"Barbara Hambly - A Night with the Girls" - читать интересную книгу автора (Hambly Barbara)

"Tell me this," she added, searching more quickly now-there had to be more of these. "D
somebody on the council come up with articles of compromise? Here-No, dammit, just a do
foot-bone. Articles are pretty standard in fights like this and I heard something about it whe
the Chief and I were over in Ciselfarge last month. Here we go." She picked up a second ha
little chunk, wiped it off and stowed it in her belt-pouch. The growling in the darkness grew
louder.

"Coriador Toth." Elia's voice sounded strained, but she kept it steady and quiet. "He's o
of the greatest merchants of the town, but a good man. Neither Chare nor Brannis would
sign-Chare because he said it gave away too much to the Council, Brannis because it didn't
give enough."

"Idiots, both of 'em," said Teryne.

"Can you get us into the city?" Starhawk got to her feet. And, when Elia and Teryne look
at one another, she added impatiently "You must have gotten out somehow-she must have go
out. I'd offer to turn over my weapons to you," she went on, annoyed, "except I think we're
going to need them in about-"

The wight flung itself from the darkness.

It had grown. Where Butcher's sword had nearly taken one arm off, another had been gra
in, raising the complement to three: a man's arm, bearing the gouges of the serpentine
corpse-worms in its bleeding flesh and clutching a sword in its hand. Where Battlesow had
hacked its body nearly in two, a head had been shoved like a plug, eyes staring, mouth leak
blood as it tried to speak. Elia screamed and Battlesow said, "Bugger me, it's Lieutenant
Egswade!"

Starhawk, nearly borne down by the wight's rush, slithered out of the thing's way, slashin
and cutting-the whole bulk of the creature seemed greater, swollen and fleshed out as if it h
gorged to replenish itself after its defeat. With mindless rage it sprang after her, striking and
clawing and grabbing. Battlesow and Elia intercepted it, halberd and sword flashing in the
lantern-light.

"Bugger this." Butcher caught up the lantern Starhawk had dropped and made ready to
throw.

With a yell Starhawk flung herself at the physician, wrenching the hot metal from her han
"Don't do that!"

The wight hurled Battlesow to one side, hurled itself towards Starhawk and Butcher wit
yammering hiss. Starhawk nearly dislocated her arm, dragging Butcher-and the lantern-out
the way. "It absorbs what it touches, dammit! You want to give it fire?"

"Oh." Butcher looked at the little vessel of clay, horn, metal and oil. "Got any flowers? O
jelly?"

Starhawk fell back again, slashing at the attacking wight with her sword. The blade-tip
caught Lieutenant Egswade's face across the forehead; the bulging eyes stared at them and t