"E. C. Tubb - Dumarest 30 - Symbol of Terra" - читать интересную книгу автора (Tubb E. C)

beside the portal and he pulled it, hearing the faint tone of a bell.
Repeated as again he hauled on the links. Turning he saw again the flash
of red, closer now, lower on the slope.

"Chenault?" Again he shouted. "I've come to see Tama Chenault!"

A clearing stood before the door, set with a bench, and he moved
toward it after plucking a fruit from a bush. Steel glimmered as he lifted
the knife from his boot, using the edge to remove the rind, laying the blade
beside him on the bench.

Eating, apparently relaxed, he listened to the tinkle of water, the soft
rustle of leaves, the faint murmur of insects. A bird rose with a whirr of
wings behind and to his left. There was a soft, squashy sound as if a boot
had trodden a fallen fruit. Silence and then, with sudden abruptness, the
unmistakable sound of clicking metal.

Dumarest threw himself to one side, snatching at the knife, hitting the
ground as a dull report filled the air. Rising, he turned, blade lifted,
leaving his hand in a blur of shimmering light as he spotted his target. As
it hit, the woman screamed.

She was tall, slim, her skin the color of sun-kissed grain. The green of
her dress hugged a symphony of curves lushed with mature perfection.
Her eyes matched the hue of her gown. The color of her hair was one he
would never forget.

"Easy." Dumarest was on her before she could move, one hand closing
on her wrist. "You aren't hurt."
 "I thoughtтАж"She swallowed. "I feltтАж"

Nothing but the shock of impact as the thrown knife had knocked the
weapon she'd used from her hands. That and the fear born of the ruthless
savagery of his face. It lingered as he sheathed the knife and picked up the
gun. It was crude, a simple affair of twin-barrels with a large bore, the
hammer needing to be cocked before it could be fired. An antique, but one
as deadly as a laser in the right hands with the right ammunition.

"Yours?"

"No. That isтАФ"

"Chenault's?"

"HeтАФ" She broke off. "You're hurting my arm."

Dumarest released her, hefting the gun. "Try to run and I'll use this.
Why did you want to kill me?"

"I didn't. The gun fires a harmless dart. It would just have made you