"P. N. Elrod - Adventures Of Myhr" - читать интересную книгу автора (Elrod P N)

mice, much less eating them. The reaction was some deep instinct thing, nothing to get wound up about,
put it down to my weird DNA mix.

I slammed the bales behind the door and went back for another two, then two more. But that wasn't the
only entrance to the place. Another, larger door was at the far end. I didn't think there'd be time to take
care of that one, too.

"Terrin?"

He was still rummaging in the backpack.

"What's the holdup?" I asked. "You didn't lose them? Tell me you didn't lose them."

He muttered something impolite as he dug. "Flashlight!" he snapped.

I took that to be a request, not an explicative, and shrugged my own pack from my shoulders. It was
nearly pitch dark, for him, anyway, something I don't always remember. I prefer order over chaos and
found my flashlight exactly where it was supposed to be. One click and its beam shone into Terrin's
search area.

"Don't you throw anything out?" The inside of his bag looked like a Dumpster.

He snarled sudden triumph, having snagged up two perfectly formed clear quartz crystals. They were
about an inch in diameter and as long as my hand. Terrin gave me one.

"Get ready," he said, dragging one heel along the floor to make a rough circle around us.

I was ready ages ago. Outside, the first of the mob had arrived and were pushing against the door.
You'd have thought the deluge would have put them off. The bales would hold them for
maybe . . . ahhh . . . no. The bales weren't holding at all. The top one tumbled down in a squashy crash
as people on the other side applied muscle against wood. Yells of unholy glee ensued as they inched the
door open against the rest of the barrier.

At the far end came energetic hammering onthat door. Until it burst open. A bunch of really big guys
flooded in, wearing even bigger grins. And I thoughtI had teeth.

"Get 'em!" several of them roared. They charged forward. Just then the group at the first door
succeeded in their assault, sending the last bales tumbling over into the path of their friends. It was a
wonderful pile-up, but not enough to stop them.

"Now," said Terrin, in a strangely calm voice. His eyes were shut as he held his crystal.

Against all sense, I shut my eyes as well, clutching my crystal, and hoping my backpack was within the
circle.

The yelling mob, the disturbed livestock, the splat of rain on thatch, abruptly faded. I thought I felt the
brush of a hand grabbing my collar, but it seemed to pass right through me before fading, too.

Then came the tough part. Well, it's not that tough, and I should be used to it by now. It's the mental
image that gets to me. I don't know what Terrin felt during the process, but to me it was always like being