Page 12 (1/2)

"But the Lifeshaper"

Just another Forerunner

"Without her, I’d befree, but ignorant, empty of al but myself And you’d be dead"

The Lord of Admirals retreated, but not before his bitter hts

I kicked at the litter and perfor dance of frustration--are how stupid I looked, how desperately foolish and trapped

Hoished I could talk to Riser and hear what he thought!

I folowed after the girl and the old man

Chapter Thirteen

THE SMELL REACHED us frorunt and pushed on The shore was littered with decaying bodies We reen shapes slumped over the rocksand then ere upon the first, and my worst fears were banished--but not by much

These were Forerunners, not humans By their size and build they had been Warrior-Servants, fuly er after receiving the Didact’s imprint

But they were far too decayed toher hand over her nose and mouth

"What happened here?" Ga

"Another battle ," I said "They’re not wearing armor"

"Every Forerunner wears armor Why would they take it off?"

Then I re, of course, but so had the armor of my Forerunner escorts--either ja "So kiled al the armor," I said

"What, the Beast?"

"I don’t know Part of the war, ht hand to hand?" Gamelpar asked

The bodies were badly decoes crossed what remained of their faces and torsos A few puckered holes seeped inner decay

I looked out at the rock pilars and the rope-bridge and platform- town--isolated from the shore, accessible only by water and so ainst what, I could not know Forerunners of course could have flown out there, and would not have built such a primitive structure Likely this was a hues built on lakes, usualy out in the great north, but had never seen one "There was a battle in the town," I theorized, "and when they died, they fel into the water and drifted to shore What does your old spirit think?"

Gamelpar made a face "Sad, even for Forerunners Is the whole wheel dying?"

We were too ss

Vinnevra had walked up the shoreline to get away from the smel

"There’s a boat over there, behind the rocks," she said "I think it’s made from one of those trees It has thorns on its sides"

We walked along the matted path She pointed behind a pair of boulders draped rack like thinning hair over gray heads It was indeed a boat, and not a bad one, either

How convenient The gods piss salt water but leave us a boat

So

Vinnevra stood between us, eyes fixed on mine "We can use pieces of bark for oars, and row across the water," she said That seemed like an incomplete plan at best "Ga," she added, eyes stil piercing

I shrugged "Water is the only path," I said, then set to inspecting the boat It was about four ested, no doubt, froreat trunks The sides were indeed lined with formidable thorns

"Protection or orna a sharp point with my thumb

She tried to push the boat out into the water It was jaether, we pried up one end, then slid it out over the rocks, and with a gru scrape, pushed it into the water

Vinnevra held it while I helped the old man across the rocks and then lifted him up bodily, at which he snorted and made an unpleasant scowl

I lowered him into the bow

"Find some pieces of bark ," Vinnevra ordered, her face damp with sweat She sounded excited and looked even happier Perhaps ere passing out of range of the beacon signal

Finding proper pieces of bark, fortunately, was not difficult The trees shed in long, tough strips varying froorous bending and tearing, the strips made decent oars I picked up severalacross the water

"We go to the town first," Ga "Let’s just row across and leave that be"

"Looks quiet," the oldPeople out there Or food"

"Or stinking bodies," Vinnevra said

I rowed, she rowed, and finaly ed together so that the boat did not go in circles but toward the pilars, the drooping bridges, and at the center, the suspended vilage It took us the better part of the day to row against a steady, lapping tide Then, without reason, the tide reversed and rushed us in orously to avoid being thrust between two adjacent pilars We clued toshadows of a network of bridges

On top of many of the pilars, individual huts perched like storks’ nests The bridges at that end could be raised or lowered to provide access, with platforht be used by al Here, I counted four layers of bridges, houses, platfore, where, finaly, the dwelings loom beneath, stairs, ladders, and ropes descended to other docks I saw no bodies, no evidence of fighting--but also heard no voices nor any of the sounds of a living town Just the regular lapping of the salty waves

Then Vinnevra gasped Soreenish cloud like smoke in the dark water She scra Gamelpar with me This time I caused hi on one leg, while I reached down and snatched his stick fro at the thought of leaning out over the water, and grabbed one side "We need some way to tie it up"

"I’l stay here and tend to it," Vinnevra said, glancing calh its depths She preferred whatever had passed below, or its coood idea," I said "You’l come with us"

My concern ofold I worried about her safety, but I also worried that she ive in to her compulsion and leave us stranded out here I didn’t trust her change init

Fortunately, on the opposite side of the dock, a wooden bracket was hung with several ropes left to dangle in the water Gamelpar puled one up with his stick and soon we had the boat secured, then al of us climbed the steep steps to a hatch in the lowermost platfor such steps, as long as he took the climb slowly, braced his stick on the treads, and used it for balance

Through the hatch, we eed on a wide, railed platform about twenty meters across, connected to other platforms and a few enclosed shacks--for at this level, stil in the shadows, they were little s for the poor