"David Eddings - The Dreamers 03 - Crystal Gorge" - читать интересную книгу автора (Eddings David)

to the Vlagh. Do you know anything about bees?’

Red-Beard shrugged. ‘They make honey, and they sting anybody who tries to steal it. Honey tastes good
- but not so good that I’d want to get stung a thousand times just to gather it up.’

‘Wise decision, Red-Beard. Bees - and a number of other varieties of insects - have developed very
complex societies that are designed to expand their territories and their food supply. That’s what these
wars here in the Land of Dhrall are all about. Unfortunately, the Vlagh is an imitator. When one of the
creatures of the Wasteland sees a characteristic that seems useful, the Vlagh starts experimenting, and its
next hatch will have a variation of that characteristic’

‘So we end up with bug-men who know how to talk.’

‘Not exactly hug-men, Red-Beard. Bug-women would come closer to what’s really happening. There
aren’t really very many males among the creatures of the Wasteland. They’re almost all females, but the
Vlagh herself is the only one that lays eggs - thousands and thousands of eggs at a time.’

‘I don’t think baby bug-people would be very dangerous,’ Red-Beard scoffed.

‘Maybe not, but they grow very fast.’

‘How fast?’

‘They’re adults within a week. Of course, they only live for about six weeks, but a new generation is
already in the works. The out-landers we’ve hired to help us don’t fully understand this, but it’s not
really necessary for them to understand. It’s probably better that they don’t. If they knew that the Vlagh
can replace all the ones our friends kill in about two weeks, there isn’t enough gold in the whole world
to have persuaded them to come here and help us.’

‘Why are you telling me all this, Zelana?’ Red-Beard asked her.



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Crystal Gorge

She shrugged. ‘A few people need to know what’s really happening, Red-Beard, and you just happened
to be in the right place at the right time. I’ll have a word with Sorgan about your problem, and if it’s
really necessary for the Seagull to go on into the bay of Lattash, we’ll find someplace to hide you so that
the people of your tribe won’t be able to find you.’

‘That definitely takes a load off my mind.’ Red-Beard hesitated. ‘You do understand why I don’t want
any part of being the chief of the tribe, don’t you?’ he asked her.

‘It has something to do with freedom, doesn’t it?’

‘Exactly.’ He frowned slightly. ‘You went right straight to the point, Zelana. How did you pick it up so
fast?’

‘I’ve already been there, Red-Beard. That’s why I went off to the Isle of Thurn a long time ago. If you