Read Online The Planet Savers Including the Waterfall by Marion Zimmer Bradley - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Marion Zimmer Bradley
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tent drew them both back; for the first time in three days, something other than inarticulate moans from Zabal. Inside he was moving, struggling to
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sit up. He muttered, in a hoarse astonished voice, "Que pasõ O Dio, mi duele--duele tanto--"
Ewen bent over him, saying gently, "It's all right, Marco, you're here, we're with you. Are you in pain?"
He muttered something in Spanish: Ewen looked blankly up at Heather, who shook her head. "I don't speak it; Camilla does, but I only know a few words." But before she could muster any of them, Zabal muttered, "Pain? You'd better believe! What were those things? How long--where's Rafe?"
Ewen checked the man's heart-rate before he spoke. He said, "Don't try to sit up; I'll put a pillow behind your head. You've been very ill; we thought you weren't going to make it." And I'm still not so sure , he thought grimly, even while he wadded his spare coat to put behind the injured man's head and Heather encouraged him to swallow some soup. No, please, there have been too many deaths . But he knew this would make no difference. On Earth only the old died, as a rule. Here--well, it was different. Damn different.
"Don't waste your breath talking. Save your strength and we'll tell you everything," he said.
The night fell, still miraculously clear and free of fog or rain. Even on the heights, no fog closed in, and Rafe, setting up Camilla's telescope and other instruments on the flat place of their camp, saw for the first time the stars rise over the peaks, clear and brilliant but very far away. He did not know a Cepheid variable from a constellation, so much of what she was trying to do was incomprehensible to him; but with a carefully shielded light--not to spoil the dark-adaptation of her eyes--he wrote down careful strings of figures and co-ordinates as she gave them. After what seemed hours of this, she sighed and stretched cramped muscles.
"That's all I can do for now; I can take more readings just before dawn. Still no sign of rain?"
"None, thank goodness."
Around them the scent from the flowers on the lower slopes was sweet and intoxicating, as quick-blooming shrubs, vivified by two days of heat and dryness, burst and opened all around. The unfamiliar scents were a little dizzying. Over the mountain floated a great gleaming moon, with a pale iridescent glow; then, following it by
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only a few moments, another, this one with pale violet lustre.
"Look at the moon," she whispered.
"Which moon?" Rafe smiled in the darkness. "Earthmen get used to saying, the moon; I suppose some day someone will give them names..."
They sat on the soft dry grass, watching the moons swing free of the mountains and rise. Rafe quoted softly, "If the stars shone only one night in a thousand years, how men would look and wonder and adore."
She nodded. "Even after ten days, I find I miss them."
Rationally Rafe knew that it was madness to sit here in the dark. If nothing else, birds or beasts of prey--perhaps the banshee-screamer from the heights they had heard last night--might be abroad in the dark. He said so, finally, and Camilla, like the breaking of a spell, started and said, "You're right. I must wake well before dawn."
Rafe was somehow reluctant to go into the stuffy darkness of the shelter-tent. He said, "In the old days it used to be believed it was dangerous to sleep in the moonlight--that's where the word lunatic came from. Would it be four times as dangerous to sleep under four moons, I wonder?"
"No, but it would be--lunatic," Camilla said, laughing gently. He stopped, took her shoulders in a gentle grip and for a moment the girl, biting back a tart remark, thought in a mixture of fear and anticipation that he would bend down and kiss her; but then he turned away and said, "Who
47
sit up. He muttered, in a hoarse astonished voice, "Que pasõ O Dio, mi duele--duele tanto--"
Ewen bent over him, saying gently, "It's all right, Marco, you're here, we're with you. Are you in pain?"
He muttered something in Spanish: Ewen looked blankly up at Heather, who shook her head. "I don't speak it; Camilla does, but I only know a few words." But before she could muster any of them, Zabal muttered, "Pain? You'd better believe! What were those things? How long--where's Rafe?"
Ewen checked the man's heart-rate before he spoke. He said, "Don't try to sit up; I'll put a pillow behind your head. You've been very ill; we thought you weren't going to make it." And I'm still not so sure , he thought grimly, even while he wadded his spare coat to put behind the injured man's head and Heather encouraged him to swallow some soup. No, please, there have been too many deaths . But he knew this would make no difference. On Earth only the old died, as a rule. Here--well, it was different. Damn different.
"Don't waste your breath talking. Save your strength and we'll tell you everything," he said.
The night fell, still miraculously clear and free of fog or rain. Even on the heights, no fog closed in, and Rafe, setting up Camilla's telescope and other instruments on the flat place of their camp, saw for the first time the stars rise over the peaks, clear and brilliant but very far away. He did not know a Cepheid variable from a constellation, so much of what she was trying to do was incomprehensible to him; but with a carefully shielded light--not to spoil the dark-adaptation of her eyes--he wrote down careful strings of figures and co-ordinates as she gave them. After what seemed hours of this, she sighed and stretched cramped muscles.
"That's all I can do for now; I can take more readings just before dawn. Still no sign of rain?"
"None, thank goodness."
Around them the scent from the flowers on the lower slopes was sweet and intoxicating, as quick-blooming shrubs, vivified by two days of heat and dryness, burst and opened all around. The unfamiliar scents were a little dizzying. Over the mountain floated a great gleaming moon, with a pale iridescent glow; then, following it by
48
only a few moments, another, this one with pale violet lustre.
"Look at the moon," she whispered.
"Which moon?" Rafe smiled in the darkness. "Earthmen get used to saying, the moon; I suppose some day someone will give them names..."
They sat on the soft dry grass, watching the moons swing free of the mountains and rise. Rafe quoted softly, "If the stars shone only one night in a thousand years, how men would look and wonder and adore."
She nodded. "Even after ten days, I find I miss them."
Rationally Rafe knew that it was madness to sit here in the dark. If nothing else, birds or beasts of prey--perhaps the banshee-screamer from the heights they had heard last night--might be abroad in the dark. He said so, finally, and Camilla, like the breaking of a spell, started and said, "You're right. I must wake well before dawn."
Rafe was somehow reluctant to go into the stuffy darkness of the shelter-tent. He said, "In the old days it used to be believed it was dangerous to sleep in the moonlight--that's where the word lunatic came from. Would it be four times as dangerous to sleep under four moons, I wonder?"
"No, but it would be--lunatic," Camilla said, laughing gently. He stopped, took her shoulders in a gentle grip and for a moment the girl, biting back a tart remark, thought in a mixture of fear and anticipation that he would bend down and kiss her; but then he turned away and said, "Who
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