JК
The Killing Dance :: Гамильтон Лорел
Страница: 5 из 285" His face sobered quickly; the humor abruptlyfaded. "You school your face to show nothing, Jean-Claude, but I read the horror in your eyes."
Jean-Claude's skin had gone back to its usual milky perfection. His face was still lovely, perfect, but at least he'd stopped glowing. His midnight blue eyes were just eyes now. He was still beautiful, but it was a nearly human beauty. "Is it not worth a little horror?" he asked.
Sabin smiled, and I wished he hadn't. The muscles on the rotted side didn't work, and his mouth hung crooked. I glanced away, then made myself look back. If he could be trapped inside that face, I could look at it.
"Then you will help me?"
"I would aid you if I could, but it is Anita you have come to ask. She must give her own answer."
"Well, Ms. Blake?"
"I don't know how to help you," I repeated.
"Do you understand how dire my circumstances are, Ms. Blake? The true horror of it, do you grasp it?"
"The rot probably won't kill you, but it's progressive, I take it?"
"Oh, yes, it's progressive, virulently so."
"I would help you if I could, Sabin, but what can I do that Dumare can't? He's a necromancer, maybe as powerful as I am, maybe more. Why do you need me?"
"I realize, Ms. Blake, that you don't have something specifically for Sabin's problem," Dumare said. "As far as I can discover, he is the only vampire to ever suffer such a fate, but I thought if we came to another necromancer as powerful as myself—" he smiled modestly " — or nearly as powerful as myself, perhaps together we could work up a spell to help him."
"A spell?" I glanced at Jean-Claude.
He gave that wonderful Gallic shrug that meant everything and nothing. "I know little of necromancy, Ma petite . You would know if such a spell were possible more than I."
"It is not only your ability as a necromancer that has brought us to you," Dumare said. "You have also acted as a focus for at least two different animators, I believe that is the American word for what you do."
I nodded. "The word's right, but where did you hear I could act as a focus?"
"Come, Ms. Blake, the ability to combine another animator's powers with your own and thus magnify both powers is a rare talent."
"Can you act as a focus?" I asked.
He tried to look humble but actually looked pleased with himself. "I must confess, yes, I can act as a focus. Think of what the two of us could accomplish together."
"We could raise a hell of a lot of zombies, but that won't cure Sabin."
"True enough." Dumare leaned forward in his chair.
Jean-Claude's skin had gone back to its usual milky perfection. His face was still lovely, perfect, but at least he'd stopped glowing. His midnight blue eyes were just eyes now. He was still beautiful, but it was a nearly human beauty. "Is it not worth a little horror?" he asked.
Sabin smiled, and I wished he hadn't. The muscles on the rotted side didn't work, and his mouth hung crooked. I glanced away, then made myself look back. If he could be trapped inside that face, I could look at it.
"Then you will help me?"
"I would aid you if I could, but it is Anita you have come to ask. She must give her own answer."
"Well, Ms. Blake?"
"I don't know how to help you," I repeated.
"Do you understand how dire my circumstances are, Ms. Blake? The true horror of it, do you grasp it?"
"The rot probably won't kill you, but it's progressive, I take it?"
"Oh, yes, it's progressive, virulently so."
"I would help you if I could, Sabin, but what can I do that Dumare can't? He's a necromancer, maybe as powerful as I am, maybe more. Why do you need me?"
"I realize, Ms. Blake, that you don't have something specifically for Sabin's problem," Dumare said. "As far as I can discover, he is the only vampire to ever suffer such a fate, but I thought if we came to another necromancer as powerful as myself—" he smiled modestly " — or nearly as powerful as myself, perhaps together we could work up a spell to help him."
"A spell?" I glanced at Jean-Claude.
He gave that wonderful Gallic shrug that meant everything and nothing. "I know little of necromancy, Ma petite . You would know if such a spell were possible more than I."
"It is not only your ability as a necromancer that has brought us to you," Dumare said. "You have also acted as a focus for at least two different animators, I believe that is the American word for what you do."
I nodded. "The word's right, but where did you hear I could act as a focus?"
"Come, Ms. Blake, the ability to combine another animator's powers with your own and thus magnify both powers is a rare talent."
"Can you act as a focus?" I asked.
He tried to look humble but actually looked pleased with himself. "I must confess, yes, I can act as a focus. Think of what the two of us could accomplish together."
"We could raise a hell of a lot of zombies, but that won't cure Sabin."
"True enough." Dumare leaned forward in his chair.