Читать книгу Rebirth - Dmitry Nazarov - Страница 12

– Sonmi! – Nirah muttered, and his broad shoulders shuddered.

From the alphas’ support groups, silent as if undead, standing there before, came indistinct murmurs and shocked sighs. Luca, who had been peering into the faces of the alphas, crouched slightly, as if he wanted to be smaller and more inconspicuous. Even the alphas themselves lost their «we’re the kings of the world» posture for a few seconds, and looked at each other nervously.

– This can’t be happening! – Vidid was obviously just being mean to Rhaer, though his voice was no longer haughty and insolent. – No one’s dared to create a bloody lot of time!

– That doesn’t mean no one’s mad enough right now not to do something like that,» Artagn said, glowering back at him heavily.

– You can’t be taking this upstart’s nonsense seriously, can you? – The blond man snapped.

– Rabble or not, he does have his facts on his side,» Nirah agreed. – If he’s wrong, I’ll be glad to drink to that, but if it’s true… this isn’t the Middle Ages, and if anyone were to create a Spawning, it would lead to disaster and most likely the death of our kind. As strong and hardy as we are, there are more of us, and our weapons are not arrows and spears. And they no longer feel the same awe of the mystical and unknowable, only aggression and a thirst for destruction. Disclosure of our essence plus provocation – and we are guaranteed to get general harassment and total extermination. Personally, I am not ready either to fight with people, or to switch to a miserable existence in a semi-animal state somewhere in the deep woods in burrows and dugouts. And I’m not going to prison or to some lab for experiments.

– Don’t exaggerate! – Vidid snarled, losing his self-confident look more and more quickly. – Twenty-eight bitten men plus one undernourished girl aren’t exactly the Sonmische! Maybe we’re dealing with a pathologically unlucky wildling who’s also stupid!

– They’re stupid and instinctive,“ R’er protested in his irritable manner, „but those instincts ought to be enough to drive them to change their hunting ground if they keep failing.

– I see you’re well aware of the intelligence of these brainless creatures. Is this company just right for you, sucker?

– Jealous of my youth, my freedom, and my concomitant success with bitches of all kinds? Don’t be; your advanced age and the sexual impotence that comes with it must be taken with stoicism.

Once again, the two alphas had to get between these device-measuring assholes.

– Enough! – The barrel-alpha thundered, so that the prisoners in the cages crouched, and I felt like crawling into some distant corner, too.

– I think we ought to kill all the converts this month first,» Artagnus summed up dryly, and the hairs on my head began to move. – I’m not going to risk it.

– Well, it’s the right thing to do,» Ri’er agreed, and I felt a sudden urge to throw off the jacket he smelled. You son of a bitch! You show up here, and you rob so many people of a chance with your delusional speculations! They’re all just beasts, non-humans!

The boys in the cages all looked pale, some even fidgeted and tried to holler or scream, but another stern, bucking-to-the-ground shout from one of the alphas silenced them all. I was too sick to keep quiet, but I didn’t want to provoke anyone again. Sitting on the cold floor made me less hot and brave than before, and I wasn’t a masochist, so I could take a beating without any hope that it would do any good. They’d maim me for having a long tongue, and how far would I run, even if I got the chance?

– But it wasn’t a priority to finish off the bitten ones. He was still not the first thing to do, though, because he wouldn’t be able to summon them until the next full moon. And I don’t think he’d do it that fast, either. – I was sickened by his unemotional tone, as if he wasn’t discussing the lives of dozens of innocent young men. – If I were him, I’d leave my future warriors in your care, and go create new ones in other territories. While you keep and train these underdogs, there’s time to create hundreds more everywhere before it arouses anyone’s suspicion.

– You’ve got it all worked out,» said the blond again. – Maybe that was your idea, wasn’t it?

– Yeah, and I came here to spell it out for you, just because I’m tired of waiting for you to see beyond your upturned alpha noses and appreciate what I’m trying to do? – Ri’er s snapped, not even a glance this time, and went on to elaborate. The summons can’t work unless it does.

Ri’er turned and looked in my direction. It’s the kind of look where they’re looking right at you, but they can’t see you. Just some fucking object of discussion, nothing more.

– As long as that little crispy thing is alive, he’s wasted a month of effort, and he’s done a lot of work picking out worthy specimens to turn.

The little crunchy one? What the fuck is that supposed to mean? A kind of one-tooth breadcrumb? What an asshole! They’re all here!

– That’s right,» agreed Nirah. – Ain’t got no fighters till she’s done in the proper way in animal form, and I bet he’s got a big hole in his fringe, too.

– Well, let’s finish him off and fuck him over! – The big Artan took a step in my direction, and I backed away, though I knew I had nowhere to go, when Reer tilted his head in warning. It took me a couple of seconds to realize that the strange buzzing in my ears and the trembling in my insides were the result of the growl he was making. The sound was not human at all, but hard to compare to anything that could be produced by a living thing. It was more like the rumble of a distant rockfall, telling you that something catastrophic and murderous was happening somewhere.

– Oh, I’m sorry, Reer! – Artagn stepped back with a show of hands. – You’ve already said you’re taking her, and no one’s disputing that. Of course it’s your right to finish her off!

– I don’t see the point of doing it now! – I’m not sure there’s any point in doing it now,» he said, as if he hadn’t quite calmed down yet. – What if he started all over again? What if he had to endure another month or more of outrage and attract the attention of journalists and other mystical nutcases? If the attacks continue, they will.

– What have you got to worry about? – snorted Vidid. – You’ve got nothing to defend but your own skin!

– If one of us gets our asses burned, it spreads to the rest of us! And I’m too comfortable comfortable here to run for cover! – Ri’er condescended to explain, and he sounded as if he’d only saved himself from another barbed nastiness because he was so utterly bored with Vidal. Just to the point of yawning in his jaw.

– Ri’er was right, if someone really wanted to play summoned soldiers, he needed this girl. A victim already involved in the circle cannot be replaced by another,» Nirah said thoughtfully. – He will seek her out. Are you sure you don’t want to hand her over to one of us? It’s better to watch and wait for him to show up in a flock than alone.

– I’m not going to waste a lot of time and nerve waiting for him to come. I’ll make her find him and bring her to him,» he nodded toward me, and I jerked, sitting up straight, though my ribs howled in response to the maneuver. Does the bastard think I’m going to look for the monster who attacked me? He’s out of his mind. Like hell he is!

– Indeed, she is a female converted by him, albeit accidentally and unwanted. So she can sense him, even draw him out,» Artagn was jovial.

– Well, she’s one to learn how to lure anyone out! – Ri’er brushed them off. – I won’t have that much to do with her. She’ll do her bit and then good bye.

I suspect it won’t be goodbye, but goodbye for ever.

– Actually, she’s not the only female in this batch,» Vidid said caustically. – And the other is already mine. So we’ll see who’s quicker to hunt down and finish the bastard, the loner with the skinny little thing, more like a cockroach on a thread, or me with my flock and the tough, hardy female!

– As if I gave a damn! – Ri’er rolled his eyes. – I don’t give a damn if this shit stops and I can kick your ass any time for any reason at all!

– We’ll see about that! – He threw the blond back, but Ri’er just shrugged nonchalantly and glanced away. – Arrogant little bitch!

– Only having an adequate idea of how superior I am to you in every way! – Without turning around, the scoffer chided me, coming toward me. – Get up, you pygmy pussy, we’re leaving.