"Liz Williams - A Shadow Over the Land" - читать интересную книгу автора (Williams Liz)

the phone shrilled, it made me jump. The female voice on the other end was
unfamiliar.
тАЬDr. Selu?тАЭ
тАЬYes?тАЭ I said.
тАЬMy nameтАЩs Essengene Tesh. IтАЩm with the outpost team? The guys that
youтАЩre replacing.тАЭ
тАЬIтАЩm sorry,тАЭ I said. тАЬI was supposed to call you earlier in the week. I couldnтАЩt
get hold of you.тАЭ
тАЬNo, I know. Something came up. I had to go up-border. IтАЩm actually
downstairs now, in the bar. If youтАЩre not too tired, I thought we could have some
lunch?тАЭ
тАЬYes,тАЭ I told her. тАЬYes, that would be good.тАЭ
Essengene Tesh was a handsome woman in her mid-forties. She was wearing
military gear, which confused me until she said, disarmingly, тАЬEverything else is in
the wash. I borrowed these from the colonel ... Otherwise you wouldnтАЩt have wanted
to sit next to me, IтАЩm afraid.тАЭ
тАЬWe had an eight-hour flight from Irubin. I wouldnтАЩt have noticed,тАЭ I said,
and she laughed.
тАЬWhen I get back to Irubin, IтАЩm going to hire a salon for a week and live in it.
But I envy you, Dr. Selu,тАЭ she added, suddenly serious. тАЬYou donтАЩt know how
much youтАЩll like it, out there.тАЭ
тАЬYou can call me Assia,тАЭ I said. тАЬHow do you know IтАЩll like it?тАЭ I asked,
curiously. She looked at me for a moment. In the darkness of the bar, her eyes were
impenetrable, hooded.
тАЬOh, you will. Whether Vauchelade will, I donтАЩt know. Maybe, maybe not.тАЭ
тАЬThe professorтАЩs been here before.тАЭ
тАЬYes,тАЭ Tesh said, considering. тАЬHe has and he hasnтАЩt. I donтАЩt think heтАЩs ever
really seen things out here. HeтАЩs a good geologist, mind, IтАЩm not saying heтАЩs not.
But thereтАЩs more out there than rocks.тАЭ
тАЬI thought the veldt was uninhabited.тАЭ
тАЬNo one lives there. I donтАЩt mean thereтАЩs mysterious alien life or anything. ItтАЩs
hard to explain.тАЭ
She looked up and smiled at Vauchelade, who had appeared through the door
of the bar, and the conversation turned to more practical matters. We would leave
Yaounde early the next morning, head out to the base camp, and set up in
preparation for the arrival of the team. Most of the equipment would be inherited
from the departing group, but the instrumentation relevant to VaucheladeтАЩs own
research would need to be assembled. Tesh briefed us on the previous monthтАЩs
findings and gave us a copy of the field notes before driving out to the airstrip to
sort out the departure details. When she had gone, Vauchelade said, тАЬI wouldnтАЩt
worry too much about what Dr. Tesh tells you.тАЭ
тАЬAbout...?тАЭ
тАЬThe veldt. IтАЩve heard her views before.тАЭ He smiled indulgently. тАЬSheтАЩs a very
spiritual woman.тАЭ I did not think it was meant to be a compliment.
тАЬIтАЩve read her papers in the AGA journals,тАЭ I said, wanting to defend her.
тАЬOh, sheтАЩs very competent, I suppose.тАЭ He picked up the bill and looked
around for the pay-in. тАЬI should get some rest, if I were you. WeтАЩve got a long day
ahead of us tomorrow, and thereтАЩs not a great deal we can do here. I need to get the
transport sorted out.тАЭ
I wandered back up to my room and lay down on the bed. It was stuffy, and