"Jerry Davis - Opposite Ends Meet Here (2)" - читать интересную книгу автора (Davis Jerry)

"The one talent she has, the one thing she did herself and is proud of, is her magic. As
you've found out, she's very touchy about the subject. It's best that you watch her do it,
applaud, and ask to see more. This pleases her very much. Don't question it, don't say anything
about it. That's your best bet."
"I see."
"She learned this talent from a mathematician several years ago. The guy is now a hermit
living on an island off the coast of Terra Marka, on Summerland. We're on a sort of
pilgrimage there now, so she can resume her studies."
"Does she have many enemies?"
"There are people out to get her. Your job is real, though she treats her bodyguards as show
pieces. There have been more than a few attempts on her life. You of course know the
outcome of the last one."
"Why did her old bodyguard decide to turn against her?"
"I don't know. Either he was paid off or just couldn't take the abuse anymore."
"Paid off by who?"
"I don't know. Debbie doesn't have any enemies specifically, but her family does. Powerful
ones."
Both fell silent for a moment, then Kyle said, "How does she do her magic tricks? Were
those specially made pearls, or what?"
"No, it's not the pearls. I guess you could call it telekinesis -- of course, she prefers to call it
magic. From what I understand, she creates a point of gravity, gives the pearls kinetic energy
and adjusts their virtual mass. That puts them in orbit around the point of gravity. She can
only do that one in freefall conditions."
"Interesting," Kyle said. Then he shook his head. "To tell you the truth, you've totally lost
me, but forget it. I'm not going to question it. I'll simply applaud and ask to see more." He
smiled, standing up. "Unless there's anything else ...?"
"Go ahead." Finney opened the door and stood aside as Kyle left.

#

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Opposite Ends Meet Here




The starship's departure was uneventful, as was the first several days en route. Kyle kept
his cabin door open so he could see if Debbie left her stateroom. When she did, he would
always follow, standing in the background as she and her friends lived it up. Since the ship
had a controlled gravity environment, Debbie wasn't able to perform her magic involving
levitation. She was able to show off her skill at spontaneous combustion, by chanting
incantations and setting people's drinks ablaze. Kyle couldn't help laughing when she
inadvertently set off the fire alarm. She flashed him a cold look for this, but it only lasted a
second, then she actually smiled and laughed herself.
Several hours later, after Debbie had retired to her cabin, Kyle was working out with his
gyro stick in front of his open door. He moved slowly, carefully, working up a good sweat. He
didn't notice when Debbie's door opened a crack. She watched him for several minutes before
she opened the door the rest of the way. When Kyle saw her he froze for a moment, losing his
rhythm. He looked her up and down, his face betraying surprise. Then he went back to his
workout without saying a word.