The Practice Effect Part 31

There was a plateau nearby, a spur jutting eastward out from the mountains. Cautiously, Dennis leaned left and sent their craft into a gentle bank. He had seen a flat spot on the mesa. It would have to do.

Beyond that was only a tumbled plain of boulders as far as the eye could see.

Still, they couldn't stay up here forever Dennis wished there was some way to get the robot up in the c.o.c.kpit with them. He didn't want it damaged in the landing. But it would just have to take its chances. He called down for the machine to prepare as best it could.

The precaution was probably unnecessary, he realized. The rugged little thing could well be the only one of them to survive their encounter with the ground, He used up some height gliding far out over the plain. It took a while to reach a position along what he hoped was a gently appropriate glide path, then bank around and begin his approach. It had to be just right, because they weren't going to get another chanced While he got ready, he spared a moment to glance back at the others. Arth was soaked in sweat but gave the thumbs-up sign.

Linnora simply looked exalted> as if she could ask no more than to have experienced what they had just gone through. She leaned forward slightly and pressed her cheek against his. Dennis smiled hopefully and turned back to make ready for the landing.

"All right, everybody. We're going in!"

The "flat spot" that rushed up at them was actually a sandy bank with at least a ten-degree slope from left to right, only a dozen meters from the plateau's northern rim. A crosswind came from twenty degrees left of the nose. Dennis steadied the balance so the wings compensated as well as possible. He felt Linnora's hands grip rightly around his chest. At the last moment he brought up his knees and braced himself.

The fabric wings luffed slightly as the glider swooped in like an albatross and touched down gently on the soft sand. One wingtip briefly touched ground, slewing them around slightly as they jounced along the embankment. Gravel flew up behind them as Arth put all his weight into the brakes and the robot's treads spun furiously.

Dust was everywhere! Blinded, Dennis steered entirely by instinct.

At last they rolled to a stop. When the sand had settled and tears had washed some of the dry powder from his eyes, Dennis looked out to see that the glider had halted close to the edge of the mesa. Another jumbled drop of about fifty meters lay only six feet away.

One by one-first Arth, then Linnora, and finally Dennis- they loosened their straps and stepped out. Barely able to keep to their feet, they stumbled to a thin patch of gra.s.s under the spa.r.s.e trees.

Then Arth and Linnora fell to the ground, dizzily, and laughed. This time Dennis collapsed with them and joined in.

Several minutes later, the pixolet raised its head from the well of the craft. It still twitched and shook, from fright and from the power of the trance it had been forced to take part in. For a long while it simply stared at the crazy humans.

Finally, as the sun settled behind the western peaks, it sniffed disgustedly and dropped back down beside the gently humming robot to fall instantly to sleep.

3 In spite of their leisurely pace, Bernald Brady was saddle-sore well before the stout character in the red robes called a halt for the night.

It was the first time Brady had ever ridden a horse. If ever he got a chance to decline further invitations, he was certain it would also be his last. He dismounted clumsily. A guard came over arid loosened his bound hands, motioning him to hobble over and sit beneath a tall tree by the campsite.

Soon there was a fire, and the smell of trail cooking wafted through the air.

One of the soldiers scooped a thick dollop of stew and came over to hand Brady a beautiful, feather-light ceramic bowl. The Earthman ate as he marveled at the bowl. He had never seen anything like it before.

It helped him justify the theory he had come up with.

Although his "captors" played a good game at this business of acting like primitives, they couldn't hide their true nature. Things like this beautiful, high-tech bowl gave their game away.

These people clearly came from an advanced culture. One look at the road, and the wonderful self-lubricating sleds, told him that.

There was only one explanation for what was going on here.

Obviously Nuel had spent the last three months living among the locals. And all that time he had been plotting, knowing that if he only waited long enough Flaster would surely send him, Brady, over to try one more time to fix the zievatron. In all that time Nuel had no doubt ingratiated himself with these people, perhaps promising them rich trading rights with Earth! In return, all they would have to do would be to help him pull one great big practical joke!

It sounded like Nuel's way of setting up priorities!

No doubt members of an advanced civilization would have plenty of leisure time on their hands. Brady had witnessed "medievalists" on Earth, who liked to ride horses and play with old-fas.h.i.+oned weapons.

Nuel must have hired a troupe of history-nuts like those to help him pull a fast one on the next guy to come through the zievatron!

These fellows played pretty rough. They had really put a scare into him for a while, especially when the fat boy kept questioning him about every piece of his gear.

Brady sniffed. That had been carrying it too far! Imagine, people who could make swords out of gemstones being perplexed over his rifle and his porta-microwave!

Oh, these people knew Nuel, all right. Whenever he mentioned the fellow's name the big "priest" got a funny look on his face. The "soldiers" clearly knew exactly who he meant, though they never admitted a word.

Yeah, Brady nodded, by now convinced, They were all in it together.

Nuel was having his revenge on him for switching those chips on the replacement circuit boards.

Well enough was enough! It was going to stop here! The game had gotten altogether too rough. His hands were chafing and he had been battered and bruised. . .Brady decided it was time to stand up for his rights. With his jaw set he put down the now-empty bowl and started to get up.

At that moment one of the "soldiers" screamed.

Brady blinked as he saw one of the men stagger about the campsite with an arrow protruding through his throat. Suddenly, everyone else was diving for cover!

This was carrying realism just a bit too far! Brady watched the stricken soldier gurgle and die, choking on his own blood.

He swallowed and had the uneasy feeling that maybe his theory might need some amending.

He heard someone shout, "Guerillas! Sneakin' aroun' behind our lines!"

One of the "officers" barked an order. A detachment of men hurried off eastward into the trees beside the road. There was a long wait, followed by a series of loud noises- clangings and loud screams.

Then, a little while later, a messenger came running back into camp.

The courier hurried over to the fat man in red, who was taking no chances, huddled beside a tree nearby.

Brady crawled to the edge of his own tree where he could listen.

". ,. ambush coverin' a turn in th' road. I guess one of 'em musta got impatient, waitin' for us, and sprang th' trap early. That was a lucky break for us. But we're still stuck here until we can get word to our army."

The fat man in red, the one called "Hoss'k," licked his lips nervously.

"We used our last pigeon to inform my lord Kremer that we had captured another alien wizard! How shall we get a message through, then?"

The officer shrugged. "I'll send a dozen men in different directions after dark. All we need is for just one to get past 'em. .

Brady crawled back around his tree and sat there a long moment, blinking. His comfortable theories dissolved around him, and he was left with a confusing, dangerous reality.

I didn't want to come here in the first place! he complained silently to the universe.

He sighed. I should never have let Gabbie talk me into volunteering!

4 "My Lord, we have received a message from Deacon Hoss'k. He is on his way to North Pa.s.s now. He claims to have found-"

Baron Kremer turned and snarled, "Not now! Send word to the fool to stay where he is and not to get in the way of the northern force!"

The messenger bowed quickly and ducked out of the tent. Kremer turned back to his officers. "Proceed. Tell me what is being done to clear Ruddik Valley of the floating monsters."

Kremer had only just arrived, as the new day dawned, by three-man glider. His head throbbed and he felt just a little sick. His subordinates sensed that he had a short fuse, and they hurried to comply.

"My Lord, we were stopped yesterday by the coming of night. But Count Feif-dei's forces are now closing in upon the two monsters remaining on the southern rim of the canyon. We are going to provide heavy air support, a.s.sisted by the reinforcements you ordered sent from the other fronts.

"As soon as the last two southern monsters are eliminated, well be able to a.s.sault the ridge beyond. It will be costly, but the L'Toff positions will then be untenable. They will have to fall back, and the remaining four monsters on the northern slope will then be surrounded. There will be nothing they can do."

"And how many gliders will have been lost by then?" the Baron asked.

"Oh, not many, my Lord. Perhaps fifteen or twenty."

Kremer slumped into a chair. "Not many. . ." He sighed. "My brave, lucky pilots.. . so many. A quarter, almost a third lost, and none at all left to support the northern force."

"But your Majesty, the monsters will all be gone. And by now the L'Toff and the Scouts are fully engaged on all fronts. A breakthrough anywhere, and we shall have them! That is especially true here. If we cut through to the west today, it will split the enemy in half!"

Kremer looked up. He saw enthusiasm on the faces of his officers, and he began to feel it himself once again.

"Yes!" he said. "Have the reinforcements brought up. Let us go to the head of the Ruddik and watch this historic victory!"

5 When morning came, Dennis and Linnora lay side by side, wrapped in one of Surah Sigel's blankets on the sandy bank, watching the sun rise over the bank of eastern clouds.

Dennis's muscles felt like limp rags that had been all used up. Only here on Tatir a rag that was so thoroughly used wouldn't be in as bad shape as he was. It would only be getting better at cleaning up.

Nearby he heard Arth doing his best to throw together a breakfast from the sc.r.a.ps left over from Surah's larder.

Linnora sighed, resting her head on Dennis's chest. He was content just to drift, semiconscious in the soft, sweet aroma of her hair. He knew they would have to start thinking about a way off of this plateau soon. But right now he was reluctant to break the peaceful feeling.

Arth coughed nearby. Dennis heard the fellow shuffle near the edge of the precipice, mutter unhappily for a moment, then walk back to the trees.

"Uh, Dennizz?"

Dennis did not lift the arm from over his face. "What is it, Arth?"

"Dennizz, I think you'd better have a look at somethin'."

Dennis uncovered his eyes. He saw that Arth was pointing to the west.

"Will you stop doing that?" Dennis asked as he and Linnora sat up.

He couldn't quite quash a feeling of irritation toward Arth's penchant for pointing out bad news.

Arth was gesturing toward the ridge they had fallen from as dusk fell yesterday, with arrows slicing through the air around them.

According to Dennis's wrist-comp, it had been less than ten summer hours since they had plunged over that cliff, straight into the heart of the Practice Effect.

Dennis could hear faint sounds of fighting from that direction. A dust plume of battle rose from the ridgeline above them. The cloud seemed to be moving slowly, inexorably southward.

The L'Toff were clearly being pushed back.

But that wasn't what concerned Arth. He pointed to a place just behind and below the dust of battle. Dennis looked carefully at the ridge face, illuminated by the rising sun. Then he saw them.

A small detachment of men had dropped away from the fighting on the heights. They were working their way downslope along the slash in the cliff that a spring waterfall had gradually made. They were descending carefully, belaying each other with ropes over the steeper parts.

So Kremer's troops weren't letting go yet. They knew how badly their Lord wanted the fugitives and had sent a contingent to chase them, even to this lonely plateau.

Dennis estimated they would be here in a little more than two hours, perhaps three.

Linnora touched his shoulder. Dennis turned around, and winced when he saw that she was pointing now, as well!

You too? He looked at her accusingly before following her gesture.

Off in the south, where she indicated, something bright moved against the sky. Several somethings. He envied Linnora her prodigious eyesight.

"What. . .?"

Then he knew. The bigger object was a balloon, drifting in the morning light. Its great gas bag was aflame, and several dark, malign objects darted and swooped about it, closing in for the kill.

So. In spite of a brief, peaceful respite, the battle still raged around them on many fronts. It would be best to get off this mesa before Kremer's rangers made it down here. It might also be desirable to see what their little band of adventurers could do to help the good guys.

And Dennis thought he just might have a way.

He drew out the sharp, hundred-year-old knife Surah Sigel had given him, and turned to Linnora and Arth.

"I want both of you to find me a big piece of st.u.r.dy wood, about so thick by so long." He indicated with his hands.

When Arth started to ask questions, Dennis merely shrugged. "I want to do some carving," was all he would say.

Linnora and Arth looked at each other. More magic, they thought, nodding. They turned without another word, and hurried into the brush to look for what the wizard wanted.

When they returned they found the Earthman deep in conversation. . .partly with himself and partly with his metal demon.

He had pulled the glider to within a few feet of the edge of the cliff and installed the robot underneath it once again. A pile of gear lay on the sand beside the craft.

"We found a stick," Arth announced.

"And it looks like what you asked for," Linnora finished for him.

Dennis nodded. He took the five-foot branch and immediately started whittling it, chopping away loose bark and shaving slivers away in long, curved arcs. He mumbled to himself distractedly.

Neither Linnora nor Arth dared interrupt him.

The pixolet arose out of its slumber within the cart/glider and clambered up onto the winds.h.i.+eld to watch.

Linnora frowned in concentration. "I think he wants to take off again," she whispered to Arth. She could tell, for instance, that he had already started emptying the craft to lighten it. "Come and help me,"

she told the thief, and started tugging at the chair and bench to tear them out of the glider.

Only once in a while did they look up to see the progress Kremer's rangers had made in moving steadily downslope. They were getting closer all the time, Arth and Linnora had just about completed their task when Dennis finished his.