[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
'Who - ?' he gasped.
'Quickly!' said the newcomer. 'If you want to live.'
'Stand still!'
Vyotsky shouted, but Jazz and Zek were already moving to obey the stranger. As
they stepped toward the cave, so he came out to meet them. Vyotsky saw him.
Because of his cloak, at first the Russian mistook him for one of Shaithis's
lieutenants.
The stranger held out an urgent hand to the pair, held up his cloak almost as
if to shield them. He drew them toward him . . .
So much Vyotsky saw, but in the next moment. . . the big Russian blinked, used
his free hand to rub furiously at his eyes. They'd gone - all three, gone! But
he hadn't seen them step back into the cave.
file:///G|/rah/Brian%20Lumley/Brian%20Lumley%20-%20Necroscope%203%20-%20The%20
Source.htm (187 of 252) [2/13/2004 10:15:03 PM]
1
A huge hand fell on Vyotsky's shoulder and he froze. Shaithis's monstrous
voice hissed in his ear: 'Where are they? Did your weapon strike them? I hope
for your sake it did not!' Vyotsky didn't look back, simply continued to gape
at the empty ledge ahead.
'Well?' Shaithis's fingers dug into Vyotsky's shoulder.
'I didn't hit them, no,' the Russian gulped, shook his head. 'There was
someone else. A man in a cloak, and a mask. He came . . . and he took them!'
'Took them? A man in a cloak and - ?' Shaithis's breath was hot on Vyotsky's
neck. 'A mask of gold, perhaps?'
Now Vyotsky looked at him - and at once shrank back, cringing from the horror
of his face. 'Why . . . why, yes. He came - and he went! And they went with
him . . .'
'Ahhh!'
Shaithis hissed. 'The Dweller!' His fingers were like the jaws of a steel
clamp, crushing Vyotsky's shoulder. For a moment the Russian thought he
intended to hurl him down from the ledge.
'It ... it wasn't my fault!' he gibbered. 'I found them, followed them. Maybe
they slipped into the cave there. Maybe all three of them are there!'
Shaithis sniffed the air, his blunt snout quivering. 'No,' he finally said.
'Nothing. No one. You failed me.'
'But -'
Shaithis released him. 'I won't kill you, Karl. Your spirit is puny but your
flesh is strong. And there are uses to which good strong flesh can be put in
the aerie of Shaithis of the Wamphyri.' He turned away. 'Now follow me down.
And be warned: do not try to run away. For if you do that a second time it
will make me very, very angry. I
would give you to my favourite warrior. All except your quivering heart, which
I would eat myself!'
Vyotsky watched him commence the descent, gritted his teeth and slowly lifted
the barrel of his gun.
Without looking back, Shaithis said: 'Yes, by all means do, Karl - and we
shall see which one of us is caused the most pain.'
The Russian's tense expression slowly slackened, relaxed. How could you fight
beings like these? What hope did any man have of ever defeating or even
damaging something like Lord Shaithis? He let out his pent breath, gulped, put
his weapon on safe and followed timidly on behind the other where he made his
Page 196
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
way down from the ledge.
Below in the woods a great wolf howled piteously - Zek's Wolf, who knew that
his mistress was now removed from him and gone far away. He lifted his head
and howled again, the cry rippling from his taut throat. Then he sniffed the
air and looked north and a little west, across the mountains. She was there,
yes. That was the way he must go.
Grey as the night, Wolf began to climb through the trees. Two figures passed
him going down. He curled his upper lip back, writhing from his carnivore
teeth. But he made no sound. They passed out of sight into the misty woods.
Wolf let them go and continued on his way.
The siren call of his mistress was strong in his mind . . .
file:///G|/rah/Brian%20Lumley/Brian%20Lumley%20-%20Necroscope%203%20-%20The%20
Source.htm (188 of 252) [2/13/2004 10:15:03 PM]
1
It was noon at Perchorsk, but in the metal and plastic bowels of that place it
could be midnight and nothing would be changed. One change at least was
occurring, however, and Direktor Luchov and Chingiz Khuv were watching as a
team of workmen fitted pipes high in the wall of the perimeter corridor. The
pipes were maybe seventy millimeters in diameter, made of black plastic, and
might in other circumstances be conduits for heavy-duty electrical cable. But
that was not their purpose.
'A failsafe?' Khuv said. He looked flustered. 'But I know nothing about this.
Perhaps you'd explain?'
Luchov looked at him, tilted his head on one side a little. 'You work here,'
he shrugged, 'and I have no reason to keep it from you. I proposed this
mechanism some time ago. It is simplicity in itself, and quite foolproof.
What's more, it's cheap and very quick and easy to install - as you can see.
If you follow these pipes you'll see that they go straight back to the loading
bays inside the main doors. There you'll find a fifteen-thousand-litre
container on the back of a truck. The truck is locked in position with its
brakes on, rotor arm removed. That, too, is a failsafe. The pipes connect
directly to the truck and they're being laid throughout the Projekt.'
Khuv's frown grew deeper. 'I've seen the truck,' he said. 'It's a military [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl akte20.pev.pl
'Who - ?' he gasped.
'Quickly!' said the newcomer. 'If you want to live.'
'Stand still!'
Vyotsky shouted, but Jazz and Zek were already moving to obey the stranger. As
they stepped toward the cave, so he came out to meet them. Vyotsky saw him.
Because of his cloak, at first the Russian mistook him for one of Shaithis's
lieutenants.
The stranger held out an urgent hand to the pair, held up his cloak almost as
if to shield them. He drew them toward him . . .
So much Vyotsky saw, but in the next moment. . . the big Russian blinked, used
his free hand to rub furiously at his eyes. They'd gone - all three, gone! But
he hadn't seen them step back into the cave.
file:///G|/rah/Brian%20Lumley/Brian%20Lumley%20-%20Necroscope%203%20-%20The%20
Source.htm (187 of 252) [2/13/2004 10:15:03 PM]
1
A huge hand fell on Vyotsky's shoulder and he froze. Shaithis's monstrous
voice hissed in his ear: 'Where are they? Did your weapon strike them? I hope
for your sake it did not!' Vyotsky didn't look back, simply continued to gape
at the empty ledge ahead.
'Well?' Shaithis's fingers dug into Vyotsky's shoulder.
'I didn't hit them, no,' the Russian gulped, shook his head. 'There was
someone else. A man in a cloak, and a mask. He came . . . and he took them!'
'Took them? A man in a cloak and - ?' Shaithis's breath was hot on Vyotsky's
neck. 'A mask of gold, perhaps?'
Now Vyotsky looked at him - and at once shrank back, cringing from the horror
of his face. 'Why . . . why, yes. He came - and he went! And they went with
him . . .'
'Ahhh!'
Shaithis hissed. 'The Dweller!' His fingers were like the jaws of a steel
clamp, crushing Vyotsky's shoulder. For a moment the Russian thought he
intended to hurl him down from the ledge.
'It ... it wasn't my fault!' he gibbered. 'I found them, followed them. Maybe
they slipped into the cave there. Maybe all three of them are there!'
Shaithis sniffed the air, his blunt snout quivering. 'No,' he finally said.
'Nothing. No one. You failed me.'
'But -'
Shaithis released him. 'I won't kill you, Karl. Your spirit is puny but your
flesh is strong. And there are uses to which good strong flesh can be put in
the aerie of Shaithis of the Wamphyri.' He turned away. 'Now follow me down.
And be warned: do not try to run away. For if you do that a second time it
will make me very, very angry. I
would give you to my favourite warrior. All except your quivering heart, which
I would eat myself!'
Vyotsky watched him commence the descent, gritted his teeth and slowly lifted
the barrel of his gun.
Without looking back, Shaithis said: 'Yes, by all means do, Karl - and we
shall see which one of us is caused the most pain.'
The Russian's tense expression slowly slackened, relaxed. How could you fight
beings like these? What hope did any man have of ever defeating or even
damaging something like Lord Shaithis? He let out his pent breath, gulped, put
his weapon on safe and followed timidly on behind the other where he made his
Page 196
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
way down from the ledge.
Below in the woods a great wolf howled piteously - Zek's Wolf, who knew that
his mistress was now removed from him and gone far away. He lifted his head
and howled again, the cry rippling from his taut throat. Then he sniffed the
air and looked north and a little west, across the mountains. She was there,
yes. That was the way he must go.
Grey as the night, Wolf began to climb through the trees. Two figures passed
him going down. He curled his upper lip back, writhing from his carnivore
teeth. But he made no sound. They passed out of sight into the misty woods.
Wolf let them go and continued on his way.
The siren call of his mistress was strong in his mind . . .
file:///G|/rah/Brian%20Lumley/Brian%20Lumley%20-%20Necroscope%203%20-%20The%20
Source.htm (188 of 252) [2/13/2004 10:15:03 PM]
1
It was noon at Perchorsk, but in the metal and plastic bowels of that place it
could be midnight and nothing would be changed. One change at least was
occurring, however, and Direktor Luchov and Chingiz Khuv were watching as a
team of workmen fitted pipes high in the wall of the perimeter corridor. The
pipes were maybe seventy millimeters in diameter, made of black plastic, and
might in other circumstances be conduits for heavy-duty electrical cable. But
that was not their purpose.
'A failsafe?' Khuv said. He looked flustered. 'But I know nothing about this.
Perhaps you'd explain?'
Luchov looked at him, tilted his head on one side a little. 'You work here,'
he shrugged, 'and I have no reason to keep it from you. I proposed this
mechanism some time ago. It is simplicity in itself, and quite foolproof.
What's more, it's cheap and very quick and easy to install - as you can see.
If you follow these pipes you'll see that they go straight back to the loading
bays inside the main doors. There you'll find a fifteen-thousand-litre
container on the back of a truck. The truck is locked in position with its
brakes on, rotor arm removed. That, too, is a failsafe. The pipes connect
directly to the truck and they're being laid throughout the Projekt.'
Khuv's frown grew deeper. 'I've seen the truck,' he said. 'It's a military [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]