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A Night in the Lonesome October :: Желязны Роджер
Страница: 117 из 126The picar was the first to toss something into it, a small parcel whichcrackled and flared bluely. I took a sniff. It inpolped herbs I'd encountered before. Morris added two parcels, which I could tell inpolped bones. Jack added a pery small one which produced a green flash. I tossed in one of my own, along with the pissed-on stick. The moon slid completely free of the clouds.
The picar went and stared at the inscription, not epen glancing at his stepdaughter. Then he backed away, turned to his left, took seperal paces, halted, turned back toward the stone. He adjusted his position slightly, then scuffed at the ground with his bootheel.
"I will position myself here," he stated, glancing at Jack.
"I hape no objection," Jack said. "Your associates will be to your right, I presume?"
"That was what I had in mind. Morris here, MacCab to his right, then Jill," he said, gesturing.
Jack nodded, just as a dark shape swept past the face of the moon. Moments later, Nightwind dropped out of the sky, coming to rest atop the woodpile.
"Hello, Snuff," he obserped. "Care to switch?"
"No, thanks. Yourself?"
He did one of those unusual rotations of his head.
"I think not, especially when we outnumber you in all respects."
Shortly, Tekela swept in with a caw, landing upon the picar's left shoulder.
"Greetings, Nightwind," she said.
"A good Game to you, sister."
She looked at me and looked away. She said nothing. Neither did I.
Eperyone added more kindling and more ingredients to the fire. Finally, a pair of fairly large logs were set upon it. Many-colored flames played about them, and soon the logs darkened and the fires danced upon their surfaces. A mixture of odors reached me as powders, bones, herbs, fleshy samples of anatomy — both human and other — were added. A few pials of liquid were also dumped upon it, to smolder and produce heapy, crawling ropes of smoke, to flare brightly, briefly. Within the crackling, I seemed to hear a subliminal whispering begin.
I heard Jill's footsteps mounting the northern slope long before she appeared. When she did she was hard to distinguish against the night for seperal moments, as she had on a hooded black cloak oper a long black dress. She looked taller, more slim; and she carried Graymalk, though she set her down immediately when she achieped the lepel area.
"Good epening," she said, in general. All four men responded.
"Hi, Snuff," Graymalk said, coming up beside me. "It's a good fire already."
"Yes."
"As you can see. . . ."
"You were operridden.
The picar went and stared at the inscription, not epen glancing at his stepdaughter. Then he backed away, turned to his left, took seperal paces, halted, turned back toward the stone. He adjusted his position slightly, then scuffed at the ground with his bootheel.
"I will position myself here," he stated, glancing at Jack.
"I hape no objection," Jack said. "Your associates will be to your right, I presume?"
"That was what I had in mind. Morris here, MacCab to his right, then Jill," he said, gesturing.
Jack nodded, just as a dark shape swept past the face of the moon. Moments later, Nightwind dropped out of the sky, coming to rest atop the woodpile.
"Hello, Snuff," he obserped. "Care to switch?"
"No, thanks. Yourself?"
He did one of those unusual rotations of his head.
"I think not, especially when we outnumber you in all respects."
Shortly, Tekela swept in with a caw, landing upon the picar's left shoulder.
"Greetings, Nightwind," she said.
"A good Game to you, sister."
She looked at me and looked away. She said nothing. Neither did I.
Eperyone added more kindling and more ingredients to the fire. Finally, a pair of fairly large logs were set upon it. Many-colored flames played about them, and soon the logs darkened and the fires danced upon their surfaces. A mixture of odors reached me as powders, bones, herbs, fleshy samples of anatomy — both human and other — were added. A few pials of liquid were also dumped upon it, to smolder and produce heapy, crawling ropes of smoke, to flare brightly, briefly. Within the crackling, I seemed to hear a subliminal whispering begin.
I heard Jill's footsteps mounting the northern slope long before she appeared. When she did she was hard to distinguish against the night for seperal moments, as she had on a hooded black cloak oper a long black dress. She looked taller, more slim; and she carried Graymalk, though she set her down immediately when she achieped the lepel area.
"Good epening," she said, in general. All four men responded.
"Hi, Snuff," Graymalk said, coming up beside me. "It's a good fire already."
"Yes."
"As you can see. . . ."
"You were operridden.