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

Katera gasped. "Adrella's alive? Why didn't you tell me?"
"I don't know for certain that she is. I've never seen her or the other women. I've only heard them on
several occasions when I was slipping by on my way to the lab. They talk about Askinadon, their lives on
the mountain…I don't think they're very happy."

Katera was staring at him wide-eyed. He wanted to reach out, draw her to him, tell her everything would
work out, but he didn't know if he could promise that. Even with the modified Orb, Katera's safety was
in grave peril if she joined her sister on the summit. If she got caught, Askins would not take lightly to her
betrayal.

"Adrella's alive," she breathed again.

"Maybe," he reminded her, but she was no longer listening.

Her face filled with hope, the light in her eyes sparked with enthusiasm. "If we can get her away from
Askinadon…didn't you say you could modify another Orb?"

Mike groaned inwardly. All he wanted to do was get off this world, so why was he getting involved with
this woman? He'd saved her life once, and yeah, that'd been all right…okay, nice, very nice, but where
had he signed up to do anything else?

"Listen," he said, but then caught the look in her eyes: trusting, soft. Oh, Lord, don't show me that .
Mike drew his hand across his brow. He must not forget his purpose. He was so close. "Listen," he
began again.

She was gnawing on her lower lip. "Mikolen," she interrupted. "If it brings you distress, I will not ask
more of you. I will find Adrella on my own. You have saved me from the Falls and the Voice. It is
enough, and for this you have all my gratitude." She touched her forehead and chest with two fingers, and
then brought her hands back together in a Parallonian gesture of appreciation. She bowed her head and
said something in the old language.

Mike felt his heart sink into his feet like a dead weight. I'm a cad. She doesn't stand a chance in hell
without me. Of course, she doesn't stand much of a chance with me, either .

"Yeah, well, it's just that…" Mike struggled to find words that were not there. "As I told you, I have this
project…"

"Shh!" Katera hissed unexpectedly, pressing one finger to her lips and turning her head. "Do you hear?"
Mike strained his ears, but heard nothing. Then the distant sound of something shrill drifted into the
chamber…a horn, it sounded like a horn. "One long, three short…" Katera whispered. Another faint
blast. "And that's a long! That's my family horn. That blast-one long, three short, one long-they're calling
me." She grabbed Mike's hands and bounced on her toes. Her face glowed even in the dim light of the
lanadik. "Oh, Mikolen. They're looking for me." She was so close to him that he could smell her
honey-sweet breath. Her hair fell in splashes over her arms as she hopped. Then she stopped. "I must go
meet them…I-I need to go." She looked into his eyes and held his gaze. "We must say good-bye."

She paused, as if considering her next move, then flung her arms around his neck and pressed her lips
into his, startling him. He felt a jolt, a current, rip through his body. His arms encircled her as if they had a
life of their own. Katera leaned into the kiss, pushing her body against his. Mike struggled to keep his