"Mickey Zucker Reichert - The Books of Barakhai 02 - The Lost Dragons of Barakhai" - читать интересную книгу автора (Reichert Mickey Zucker)

"Thanks." Zylas restored his features to normal. "I love it when my friends call my looks freakish."
Collins dodged the all-too-wide opening. The "eye thing" barely touched the
"transforming-into-animals thing." Without another word, he scooped up his backpack from the
workstation chair and dumped its contents onto the bed. Books, notebooks, and pens tumbled out, along
with an assortment of pipettes, a compartmentalized container filled with plastic balls and stems for
making models of molecules, and sundry other small accessories. He tossed two packs of TGI Friday's
matches back inside, added a mini mag light, his new multitool, three T-shirts, four pairs of underwear,
and two pairs of blue jeans. He dashed into the bathroom, Korfius trotting along at his heels. Opening the
medicine chest, he snatched up a bottle of Turns and another of Tylenol, dropping them into the sink. He
tossed in a bar of soap, a toothbrush, a razor, a plastic bottle of shampoo, deodorant, and toothpaste.
Seizing the hand towel, he folded all of his gathered things into it, bundled it up, and headed from the
room. As a last thought, he scooped up a roll of toilet paper. Dashing back to the bedroom, he
unceremoniously dumped it all inside his backpack.
 "All right—" Collins started, then stopped, thinking of another potentially useful item. He jerked open
his desk drawer to reveal his new personal organizer, a programmable calculator, a mini tape recorder,
fold-up binoculars, and his working snacks. He had gone after the binoculars but grabbed the recorder,
three Snickers bars, a handful of beef jerky, and an open bag of dog biscuits, too. He was just adding
these to his now bulging backpack, when a pounding knock at the door startled him. Collins' mind had
already returned to the nearly inscrutable world of his companions, with its weird violations of physical
law and its strict and cruel legalities and punishments. He forced his muscles to uncoil, his breathing to
slow. The worst thing he faced here was expulsion or bankruptcy, a far cry from hanging.
"Hide," Collins hissed at Zylas; who, accustomed to doing just that, disappeared in an instant. Without
bothering to give a similar command to Falima, he headed toward the door, just as another fusillade of
knocking exploded through the room. Loud as thunder, it left no doubt about the mood of the person on
the other side.
Collins pulled open the door, only then remembering he wore nothing but boxers.
Professor Terellin studied him from the hallway, and several people peeked from partially open doors
on either side. The proctor of Collins' building, the gray-bearded philosophy professor usually handled
problems in a calm, rational manner that left little room for discussion. Now, his hair hung in a lopsided
auburn-and-white scraggle, rather than its usual neat comb over. Long-legged, slender, and distinguished,
Terellin reminded Collins of John Cleese playing the barrister in A Fish Called Wanda. He glanced
around the hallway, and the doors hurriedly shut. "May I come in?"
Collins stepped back. "Of course, Professor."
Terellin glided inside, closing the door behind him. He studied Collins in the dim light, then turned his
gaze to Korfius who lay in a stretched-out position of doggy comfort on Collins' rumpled bed. The man
cleared his throat. "We ignore your dog, Mr. Collins, despite the no pet policy, because he's a hero."
Collins nodded, well aware of that information. He had never taken great pains to hide the animal,
though he did not go out of his way to flaunt the dog either. "Yes, sir. Thank you."
"But a horse, Mr. Collins?" The professor made a bland gesture toward the window. "That's going
too far."
Collins' heart rate quickened, and he followed the professor's motion with his gaze. Possibilities
paraded through his mind, the most compelling to deny knowing anything about Falima's presence. He
discarded the urge, however. For her welfare, he could not abdicate responsibility. "Yes, Professor
Terellin. I agree."
The man grunted.
"You see, we need the horse for physiology experiments and… "So far, the explanation sounded
plausible, and Collins struggled to keep it that way. "… and I… well, I did the ordering. I certainly didn't
expect them to deliver her to my home but" Collins battled through the sleepiness that dimmed his
thoughts. " well, here she is. I jumped right out of bed and started making some calls, but it's hard to get
anyone to answer this time of night."