"David Weber & Linda Evans - Hell Hath No Fury" - читать интересную книгу автора (Weber David)

"Voice Kinlafia?"
Kinlafia stopped and turned around as someone called his name in accented Ternathian. The man who'd
called to him wore PAAF uniform with the single gold rifle of a company-captain. He was also a sturdy-
looking fellow, perhaps a couple of inches taller than Kinlafia himself, with the swarthy complexion and
dark brown eyes of a Shurkhali. His nose was strongly hooked, and the eyes under his bushy eyebrows
were very direct and intense.
"Yes, Company-Captain?"
"Orkam Vargan," the Shurkhali said, reaching out to clasp Kinlafia's forearm. "I'm Regiment-Captain
Skrithik's XO here at Fort Salby. They sent word up the line that you'd be arriving today, and the
Regiment-Captain asked me to keep an eye out for the train."
"Oh?"
"We understand your hurry to get back home again," Vargan said almost apologetically. "But you're the
first person to come back up the line since it happened, and you're also . . . wellтАФ"
He shrugged slightly, and Kinlafia suppressed a sigh. It was hardly the first time someone had said that
to him.
"I don't suppose there's another train headed up-chain this afternoon, anyway, is there?" he said instead.
"Not really." Vargan's slightly crooked grin suggested to Kinlafia that the company-captain had heard
the sigh he hadn't uttered. "That's why the Regiment-Captain wanted me to ask you if you'd have supper
with him tonight. Obviously, we'll all understand if you're too tired. Gods know I'd be! But we'd really
appreciate the opportunity to offer you the closest Fort Salby has to hospitality. And, of course, to pick
your brain ourselves."
"Actually, if I can extort a long, hot shower out of you, and maybe a couple of hours worth of nap, I
think I'd enjoy a sitdown supper."
"No problem." Vargan smiled. "We've put you up in the BOQ. If you'll come with me, we'll get your bag
dropped off, and then I'll personally escort you to the longest, hottest shower in at least two universes."
"It's a deal," Kinlafia chuckled.

Somewhat to Kinlafia's surprise, supper at Fort Salby turned out to be not only extremely tasty, but
actually enjoyable.
Salby, unlike the other portal forts Kinlafia had passed through on his way back from Hell's Gate, had
been established for quite some time. At one point, Salbyton, the settlement outside the fort, had been a
construction boomtown as the Trans-Temporal Express labored on the Traisum Cut. Its peak population
had been as high as seven or eight thousand, although it had declined from that quickly once the cut was
completed. By the time the Chalgyn Consortium had set out on its productive, ill-fated survey
expedition, Salbyton had been down to perhaps two thousand, and TTE, as was its wont, had collected
and hauled off the temporary, portable housing in which most of its labor force had lived. Despite that,
the remaining buildings of Salbyton had a look of permanency and solidity which was rare this far from


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 - Prologue

Sharona, and the local railroad station had quite literally miles of heavy-duty sidings left from its days as
the end of the TTE's line.
Neither the fort nor the town had changed a great dealтАФyetтАФdespite all that had happened since, but
that was about to change. All of that temporary housing TTE had pulled out was undoubtedly on its way
back, although it might not be stopping at Salbyton this time. The new construction priorities closer to
Hell's Gate were going to dwarf the importance of making the Traisum Cut.
There was a two-hour time difference between the two sides of the portal, which, fortunately was also
one of the older portals which had so far been discovered. It must have been . . . lively around Fort