The Wanderers of the Water-Realm (50 page)

“Lass, Lass.” He groaned, and he drew away slightly. “Do you wish to make love to me when you know, full well, that I may disappear into the wastelands of the Hix and never return?”

The girl said nothing, but answered the boatmaster’s question by plunging her head beneath the bed fabrics in order to slip his fully erect member into her mouth. Darryl tried to protest, but he was only able to utter a single groan as Whiteflower’s tongue began to gently lave his throbbing organ, and, with a sigh of pleasure, he allowed himself to sink into a veritable sea of sensual ecstasy, which he knew would last until the coming of the Water-Realm dawn.

Darryl took a piece of rag from his pouch and wiped the sweat from his brow and he bitterly cursed the heat radiating from the five suns and beating mercilessly down upon him.

Two days ago, the three newcomers and their escort of half a dozen heavily armed Kev warriors had entered ‘Skeleton Gorge, the almost impassable route leading through the jagged hills of the Kev and giving access to the wastelands of the non-human Hix.

The going was extremely hard, for nothing resembling a road or even a rough track existed to help the travellers negotiate the gorge. Indeed, the nine members of the expedition, together with their two laden transport narr, often experienced great difficulty in crossing the deep ravines and the loose scree slopes that frequently impeded their progress.

The travellers were often forced to rest in the shadow of the great boulders that littered the floor of the gorge and the boatmaster was given ample time to reflect upon the three pleasurable days he had so recently spent as a guest in Iram’s hospitable household, and upon the exquisitely delightful nights when he had lain in the arms of ‘Whiteflower’his friend and lover.

The boatmaster vividly recalled the scene, when, four mornings ago, the expedition had departed from the stockaded village of the Kev and he remembered the tearful face of the young tribeswoman as she bade him a safe journey and a swift return. Myra and Paris had also parted company; however, neither of the telepaths showed any outward sign of emotion as the caravan drew away from the village. Any feelings of regret that might have passed between the couple, were conveyed exclusively by the medium of their interlocking minds and were thus quite beyond the ken of the tribes-folk who had gathered to watch the expedition departing upon it perilous mission.

George, by contrast, had hardly spared his long-haired bed friend a passing glance as the march began, but Darryl had sorely missed Whiteflower’s company as the expedition skirted the lower slopes of the Kev hills and the boatmaster felt strangely ill at ease, knowing that the ever dependable tribes-girl, who had guided them through so many perils, was no longer leading them at the head of the column. However, matters of sentiment had quickly begun to pale into insignificance, as the expedition entered ‘Skeleton Gorge’ and its members were forced to concentrate wholly upon the task of traversing the fearfully dangerous terrain.

A little after midday, the column began crossing a particularly difficult and extensive scree slope and the marchers were forced to pick their way with extreme caution, due to the instability of the material underfoot. Darryl had also begun to worry about the effects of the fierce heat upon the two transport narr and the strain which this portion of the march must be putting upon the creatures fragile hip joints, for the laden pack animals where constantly slipping as they picked their way across the loose scree.

It was obvious that their escort of Kev warriors was becoming ever more nervous with every passing hour. However, by midafternoon, the column had succeeded in drawing clear of the murderous scree slope and entered a delightful tree lined dell that was watered by a small spring that gushed from a cleft in the towering cliff face.

The wiry old tribesman, who was acting as the expedition’s chief scout, ordered the other five members of the escort to take up defensive positions then joined the three travellers who were watering the pair of transport narr and ministering to their numerous minor cuts and abrasions.

Myra placed her hand upon the swollen hip-joint of one of the creatures.

“I don’t think this poor animal can go any further.” She said. “I can administer a pain relieving draught and lay a strengthening spell upon the beast, but it will only delay its final collapse for a little while longer.”

The chief scout nodded.

“Our purpose will be well enough served if yonder narr keeps going for a few hours longer, for beyond the next rise is ‘The Mine of the Two Fools,’ a place where we can shelter for the night. There we can kill this crippled animal and use its body for food. The remaining beast will carry all that you need, until you finally quit this gorge and enter the ‘Wastelands of the Hix,’ a journey that will take you a further two days of marching over slightly easier terrain.”

The chief scout looked uneasy and rubbed his chin.

“Neither I nor any of my men are prepared to venture further than ‘The Mine of the Two Fools.’ We will take you there and guard you throughout the coming hours of darkness. In the morning, we will begin the return march to our village, whilst you three white-skinned adventurers will doubtless continue to the land of the Hix in order to seek out your destiny.”

He turned towards the young witch and bowed his head.

“We beg you, do not lay a curse upon us for not accompanying you to the borders of the Hixian’lands, for we have wives and children to consider and only madmen would be willing to guide you further!”

Myra smiled and touched the old man lightly upon the cheek.

“You are all brave men and have done your duty. Tomorrow, when you depart, you will go with a wisewoman’s blessing to speed you on your way.”

The witch eased the lame narr to its feet.

“The hours of daylight are passing swiftly,” she said “So let us depart without further delay!”

Smoke from the remains of the cooking fire hung beneath the stony roof of ‘The Mine of the Two Fools’ before finding its way out into the open air. The fumes presented no inconvenience to the travellers sitting with theirbacks to the wall of the mineand were hardly noticed by the two Kev warriors who stood guard at the entrance to the tunnel with their darters at the ready.

The Earth-born travellers and their escort were replete with food, for the injured narr had been killed and the choicest portions of its body had been roasted and eaten by the members of the expedition who were now resting within the mouth of the mine.

Darryl turned to the old scout who was seated nearby and who was occupied in picking his teeth with a shard of narrbone.

“Tell me if you will, why this place is called ‘The Mine of the Two Fools?’

The scout laughed grimly.

“It’s a tale of oft repeated greed!” He said. “Two friends once ventured deep into Skeleton Gorge in search of rare metals and they discovered a rich vein of copper in the midst of these very rocks where we now take our rest. The partners mined out as much of the ore as could be transported on the backs of the dozen or so strong narr, which the pair owned and they bore it back to the home village of the Kev. In those days, the merchant’s from the river-lands still traded regularly with the folk who dwell in the Kev hills and the partners were able to exchange the ore for a chief’s ransom in medicinal herbs and other imported goods; most men would have been satisfied with this stroke of good fortune and would never have ventured so close to Hix territory again during the remainder of their lives.”

The old man paused and uttered a deep sigh.

“Yet greed is a terrible master and the two fools chanced their luck, once again. They and their transport narr were never seen again and that is how this mine gained its name!”

The old scout moved uncomfortably.

“We are the first humans to visit this place for many a long cycle, so you can understand why my men wish to depart from here as soon as possible!”

Darryl thanked the old man for the information and then sought out the comfort of his sleeping robes.

He could not have slept long before he was awakened by an irresistible sense of dread and he instinctively quit his makeshift bed and knelt beside his twin-sister who was resting only a few feet away. The girl was moaning and twisting violently in her sleeping robes and the young man had to shake her for fully half a minute before she regained consciousness and opened her eyes.

The young witch gathered her wits and struggled upright until she was in a sitting position.

“I had a terrible dream.” She said. “I saw colours. Flashing lights and rippling bands of colour and shapes that I could not properly make out, let alone understand. This was no ordinary dream, for my inner-eye tells me the visions originated somewhere outside my own being. Brother, I am frightened, for I believe the Hix are close and are attempting to penetrate my mind. I recall a verse that I translated from the grimoire of Rose Littlewood.”

When thy mind knows mortal fear
Amidst the hills of sharpest stone
Then know the monstrous Hix are near
And wandering in your memory

Darryl held his sister tightly.

“Myra lass,” he whispered. “You must not give in to your fear, or we are all lost. Much is happening that is far beyond our understanding, but think on lass, only you can make contact with the Hix for I have not the powers to do so. If you lose your wits then we are surely lost!”

The wisewoman nodded in agreement and settled down again with her brother holding her hand for comfort.

By and by, the exhaustion brought on by the previous days march began to weigh upon them and soon the twins were slipping into a deep and satisfying sleep.