Unicorn Saga - The Unicorn Peace Part 36

"Oh, come on, Moresby," Greygor said brightly, "where's your sense of adventure?"

"In the pit of my stomach," Yarrow retorted. "I deal in solid things, stone, wood and metal. It's you archi- tects that live in a fantasy world. A thousand leagues in the time it takes to hiccup may be nothing to you, but to me it's plain unnatural."

"I shall accompany each of you," Jarrod cut in soothingly. "You shall come to no harm, I promise.

You'll be weak for a while afterward and you'll be ex- tremely hungry, but that's all. We've firewood and food and water on the other side and there are plenty of blankets."

"Easy for you to say, you're a Magician." Yarrow was unmollified.

"If an old man like me can do it, a strapping great lad like you should have no problem," Greygor said teasingly.

"*Well you haven't done it yet, have you?" Yarrow objected. He looked across at Jarrod and caught the expression on the Mage's face. "Don't fret," he said 195.

dourly, "I'll not back out, but I have my doubts and I'm not afraid to admit it.'*

"I think that's the best way to approach things," Jar- rod said diplomatically. "I really am counting on the two of you. Without you, the project cannot happen, so you can rest a.s.sured that I shall make certain that you come to no harm." He got to his feet and returned his mug to the table.

"Now," he said, "we'll meet outside the Outpost walls just after dawn tomorrow. I'll have a groom with me who will take your horses back to the stables. They'll be well taken care of until you return. Any questions?

No? All right then, until tomorrow. Oh, and get a good night's sleep."

In the event, all went smoothly. He took the Master Mason through first and then went back for Chatham Greygor. He himself was chilled after the trips, but not unduly weakened. His tolerance of Interim was evi- dently growing. He made a fire and put on a pot of soup. Then he waited for the two men to regain con- sciousness.

They were cold and groggy when they woke and they both complained about their weakness and their hun- ger. The soup and some of the bread that Jarrod had taken from the Outpost's kitchen after Making the Day did much to restore them. The peace and beauty of their surroundings had an equally beneficial effect and, by midafternoon, they had walked slowly up the hillside to gain a better view. Nastrus stayed down on the plain gorging himself on the long, lush gra.s.s.

Jarrod was up before dawn, as usual. He walked to the top of the first hill and Made the Day with a calm mind and a high heart, happy to be establishing the age- old ritual in this new, unspoiled place. He was planting continuity and bringing the Discipline and all it stood for to its future home. When the rite was finished, he

196 1- JOHN LEE.

rose, feeling profoundly satisfied, and made his way back down to where the others still slept. He brought the fire back to life and put on a pot of water for chai.

After a breakfast of bread and honeycomb, the little party loaded packs and set out on the climb. Nastrus was nowhere to be seen, but no one made any mention of it. The day was clear and the breeze was cool, bring- ing a scent of gra.s.s from the east. That in itself was unusual. In controlled regions the wind almost always came from the south. Here, of course, they were well beyond the range of the Weatherwards. Jarrod was glad that he had thought to leave the makings of a shelter up above.

The mountain rose in a series of folds, the dips be- tween liberally supplied with ponds and lakelets. The first slope was gentle and Greygor chatted happily as they walked. The successive gradients were steeper, though. The pace slowed and the talking stopped. They paused at midday and again two hours later. Greygor's face was bright red and the stolid Yarrow was mopping his forehead. Jarrod's longer legs were an advantage when going uphill and he had to continually rein him- self in, but, seeing his companions' distress, he called an early halt.

They spent the second night beside a long finger of water with the crest of the hill they had Just climbed affording some protection from the wind, which was now coming straight across the plain. It was good that it did for there was no wood for a fire. The hills were dotted with saplings, but there was nothing suitable for burning. They ate cold provisions, drank sweet water from the pond and slept early.

The morning climb was the steepest yet and, from the climbers' vantage point, there was nowhere up ahead that was remotely suitable for a castle. Indeed, beyond this long, steep rise, all that could be seen was a daunt- 197.

ing expanse of cliff. Jarrod knew what lay up there, but he wanted them to discover the place for themselves, to come upon it unexpectedly as he had. There were clouds today, though there did not seem to be a threat of rain, and the wind was at their backs. They seemed to climb faster than they had the day before, and Jarrod sur- mised that the lingering effects of Interim had been ban- ished, By midmoming the going had become so steep that they were using their hands to pull themselves up.

Jarrod called a halt at the mouth of a gully that cut into an almost sheer face. He broke out the water sack.

"You sure you know where you're going?" Yarrow asked after be had taken a drink and pa.s.sed the flask on.

"We're almost there, trust me,'* Jarrod said as he tried to find a comfortable place to sit. "This last part will be a bit of a scramble, but it will be worth it, I promise you."

Moresby Yarrow gave him a skeptical look, but held his tongue.

*'0h, I certainly hope so," Greygor said, unslinging his pack and rubbing the small of his back. "I, for one, will be glad when this climbing is over. I'm not as young as I used to be and, today, I'm getting older by the hour. These boots feel as if they have lead soles.'

"You've done wonderfully well, both of you," Jarrod said. "I suggest we rest for a few minutes and then tackle the gully. It goes up diagonally and it isn't as steep as the bit we've just climbed. Be a little careful where you put your feet though: there's some loose scree that can be treacherous and this is no time to twist an ankle."

They sat for a while watching the shadows of the clouds chase across the rippling sea of gra.s.s, and then Jarrod got to his feet. The other two rose reluctantly and shouldered their packs.

"I'll go first," Greygor said. "That way I can go at

198 my own speed and, if I fall, I'll have something soft to land on." His feeble attempt at humor was lost on Yar- row, but Jarrod was grateful to him for making the effort.

The architect turned and disappeared into the cut, and Yarrow, with a look over his shoulder, followed.

Jarrod brought up the rear. One of the advantages that Greygor hadn't mentioned was that, as the first man up, he didn't have to dodge the bouncing pebbles that were dislodged. The light in the gully was dim and the walls intensified the sounds of labored breathing and Yarrow's occasional curse when a stone found its mark.

"By all the G.o.ds!" Greygor's voice was sudden and shrill with surprise.

Jarrod stopped and peered up around Yarrow. He feared the worst, but Greygor had reached the top. His head and shoulders were clear and his elbows were on level ground.

"What's the matter?" Yarrow called, fear evident in his voice.

"Oh, nothing, nothing. Quite to the contrary. Just come on up." Greygor was clearly excited and Jarrod was pleased that the place he had chosen or that had been chosen for him, had had the effect that he had hoped for.

Greygor's feet scrabbled for purchase, sending dirt cascading down, and then he thrust himself up and out of sight- He was back an instant later, leaning forward and offering Yarrow a helping hand. Jarrod pressed on up the final few yards and hauled himself out of the cleft. He looked up from his hands and knees and saw the backs of his companions as they contemplated the gra.s.sy plateau that had been hidden from sight. That he had expected. What he had not expected to see was a group of seven unicorns grazing peacefully.

Nastrus tossed his head and whinnied in greeting be- 199.

fore trotting over. His mind radiated satisfaction. Yar- row and Greygor stood as if rooted. Jarrod stood up and dusted himself off. He was aware of the mental presence of the other unicorns, knew that they were making up for the deprivations caused by the long trip through Interim, but the only thoughts that were clear came from Nastrus.

'They have no practice in communicating with humans,'

he said in Jarrod's mind, 'but we can try it if you like.'

'They're loo busy eating,' Jarrod said, 'but I'm de- lighted to see them. I must say that this is something of a surprise.'

'It was meant to be.' Nastrus was complacent.

'I felt no trace of you while I was coming up the gully.'

'I knew you were there and I kept my thoughts very still. *

'They're a very handsome bunch,' Jarrod said. 'Are they all yours?'

'They are some of mine.'

'Well please tell them that my friends and I welcome them to Strand and are extremely pleased to see them.

In the meantime, I think I'd better see to my human com- panions. This seems to have been a bit of a shock for them.'

The two men turned as Jarrod came up to them.

"They're quite magnificent," Greygor said, shaking his head slightly in wonderment.

"Aye, that they are," Yarrow agreed, his distrust of unicorns seemingly aside. "Is this where they come from?"

"No, no it's not. Nastrus brought them here. They're all descendants of his."