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that probably approached minus 60° C. was only slightly annoying. What sort of
internal changes had been wrought inside us by the Wardens to keep us and them
alive I couldn't guess, although I noticed our appetites had greatly increased
as it grew colder and we had all built up noticeable amounts of fat all over
our bodies. It seemed amazing that we could survive such cold, but I realized
that on many worlds other animals, including a large number of mammals,
survived conditions at least this extreme and even thrived in them. I doubted
if any of us would ever thrive in such a place as this, but we endured.
The Mount of God was not difficult to find in this expanse. Its
glacier-covered slopes rose up as a white
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Medusa monolith before us, dwarfing surrounding mountains that were pretty
high themselves. Just looking at it was to experience a strong sense of awe
and wonder. It was easy to see how the mountain came to be known as Medusa's
backbone. Weathering and glaciation had worn and shaped the top so that it did
sort of resemble the backbone of some great four-legged beast.
Our Wardens had to work overtime to keep us warm and comfortable, and to
protect our eyes and other exposed areas. Two weeks earlier, all of us, male
and female, had begun sprouting hair all over our bodies including on our
faces and now that hair and our skin was turning to milky white against the
white landscape. The most interesting and occasionally irritating change was
that our eyelids grew quickly transparent. So soon we walked across the ice
with our eyes shut against the wind and ice crystals and still saw perfectly
well.
It was hell, however, to try and sleep that way no matter how dark it became.
Not that any sleep was really comfortable on that icy landscape, or very long.
It was just something else in the way of hardships to get used to, and I was
doubly impressed with the dedication of those who made this pilgrimage out of
faith or to confront and allay their doubts, instead of out of foolish
curiosity, as I was doing.
On that last, cold trek, it took only a few hours for our first casualty. One
of the group simply walked over an area that looked for all the world like the
rest of the frozen landscape, and it gave way beneath her, swallowing her
instantly. By the time we reached the spot and were arguing over whether or
not we could do anything the water had already started to.refreeze.
We lost two more just getting to the final inlet before the mountain itself, a
second to another hidden soft spot in the ice, a third to a crevasse that
suddenly opened up as two ice packs shifted subtly, then closed in again,
crushing the woman to death.
Now we were nine for the final stretch, and I could only shake my head and
look back at the horrible landscape we had already traversed. "And, just
think, we have to cross that stretch again to get back."
Almost as I said those words the ice gave way beneath my feet and I felt
myself falling, as if through a trapdoor. I screamed out and raised my hands,
but I was in over my head before I felt strong hands grip mine and hold me,
attempt to pull me up, and not quite make it. I knew in that instant that I'd
had it I
was going to drown but almost as I reconciled myself to that fate I felt
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myself being lifted back up out of the hole and onto the ice.
I wasn't very lucid for a while there, but I remember seeing a stricken and
anxious-looking Ching and also Quarl and Sitzter fussing over me. I drifted in
a fog as my body fought the one enemy the Wardens could not overcome so
easily shock. It was some tune before I came out of it. It was dark, and I was
in a wapti
one of the portable skin tents covered by fur and skin. A serious-looking Hono
entered and glanced at me, then smiled when she saw I was awake. "Welcome
back." I coughed. "Thanks.. How long was I out?" "A couple of hours. You've
been rambling something fierce, but I think you are self-repairing nicely now.
You should be all right by morning, I think, if you made it this far."
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Medusa
"I'll make it," I assured her. "I'm not going to spend one more day on this
stuff than I have to."
She nodded and seemed satisfied, then pointed near me. I turned my head and
saw Ching, out cold and snoring slightly, alongside me. "She was the one who
saved you," Hono told me. "I never saw anybody move so fast whose own life
wasn't at stake. She was on you, grabbed hold of your arms, and held you while
yelling at us until we could reach you. She used up a lot of strength, but she
actually got your head above water herself."
I looked over at her, sleeping so soundly, and felt an emotional tide rising
within me. "And I tried so hard to talk her out of coming."
"She loves you very much. I think she would give her life to save yours. In
fact, I know she would. You have something very rare and valuable and
important, Tari. Cherish it." [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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