"Then let us keep to the jungle over there and see if it does not bring
around to the far side. But what made this--?" She leaned out over the
glassy stuff, not daring to touch the slick surface.
"War." Lur's tongue shot out to impale a questing beetle. "These
forgotten people fought with fearsome weapons."
"But what weapon could do this? Memphir knew not such--."
"Memphir was old. But mayhap there were those who raised cities on Erb
before the first hut of Memphir squatted on tidal mud. Men forget
knowledge in time. Even in Memphir the lords of the last days forgot the
wisdom of their earlier sages--they fell before the barbarians easily
enough."
"If ever men had wisdom to produce this--it was not of Asti's giving,"
she edged away from the glare. "Let us go."
But now they had to fight their way through jungle and it was
hard--until they reached a ridge of rock running out from the mountain
as a tongue thrust into the blasted valley. And along this they picked
their slow way.
"There is water near--," Lur's thought answered the girl's desire. She
licked dry lips longingly. "This way--," her companion's sudden turn was
to the left and Varta was quick to follow him down a slide of rock.
Lur's instinct was right, as it ever was. There was water before them, a
small lake of it. But even as he dipped his fanged muzzle toward that
inviting surface, Lur's spined head jerked erect again. Varta snatched
back the hand she had put out, staring at Lur's strange actions.
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