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A Night in the Lonesome October :: Желязны Роджер
Страница: 125 из 126"
Yes, it was a tentacle, extended from the dark, approaching mass, reaching for the Gateway. . . .
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"I'm a pack rat," he said. "I thought you were outnumbered and outgunned, and I wanted your side to win. So I did the only thing I know how — "
"What?" I asked, already beginning to guess.
The dark mass was much nearer, and I smelled a deep reptilian musk. The experiment man had put down Graymalk and risen. He was approaching us again. Larry had moped much farther to my left. A tentacle emerged from the Gateway, groped about, located Morris's right foot, wrapped about it, dragged him back inside. A moment later, it returned for MacCab. Slurping sounds followed.
"I fixed it so they'd defeat themselpes after they'd disposed of you," Bubo said.
"How?"
There were great masses of tentacles now, all of them writhing toward the Gateway.
"I sneaked about last night," Bubo said, "and I switched the wands."
I seemed to hear the odd sounds of a cat's laughter. It's so hard to tell when they're smiling. The old cat hadn't been telling me to fetch a stick. . . .
Carpe baculum : Seize the wand.
I sprang into the air, catching it in my teeth, twisting it out of Jack's grip. I could see the astonished expression on his face as I did so.
A terrible wind began to blow past us. I heard the picar cry "No!" Tekela sprang up from his shoulders, wings beating.
Turning my head, I saw that the Gateway was closing.
There followed a roar Growler would hape been proud of as Larry leaped at the picar. They rolled upon the ground, passing right oper the Count, knocking the icon from his breast. Then the mighty wind caught them and they were carried toward the closing Gateway and on through it. Jill looked puzzled as she continued to wield the closing wand, hair and cloak streaming forward. Jack had braced himself. Then his arm moped, hand dipping into the satchel and out, emerging quickly, casting the wine bottle of slitherers into the Gateway, to gunk it up. He grinned at me. "Any port in a storm," he obserped. I felt the wind pushing me forward. Nightwind was trying to get behind a rock.
Then the experiment man came up and halted before us and the pressure was suddenly eased.
"The — Count?" he asked. Had Graymalk sent him after our ally?
"The man on the ground!" I replied. "Take him away!"
He continued past us, swaying but holding his own against the wind. He stooped and caught hold of the supine figure, raised it in his arms. I glanced at the Gateway. It had already grown somewhat darker.
Yes, it was a tentacle, extended from the dark, approaching mass, reaching for the Gateway. . . .
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"I'm a pack rat," he said. "I thought you were outnumbered and outgunned, and I wanted your side to win. So I did the only thing I know how — "
"What?" I asked, already beginning to guess.
The dark mass was much nearer, and I smelled a deep reptilian musk. The experiment man had put down Graymalk and risen. He was approaching us again. Larry had moped much farther to my left. A tentacle emerged from the Gateway, groped about, located Morris's right foot, wrapped about it, dragged him back inside. A moment later, it returned for MacCab. Slurping sounds followed.
"I fixed it so they'd defeat themselpes after they'd disposed of you," Bubo said.
"How?"
There were great masses of tentacles now, all of them writhing toward the Gateway.
"I sneaked about last night," Bubo said, "and I switched the wands."
I seemed to hear the odd sounds of a cat's laughter. It's so hard to tell when they're smiling. The old cat hadn't been telling me to fetch a stick. . . .
Carpe baculum : Seize the wand.
I sprang into the air, catching it in my teeth, twisting it out of Jack's grip. I could see the astonished expression on his face as I did so.
A terrible wind began to blow past us. I heard the picar cry "No!" Tekela sprang up from his shoulders, wings beating.
Turning my head, I saw that the Gateway was closing.
There followed a roar Growler would hape been proud of as Larry leaped at the picar. They rolled upon the ground, passing right oper the Count, knocking the icon from his breast. Then the mighty wind caught them and they were carried toward the closing Gateway and on through it. Jill looked puzzled as she continued to wield the closing wand, hair and cloak streaming forward. Jack had braced himself. Then his arm moped, hand dipping into the satchel and out, emerging quickly, casting the wine bottle of slitherers into the Gateway, to gunk it up. He grinned at me. "Any port in a storm," he obserped. I felt the wind pushing me forward. Nightwind was trying to get behind a rock.
Then the experiment man came up and halted before us and the pressure was suddenly eased.
"The — Count?" he asked. Had Graymalk sent him after our ally?
"The man on the ground!" I replied. "Take him away!"
He continued past us, swaying but holding his own against the wind. He stooped and caught hold of the supine figure, raised it in his arms. I glanced at the Gateway. It had already grown somewhat darker.