"Bradley, Marion Zimmer - Hunters of the Red Moon - 1973" - читать интересную книгу автора (Bradley Marion Zimmer)

"I didn't say Roxon's prejudice was rational," Rianna said coldly. "I said he _had such a prejudice. I was stating a fact, not making a value judgment. But Roxon would probably say there must be some good and sufficient reason why your world has never been offered the Unity."

That sobered Dane a minute; but it was pointless to get involved in discussing that right now. As Rianna was turning away he stopped her a moment, and said suddenly, "Why is it, then, that _you trust me?"

Another small shrug. "Who knows? Maybe it's just your pretty blue eyes. Or maybe I'm using Dallith as a barometer. And speaking of Dallith, she's staring at you with that wistful look. Maybe she can't eat unless you hold her hand. You'd better go and cheer her up while I talk to Roxon. None of us ought to behave in any strange ways while we're plotting, or the Mekhars might get wise."

She went off, and Dane glanced around for Dallith; but she was not looking at him, and Dane did not at once make a move toward Dallith, following Rianna with his eyes. What were her real feelings? Did he know her well enough to judge even the most elementary ones?

Rianna knelt beside Roxon where he sat alone with his empty food tray still on his lap; she put her head close to his and Dane watched anxiously. The one thing that must not happen is that any of them should seem to be plotting or conspiring. Or would the Mekhars even notice? But surely it would be dangerous, for people to begin to gather in groups, talking secretly, whispering, trying to avoid being overheard-

As he watched, Roxon dropped the food tray, put his arms around Rianna, and drew her down beside him. Dane thought, suddenly a little shocked, _Like this? Right in front of everyone? In a cage? Then he told himself sternly not to impose his own standards-one little corner of one little planet-on others; even on some parts of Earth this behavior might be quite natural; some South Sea islanders not only made love in public but expected you to join in and got offended if you didn't. He forced himself to look away, as they drew closer together.

Dallith said quietly in his ear, "It is not what you think. Does it matter to you?"

He turned, startled and a little abashed. He said defensively, "Remember, I'm the guy from the backwoods planet who doesn't know the local customs-or rather, knows only his own local customs-"

"It is not the custom of my people either, but you know what I am, I can sense emotions, and I tell you again, there is no desire between them-if that matters to you."

"I don't give a hang what they do," Dane muttered, His ears were red and he was furiously angry at himself because she could read his embarrassment "Why should it matter to me?"

"My people never ask ourselves _why other people are as they are," Dallith said coolly, "since we cannot escape the emotions which make them behave as they do, it would be only an added trouble to ask ourselves why. I am embarrassed only because you are, but there is no reason for it They are pretending it and if you think a moment you will surely understand the sensible reason for their pretense."

"No. That I can't understand. Why should they-oh. You mean, so the Mekhars won't think they are conspiring?"

"Of course. Rianna is very clever," Dallith said. Her large dark eyes dwelt a moment on the two closely intertwined bodies, half clothed, heads together, whispering, and she smiled. "It is, of course, the one thing they could pretend to do which the Mekhars would never trouble themselves to suspect or to interrupt. It is part of their arrogance, you understand. This, perhaps, you do not know-how proto-felines look down on us proto-simians because-how can I say this? You are embarrassed and I cannot help feeling what you feel-"

She looked at the floor and moved her foot restlessly. "Well, to put it very simply: we proto-simians are supposed to be continual slaves to our sexual appetites. So when you look at Rianna and Roxon, and you think they are talking privately, and perhaps it is suspicious; the . Mekhars would look at them and think, oh, yes, just like those ape-people, whatever else they might be doing, how like them to stop and-and fornicate. You see? Rianna is clever."

"She is," Dane said. "I'd never have thought of that." He felt ruffled and on edge. Even Aratak had said something like that, _You proto-simians are involved so much of the time with your reproductive cycle. ... It was a little humiliating to be thought of as part of a race which thought of nothing but sex.

_Welcome, fellow, to the monkey house at the zoo-female monkeys always in heat. Watch the show. Oh hell, probably other-other races?-couldn't care less. Did he get any charge out of watching a couple of dogs in the street, or a couple of pigeons courting on the windowsill? Dane turned his eyes away from the all-too-realistic spectacle of Rianna and Roxon. No one else seemed to be paying the faintest attention, even among the humans.

_Let's hope Rianna's giving him a full run-down on the plan-_and that he likes the idea. Because, without it, I'm not going to know where to begin. Aratak and I couldn't do much, alone. And, damn it, I've got plenty on my mind-_like an escape attempt-_without worrying about somebody else's sex life! As the thought of the escape crossed his mind again he remembered, with some unease, that he had been afraid to break this to Dallith. Now, it seemed, she knew-or did she? It was hard to tell whether she read his thoughts, or only mirrored his emotions. Now, as if mirroring his own deep disquiet, her small slender fingers groped for his and clung to them. Her hand felt cold. Dane squeezed it, hard, trying to keep calm and reassuring.

He had always thought of himself as an adventurer. But a solitary one. He knew his own limits, his abilities, what he could trust himself to accomplish and what he couldn't do. He had been accused, once, of taking risks, and had denied it firmly. "I do dangerous things, sure," he'd said, "but unless I get struck by lightning-and that could happen when I'm home in bed-I know so well what I can and can't do that by the time I decide to do it, it isn't taking a risk anymore."

But that was only true when he was relying on his own known abilities. Now he must put all his faith in strangers, some of them not even human. Aratak had a reassuring strength and solidity, and Rianna's bravery and resourcefulness had given him some confidence. But the others? They were all unknown quantities, and the habit of being self-reliant didn't help you at all when it was a question of doing dangerous things with other people. Rather the reverse.

He let go of Dallith's hand, knowing that as she sensed his fear her own would grow, and said, "We'll talk about this later. I want to be sure what I think."

As usual, she did not protest, or challenge him, but accepted his mood quietly as if it were her own, and went away to her own bunk. Rianna and Roxon had moved apart now and Dane wondered what she had said to him, what he had replied. It would be dangerous to go and ask. Of course he could also pretend to be overcome by a lustful mood-he dropped that line of thought, fast. It led nowhere, and could provide a hell of a lot of complications he didn't need. Hadn't Dallith asked, _Why does it matter to you?

He couldn't answer that one, and didn't want to try.



CHAPTER FOUR