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

louder until it had pervaded the room and quenched the flames.

The loud metallic clank of the lock startled me from my nightmarish memory. A wedge of pale yellow
light sliced the darkness, then traveled along the stone wall as the heavy cell door opened. Caught in the
lanternтАЩs glow, my eyes were seared by the brightness. I squeezed them shut as I cowered in the corner.

тАЬMove it, rat, or weтАЩll get the whip!тАЭ Two dungeon guards attached a chain to the metal collar on my
neck and hauled me to my feet. I stumbled forward, pain blazing around my throat. As I stood on
trembling legs, the guards efficiently chained my hands behind me and manacled my feet.

I averted my eyes from the flickering light as they led me down the main corridor of the dungeon. Thick
rancid air puffed in my face. My bare feet shuffled through puddles of unidentifiable muck.

Ignoring the calls and moans of the other prisoners, the guards never missed a step, but my heart lurched
with every word.

тАЬHo, ho, hoтАжsomeoneтАЩs gonna swing.тАЭ

тАЬSnap! Crack! Then your last meal slides down your legs!тАЭ

тАЬOne less rat to feed.тАЭ

тАЬTake me! Take me! I wanna die too!тАЭ

We stopped. Through squinted eyes I saw a staircase. In an effort to get my foot onto the first step, I
tripped over the chains and fell. The guards dragged me up. The rough edges of the stone steps dug into
my skin, peeling away exposed flesh on my arms and legs. After being pulled through two sets of thick
metal doors, I was dumped onto the floor. Sunlight stabbed between my eyes. I shut them tight as tears
spilled down my cheeks. It was the first time that I had seen daylight in seasons.

This is it, I thought, starting to panic. But the knowledge that my execution would end my miserable
existence in the dungeon calmed me.

Yanked to my feet again, I followed the guards blindly. My body itched from insect bites and from
sleeping on dirty straw. I stunk of rat. Given only a small ration of water, I didnтАЩt waste it on baths.

Once my eyes adjusted to the light, I looked around. The walls were bare, without the fabled gold
sconces and elaborate tapestries I had been told once decorated the castleтАЩs main hallways. The cold
stone floor was worn smooth in the middle. We were probably traveling along the hidden corridors used
solely by the servants and guards. As we passed two open windows, I glanced out with a hunger that no
food could satisfy.

The bright emerald of the grass made my eyes ache. Trees wore cloaks of leaves. Flowers laced the
footpaths and overflowed from barrels. The fresh breeze smelled like an expensive perfume, and I
breathed deeply. After the acidic smells of excrement and body odor, the taste of the air was like
drinking a fine wine. Warmth caressed my skin. A soothing touch compared to the constantly damp and
chilly dungeon.

I guessed it was the beginning of the hot season, which meant that I had been locked in the cell for five
seasons, one season shy of a full year. It seemed an excessively long time for someone scheduled for