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

тАЬAre you looking for me?тАЭ he asked.

тАЬNo,тАЭ I said. тАЬI wasтАжlooking for something to eat.тАЭ I craned my neck back to see his face.

He frowned and shifted his weight to his good leg as he studied my uniform. Too thin for a cook, I
thought, but he wore the proper clothes and only a cook would be up this early. He was handsome in a
subtle way, with light brown eyes and short brown hair. I wondered if this was DilanaтАЩs Rand that Margg
had talked about.

тАЬHelp yourself.тАЭ He gestured toward two steaming loaves of bread. тАЬYou just won me a weekтАЩs wages.тАЭ

тАЬExcuse me,тАЭ I said while cutting off a large piece of bread. тАЬHow could I win you money?тАЭ

тАЬYouтАЩre the new food taster. Right?тАЭ

I nodded.

тАЬEveryone knows Valek gave you a dose of My Love. I took a chance and bet a weekтАЩs wages that you
would live.тАЭ He stopped to take three more loaves out of the oven. тАЬA big risk, since youтАЩre the smallest
and skinniest food taster weтАЩve ever had. Most everyone else had wagered that you wouldnтАЩt pull
through, including Margg.тАЭ

The cook rummaged through one of the cabinets. тАЬHere.тАЭ He handed me some butter. тАЬIтАЩll make you
some sweet cakes.тАЭ Grabbing various ingredients from a shelf, he proceeded to mix up a batter.

тАЬHow many food tasters have there been?тАЭ I asked him between bites of buttered bread. Working alone
didnтАЩt seem to suit him. He seemed glad to have some company.

With his hands in constant motion, he said, тАЬFive since Commander Ambrose has been in power. Valek
loves his poisons. He poisoned many of the CommanderтАЩs enemies, and he likes to keep in practice. You
know, testing the food tasters from time to time to make sure they havenтАЩt grown lazy.тАЭ

The cookтАЩs words crawled up my spine. I felt as if my body had liquefied and pooled into a giant mixing
bowl. I was just a puddle of ingredients to be beaten, stirred and used. When the cook poured the batter
onto the hot griddle, my blood sizzled along with the sweet cakes.
тАЬPoor Oscove, Valek never liked him. Testing him constantly until he couldnтАЩt handle the pressure. The
тАШofficialтАЩ cause of death was suicide, but I think Valek killed him.тАЭ

Flip. I stared as the cook deftly flicked his wrist, turning the cakes over. My muscles trembled in synch
with the sound of frying sweet cakes.

Here I was worried about Brazell, when one misstep with Valek andтАжFlip. I would be gone. He
probably held a couple of poisons in reserve just in case he decided to replace the taster. Glancing over
my shoulder, I imagined Valek coming into the kitchen to poison my breakfast. I couldnтАЩt even enjoy
talking with a chatty cook without being reminded that tasting potentially poisoned food wasnтАЩt the only
danger of my new job.

The cook handed me a plate loaded with sweet cakes, took three more loaves of bread out of the oven
and refilled his bread pans with dough. Piping-hot sweet cakes were such a rare treat that I devoured
them despite my unsettled stomach.