"Jack Vance - Alastor 2262 - Trullion" - читать интересную книгу автора (Vance Jack)

hear the music! Sweet as flowers, strange and hoarse! It strikes through you as if your own nerves
were being plucked for tones . . . Ah well, at any rate, a great pot of boiling oil was prepared,
and a traveling-crane stood by. The music began-eight Trevanyl and all their horns and fiddles.
How can such stern folk make such sweet music? It chills the bones and churns the bowels, and puts
the taste of blood in your mouth! Chief Constable Filidice was there, but First Agent Gerence was
the executioner. One by one the starmenters were grappled by hooks, then lifted and dipped into
the oil, then hung up on a great high frame; and I don't know which was more awful, the howls or
the beautiful sad music. The people fell down on their knees; some fell into fits and cried out-
for terror or joy I can'tt tell you. I don't know what to make of it ... After about two hours all
were dead." "HUMmf," said Jut Hulden. "They won't be back in a hurry. So much, at least, can be
said. "Glinnes had listened in horrified fascination. "It's a fearful punishment, even for a
starmenter."

"Indeed, that's what it is," said Jut. "Can you guess the reason?" Glinnes swallowed hard and
could not choose between several theories. Jut asked, "Would you now want to be a starmenter and
risk such an end? "Never," Glinnes declared, from the depths of his soul. Jut turned to the
brooding Glay. "And you?" "I never planned to rob and kill in the first place."

Jut gave a hoarse chuckle. "One of the two, at least, has been dissuaded from crime. "Glinnes
said, "I wouldn't like to hear music played to pain." "And why not?" Shira demanded. "At hussade,
when the sheirl is smirched, the music is sweet and wild. Music gives savor to the event, like
salt with food." Glay offered a comment: "Akadie claims that everybody needs catharsis, if it's
only a nightmare."

"It may be so," said Jut. "I myself need no nightmares; I've got one before my eyes every
moment." Jut referred, as all knew, to the taking of Sharue. Since that time, his nocturnal hunts
for merling had become almost an obsession. "Well, if you two twits aren't to be starmenters,
what will you be?" asked Shira. "Assuming you don't care to stay in the household."

"I'm for hussade," said Glinnes. "I don't care to fish, nor to scrape cauch. "He recalled the
brave beige, scarlet and black ship that had struck down the starmenters. "Or perhaps I'll join
the Whelm and lead a life of adventure." "I know nothing of the Whelm," said Jut ponderously,
"but if it's hussade I can give you one or two useful hints. Run five miles every day to develop
your stamina. Jump the practice pits until you can make sure landings blindfolded. Forbear with
the girls, or there'll be no virgins left in the prefecture to be your sheirl."

"It's a chance I am willing to take," said Glinnes. Jut squinted through his black eyebrows at
Glay. "And what of you? Will you stay in the household?" Glay gave a shrug. "If I could, I'd
travel space and see the cluster." Jut raised his bushy eyebrows. "How will you travel, lacking
money?"

"There are methods, according to Akadie. He visited twenty-two worlds, working from port to
port. "Hmmf. That may be. But never use Akadie for your model. He has derived nothing from his
travels but useless erudition." Glay thought a moment. "If this is true," he said, "as it must
be, since you so assert, then Akadie learned his sympathy and breadth of intellect here on
Trullion which is all the more to his credit." Jut, who never resented honest defeat, clapped
Glay on the back. "In you he has a loyal friend." "I am grateful to Akadie," said Glay. "He has
explained many things to me."

Shira, who teemed with lewd ideas, gave Glay a sly nudge. "Follow Glinnes on his rounds, and