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Roger Zelazny. Sign of chaos
Atec Ноябрь 07 2007 02:48:28
Книга только для ознакомления
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My left hand jerked forward of its own volition and a series of words
rose unbidden to my lips. I spoke them just as the creature crossed the
interface I had been unable to pierce earlier, rearing as it upset a vacant
table and bunching its members as if about to spring.
"A Bandersnatch!" someone cried.
"A frumious Bandersnatch! " Humpty corrected.
As I spoke the final word and performed the ultimate gesture, the image
of the Logrus swam before my inner vision. The dark creature, having just
extended its foremost talons, suddenly drew them back, clutched with them
against the upper left quadrant of its breast, rolled its eyes, emitted a
soft moaning sound, exhaled heavily, collapsed, fell to the floor, and
rolled over onto its back, its many feet extended upward into the air.
The Cat's grin appeared above the creature. The mouth moved.
"A dead frumious Bandersnatch," it stated.
The grin drifted toward me, the rest of the Cat occurring about it like
an afterthought.
"That was a cardiac arrest spell, wasn't it?" it inquired.
"I guess so," I said. "It was sort of a reflex. Yeah, I remember now. I
did still have that spell hanging around. "
"I thought so," it observed. "I was sure that there was magic involved
in this party."
The image of the Logrus which had appeared to me during the spell's
operation had also served the purpose of switching on a small light in the
musty attic of my mind
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