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the fear that still showed from his
eyes. "You little know, my Lord Lunacy. Kill Gaal if you must.
But the boy-and the treasure-will be mine. And I will take
them to the Tower of Geburah myself where neither the High
Emperor nor you will be able to touch me. And though I wait
ten thousand years, I by the treasure will conquer the world that
is Anthropos. And you will perish, immortal though you may
be."

     

    John said little during breakfast, but by the end of the meal he
realized he had no other choice-he would have to go to Bamah. "How far is it?" he asked at length.
    "We'll have to walk, and it's about a month's journey southeast of here," Authentio said, "-at least at your lordships'
pace-not far from the Great Bridge on the River Rure. My
village is halfway between here and Bamah."
    "At our pace?" John asked as if he had been offended.
    "Authentio is a runner," Eleanor said. "He once did a fiveweek run. He runs from one end of Anthropos to the other
carrying messages on behalf of Gaal. Gaal's enemies are always
after him!"
    John looked enviously at Authentio's lean, muscular fitness.
A month of walking! Well, the sooner they got started the better. It would have been pleasanter had Ponty been able to accompany them. Even though he irritated John, he was a reassuring sort of person to have around. But it was not to be.

    "My work here is ended," the dragon said solemnly. "It gives
me a certain satisfaction to announce that I have fulfilled those
very grave responsibilities that were entrusted to me, and have
seen that the treasure is in the right hands. Gaal instructed me
to report to him in Bamah when my work was done. I shall
leave while there is still light."
    "Ponty, why can't you just carry us all? It'd be a lot easier than
walking," John suggested.
    "Young sir," replied the dragon, "I am a dragon, not a public
conveyance. I do not carry riders around as if I were a flying
horse. In any case, my scales are hard and meticulously polished. Riding a dragon is nothing like riding a horse. How
would you like to slide off my back and fall thousands of feet
to your deaths?"
    It was not long thereafter that the dragon left, soaring into
the clear morning air as they waved and shouted good-by. Authentio turned to John and Eleanor. "The journey to the plateau above us is rugged and steep," he said. "There are no
paths, but once we are on the plateau it should not be difficult.
We must leave as soon as possible. It will not take Shagah or
his minions long to find us. After we reach my village, you two
will have to go on to Bamah. Perhaps I will be able to come
with you all the way-I'm not sure."
    They set out an hour later. They left the jeweled orb in its
box, placing it with an iron key in a leather bag, which Eleanor,
in spite of the weight, carried over her shoulder. John carried
the book, which was heavier still. Authentio secured it to John's
shoulders with straps. He himself carried their other provisions
in two bundles suspended from the long pole which he carried
Chinese fashion over his shoulders. These contained a cooking
pot, tinders, provisions, a water bag, cords for snares and fish
hooks. His bow was slung across his back, while a quiver of arrows hung from his left shoulder.

    Their first job was to climb out of the steep valley that walled
in the fjord. That was the difficult part, and at times both John
and Eleanor were nearly in despair, wondering how they would
ever survive a month of walking. Once they were free of the
rock face, they avoided the village by clambering steeply up
through the forest.
    Authentio was cheerful and encouraged them. "This is
hard," he kept saying. "But it is only for today. Let us rest as
often as you wish." Shortly before sunset the trees became
thinner, and they ate their meal at the edge of the plateau
where there were fewer and smaller trees than those that
hugged the sides of the fjord. "Less rainfall up here," Authentio
said.