"Gray, Julia - Guardian 01 - The Dark Moon" - читать интересную книгу автора (Gray Julia)

'A sign of what?'
'That the day of reckoning was coming. The end of the world.'
'That is crazy,' Terrel said, but then he remembered another sentence from Muzeni's journal. It is hard to imagine destruction on such a scale.
'Maybe not,' the farmer's son replied. 'If the islands can start spinning, why can't they head the wrong way too?'
Terrel had no answer to that. All he could do was hope that the reasoning was wrong.
'That's not all,' Jehar went on. 'Somebody else was talking about a monster in the mines somewhere that eats people or makes them disappear. A monster! Sometimes I think the whole world's going mad.'
Terrel, who had more than a passing acquaintance with true madness, found it hard to disagree, but did his best to reassure his companion.
'Gossip like that's hardly reliable though, is it?'
'Maybe not,' Jehar conceded. 'To tell you the truth I pretty much dismissed it at the time - and I forgot about it altogether when we got back last night and found out what had been going on here.'
The look he gave Terrel then was full of doubt and fear. It seemed that Jehar was connecting the improbable events surrounding the birth of the calf with all the other fantastical tales he had heard recently. Suddenly the apparent normality of the last two months counted for nothing. Once again, Terrel was the boy with the eyes of an enchanter.
The day passed in typically industrious fashion. Whatever else was happening in the outside world, cows still had to be milked and crops tended. If there was less banter than usual between those who worked on the farm - especially when Terrel was nearby - it was merely a reflection of the thoughts they were keeping hidden. Outwardly, everything went on as normal. The islands might be spinning like a top, but there was nothing this small community could do about it. The sun rose and set, like any other day. The only difference was that today it set in the south.
Terrel did not linger after the evening's communal meal, aware of the tensions round the table, and of the fact that many of them centred on his presence. Glancing up at the sky as he crossed the yard, he saw all three visible moons, the Amber almost full, the White and Red almost exact semicircles. All three were waxing, growing more powerful amid the stars that decked the night sky with delicate necklaces of light. Somehow the air seemed more potent, as if there were revelations just waiting to be discovered. Terrel knew that this was a night when dreams would come.
Inside the fragrant darkness of the barn, he felt his way to the ladder and climbed to the loft where his blankets were spread out on a shifting mattress of hay. He undressed and lay down, wrapping himself against the growing chill, and stared at the rafters above him. The triangular ends of the barn beneath the eaves were open to the air, which would make it a cold place as autumn drew in, and Terrel wondered if the time had come for him to move on. The thought dismayed him, but he had known all along that he could not stay at the farm for ever. He fell asleep, wishing he had someone to tell him what he was supposed to do with his life.
He did not know what had roused him, but suddenly he was wide awake.
Hello, Terrel.
An incredible surge of joy catapulted the boy from his makeshift bed. Then he staggered and almost fell as his twisted leg buckled.
'Alyssa? Alyssa!' He would have known her voice anywhere. 'Where are you?'
I'm here, silly, she replied, sounding amused.
Her voice seemed to be coming from above him, but that was ridiculous. The only way up to the loft was the ladder, and the top of that was right next to his bed. Terrel searched the hayloft and the darkness below, but could see nothing.
'Where?' he cried, desperate to see her.
Up here.
Looking round again, he saw a barn owl, its pale, heart-shaped face shining in a patch of moonlight. It was ignoring the sound of mice skittering on the floor below, and continued to stare directly at Terrel - who was beginning to wonder if he was dreaming.
It's not a dream, she told him. It's really me. I'll come and peck your nose, if you like.
'But you're an owl!' he said stupidly.
No, I'm not, she retorted. I'm just using her so I can come and talk to you.
'But. . .' Belatedly, it occurred to Terrel that there was something strange about Alyssa's voice. The only sound was that of an owl hooting, and yet he heard every word clearly - inside his head. Still stranded in disbelief, he could only stare at the bird.
Look. I haven't become an owl, Alyssa explained patiently. I'm just borrowing her body for a while. That's not so very strange, is it? I'm not the first to do something like this, and I certainly won't be the last.
It seemed very strange indeed to Terrel, but he did not know what to say.
My own body is sleeping, Alyssa went on. At the haven. I'm all right. I said I was going to wait for you, and I will.
'You said that?' Terrel exclaimed. 'It wasn't just a dream?'
Dreams are real too, you know, she replied. And I can still see yours. In fact it's easier now.
The reality of what was happening still seemed insane to Terrel - he was talking to an owl! - but he was beginning to accept it now. And the fact that Alyssa had told him she was all right was the reassurance he had longed for. His mind raced with questions. 'How did you find me?'
I've got your ring, she replied. It will always guide me to you. As she spoke the owl raised one foot, and Terrel saw the 'ring' wound around one of her talons. What had begun as a joke now seemed infinitely precious, linking them together as if it had been a real wedding band. His last doubts were cast aside.
'Are you still in the same cell?' / told you. My body is. I'm here. 'But . . . your body . . . it's unharmed?' Yes. I am protected.
From the way she said this, Terrel knew he would get no answer to the obvious question. He remembered the soldier's blade being dashed aside by some invisible force, and decided that all he could do was trust in what she said. 'I am going to come back for you,' he swore. / know, Alyssa replied softly. But not yet. Aylor's still in charge there, and he'd kill you if he caught you. Besides, there are other plans being made for you. 'Plans? What plans?'
I don't know. The others will tell me when they 're ready. 'What others?'
I can guide them to you, but I'm not sure you're ready to look round the corner yet. Do you want to try?
Terrel was about to ask her why she was talking in riddles, when for the second time that night he was presented with a literally incredible sight. To his amazement and terror, three faintly luminous figures appeared in the loft. The nearest of them was instantly recognizable, even though he was transparent, and Terrel's already racing heartbeat became even more frantic. Elam was sitting casually on a beam, whittling at a piece of wood with a knife that was evidently as sharp as it was translucent. It seemed such an extraordinarily mundane thing for a ghost to be doing that Terrel almost laughed, but then he noticed the small dark stain on the front of Elam's tunic, and the reality of what he was seeing sobered him again. His friend looked bored, and was paying no attention to his surroundings.
'Does he know I'm here?' Terrel whispered.
Not yet, Alyssa replied. None of them do.
One of the other two ethereal figures was also familiar and, although it was a shock to discover that Shahan really was dead, the seer's presence provided another link to Terrel's former life. He too did not seem to notice where he was, being deep in conversation with another old man, who was dressed in outlandish clothes. Both were gesticulating and seemed to be speaking at once, but Terrel could hear no sound. As he stared in awe he became aware that there was something different about the unknown ghost. He was somehow less distinct, the features of his face and hands less sharply defined than either Elam's or Shahan's.
'What are they arguing about? Why can't I hear them?'
You will. When they need you to, Alyssa replied, answering only his second question.
'Who's the one in the red cape?'
That's Muzent.
'Really?' Terrel was beyond astonishment now. 'He doesn't look the same as the other two.'
He died a long time ago, Alyssa explained, so he's faded a bit. In fact the only reason he's still here is because he thinks he has unfinished business.
'And has he?'
The owl seemed to shrug, and blinked solemnly.
I don't know. There's another reason for him being different. Muzeni died peacefully, just as we guessed, but the other two died suddenly and violently. That always makes it harder for the spirits to adjust, and they're more likely to stay in this world.