceed no further.тАЭ
тАЬThey will hunt you down,тАЭ muttered Lennox.
тАЬThey will have two choices,тАЭ answered Chomanche. тАЬThey can save your life, or they can try to exact their
revenge while letting you die. Since they have come to find you, they will choose the former.тАЭ
He nodded to two of the warriors, who each grabbed one of Lennox's ankles and began dragging him roughly
across the dry, parched ground.
He had no idea how long they dragged him, or how far. He knew that almost all the skin had been torn from
his back, and that his arms and left leg were in agony from the tightness of the tourniquets. He thought he
could still hear the chants from the pyramid, but he was so dizzy and so nearly unconscious that he couldn't
be sure he wasn't imagining them.
Finally they came to a stop, and the warriors released him. Both legs fell hard upon the ground, and he
screamed again.
тАЬIt is here that your friends shall find you, Xavier William Lennox,тАЭ said Chomanche. тАЬIf you are very lucky,
they may even be able to keep you alive.тАЭ
Lennox didn't have the strength to reply.
тАЬYou have seen things this night that no member of your race may see,тАЭ continued Chomanche. тАЬWe cannot
change that, but we can remove the offending organs. Do you understand what I am saying to you?тАЭ
Lennox tried to get to his feet, felt an excruciating pain in what remained of his left foot, and collapsed. One of
the warriors rolled him onto his back, and then each of them pinned an arm down on the ground, as Lennox
struggled weakly and futilely to free himself.
тАЬRelax, Xavier William Lennox,тАЭ said Chomanche, kneeling down next to him. тАЬEven if we let your hands
loose, what could you do with them? Can you make a fist? Can you grip my arm and hold it back?тАЭ
Lennox struggled again, and one of the warriors used his free hand to hold the human's head still.
Suddenly a sharp instrument appeared in Chomanche's hand. Lennox hoped he would pass out before the
hand came any closer, but he knew that he wouldn't.

3.
He was unconscious for three days and delirious for two more. He had nightmares about glowing golden
blades hacking away little pieces of his body. His fingers itched, but he didn'thave any fingers. He tried to roll
over and found that he was strapped to his bed. He seemed to think that he was tied into a barrage of
machines by a plethora of tubes and wires, but he couldn't open his eyes to see them.
Finally he became aware of a steady prodding against his shoulder. He wanted to tell whoever was bothering