"Frankowski, Leo - Kren of the Mitchegai" - читать интересную книгу автора (Frankowski Leo)

"Yes, that was about when it happened, during the last war," he said.

"Yet that body is at least ten years old, from the time of metamorphosis."

"Also true. I was injured when we were taking a big mine to the south of here. This was once the body of an ignorant slave in a mine. As I said, it was all that was available, and I urged them to take the chance. Still, it is a very strong body, and I do not regret what happened. Certainly, it was better than being divided among six of my old comrades."

"I'm sure it was," she said. "That would have been the Senta Copper Mine, wouldn't it."

"Strange as it might seem, I don't think that I ever heard the name of the place. They did mine copper there, however."

"I'm sure that it was the Senta. Those scars on your arm are rather crude."

"Old Sergeant Toll did the cutting, in almost complete darkness, when I was coming out of my stupor. He was afraid that I might be mistaken for one of the mining slaves, and sent on with the rest of them," he said, the lies flowing freely.

"And what happened to those others?"

"I have no idea. In the military, you are generally told only what you need to know."

"At the university, we are always told everything, especially things that we have no desire to know," she laughed.

Bronki talked of her life at the University of Dren, of her occasional difficulties with some of the students, and about the perpetual round of interdepartmental politics.

"Yours is such a different world from the one that I am used to," he told her. "I find all of this to be fascinating."

"Then perhaps you should consider a change of career fields. There is always a need for more intelligent students at the university. You could come there, and after a few years as a student, perhaps an instructorship might open up for you. Also, you mentioned winning championships with both the spear and the sword. It is possible that an athletic scholarship could be offered you."

"That sounds attractive, but my leave will not go on forever," he said.

"Often, things can be arranged. These are peaceful times. The duke's army might not be averse to granting an officer an academic leave of absence."

"You make life at the university sound far more interesting than drilling illiterate troops, or standing guard duty when there is really nothing to guard against. I shall think on it."

"Do that," she said. "Should you decide on venturing into the academic world, it is possible that I could be of some assistance to you. I am not without influence there."

The sun was close to setting when they came to Bronki's retreat. At first, Kren could see nothing at all but a grass-covered hill, but Bronki took out a knife and cut away the grass that had grown over the doorway.

"You can see that I have not been here for several years," she said, throwing the thick mat down the hill, where it was eagerly pounced on by two juvenals.

"The other door and the windows are best cut away from the inside," she continued, leading him inside, and turning on the lights.

The house was quite spacious, and extremely luxurious compared to what a mining slave was used to. There were chairs and tables and real cots to sleep on. There was a tall and spacious entrance hall, and a large living room with many comfortable couches centered around a long, low table and a drinking fountain. Opening off these central rooms were two studies, a steam room, and five bedrooms. Mitchegai homes do not have kitchens or dining rooms, of course, and outside of the cities, they don't have toilets. The grass took care of waste disposal.

But the things that impressed Kren the most were the books. Every wall, every small bit of space, was covered with bookshelves, and these were all crammed to overflowing with books. Big books, small books, thick ones and thin. Some of them had ancient tooled leather coverings, but most were of simple grass paper.

And besides the books, there were thousands of tapes and discs, along with the viewing screens and computers to use them.

"I am very impressed," Kren said. "Have you actually read all of these?"

"Most of them. Many are reference texts, of course, good for looking things up in, but not intended to be read from cover to cover. Perhaps you would like some reading suggestions?"