"Zelazny, Roger - Amber 08 - Sign Of Chaos" - читать интересную книгу автора (Zelazny Roger)

"What medicine?" he asked as I passed them to him." Doctor's orders," I
said. "Get you back on your feet faster."
"Well, okay."
He threw all of them into his mouth and downed them with a single big
drink.
"Now these."
I opened the bottle of Thorazine. They were 200 milligrams each and I
didn't know how many to give him, so I decided on three. I gave him some
tryptophan, too, and some phenylalanine.
He stared at the pills. The walls faded again, the music returned. A cloud
of blue smoke drifted past us. Suddenly the bar came into view, back to whatever
passed for normal in that place. The upset tables had been righted, Humpty still
teetered, the mural went on.
"Hey, the club!" Luke exclaimed. "We ought to head back. Looks like the
party's just getting going."
"First, you take your medicine."
"What's it for?"
"You got some bad shit somewhere. This is to let you down easy."
"I don't feel bad. In fact, I feel real good--"
"Take it!"
"Okay! Okay!"
He tossed off the whole fistful.
The Jabberwock and the Fire Angel seemed to be fading now--and my latest
exasperated gesture in the vicinity of the bartop had encountered some
resistance, though the thing was not fully solid to me yet. Suddenly, then, I
noticed the Cat, whose games with substantiality somehow at this point made it
seem more real than anything else in the place.
"You coming or going?" if asked.
Luke began to rise. The light grew brighter, though more diffuse.
"Uh, Luke, look over there," I said, pointing
"Where?" he asked, turning his head.
I slugged him again.
As he collapsed, the bar began to fade. The walls of the cave phased back
into focus. I heard the Cat's voice. "Going..." it said.
The noises returned full blast, only this time the dominant sound was a
bagpipelike squeal. It was coming from the Jabberwock, who was pinned to the
ground and being slashed at. I decided then to use the Fourth of July spell I
had left over from my assault on the citadel. I raised my hands and spoke the
words. I moved in front of Luke to block his view as I did so, and I looked away
and squeezed my eyes shut as I said them. Even through closed eyes I could tell
there followed a brilliant flash of light. I heard Luke say, "Hey!" but all
other sounds ceased abruptly. When I looked again I saw that the two creatures
lay as if stunned, unmoving, toward the far side of the small cave.
I grabbed hold of Luke's hand and drew him up and over my shoulders in a
fireman's carry. Then I advanced quickly into the cave, slipping only once on
monster blood as I edged my way along the nearest wall, heading for the cave
mouth. The creatures began to stir before I made it out, but their movements
were more reflexive than directed. I paused at the opening where I beheld an
enormous flower garden in full bloom. All of the flowers were at least as tall
as myself, and a shifting breeze bore me an overpowering redolence.