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Or did they al serve her?

The water had calmed, the lobed fans had disappeared, the water beneath was black into its depths

The next afternoon, we slowly drifted past soht we should have certainly seen froreat, cone-shaped structure, dark gray, rising from the calm salt sea perhaps three or four hundred meters Smooth but not shiny, it had no apparent texture or detail; it was disturbingly perfect, even for a Forerunner object Water lapped around its broad base, and a twisting streamer of cloud lazed around its pinnacle

The currents swept our little boat around it and the great gray cone gradualy receded, until, abruptly, it was no longer there-- blink, and it was gone

More Forerunnerfor its soul," Ga what it wants to be"

That got ht have been a quick sketch for a Forerunner power station I had seen one of those back on Erde-Tyrene, shly the sa itself fuly repaired and ready to live again --just as Gah it would finalize andat the sky The wolf-faced orb was now so large it ilue’s reflected glow Dark sky--and hence any good view of the stars-- was going to be rare from now on

Hours later, we approached the far shore and saw beneath thick, lowering clouds reen and wet

Folowing the first edge of day, our boat buan to trek into the dense, roling jungle, traveling no particular direction, folowing no geas

We were lost children, nothing more

Even Gamelpar

Chapter Seventeen

FRUIT THAT TASTED like soft-boiled eggs hung in bunches froly at first-- the only satisfying food we had had since Gaht the fist-fur rodents Other edible plants that both Garew around or between the twisted, twining trunks, vines, and creepers--and so we settled down, ful and peaceful, not caring for once where ere or whate did, so we did not stay h we had eaten wel, Gath and enthusiasm He walked ht over us even during the day, and at night the pale light of the wolf-orb and the sky bridge filtered down, only slightly less helpful We ht hour, keeping to the winding, open patches between the greater trees, pushing through soft, leafy vines that seerow even as atched

There was food There was quiet The old spirits did not bother us

It could not last, of course

We had risen with the brighter twilight of day and were now sharing a reddish, melonlike fruit that tasted both sour-bitter and sweet, and cut both thirst and hunger

Biting flies andus as we enjoyed the fruits of the forest I swatted, examined bloody remains on my palm, finished my portion of the melon, and was about to toss aside the rind when ht have been an odd gap between the trees--shaped like the great figure of a man, broad-shouldered, with an immense head--had appeared to our left, fewer than ten paces away I reached for Vinnevra’s shoulder and gave it a light squeeze She had seen it, too

The shadowstil and dalooround-creeping vines A vine near htened as the shape stepped on it

Fro, Gamelpar let out a whistle

Vinnevra did not dare respond

The great shoulders of the shadow rotated and shoved aside thick branches, puling at clinging vines until they snapped and swung up I thought for a ather er even than the Didact, and further, dark-furred arrown floor of the forest

With a snort and a deep-chested gruainst the canopy Vinnevra went to ground like a fawn--stil as a statue, perched lightly on the bals of her feet, ready to bolt Our eyes folowed the shadow’s slow, stately approach

A great black-furred are hand--four or five times broader than my own A massive face leaned over us--and such a face! Deep-set eyes frae of reddish fur, a flat, broad nose with i al between thick, purple-brown lips

The great green eyes looked down onThen the eyes looked aside, no more afraid of me than I would be of a sht caertip The great dark face abruptly puled up and away, and we sain How could soe move so quietly?

But I did not have tiht appeared from behind a wide tree trunk It was like the flame of a clay lamp, but held in a Forerunner’s hand Often with seven lithe fingers, purple- gray skin with pink underside--and above lareat shadow had been, then back at , and that ere now seeing each other--and al of it was real

The Forerunner brought the lalazed look She could not flee She did not want to flee I, on the other hand, had no wish to be carried off to the Palace of Pain I leaped up and tried to run--straight into a wal of black fur

Huge hands closed around me One hand clutchedarm Off to the side, soft voices rose froo and the other lifted led, feebly kicking, while the lamp flame came stil closer

The Forerunner was neither like Bornstelar nor like the Didact

But it did bear a sort of reseered in my dreams--the Lifeshaper, the Librarian The Lady This one was not female, however--at least, not the same sort of female Of that I was sure

But very likely a Lifeworker