"Jack Vance - The Gray Prince" - читать интересную книгу автора (Vance Jack)

flora and fauna of the Persimmon Sea: white eels and electric blue scissor-fish darting through the
thickets of water-weed; schools of blood-red spark-fish, green serpents, yellow twitters, twinkling and
darting, the myriads occasionally sifting through each other in a pointillistic confusion, finally to emerge
as before. On three occasions purple and silver spangs, ten feet of prongs, barbs, hooks and fangs, came
to grind against the crystal in an attempt to seize one of the folk who lunched in the half-light; once the
dire bulk of a black matador slid past; once off in the distance appeared the jerking form of a swimming
morphote.

A man two or three years older than Kelse approached the table. тАЬHello, Schaine.тАЭ

тАЬHello, Gerd.тАЭ SchaineтАЩs greeting was cool; all her life she had disliked Gerd Jemasze, for reasons she
could never quite define to herself. His conduct was reserved, his manner polite, his features

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 THEGRAYPRINCE

undistinguished: blunt at the cheekbones, flat in the cheeks, with short thick black hair above a low broad
forehead. His clothesтАФa dark gray blouse and blue trousersтАФseemed, in the context of Olanje where
everyone wore gay colors and exaggerated fashions, almost ostentatiously severe. Schaine suddenly
understood why he repelled her: he totally lacked the idiosyncrasies and easy little vices which endowed
all her other acquaintances with charm. Gerd JemaszeтАЩs physique was not noticeably large or heavy, but
when he moved, the clothes tightened to the twist of his muscles; in just such a fashion, thought Schaine,
did his quiet appearance mask an innate arrogance. She knew why her father and Kelse liked Gerd
Jemasze; he outdid them both in rigidity and resistance to change; his opinions, once formed, became
impervious as stone.

Gerd Jemasze took a seat at their table. Schaine asked politely, тАЬAnd how goes life at Suaniset?тАЭ

тАЬVery quietly.тАЭ

тАЬNothing ever happens out in the domains,тАЭ said Kelse.

Schaine looked from one to the other. тАЬYou two are teasing me.тАЭ

Gerd Jemasze displayed a twitch of a smile. тАЬNot altogether. Whatever happens usually goes on out of
sight.тАЭ

тАЬWhatтАЩs happening out of sight, then?тАЭ

тАЬWellтАФwittols*out of the Retent have been skulking through the domains talking coalition of all Uldras
under the Gray Prince, presumably to chase us into the sea. ThereтАЩs been a lot of sky-shark*attacks on air
trafficтАФjust last week Ariel Farlock of Carmione was shot down.тАЭ

тАЬFor a fact thereтАЩs a strange mood over Uaia,тАЭ said Kelse somberly. тАЬEverybody feels it.тАЭ

тАЬEven Father,тАЭ said Schaine, тАЬrejoicing over his wonderful joke. Have you any idea what he finds so
funny?тАЭ

тАЬI donтАЩt even know what youтАЩre talking about,тАЭ said Gerd Jemasze.