"Nightworld 8 - Black Dawn" - читать интересную книгу автора (Smith Lisa J)

Miles was too good. Smart and strong and an amazing technical climber. Confident but careful. Maggie only hoped she'd be that good someday.

No way he'd buckle his harness wrong, or clip his 'biners upside down. No matter how sick he was. In fact, no way he'd go without a back-up anchor. I'm the one who tries to do things like that, and then he yells at me that if I'm not careful I'm going to have an adventure.

Miles doesn't.

So it meant Sylvia was lying.

The thought came to Maggie on a little wave of shock. It made her feel as if she were suddenly speeding backwards, or as if the room were receding from her very fast.

But why? Why would Sylvia make up such a terrible story? It didn't make any sense.

Sylvia had a hand half covering her eyes now. "I looked for him, but ... there was icefall .. .a crevasse . . ."


No body. She's saying there's no body.

With that, a new wave of heat swept over Maggie. And, strangely, what made her certain of it was Sylvia's eyes.

Those violet eyes had been turned down for most of the time Sylvia had been talking, fixed on the Spanish tiles in the entry hall. But now, as Sylvia got to the last revelation, they had shifted toward Maggie. Toward Maggie's feet. They fixed there, slid away, and then came back and stayed.

It made Maggie glance down at her own feet.

My socks. She's staring at my socks.

One red and one blue-and she's noticing that.

Like an actress who's said the same lines often enough that she doesn't even need to pay attention to them anymore.

All at once, hot anger was burning through Maggie's shock, filling her so there was no room for anything else. She stared hard at Sylvia, who seemed to be very far away but very bright. And in that same instant she knew for certain.

This girl is lying.

She must have done something-something terrible. And she can't show us Miles's body--or maybe there isn't a body because he's still alive.

Yes! Maggie felt suddenly lifted by hope. It is all a mistake. There's no reason for Miles to be dead. All we have to do is make Sylvia tell the truth.

But nobody else in the room knew. They were all listening as Sylvia went on with her story. They all believed.

"I didn't get out before the weather hit.... I had to stay in the tent for three days. When I got out I was so weak, but I managed to signal to some climbers. They saved me, took care of me.... By then it was too late to look for him. I knew there was no chance he'd made it through that storm...."

She broke down completely.

The ranger began talking about weather conditions and recovery efforts, and suddenly Maggie's mother was making strange gasping noises and sinking toward the floor.

"Mom!" Frightened, Maggie started toward her. Her father looked up and seemed to realize for the first time that she was there.

"Oh, Maggie. We've had some bad news."