"Joan D. Vinge - The Storm King" - читать интересную книгу автора (Vinge Joan D)

тАЬThe Old One wonтАЩt be back until youтАЩre gone; the sight of a man calling on
the Earth was too strong for her.тАЭ Her hand moved insinuatingly along his thigh.

He rolled away from her, choking on a curse as his back hurt him sharply.
тАЬIтАЩm tired. Let me sleep.тАЭ

тАЬI can help you. She could have told you more. IтАЩll help you tomorrow ... if
you lie with me tonight.тАЭ

He looked up at her, suddenly despairing. тАЬTake my body, then; but it wonтАЩt
give you much pleasure.тАЭ He pulled up the back of his tunic, baring the livid scar low
on his spine. тАЬMy uncle didnтАЩt make a cripple of meтАФbut he might as well have.тАЭ
When he even thought of a woman there was only pain, only rageтАжonly that.

She put her hand on the scar with surprising gentleness. тАЬI can help that too ...
for tonight.тАЭ She went away, returned with a small jar of ointment and rubbed the
salve slowly into his scarred back. A strange, cold heat sank through him; a
sensuous tingling swept away the grinding ache that had been his only companion
through these long months of exile. He let his breath out in an astonished sigh, and
the girl lay down beside him, pulling at his clothes.

Her thin body was as hard and bony as a boyтАЩs, but she made him forget that.
She made him forget everything, ex-cept that tonight he was free from pain and
sorrow; tonight he lay with a woman who desired him, no matter what her reason. He
remembered lost pleasure, lost joy, lost youth, only yesterdayтАжuntil yesterday
became tomorrow.

****

In the morning he woke, in pain, alone and fully clothed, aching on the hard ground.
Nothing. ... He opened his eyes and saw her standing at the fire, stirring a kettle. A
DreamтАФ? The cruel betrayal that was reality returned tenfold.

They ate together in a silence that was sullen on his part and inscrutable on
hers. After last night it seemed obvious to him that she was older than she
lookedтАФas obvious as the way he himself had changed from boy to old man in a
span of months. And he felt an insubstantiality about her that he had not noticed
before, an elusiveness that might only have been an echo of his dream. тАЬI dreamed,
last night ...тАЭ

тАЬI know.тАЭ She climbed to her feet, cutting him off, comb-ing her snarled hair
back with her fingers. тАЬYou dream loudly.тАЭ Her face was closed.

He felt a frown settle between his eyes again. тАЬI have a long climb. IтАЩd better
get started.тАЭ He pushed himself up and moved stiffly toward the doorway. The old
hag still had not returned.

тАЬNot that way,тАЭ the girl said abruptly. тАЬThis way.тАЭ She pointed as he turned
back, toward the cleft in the rock.