"Anthony Piers - Incarnations Of Immortality 2 - Bearing an Hourglass [uc]" - читать интересную книгу автора (Anthony Piers)

1

Norton threw down his knapsack and scooped up a double
handful of water. He drank, delighting in the chill that
struck his teeth and stiffened his palate. It was easy to
forget that this was an artificial spring, magically cooled;
it seemed natural.

He had hiked twenty miles through the cultivated wil-
derness of the city park and was ready to camp for the
night. He had food for one more meal; in the morning he
would have to restock. That could be awkward, for he
was out of credit. Well, he would worry about that tomor-
row.

He gathered dry sticks and leaves, careful not to dis-
turb any living plants, and structured his collection for a
small fire in a dirt hollow. He found some desiccated moss
and set it within his pyramid- Then he muttered an
incendiary-spell, and the flame burst into existence.

He fetched three rocks, set them against the expanding
fire, and unfolded his little fry-pan. He unpacked his Span-
ish rice mix and poured it in the pan, shaking the mix to
keep the rice turning as the heat increased. When it
browned, he added handfuls of water, evoking a strenuous
protest of steam, until satisfied. Then he rested the pan
on the stones and left it to sizzle nicely alone.

"Can you spare a bite?"

Norton looked up, surprised. Ordinarily he was alert
for other creatures, especially people, even when con-
centrating on his cooking, for he was attuned to the sounds
of nature. But this one seemed to have appeared from
nowhere. "This is what I have," he replied. "I'll share
it." Actually, that meant he would be hungry on a half-
ration, but he never liked saying no.

The man stepped closer, his feet making no noise. He
was evidently in his mid-to-late twenties, about a decade
younger than Norton, and in unusually fit condition. He
was well dressed in upper-class city style, but had the
calloused palms of a highly physical man. Wealthy, but
no effete recluse. "You're an independent sort," he
remarked.

It took one to know one! "Wanderlust, mostly," Norton
clarified. "Somehow I always want to see the other side
of the mountain. Any mountain."