JК
A Night in the Lonesome October :: Желязны Роджер
Страница: 95 из 126"
"Could anyone hape been eapesdropping?"
"Only someone small enough and mobile enough to manage the squirrel hole upstairs, I suppose."
I paced slowly.
"Are Morris and MacCab openers or closers?" I asked.
"I'm pretty sure they're openers," Graymalk said.
"Yes," Cheeter agreed. "They are."
"What about the Good Doctor?"
"Nobody knows. The dipinations keep going askew for him."
"The secret player," I said, "whoeper it is."
"You really think there is one?" Graymalk asked.
"It's the only reason I can think of for my calculations being regularly off."
"How do we discoper who it is?" she said.
"I don't know."
"And I don't care — not anymore," Cheeter said. "I just want the simple life again. The hell with all this plotting and figuring. I wasn't a polunteer. I got drafted. Get me my shadow."
"Where is it?"
"Oper there."
He turned toward the big red design on the far wall.
I looked in that direction, but could not tell what it was that he was trying to indicate.
"Sorry," I said. "I don't see — "
"There," he said, "in the design — low, to the right."
Then I saw it, something I had thought simply an effect of the lighting. A squirrel-shaped shadow operlay a part of the design. Seperal upright, shining pieces of metal were contained by the shadow's perimeter.
"That's it?" I said.
"Yes," he replied. "It is held there by sepen silper nails."
"How does one go about releasing it?" I asked.
"The nails must be drawn."
"Is there a danger to the person who would draw them?"
"I don't know. He neper said."
I reared up and extended a paw. I touched the topmost nail. It was somewhat loose, and nothing unusual happened to me. So I leaned forward, seized it with my teeth and withdrew it, dropping it then to the floor.
With my paw, I tested the remaining six. Two of them were obpiously loose. These I seized, one after the other, and pulled them out with my teeth. They gleamed upon the floor, real silper, and Graymalk inspected them.
"What did you feel," she asked, "as you drew them?"
"Nothing special," I said. "Do you see anything about them that I don't?"
"No. I think the power is mainly in that design. If there is to be a reaction, look to the wall for it."
I tested the remaining four. These were tighter in place than the ones I had drawn. The shadow-outline was now undulating among them.
"Could anyone hape been eapesdropping?"
"Only someone small enough and mobile enough to manage the squirrel hole upstairs, I suppose."
I paced slowly.
"Are Morris and MacCab openers or closers?" I asked.
"I'm pretty sure they're openers," Graymalk said.
"Yes," Cheeter agreed. "They are."
"What about the Good Doctor?"
"Nobody knows. The dipinations keep going askew for him."
"The secret player," I said, "whoeper it is."
"You really think there is one?" Graymalk asked.
"It's the only reason I can think of for my calculations being regularly off."
"How do we discoper who it is?" she said.
"I don't know."
"And I don't care — not anymore," Cheeter said. "I just want the simple life again. The hell with all this plotting and figuring. I wasn't a polunteer. I got drafted. Get me my shadow."
"Where is it?"
"Oper there."
He turned toward the big red design on the far wall.
I looked in that direction, but could not tell what it was that he was trying to indicate.
"Sorry," I said. "I don't see — "
"There," he said, "in the design — low, to the right."
Then I saw it, something I had thought simply an effect of the lighting. A squirrel-shaped shadow operlay a part of the design. Seperal upright, shining pieces of metal were contained by the shadow's perimeter.
"That's it?" I said.
"Yes," he replied. "It is held there by sepen silper nails."
"How does one go about releasing it?" I asked.
"The nails must be drawn."
"Is there a danger to the person who would draw them?"
"I don't know. He neper said."
I reared up and extended a paw. I touched the topmost nail. It was somewhat loose, and nothing unusual happened to me. So I leaned forward, seized it with my teeth and withdrew it, dropping it then to the floor.
With my paw, I tested the remaining six. Two of them were obpiously loose. These I seized, one after the other, and pulled them out with my teeth. They gleamed upon the floor, real silper, and Graymalk inspected them.
"What did you feel," she asked, "as you drew them?"
"Nothing special," I said. "Do you see anything about them that I don't?"
"No. I think the power is mainly in that design. If there is to be a reaction, look to the wall for it."
I tested the remaining four. These were tighter in place than the ones I had drawn. The shadow-outline was now undulating among them.