Yami: переводы

→I scrutinized his face, this guy I’d thought was my friend. I was pretty sure he still was. “Not you. That’s why you threw the fight.”

→I was so caught up in his good looks that I didn’t notice his tattoo right away. It was on his left cheek, an abstract design made of clustered crescents of various sizes and orientations, lying together so that they almost looked like a vine. It was exotic and beautiful; the rich indigo ink a near match for his eyes. Studying the design more closely, I noticed something familiar about its shape and swore I could see a faint glimmer of gold edging the blue lines. I nearly dropped the picture in shock. The crescents had been tattooed over an Alchemist lily. I flipped the picture over. One word was scrawled on it: Marcus.

→Sonya paled, and I felt torn. I appreciated Adrian’s defense but also pitied Sonya. She’d explained to me in the past about how spirit’s instability—the same instability Adrian feared—had driven her to turning Strigoi. Looking back at her decision, she regretted it more than anything else in her life. She would’ve submitted herself for punishment, but no court knew how to handle her situation.

→“I do,” said Adrian. “You think I don't want to see every single one of those bastard Strigoi wiped from the face of the earth? I do! But not at the cost of forcing people to do things they don't want to.”

→“Why can't you both see how important this is?” asked Sonya, a desperate longing to do good in her eyes. It made me feel guilty and conflicted.

→When Sonya didn't answer right away, Adrian guessed why. “She knows they'd say no, Sage. That's why she's appealing to you directly and why they didn't send your blood to an Alchemist lab.”

→“I'd help with that,” I offered. “Getting authorized subjects for you. I'd talk to my superiors. They'd like to see an end to Strigoi as much as you.”

→“Well, then find a way to do it without dragging Sydney into it! You know how she feels about us." Adrian faltered as he glanced at me, and I was surprised to almost detect bitterness in his voice. “You know how the Alchemists feel. Keep involving her, and you'll get her in trouble with them. And if you're so convinced they've got the answers, ask them for volunteers and do experiments that way.”

→“Doing that was a mistake,” she said coldly. “One I’ve learned from—which is why I’m so anxious to save others from that fate.”

→Sonya glared at Adrian. “I’m not doing this for selfish reasons, you know that! I want to save our people. I want to save all our people. I don’t want to see any new Strigoi added to the world. No one should live like that.” A haunted look shone in her eyes, as a memory seized her. “That kind of bloodlust and complete lack of empathy for any other living creature. no one can imagine what it’s like. You’re hollow. A walking nightmare, and yet. you just don’t care.”

→“There's plenty that's special about her,” said Adrian dryly. “But her blood’s not up for dispute. Why are you pushing this again after last time?”

→No. I didn't want that. I didn't want to be scrutinized, locked behind glass like Keith. I couldn’t be. I prayed she wouldn't see how scared I was.

→“Maybe it varies by person,” I said. “Or maybe some Strigoi are tougher than others. I don't know. Regardless, we aren't the ones to focus on.”

→Sonya grew perplexed, her mind running through the implications of this news. “But do all Alchemists have bad-tasting blood? If so, how would a Strigoi be able to drain them?”

→“We sent it to a Moroi lab this time, not an Alchemist one,” Sonya continued. “One of the researchers—an earth user—felt a hum of earth magic. Just like how Adrian and I felt spirit in Dimitri's blood. The technician had other types of magic users examine your sample, and all four basic elements were detected.”

→That panic returned. She had me on an emotional roller coaster, one that left me nauseous. “Magic. in my blood?” A moment later, I understood. “Of course there is,” I said slowly. I touched my cheek. “The tattoo has vampire blood and magic in it. That's what it is. There are different degrees of charms in it from different users. That would show up in my blood.”

→Relief poured through me. I'd been right. Nothing special about me, no inexplicable properties. And yet. at the same time, I felt a tiny pang of regret. I wasn't the one who would fix everything.

→“Thank goodness you’re here,” she said, directing her words to me. “Jill said you two were out and I was hoping to catch you.” Something told me no good would come out of her wanting to “catch” me, but I had greater concerns. “What are you doing here?” I asked, half-expecting hunters to come through the door. “You’re supposed to be at Clarence’s until you leave town.”

→After our recent revelations about the hunters, Sonya was pretty much under house arrest. Or so I thought. When we walked into the apartment, she was sitting on the couch. No Dimitri in sight. She glanced up at us from her laptop.

→“Looks like we’ve got more lessons in our future,” I told him when we finished. I’d parked the car behind his building, and we were walking back toward the main entrance and Latte. “Do not take that car beyond a half-mile radius. I checked the odometer. I’ll know.”