Читать книгу Sinbad: Rogue of Mars - John Garavaglia - Страница 58

The elder hesitated to reply. “They all are placing wagers with odds against you.”

“Perhaps I could reason with Kar-Tyr.”

“I think you will be wasting your time, Sinbad. You have seen him fight. He would not lay down his weapon to have a friendly conversation with you.”

“Akhdar had all his people slaughtered,” Sinbad clarified. “We all share a common enemy and goals.”

“Indeed. You, me, him, and the rest of the inmates here,” retorted the elder. “If you are planning a prison revolt, do you think you are the only person here whoever thought of it? Akhdar’s followers would crumble that plot before you could even execute the first stage.”

“It is at least better than fighting in the arena until we are all dead.”

The old Azurian wiped his oily brow and gave Sinbad a smile. “We all wear the stripes of Akhdar’s whip on our backs, and we are likely to continue to wear them. But your lashes are carved in your heart.” Then the elder gave out a heaving sigh. “Despite of everything that has happened, you still retained your optimism. Maybe if I had your sanguinity I would have gotten out of here years ago.”

The Azurian man had been watching Sinbad, his face inscrutable. Perhaps he had been waiting for the Earthman to come out of the depression that had paralyzed him all on his own, but it didn’t appear to be happening.

“Hoping to hold out, are you, Sinbad?”

Sinbad’s gaze flickered toward the old man, a mildly questioning look in his eyes.

“You’re figuring that if you simply shut down, refuse to cooperate they won’t kill you because they need you, and perhaps it will provide enough time for your friends to come rescue you.”

The old man could not have been more wrong. Sinbad wasn’t thinking of anybody like that. He was, first, convinced that they wouldn’t find him, and further influenced his

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