"Ann Maxwell - Concord 1 - The Singer Enigma" - читать интересную книгу автора (Maxwell Ann)

Tarhn sent the slakes out of sight and stepped over Lyra into the room. He bent down, searching her
still body for signs of life. Neither pulse nor respiration. Skin stiff and cool as a slake’s claws.
Tarhn cursed himself for wasting time on the crewman. He should have come immediately to her. On
an impulse he probed her mind. The probe was easy, so easy; her mind was familiar the instant before
discovery, floating free and light, brilliant with potential, pulsing with subtle rhythms, more subtle songs.
Even as he withdrew, Tarhn felt nearly dizzy with relief. She was alive. Whatever drug they had given
her suspended mind and body, but did not kill. Someone either knew more about her mind than he did,
or was very cautious.
Though alive, Lyra was totally helpless.
At the sound of men approaching, Tarhn closed the door silently. Startled cries and the heavy sound
of falling bodies made Tarhn’s lips curve in an unpleasant smile. He opened the door.
*Well done, hunters. *
N’Lete rose and flicked the narrow tube of her tongue over Tarhn’s hand.
*Conscious, too. Such restraint!*
Tarhn’s praise sent delighted ripples through the slakes’ sinuous bodies. He stroked their triangular
heads while he probed the helpless crewmen.
As he had suspected, Lyra was the eye of this storm. One of the ship’s emergency lifecraft waited.
They were to load her aboard, release the lifecraft to its pre-set course, and report to sickbay for a dose
of amnesian.
At Tarhn’s signal, n’Lete and Bithe injected enough venom to keep the crewmen unconscious for
several days.
Tarhn lifted Lyra easily and settled her across his shoulders. Not for the first time he realized that
being uncommonly big was at times uncommonly useful. On the other side, though, once in the hallway he
would be a fine target and would gladly trade sizes with a Gallian dwarf.
The slakes moved swiftly down the hall. Tarhn waited for several seconds, then ran lightly after.
Twice he had to leap over crewmen sprawled unconscious across the narrow hall, capsules of amnesian
rolling from their nerveless fingers. Other than those two, though, Tarhn saw no one. It was unlikely that
the decks would be so deserted unless the entire crew had been bought.
He hoped they had. Otherwise there would be an immediate alarm when one of the lifecraft emerged
from the mother ship.
Tarhn entered the lifecraft bay at a speed which proved his trust in the slakes. Nor was he
disappointed; they both were coiled proudly next to their latest victim.
*And your last for a time, I hope.*
The slakes politely but completely disagreed.
*Bloodthirsty beasts, aren’t you?* he thought fondly.
N’Lete and Bithe opened their mouths in hissing agreement.
Tarhn strapped Lyra into the lifecraft nearest the exit portal. He yanked out the course tape and
switched the controls to manual.
*In.*
The slakes scrambled. When they realized that Tarhn intended to strap them down, they clacked
their wings loudly.
*Hold still or be left behind. *
The slakes held still.
Tarhn strapped himself into the pilot’s seat. His fingers moved rapidly over the controls, lifting the
craft into humming life. With a final glance around, Tarhn threw the lever which separated lifecraft from
ship. As the tiny vehicle puffed outward into space, Tarhn breathed deeply for the first time since he had
awakened.
“We were lucky, Lyra,” he said softly, “though you’re in no position to appreciate it. The exit portal
was on the sunward side; even if an unbought crewman or passenger should be foolish enough to look
out a portal, all they’ll see is a great burning sun.”