Vietnam or Thailand ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
Updated: September 18, 2025
The stream bed widened and small islands of gravel, swept together in untidy piles by the spring floods, arose dry topped, some already showing the green of venturesome plants. "Here " Sssuri stopped, thrusting the butt of his spear into the shore of one such islet. He dropped cross-legged on his choice, there to remain patiently until those he sought would come with the dark.
Only to see the shaft scrape along the heavy scales and bounce to the sand. Then the snake-devil was gone. "Banded " The word reached Dalgard. Sssuri had been cool enough to note that while the human hunter had been only bewildered by the untypical actions of his quarry. "It must be intelligent." The scout's statement was more than half protest.
Flesh fingers touched scaled ones as they moved from one hold to the next, but Sssuri might have been half a world away for all the communication between them. Never had Dalgard been so shut out and with that his sensitivity to the night, to the world about him, was doubly acute.
Sssuri might crawl through that hatch without fear. For Dalgard it was as big a test as to turn and face what now raged in the corridor on the inner side. "There is no hope that they will go now," Sssuri answered his vague question. "They are stubborn. And hours or even days will mean nothing. Also they can leave a guard there and rove at will, to return upon signal. That is their way."
And he did not try to establish more than a casual contact as they made their way down the bank to the edge of the stream, Sssuri splashing in ankle-deep for the sheer pleasure of feeling liquid curl about his feet and legs once more. Water dwellers fled from their passing and insects buzzed and hovered. Otherwise they moved through a deserted world.
"This was barrier land." "What?" Sssuri turned his head. His round eyes which blinked so seldom stared into Dalgard's as if by the intensity of that gaze he could drive home deeper his point. "What lies to the north was protected in the days before the falling fire.
The brush lands along the foot of the cliffs gave way to open fields, bare except for the grass rippled by the wind. It was not the type of country to attract the night runners, and Dalgard wondered a little. They should discover water, preferably a shallow stream, if they wanted to find what the monkey creatures liked best. Within a quarter-hour he knew that Sssuri was not going wrong.
He lowered a hand to Sssuri and hoisted the merman up to join him. But Sssuri stood for a long moment looking ahead, and Dalgard knew that the merman was disturbed, that the wall before them had some terrifying meaning for the native Astran. So vivid was the impression of what could only be termed horror that Dalgard dared to ask a question: "What is it?"
With the quiver of heavy-duty arrows slung across his shoulder he was ready to go, following Sssuri inland. The easy valley path ended less than a quarter of a mile from the sea, and they were fronted by a wall of rock with no other option than to climb. But the westering sun made plain every possible hand and foot hold on its surface.
But this other mysterious settlement he had recently heard of was still shunned by the sea people. Only Sssuri and a few others of youthful years would consider a journey to explore the long-forbidden section their traditions labeled as dangerous land.
Word Of The Day
Others Looking