Eloise

'No! She couldn't. She-'

'She's in love with Earl. A woman in love is rarely sane and never to be blamed. A man either. Earl knows that, which is why you are here.'

'He promised me that he wouldn't take her.' Adara looked from one to the other. 'He swore to me that he would leave her.'

'And he will. Earl isn't looking for a woman. He is searching for something more important than that.'

'Earth, she told me.'

'Earth.' Arbush sighed. 'A dream, perhaps, but one which rules his life. Which gives him the reason for living, perhaps; we should all have a reason for that. Once I thought I had it, but for me the dream didn't last I had the gift of music and the ability to make a song. Small things some would say; to me they were the gate to adventure, the means to achieve paradise. In a way I found it. For a few weeks it was real. In the city was everything I had ever longed for. I tasted it, reveled in it; now it is gone. But, my friend, such is life.'

'Endless disappointment?'

'In a way, as women are. Each offers untold joys and each, somehow, fails to deliver what we expect. And always there are surprises. The plain one who is passed by at a glance can, when passion rules her, dominate the universe of a man's being. The one who is lovely to look at can be as cold as the ice around us. And, after all, what is a woman? Surely she is something which can be shared? Once you had her, now she yearns for another, but have you lost all? Once Earl has gone, what then? She will still remain.'

Adara said, slowly, 'I wanted to kill him.'

'You are not the first.'

'I wanted to take his life because of Eloise.' Adara shook his head, baffled. Too much had happened too fast. 'Tell me, am I mad?'

'You are tired,' said the minstrel. 'And maybe a little feverish. At such times, thoughts are rarely clear. What you need is some wine.' He reached for the bottle which he had warmed against his bulk. 'Drink, my friend, and relax. All will be well.'

* * * * *

They left at dawn, rising into air which was clear and crisp; the snow which had fallen during the night a soft blanket of whiteness over the rough terrain. The wind had changed, now blowing from the north in a steady stream; a shift to their advantage. As was the practice they had now gained. No longer was it necessary to lock their hands.

An added advantage for Dumarest who often rose high above the others, to turn and search the empty wastes behind; to dive, gaining speed as he caught up.

'You're worried.' Eloise glided to his side, one hand reaching out to grip his arm, a lever to draw her close. 'You keep looking back. Why, Earl?'

'A precaution.'

'You think we could be followed?' It was something she had never considered. 'But how, Earl, and why? The Monitors wouldn't move without orders from Camolsaer and you wrecked it.'

'I damaged it,' be corrected. 'And it was minor damage, at best.'

Destruction easily repaired and the machine could have rerouted information channels; cut the destroyed mechanisms from its operational circuits.

She said, 'I know more about it than you do, Earl. I lived with it longer. Camolsaer takes no interest in anything beyond the city. We are well beyond it and so it will ignore us. The Monitors too.'

'Perhaps. I hope so.'

'But you aren't sure?' She twisted her head and looked back, seeing nothing but the endless expanse of ice and snow over which they flew. 'You're thinking of it as a man,' she decided. 'A living thing wanting revenge, but we're talking about a machine. At first, maybe, it would have tried to get us; but not now. We're too far away.'

A comfort he couldn't share. To survive, the city had to remain in isolation; the reason the Monitors hunted any Krim who came too near. They had made slow progress yesterday and had rested during the night. Monitors were not hampered by the limitations of flesh.

'Earl,' she said abruptly. 'About last night. What you said. I guess I was wrong.'

'About what?'

'You know.' She pointed to where Adara flew, a little to the front. 'But I didn't mean what you thought I did. I was just worried about you, that's all.'

'Not him?'

'Not then. I didn't think. But this morning he was acting strange. He kept looking at me and didn't smile and barely ate. Could he be sick, Earl?'

'Maybe. Go over to him and keep him company. Try and cheer him up.' Dumarest glanced back and down, as the minstrel called to him. 'Don't get too far ahead.'

Arbush was in trouble. He writhed in his harness, sweating as he manipulated his body, plump hands at the switch.

'The damned thing's failing, Earl. I've got it on full lift, but I can't keep up.'

Dumarest looked down. The terrain had leveled, broken ground lying ahead, the blanket of snow thinning; it was broken by ice-capped teeth, bare rock showing like grey scabs. A bad place to land.

'Drop,' he ordered. 'Get down fast and wait. We'll join you.'

'Earl?'

'Down and fast!' If the unit were to suddenly fail, the man would drop like a stone. Dumarest hit the switch and felt the sluggish response. Advancing to the others he wheeled, slashed a hand across his throat and pointed downwards.

Adara was little help.

'I don't know how long the units are supposed to last, Earl,' he admitted. 'I've never even thought about it. I just assumed they were inexhaustible. Is there anything you can do?'

Dumarest examined the mechanism. The unit was sealed, three small holes set into the inner surface; a recharging point, perhaps. He could discover no way by which to gain access to the power pack inside.

'Arbush is heavy,' he said. 'He's got more weight than any of us, so would have used up more power. We'll have to equalize. Eloise, switch units.'

'Earl?'

'You're the lightest Do it.' He frowned as, reluctantly, she made the exchange. 'We must dump some weight. The wine can go. Most of the fuel. Nearly all of the food. The gilyre-'

'No, Earl!' Arbush was defiant. 'Not that. I'd starve first.'

'How about the guns?' said Eloise. 'Do we need all of them?'

'Dump yours,' said Dumarest. 'And you too, Adara.'

'No, I'd rather not.' He stood, face bleak but determined. 'Logically, Arbush should get rid of his. It will compensate for the gilyre.'

And he needed to retain his own, as a symbol of his pride; the outward sign of his equality with Dumarest.

'Let him keep it, Earl,' said Eloise, understanding. 'How about clothes? Have we come far enough south to shed a few?'

'No.' The wind could change again, and without food they would need the protection of the furs. And they hadn't traveled as far as she thought. 'Later, maybe, but not yet. Now let's get moving. Keep close and don't ride too high.'

'Does it matter?' Arbush shrugged. 'A fall from a hundred feet or a thousand, what is the difference?'

'There must be a safety factor. A reserve of lift, once the power dies. If we're too high we could land, yes, but we would be stuck where we hit. Traveling low, well have a chance to squeeze a little more from the units, couple them up, maybe.' Dumarest adjusted his harness. 'Let's get going.'

Up into the air again, keeping close, conscious now of the factor of time and distance covered as never before; passing over the flat terrain, the broken ground, rising a little to escape the turbulent air gusting up from ravaged peaks.

A journey without a break; dead weight took power to lift, power which could carry them on their way. Eloise