But he might have no choice. Lacking an authoritative map or other ancient document, he might have to hire a native guide if only to familiarize himself with the local folklore.
He would need money. Luckily he had a little gold, and the saddle would fetch a good price. He hoped.
But first he had a disagreeable task.
She was looking at him.
“Have I served you well?” she asked.
“Yes. Thank you. I must leave you now.”
“How long will I continue to live?”
“Not long, I fear. You may do what you wish in the time remaining.”
“There is nothing I wish to do. I have tasted the cold skies, viewed the world from a great height. I have seen enough. And I have loved. But before you go, will you do something for me?”
“Yes?”
“Let me kiss you.”
He regarded her for a moment. “All right.”
She crouched and he went to her and stood on her outstretched paws. The human part of her was not too oversize; moreover, she was beautiful. Her full breasts heaved.
He brought his face close to hers. Her eyes were dark and filled with longing.
He kissed her, and a shudder went through her massive body.
Then her lips grew cold and hard. He stepped back. He had just kissed a bronze statue.
She looked at home crouching in the plaza, as if she had been intended for the site. In her eyes now was the cold stare of infinity.
He looked at her for a long time. The sun moved in the sky and temple columns moved their shadows to suit it.
Then he left the plaza to make his way to the river.
Seventeen
Badlands
They fled through a bleak landscape. The sky was gray and so was the terrain, which looked like a vast overfilled ashtray or the surface of some forlorn moon. Gray strata thrust up from the dust. The sun was small, white, and dim as suns go.
They hid behind an escarpment, peeking over it. No one was following.
Linda sat and put her back against the rock. “What do we do now?”
Sir Gene squatted while Snowclaw kept a lookout. “There’s obviously nothing here.”
“We could wait a little and then try sneaking back, I guess.”
“Yes, we could duck in and make a dash for another aspect.”
Linda shook her head. “We’d get caught for sure.”
“You may be right. But we have to try it.”
“Let’s wait.”
“Right.” Sir Gene went to one knee. “Of course, if there’s a problem with the castle’s aspects, as it seems there is, then ducking into any aspect becomes chancy.”
“Yeah,” Linda said. “We don’t have many options.”
“We could scout around here. Perhaps there are some resources we could tap.”
Linda looked around. “Like what?”
Sir Gene shrugged. “Magical ones, perhaps?”
Linda closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them. “Nope. No magic here, at least none that I can use. I’m pretty much a castle-oriented magician, though I’ve done some stuff outside the castle now and then.”
“Are you sure there’s nothing here?”
“Pretty sure. What exactly did you have in mind?”
“I don’t know, really. What we need, of course, are reinforcements to counterbalance Incarnadine’s advantage.”
“I don’t see any armies handy,” Linda said.
Sir Gene chuckled mirthlessly. “I suppose not. But an army is precisely what we need. If we can get back into the castle, we might go about recruiting one.”
“Where?”
“I know a few aspects —” Sir Gene clucked and shook his head. “But they may have disappeared or changed. Still, we must try.”
“But the castle’s swarming with enemy Guardsmen. And there’s some crazy duplicate of Incarnadine running amok.”
“You can use magic when we’re back inside.”
“Against Incarnadine? And this one’s pretty mean.”
“Yes, he is that.” Sir Gene shifted his weight. “Look, let me ask you again. Are you entirely sure there are no magical resources you can avail yourself of here?”
“I told you —”
“Absolutely sure?”
Linda sighed. “All right, I’ll check one more time.” She shut her eyes again and folded her arms. She remained still for a long while. Then one eye popped open.
“Wait a minute.”
Sir Gene leaned forward expectantly. “Something?”
“Yeah. Very faint. Very strange, too.”
“Can you work with it?”
Linda frowned and looked thoughtful. “I don’t know. There’s a … I think there’s a line of force running along there somewhere.” She pointed toward a shallow depression. “And it goes off in that direction.” She pointed in the direction of the sun.
“And that means what?”
“It just means that it could lead to a node.”
“A node?”
“Yeah. Look, I’ve been trying to explain this to people for years now, but, you see, magic is all laid out in patterns. Power patterns —”
“Yes, yes, I understand. But if you got to this node, could you work some magic?”
“Maybe. We have to follow that line of force and see.”
“Well, let’s do that thing. Anything coming, Snowclaw?”
“Nobody,” Snowclaw answered.
“Good. Let’s give it a try, shall we?”
Linda shrugged. “Can’t hurt.” She got up.
They walked toward the pinpoint sun. Here and there a gray bush blended into the monochrome landscape. The fainter gray of a mountain range banded the horizon. All was still. They skirted a good-sized impact crater, eroded and probably ancient, then passed a few smaller ones. A dry gulch cut across the flats, and this they descended into and climbed out the other side. Linda stopped on the far ridge and scanned the terrain ahead.
“Feeling something?” Sir Gene asked.
“It’s getting stronger,” she said.
“A node?”
Linda peered off, squinting in the harsh sunlight. “Don’t know what it is. Some kind of … focus, like.”
“Focus?”
“Whatever. Like a concentrated center. Hell, I’m no good at words.”
“Never mind the words, just find some magic.”
“Aye aye, sir.” Linda gave him a mock salute.
