"Zelazny, Roger - Amber 07 - Blood Of Amber" - читать интересную книгу автора (Zelazny Roger)

Blood of Amber
Amber # 07
Roger Zelazny

REFLECTIONS IN A CRYSTAL CAVE

My life had been relatively peaceful for eight years--not counting April
thirtieths, when someone invariably tried to kill me. Outside of that, my
academic career with its concentration on computer science went well enough and
my four years' employment at Grand Design proved of rewarding experience,
letting me use what I'd learned in a situation I liked while I labored on a
project of my own on the side. I had a good friend in Luke Raynard, who worked
for the same company, in sales. I sailed my small boat, I jogged regularly--
It all fell apart this past April 30, just when I thought things were about
to come together. My pet project, Ghostwheel, was built; I'd quit my job, packed
my gear and was ready to move on to greener shadows. I'd stayed in town this
long only because that morbidly fascinating day was near, and this time I
intended to discover who was behind the attempts on my life and why.
At breakfast that morning Luke appeared with a message from my former
girlfriend, Julia. Her note said that she wanted to see me again. So I stopped
by her place, where I found her dead, apparently killed by the same doglike
beast which then attacked me. I succeeded in destroying the creature. A quick
search of the apartment before I fled the scene turned up a slim packet of
strange playing cards, which it took along with me. They were too much like the
magical Tarots of Amber and Chaos for a sorcerer such as myself not to be
interested in them.
Yes. I am a sorcerer. I am Merlin, son of Corwin of Amber and Dara of the
Courts of Chaos, known to local friends and acquaintances as Merle Corey:
bright, charming, witty, athletic.... Go read Castiglione and Lord Byron for
particulars, as I'm modest, aloof and reticent, as well.
The cards proved to be genuine magical objects, which seemed appropriate
once I learned that Julia had been keeping company with an occultist named
Victor Melman after we had broken up. A visit to this gentleman's studio
resulted in his attempting to kill me in a ritual fashion. I was able to free
myself from the constraints of the ceremony and question him somewhat, before
the local conditions and my enthusiasm resulted in his death. So much for
rituals.
I'd learned enough from him to realize that he'd been but a cat's-paw.
Someone else had apparently put him up to the sacrifice bit--and it seemed quite
possible that the other person was the one responsible for Julia's death and my
collection of memorable April thirtieths.
I had a small time to reflect upon these matters, though, because I was
bitten (yes, bitten) shortly thereafter by an attractive red-haired woman who
materialized in Melman's apartment, following my brief telephone conversation
with her in which I'd tried to pose as Melman. Her bite paralyzed me, but I was
able to depart before it took full effect by employing one of the magical cards
I'd found in Julia's place. It bore me into the presence of a sphinx, which
permitted me to recover so that it could play silly riddle game sphinxes love so
well because they get to eat you when you lose. All I can say about it is that
this particular sphinx was a bad sport.