Part 36 (1/2)

”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 establis.h.i.+ng 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.”