"Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman - Rose of the Prophet 02 - The Paladin of the Night" - читать интересную книгу автора (Weis Margaret)

belonged in a place where fish heads are an integral part of the decor!"
Sond was staring at him in grim triumph from (he entry-way. Ignoring him,
Pukah turned to give Asrial his hand. Together, they entered the cave. The
angel stayed quite near the djinn. The feathers of her wings brushed against
his bare back, and despite his growing sense of uneasiness, Pukah felt his
skin tingle and a pleasurable warmth flood his body.
Was Asrial right? he wondered for a moment, standing in the green-tinged
darkness, the angel's hand held fast in his. Is this sensation something I've
tricked myself into experiencing to become more like humans? Or do I truly
enjoy her touch?
Leaning near him, looking around but not letting go of his hand, Asrial
whispered, "What is it we're searching for?"
"A golden egg," Pukah whispered back.
"I doubt well find the egg," Sond muttered unhappily. "And if we did, my
lovely djinniyeh would not be inside. Remember? Kaug said he had taken Nedjma
to a place where I would never see her again until I joined her."
"Then what are we doing here?" Pukah demanded.
"How should I know? It was your idea!"
14
WEIS AND HICKMAN
THE PALADIN OF THE NIGHT
15
"Me? You were the one who said Kaug was holding Nedjma captive! Now you change
your tuneтАФ"
Hie djinn sucked in a furious breath. "I'll change your tune!" Sond laid his
hand on the hilt of his sword. "You will sing through a slit in your throat,
youтАФ"
"Stop it! Just stop it!" AsriaTs tense voice hissed in the darkness. "Now that
we're here, it can't hurt to look! Even if we don't find Nedjma, we may find
something that would guide us to where this alright has taken her!"
"She's right," said Pukah hastily, backing up and stumbling over a sponge. "We
should search this place."
"Well, we'd better hurry," Sond grumbled. "Kaug may be back any moment. Let's
separate."
Repeating Mathew's name over and over to herself to give her courage, Asrial
drifted deeper into the cave. Pukah slanted off" to die right, while Sond took
the left.
"Ugh! I just found one of Kaug's pets!" Rolling over a rock that the 'efreet
used for a chair or a table or perhaps just liked to have around, Pukah
grimaced as something black and ugly slithered out from underneath. "Or maybe
it's a girlfriend." Setting the rock back hastily, he continued on, poking his
long nose into a bed of lichen. "Asrial is right you know, Sond. Hazrat Akhran
believes that Quar is responsible for the disappearance of the immortals,
including his own. If that's true, then Kaug must know where they are."
"This is hopeless!" Asrial waved her hands helplessly. "There's nothing here
but rocks and seaweed." Turning, she suddenly recoiled. "What's that?" She
pointed to a huge iron cauldron standing in a recessed area of the cave.
"Kaug's stew pot!" Pukah's nose wrinkled. "Can't you smell it?" The djinn
drifted over near the angel. "The place has changed," he admitted. "Last time
I was here, there were all sorts of objects sitting about. Now there's