Part 35 (1/2)

'You communicated?'

'Oh indeed.' Irritation and amused tolerance mingled

190 t JOHN LEE

in the thought. 'He wanted to know everything that had happened since you left and all about Marianna. though there was precious little that I could tell him about her.'

'The poor man must be feeling lonely,' Jarrod thought back, trying to suppress his own feelings on the subject of Marianna.

” Yes and no,' Nastrus replied. 'The Guardian has pro- vided him with another Marianna. but it seems that she does not equal the original in his mind.'

'Ah.' Jarrod didn't know what to think.

'Yes, he wanted me to bring him back to Strand with me.'

Sudden panic welled up in Jarrod, much to the uni- corn's amus.e.m.e.nt. 'You didn't, did you?' His anxiety was plain to see.

'Don't worry. The Guardian has imposed a ban.'

'A good thing too,' Jarrod said, relieved. 'Itwould cre- ate terrible complications here.'

'Especially now that you have tupped her,' Nastrus said slyly.

Jarrod gave him a warning look. 7 suppose he still looks like me?' he asked for want of anything better to say.

'Outwardly absolutely, but I can tell you apart. You think the same way, but the patterns are different.'

'Well, I'm glad you had a good time. I just hope that you are rested, because we have an important job ahead of us,' Jarrod said, changing the subject. 7 really need your help with this one.'

'Yes, I know,' Nastrus returned smugly. 'Your thoughts are full of it.'

'D'you think that you can do it?'

'I can't say. It's never been done before, has it?'

'No, it hasn't, and it is a ma.s.sive undertaking,' Jarrod admitted.

Nastrus produced the equivalent of a sigh. 'You 'd bet- 191.

ter let me deeper into your mind,' he said. 'It 'II be quicker that way.'

Jarrod closed his eyes in acquiescence and felt the thrust and the uncomfortable sense of fullness as Nas- trus went through his memories. It was a relief when the unicorn withdrew.

'Can you do it?' he asked, half fearful that the answer would be no.

'If I had enough time,' Nastrus replied, 'but it's you humans that are the problem. There isn 't enough fodder for you in those mountains. Now, if you were sensibly constructed and could eat gra.s.s, there would be no prob- lem, but as it is .. .'He let the thought die out.

Jarrod's shoulders sagged and he went and sat on the edge of the water trough. All that effort for nothing.

All the designs, all that planning, all those materials, all wasted.

Nastrus moved over to him and nudged his shoulders with his muzzle. 7 may be the only unicorn on Strand,'