"Ann Durand - Flight of the Gryphon" - читать интересную книгу автора (Durand Ann)

"Unless your sister or you do not return within three days. If I am missing either one of you…" His voice
turned sour and menacing. Adrella's chest iced over, and with a deadly certainty, she knew his next
words. "Then Rorken will die."

If he had taken a knife and wedged it into her heart, it would have felt the same. What manner of choices
were these? If she saved her sister…if that were even possible, she would lose her son. And if she
helped to lure her sister into Askinadon's castle on the mountain, Katera would be doomed to a life of
ruthless submission, in and out of the royal bedchamber.

I cannot win…Lupana , save me.

"You will leave in the morning for your village. Rorken has been disposed to the inner castle with a
nursemaid where I will keep him close to me. Do you understand your mission?"

"Yes, Master," Adrella said, squeezing back the tears. "It shall be as you command."

"Good." Askinadon nodded. "You may go."

Adrella curtsied low, backed away from Askinadon, and headed down the path toward her hosta, the
tears flowing freely down her cheeks.

Chapter Four
Good God, she's gorgeous, Mike Leno thought, smiling as he rummaged in a large wooden box for an
extra ulli. Even plastered with mud, her beauty was apparent. It had been years since he'd spent any time
with a woman, let alone one of such appeal. He felt a strong stirring…but no, he would not pursue it. No
distractions . That was his credo. Especially now, when he was so close. Finally, the project was almost
finished, the project he'd worked on, alone, for ten long years. Nothing must deter him.

He would feed the woman…what was her name? Katera… a fitting name for such a beauty . He
shook his head to dispel the thought. Business only, he warned himself.

Once she'd rested and her clothes were clean and dry, he would release her. She could go anywhere she
liked now that the disc, or the VisiOrb as it had been called at Tescali Laboratory, was gone from her
head. He would tell her to leave Parallon and go to a region not controlled by Askinadon.

She could make her way in a new land. There were many opportunities on her planet-it was much bigger
than her people suspected. Even locally, there were hundreds of villages like hers dotting the plains and
hills beyond the Shirka Mountains. He would lead her out of Parallon himself, making sure she made it
over the mountains. Then he would return to Kan Mountain and the secret network of caves beneath it
that he called home, and he would finish his work.

He fished out a clean ulli and headed back toward the hot spring. As he entered the tunnel and neared
the room, he stopped.

"Are you in the water yet?" he called.

"I'm in," came the soft reply.

"Is it okay to come in and drop a clean ulli on the bench?"