"Andre Norton - Witch World - Warlock of the Witch World" - читать интересную книгу автора (Norton Andre)

richly carved, the rest black and keen-pointed, to give one the impression of a wicked and
deadly weapon. The Krogan carried those point down, to assure us of good intentions.

When they at last came to stand before us I saw that, human as they appeared from
a distance, those eyes turned unblinkingly upon us were not man’s eyes. There were no
whites, only a deep green expanse from lid to lid—as the eyes of a snow cat.
“Ethutur.” Instead of any greeting, the foremost of the two just repeated my
companion’s name.

“Orias?” His return was in a note of inquiry. Then he moved the warn-sword a
fraction and again the color of its binding glowed brilliantly.

The Krogan stared at us and the sword. Then the leader beckoned. Gingerly we
followed them back through the mud holes, jumping from tussock to tussock of coarse
growth wherever that was possible. There was the smell of rotting stuff, which is normal
in such places, and slime clung to our boots after only a few steps. But our guides
appeared to be able to move through all this without carrying any smears.
We reached the edge of the lake and I wondered if they expected us now to wade in.
But a shallow shadow shot from one of those barely seen islands, heading toward us. It
turned out to be a boat, made of the skin of some type of water dweller pulled tight over a
frame of bones cut and fitted together. Embarking in it was something of a feat. The
Renthan did not even attempt that, but took to the water as did our guides and the
Krogan who had towed the boat, the three water people pulling the craft after them.

As we approached the island I noted that unlike the unwholesome shore, it was
ringed with a wide, silvery beach of clean sand. The stench of the bog was gone.
Vegetation grew back of that sand, unlike I had seen elsewhere. The shoots rose well into
the air and were soft plumes, such as the Sulcar traders sometimes brought from
overseas. They did not have a green shade, but more of a muted silver tone, and here and
there a frond had green or dull yellow flowers in lines along the upper portions of the main
branches.
The beach itself was divided into neatly geometric patterns by the setting out of large
shells and pale colored rocks. Among these ran path-roads bordered with stake fences,
ankle high, fashioned of bleached driftwood.

Our Krogan guides started along one of these roads and Ethutur and I fell in behind
them. As we passed the marked parts of the beach, I saw that in those were small baskets
and mats woven in delicate patterns. But of those to whom these belonged there was then
no sign. We came into the shade of the plume trees and I smelled the perfume of the
flowers. Also I caught glimpses of those we must have disturbed on the beach. More men,
like unto our guides, and with them the women of their race. The hair of the latter flowed
free save for bands of shells or reeds interwoven with flowers. They had garments of a
softer substance than the scaled material, caught with shell clasps on their shoulders,
confined with ornamented belts at their waists. Those robes were softly green, or yellow,
or pink-gray. But we saw little of them, for they kept back among their farther trees.

When we came into the open again it was to front an outcrop of rock which perhaps
once had been natural. But since it had been wrought upon by master carvers. Monsters
with eyes of shell or dull gems leered and menaced. Some were more amusing than
threatening with their grotesque grins. Two such guarded a flat shelf which served the