"1 poison" - читать интересную книгу автора (Snyder Maria V)

The door surrendered a couple more inches to the guardsТ efforts before lodging again. I stood, and stacked the barrels on top of the rug pile. Scrambling up them, I reached the window, only to discover it was too small for me to fit through.
The door cracked ominously. I used my elbow to shatter the windowpane. Pulling the ragged glass fragments out of the frame, I tossed them to the floor. Blood ran down my arm. Heedless of the pain, I jumped down, pressed myself against the wall next to the doorway, and fought to stifle the harsh sound of my breathing.
With a loud groan, the door stopped mere inches from my face as the guards stumbled into the storeroom.
УCheck the window. IТll cover the door,Ф Wren said.
I peeked around the edge. WrenТs companion walked to the pile of rugs and barrels, crushing glass beneath his boots.
My plan wasnТt going to work. Wren blocked my escape route. The broken window would only delay the inevitable.
УToo small, sheТs still here,Ф the guard called from above.
My rough breathing had accelerated into fast gasps. I felt light-headed. The rat trap had sprung. I was immobilized in its metal jaws.
My thoughts jumbled into a cloud of images. I clutched at the door, trying not to fall. A buzzing sound burst uncontrolled from my throat. I was unable to suppress the drone. Trying harder only caused the sound to grow louder.
I staggered out from behind the door. With all the noise I made, the guards didnТt even glance in my direction. They seemed frozen in place.
My lungs strained for air. On the verge of passing out, the buzzing then released me. The sound still rang in the room, but it no longer came from me.
The guards continued to be unresponsive. After taking several deep breaths, I bolted from the room. I wasnТt going to waste time trying to understand. The buzzing sound followed me as I ran back the way we had come.
The loud hum ended as soon as I started seeing other servants hurrying through the hallway. Odd looks were cast my way. I realized I must be quite a sight. I forced myself to stop running as I tried to calm my hammering heart.
My throat burned from panting, my uniform was stained, pain throbbed in my elbow, and bright red beads dripped off my fingers. Looking at my hands, I saw deep cuts from handling the glass. I gazed at the blood on the floor.
Turning around, I saw a line of crimson drops disappearing down the corridor. I clutched my arms to my chest, but it was too late. I had left a blood trail, and there were BrazellТs guards, like trained dogs, following it.
They were coming around the corner at the far end of the hall. Undetected so far, I knew any sudden movement would draw their attention. I joined a group of servants, hoping to blend in. Pain pulsated in harmony with my laboring heartbeat.
When I reached a turn, I risked a glance over my shoulder. The guards stood at the spot where my blood trail had ended. Wren gestured as he argued with his partner. I slipped around the corner unnoticed, then bumped right into Valek.
УYelena! What happened to you?Ф Valek grabbed my arm.
I winced. He let go.
УIЕfellЕon some glass.Ф It was weak. I hurried to cover it. УIТm on my way to get cleaned up.Ф As I began to walk past Valek, he grasped my shoulder, spinning me around.
УYou need to see a medic.Ф
УAhЕokay.Ф I tried once more to get past Valek.
УThe medic is this way.Ф Valek pulled on my shoulder, forcing me to follow him back down the corridor toward the guards. Foolishly, I hoped they wouldnТt see me, but as we walked past they smiled, falling into step behind us.
I glanced at Valek. There was no expression on his face. His grip on my shoulder tightened. Was Valek leading me to some secluded spot where the three of them could kill me? Should I make a break for it? But if Valek had wanted me dead, he had only to withhold the antidote to ButterflyТs Dust.
When the hallway emptied of people, Valek let go of my shoulder and swung around to face the two guards. I stayed close behind him.
УAre you lost?Ф Valek asked the guards.
УNo, sir,Ф said Wren. A foot taller than Valek, his hands were the size of my head. УJust want to reclaim our prisoner.Ф Wren tried to reach around Valek to grab me.
Valek deflected his hand. УYour prisoner?Ф ValekТs voice sliced through the air like steel.
The guards looked at each other in disbelief. Valek had no weapons. While the other guard was shorter than Wren, he still outweighed the other two men. Identical cocky smirks touched both guardsТ faces. I wondered if sneering and glaring were part of their training. Rand the cook would probably bet a monthТs wages on BrazellТs soldiers winning this argument.
УActually, General BrazellТs prisoner, sir. Now, if you wouldЕФ Wren gestured for Valek to step aside.
УTell your boss that Valek doesnТt appreciate having his new food taster chased through the castle. And that I would like her to be left alone.Ф
The guards glanced at each other again. I was beginning to suspect they had only one brain to share between them. Regarding Valek with a more focused expression, they shifted their posture into a fighting stance.
УWe have been ordered to bring the girl to the General. Not messages,Ф Wren said, pulling his sword from his belt.
With the sound of ringing metal, the second guard flourished his weapon as well. Wren asked Valek to move aside once more. Faced with two swords, what could Valek do? Run for my life is what I would do, so I shifted my weight to the balls of my feet, preparing to flee.
ValekТs right hand blurred into motion with two quick snaps of his wrist. It looked as if he had saluted both guards. Before the men could react, he was between them, too close for swords. He crouched low, put his hands on the floor and spun. Using his legs, Valek windmilled both guards to the ground. I heard a clatter of metal, a whoosh of air from Wren and a curse from the other before they both lay motionless.
Baffled, I watched Valek gracefully move away from his fallen opponents. He counted under his breath. When he reached ten, he bent over each man and removed a tiny dart from each of their necks.
УItТs a dirty way to fight, but IТm late for lunch.Ф
Chapter Six
S tepping over the prone forms of the sleeping soldiers, Valek took my injured arm and inspected it. УNot as bad as it looks. YouТll live. WeТll see the Commander first, then the medic.Ф
Valek hurried me through the castle. My arm began to throb. I lagged behind. The thought of facing the CommanderТs stony gaze dragged at my feet. Finding the medic, then sinking into a hot bath was without a doubt more appealing.
We entered a spacious round chamber that served as the CommanderТs war room. Slender, stained-glass windows stretched from the floor to the ceiling and encircled three-quarters of the chamber. The kaleidoscope of colors made me feel as if I were inside a spinning top. Dizzy, I would have stumbled except I caught a glimpse of something that rooted me to the floor.
A long wooden table filled the center of the room. Sitting at the head of the table with two guards standing behind him was the Commander. His thin eyebrows were pinched together in annoyance. A tray of untouched food sat by his side. Also seated around the table were three of the CommanderТs Generals. Two of the Generals were busy eating their lunch, while the thirdТs fork hovered in midair. I focused on the hand; white knuckles equaled white-hot rage. With reluctance I met General BrazellТs gaze.
Brazell lowered his fork, his face taut. His eyes held lightning. I was the target, and like a rabbit caught in the open, I was too frightened to move.
УValek, youТreЕФ Commander Ambrose began.
УLate,Ф Valek finished for him. УI know. There was a slight altercation,Ф he said. He pulled me closer.
Intrigued, the other two Generals stopped eating. I flushed, stifling a strong desire to bolt from the room. Having no contact with any high-ranking officers, I recognized the Generals only by the colors on their uniforms. My trip to the CommanderТs dungeon was the first time I had been past the borders of MDЦ5. Even during the first ten years I had lived in BrazellТs orphanage, I had only caught brief glimpses of him and his family.
Unfortunately, after I had turned sixteen, the sight of Brazell and his son Reyad became my daily nightmare. I had been flattered by the attention of my benefactor; his gray hair and short beard framed a square-shaped, pleasant face that shouted respectability. Stout and sturdy, he was the ultimate father figure to me. Brazell told me I was the smartest of his УadoptedФ children and that he needed my help with some experiments. I readily agreed to participate.
The memory of how grateful and naive I had been sickened me. It was three years ago. I had been a puppy. A puppy still wagging her tail as the bagТs opening was tied shut.
Two years I had suffered. My mind recoiled from the memories. I stared at Brazell in the war room. His lips were pressed tight as his jaw quivered. He fought to contain his hatred. Faint with fatigue, I saw ReyadТs ghost appear behind his father. ReyadТs slashed throat hung open, and blood dripped down, staining his nightshirt. A distant recollection of a tale about murder victims haunting their killers until their business was settled filtered through my mind.
I rubbed my eyes. Did anyone else see the ghost? If so, they hid it well. My gaze slid to Valek. Was he haunted by ghosts? If that old story was to be believed, he would be swamped by them.