"Maria V. Snyder - Poison 1 - Poison Study" - читать интересную книгу автора (Snyder Maria V)

where to place the poison to kill his intended victim.тАЭ He finished picking up the books. The new piles
were neater than the rest of the stacks on the floor. It seemed an invitation to Valek to continue
straightening the books. He cleared a bigger path through his office.

тАЬOnce you drink the poison, Margg will help you to your room and take care of you. IтАЩll give her your
daily dose of ButterflyтАЩs Dust antidote.тАЭ

I stared at the steam drifting from the tea. I picked up the cup, the heat warming my icy hands. When
Margg entered the room, it felt as if the executioner had just mounted the dais, reaching for the lever.
Should I sit down or lie down? I looked around the room, seeing nothing. My arms started to tingle as I
realized I had been holding my breath.

I raised the cup in a mock salute, and then drained the contents. тАЬSour apples,тАЭ I said.

Valek nodded. I had only enough time to put the cup on the table before my world began to melt.
MarggтАЩs body undulated toward me. Her large head sprouted flowers from her eye sockets. A moment
later her body filled the room as her head shriveled.

I sensed movement. The gray walls grew arms and legs that reached for me, trying to use me in their fight
against the floor. Gray spirits rose from under my feet. They dived, poked and cackled at me. They were
freedom. I tried to push the Margg thing away, but it clung and wrapped itself around me, digging through
my ears and pounding on my head.

тАЬMurderer,тАЭ it whispered. тАЬSneaky bitch. You probably slit his throat while he slept. Easy way to kill.
Did you enjoy yourself as you watched his blood soak the sheets? YouтАЩre nothing but a rat.тАЭ

I grabbed at the voice, trying to make it stop, but it turned into two green-and-black toy soldiers who
held me tight.

тАЬSheтАЩll die from the poison. If not you can take her,тАЭ the Margg thing said to the soldiers.

They pushed me into a dark pit. I plunged into blackness.
The stench of vomit and excrement greeted me when I regained consciousness. They were the
unmistakable odors of the dungeon. Wondering how I had ended up back in my old cell, I sat up. A
surge of nausea demanded my attention. I groped around for the slop pot and encountered the metal leg
of a bed, which I clutched as dry heaves racked my body. When they stopped, I leaned against the wall,
grateful to be on the floor of my room and not back in the dungeon. Beds were a luxury not included with
the subterranean accommodations.

Summoning the strength to stand, I located and lit my lantern. Dried vomit caked my face. My shirt and
pants were soaking wet and smelled foul. The liquid contents of my body had collected in a puddle on
the floor.

Margg took good care of me, I thought sarcastically. At least she was practical. If she had dumped me
on the bed I would have ruined the mattress.

I thanked fate that I had survived the poison and that I had awakened in the middle of the night. Unable
to endure the feel of my sodden uniform any longer, I made my way to the baths.

On my return, voices stopped me before I reached the hallway leading to my room. Extinguishing my