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

would have taken care of her immediately. It would have been within his rights.тАЭ Valek slurped the
CommanderтАЩs tea and sniffed the sweet cakes.

My chest was tight. I was having trouble drawing in air.

тАЬBesides, itтАЩs clearly written in the Code of Behavior that the next to be hanged gets the job offer. And
Brazell was one of the authors.тАЭ Cutting a piece of one sweet cake from the center and the other from the
side, Valek put both pieces in his mouth, chewing slowly. тАЬHere.тАЭ He handed the plate to the
Commander.

тАЬBrazell does have a point,тАЭ the Commander said. He picked up his tea and stared at the contents.
тАЬWhen does she start? IтАЩm getting tired of cold food.тАЭ

тАЬA few more days.тАЭ

тАЬGood,тАЭ the Commander said to Valek, then turned to me. тАЬYou arrive with my food and taste quick. I
donтАЩt want to be looking for you. Understand?тАЭ

Feeling light-headed, I answered, тАЬYes, Sir.тАЭ

тАЬValek, IтАЩm losing weight because of you. Lunch is in the war room. DonтАЩt be late.тАЭ

тАЬYes, Sir,тАЭ Valek said and headed for the door. I followed. We wound our way through the tangle of
desks. When Valek stopped to consult with another adviser, I glanced around. A handful of the
CommanderтАЩs advisers were women, and I noticed two female Captains and one Colonel. Their new
roles were one of the benefits of the takeover. The Commander assigned jobs based on skills and
intelligence, not on gender.

While the monarchy preferred to see women work as maids, kitchen helpers and wives, the Commander
gave them the freedom to choose what they wanted to do. Some women preferred their former
occupations, while others jumped at the chance to do something else, and the younger generation had
been quick to take advantage of the new opportunities.

When we finally reached ValekтАЩs office, Margg was dusting around ValekтАЩs piles of papers on the table.
It looked to me as if she was spending more time reading the papers than straightening them. DidnтАЩt
Valek notice? I wondered what Margg did for Valek besides cleaning.

Margg turned a pleasant face to Valek, but as soon as he walked away she glared fiercely at me. Must
have lost a lot of money betting against my survival, I thought. I smiled at her. She managed to control her
outraged expression before Valek glanced up at us from his desk.

тАЬYelena, you look exhausted. You make me tired just looking at you. Go rest. Come back after lunch
and weтАЩll continue with your training.тАЭ

I didnтАЩt really feel tired, but rest sounded like an excellent idea. As I moved along the hallway, ValekтАЩs
comment wormed its way through my mind. My pace slowed and I dragged my feet toward my room. I
was so preoccupied with the physical effort of walking that I bumped right into two of BrazellтАЩs guards.

тАЬLookie, Wren, I found our rat!тАЭ one guard exclaimed, grabbing my wrist.