"David Wingrove - Assimilation(1)" - читать интересную книгу автора (Wingrove David)

It had been too long. Almost ten thousand years...
He tensed, listening, sniffing the air, then relaxed, his eyes going to
the bird in the branches overhead, surprised to find it uncaged.
"Mister Carter..."
Ka-Ta turned, nodding briefly, then glanced back at the stones, wondering
if they were real. Maybe they had been buried beneath the surface when it
had happened. Perhaps they had unearthed them when digging the foundations
of the church. It was possible. The Exops had a healthy regard for death.
But it was hard to tell. Nothing here was what it seemed.
Beyond the giant lych-gate, the Governor and his wife were waiting,
talking to friends. Further on, out on the roadway, a number of
well-dressed couples, their face-masks variations on the theme of
devotion, were climbing into their carriages, the big four-legged animals
that pulled them waiting patiently in harness. As he walked towards them
he could hear the Governor's voice, talking about the game.
"165 all out. Davenport-Adams was superb. 42 not out at close. But it was
a damn good show all round. If Marchant's in form we should have a good
chance tomorrow of bowling them out by lunch."
They turned, facing him as he approached. "Well, Mister Carter, as you
see, we do things properly here or not at all." The Governor moved back
slightly, putting out a white-gloved hand to indicate the couple to his
right. "This here is Pickering, by the way, and this is his charming wife,
Maud. I've invited them to dinner tonight."
Ka-Ta bowed his head slightly, acknowledging the two tall figures. The
husband was dressed like the Governor in top hat and tails, the wife in a
crinoline and bonnet, her mask, like that of the Governor's wife,
distinguished chiefly by its rouged cheeks and pencilled eyebrows. But
beyond the masks the faces were identical, their antennae clipped back and
hidden by their wigs.
The Manor House was across the road from the church. Servants greeted them
at the doorway, taking their masters' hats and canes. Ka-Ta followed them
inside, his eyes taking in everything. Old photographs and painted
portraits adorned the walls, the masked figures of ancestors following the
turn of the great stairway. He reached out, touching the dark wood of a
chair back, then raised his fingers to his nose, sniffing. Again, it was
as he'd thought. It only seemed like wood. Like all else here -н like the
mock stone of the church, the glass, the leather and the numerous
varieties of cloth -н it was made of chitin.
Inside the drawing room they sat about a low table, drinking tea. Ka-Ta
sat on a footstool at the Governor's side, holding the big, heavy cup in
both hands, careful not to spill the foul-smelling liquid in his lap. The
chitin of the cups had the fine delicacy of china, but he was not fooled.
He looked down, studying the rose willow pattern intently, listening to
their talk.
Just now they were discussing the fine workmanship of the jewellery he had
brought, the Governor's wife showing off her gift. Ka-Ta looked up, his
eyes tracing the circle of their masks, seeing how they watched him from
behind their peepholes. He smiled reassuringly and lifted the cup to his
lips, forcing himself to drink.
As he lowered the cup from his lips, Pickering leaned towards him.