"Simon R. Green - Hawk and Fisher 1 - Hawk and Fisher" - читать интересную книгу автора (Green Simon R)

Hawk and Fisher charged along the narrow landing, kicking open doors as they
went, but most of the occupants were long gone, having disappeared down the
fire escape at the first sound of trouble.

One of the prostitutes hadn't been able to get away. Hawk found her in the last
room but one. She was dressed in torn silks too large for her, and wore gaudy
colors on her face. She was chained to the wall by the throat, and her back ran red
from the wounds of a recent whipping. She sat slumped against the wall, her face
pressed against the rough wood, crying softly, hopelessly. She was almost twelve
years old.

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Fisher joined Hawk in the doorway, and swore angrily as she took in the scene.
The chain was too heavy to break, so Hawk levered the bolt out of the wall with
his axe. Fisher tried to comfort the child, but she was too frightened to say much.
She'd been abducted in the street two years ago, and been brought to this room.
Her abductors put the chain around her neck and locked it, and she'd never been
out of the room since. Both Hawk and Fisher told her she was free now, but she
didn't believe it. There's a man who comes to visit me, she said quietly. He was
here today. He'll never let me go. You can't protect me from him. No one can.
He's important.

She didn't know his name. No one ever told her their name.

Hawk and Fisher never did find out who he was, but he must have had influence.
Only two days later, the child was stabbed to death in the street. Her attacker was
never found. Hawk and Fisher were officially taken off the case and sent to join
the other Guards searching for the supposed vampire that was terrorizing the
Northside. They raised hell with their superiors, and even talked about quitting
the Guard, but none of it did any good. The word had come down from
somewhere high Above, and there was no arguing with it. Hawk and Fisher had
shrugged and cursed and finally given up. There would be other times.

Besides, it seemed there really was a vampire. Men, women, and children had
been attacked at night, and occasionally bodies were found with no blood left in
them. There were dozens of sightings and as many suspects, but none of them led
anywhere. And then a lamplighter had come to see Hawk, and there was no
denying the horror in his voice as he told Hawk and Fisher of the dark figure he'd
seen crawling up the outside of the house in Chandler Lane…

"All the Guards in Haven, and that man had to choose us to tell his story to,"
grumbled Fisher. "Why us?"

"Because we're the best," said Hawk. "So obviously we're not afraid to tackle
anything. Even a vampire."