sorts of vegetation thrust upward. 'It is said that the leather-leaf palms have tasty fruit,' one of the nomads remarked as he gathered up several handfuls of hard, wooden pods. 'Soak these for an hour, and see what happens.'
They all followed suit, and then set about getting a supply of water to replenish their stores. The pool was filled with tiny particles of dark ash suspended in the water. A cloth quickly filtered the stuff out, however, leaving clear, drinkable liquid. Even the unfiltered water was not harmful, but removing the particles gave them more room for liquid in their containers. Everyone was glad for a chance to pause in relative comfort and unstrap their dust- walkers, even if only for a short time. As they relaxed, Achulka gave Gord and Leda a summary of his tribe's lore concerning the flora of this place.
The low trees which grow near the place where the brook disappears are called deathvision trees,' he began. 'One leaf chewed will give strange and portentous dreams and visions. Two leaves can kill, and three are deadly always. The deep green plants which grow around the edges of this oasis we call fatleaves. Singe them, and they provide food, although it is waxy-tasting and will make you sick in the belly if you eat too many. There are hairs on the leaves which make the skin itch and burn, but flame removes them quickly — just be careful not to char the whole leaf.'
There were various sorts of cacti, brushy growths, and varieties of other plants here as well. Living around and among the plants were several kinds of insects, little birds, lizards, and jumping mice. All were colored in tones to match the area, ranging from pale gray to sooty black. 'There is plenty of life here, Achulka,' Gord said, looking around. 'What is the great danger in going on into the middle of this waste? Anyone wise to the ways of such arid places can survive easily.'
'Not so, Farzeel. Directly to the south, beyond this rocky area, the dust deepens, and there are no waterholes such as this one. Storms and thirst can easily kill all who venture out there.'
'Nonetheless, yon are going,' Gord said, voicing this partly as praise and partly as a point of fact.
The nomad shrugged. 'You and the warrior-woman seem capable and determined, and you might be lucky as well. The welfare of me and my men is now a matter of kismet-'
A shriek broke up the conversation. One of the Al Illa-Thuffi warriors had walked over to examine a striped- leafed bed of little plants that had silvery fruit dangling beneath their leaves. As he approached these shrubs, the ash beneath him had suddenly shifted, and he sunk as if in quicksand. His cry brought the others, but without their special shoes they had to step gingerly to avoid suffering the same fate, and by the time they got to the site, the nomad had disappeared into the stuff.
'Poor Hammadan! He should have been more careful,' another of the nomads cried, sorrow written plainly on his swarthy features. 'I have never before seen such a terrible thing. Let us not go on!'
This tragedy brought on another round of doubts from the nomads, countered by arguments from Gord and Leda. Eventually the four remaining men agreed to continue accompanying the pair, but it took more promises of gold and gems and much convincing besides. And, instead of turning south at this point, the nomads demanded that they continue eastward along the mountains' edge to a southern arm of crags and hills where, according to Gord's map, another pool could be found. When they ran up against this finger of rock that thrust into the Ashen Desert, then they would turn and head in that direction — but they would not go south until they had to.
Although the easterly route would take them away from the supposed location of the City Out of Mind, Gord rationalized that it made sense to follow the high ground for as long as possible. First and foremost, of course, the nomads would have it no other way. But also, they all would gain more experience in desert travel during the diversion, and before they headed away from the mountains they would be able to replenish their water supply. Perhaps most importantly, the terrain around the spur of rock seemed likely to provide a means of relatively easy access to the heart of the desert. From the information the Chepnoi had given him, the young adventurer thought that there would be hills running southward from this area. Recalling the advice of the mountain people, Gord had noted for himself that the dust and ash was indeed much like water. The powdery stuff flowed and ran, filling low regions and lying thinly on high ground. So, the six survivors trekked east.
'If I could, Gord, I would turn back now,' Leda said quietly one night. 'Even now that I am fairly used to it, walking on these platters is murder.'
Gord put his arm around her shoulders. 'You handle the dust-walkers better than I do, Leda,' he said, 'and you're as tough as the leather they're made of. Whatever reason you have to be here, you'll make it. Why, girl, even your skin has darkened and become like part of the dusky world we travel in.'
Leda snuggled closer to him. 'I know, Gord. Even with my body covered in this cloth, I am getting darker and darker. My dreams are getting more vivid each night, too. 1 think that soon I'll recall everything — and that frightens me more than anything.' Then she put her arms around his neck and kissed him. 'Will you be here with me when I need you?'
'Of course I will,' Gord told the half-elven girl. He kissed her back, tenderly at first, and then with a hint of growing passion. He pulled his face slightly away from hers and met her eyes with his own as he continued, 'For whatever reasons fate has decreed, you and I are following the same path. We'll be side by side when we enter the City Out of Mind,' he assured her with all sincerity. 'You and I are comrades, and friends too.'
Then let's become lovers as well,' Leda said, using her little hands to stroke the sides of his face and his shoulders as she brought her lips to his again in a lingering kiss. Soon passion ruled both of them, and they made love to each other for a long and wonderful time.
As they lay together afterward, Gord felt Leda's body shudder. Then the girl began to cry. 'What's wrong, dearest love?' he said with deep concern. 'If I have somehow-'
'Don't be foolish, Gord,' Leda said. Then, forcing herself to stop sobbing, she tried to explain. 'It is because of me that I weep! What am I to do? Each day something grows within me. I have terrible evil inside me — I feel it! I fight against it, but as little memories come back unbidden, the malign thing inside my head becomes more powerful too. You are all that is keeping me from becoming lost in the darkness of what lurks inside, Gord. Help me!'
The young man didn't know exactly what to say, but he tried to console her. 'I see you every day, Leda, and you are no more wicked than any other person — human, elf, or whatever — would normally be. In fact, you are more generous and kind and brave than most I have known.'
'But that is because I fight and fight to be that way. You see what is happening to me, Gord. You yourself commented on how my skin grows dark. I am a drow — or at least part dark elf, anyway. Who and what I am is still hidden, but there is badness inside — the evil of the worst of elvenkind and who knows what else besides.'
Leda started to sob again, and Gord held her close. 'You and I will fight it together,' he said. 'I have seen that you are good, so if there is other than that within, we will drive It away together so that the better can rule. I too have my malign side,
Leda, and it often tries to come to the fore. Sometimes the evil part of me succeeds, and then I must work especially hard thereafter to push it down and bind it. If this is happening within you, then it is something that can be dealt with. Love will help, too! It must be a part of your memory returning, the bad resurfacing before the good does.'
'Yes, Gord,' the half-elven girl said weakly. 'Perhaps that is it. Please love me still, though, no matter what.'
'You may count on me, love. My word on that.' Leda calmed down at this point, and the two soon fell asleep in each other's arms.
The following days were filled with heat and danger, the nights with passion and reassurance. The party reached an area of low hills, some actually showing stony clay, with deep drifts of ash and dust between. They swung south, for the Grandsuel Peaks thrust down into the barren wastes ahead. The hills and powder-filled valleys between continued. By staying on hill and ridgetop, they made good time. Then they turned slightly to the east again, and in a half-day of hard trekking came to the second oasis. It was very much like the first one they had encountered, and it became apparent that the life forms that managed to exist along the edge of the desert were all pretty much the same.
That was one pattern, and Gord could see that the nomads were exhibiting another. Whenever they reached a waterhole, it seemed, their resolve to travel farther grew weaker. Gord observed a couple of the men pointing surreptitiously toward the east and witnessed a hushed conversation involving all four of them during the early part of their stay at the oasis. Later, Achulka approached Gord and Leda where they sat, trying to seem casual but failing to keep his self-consciousness from showing. 'Shall we go on eastward now, Farzeel?' he asked in an
