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a human timetable, something that sensible would be out of the question. He was silent for a while,
pacing easily alongside the herdsman.  Perhaps you are right. I ll find something else to kill.
 Thank you, Ehomba told him.
They camped that night in a depression where a small natural dam of rocks and debris had formed a
narrow but deep pool. Not only did it provide them with a source of fresh water, but it also offered a
chance to bathe and even, to a very limited degree, to swim. In this Ehomba took the lead, demonstrating
once again the natural affinity for water that he had demonstrated on more than one occasion. Simna was
a fine swimmer, while the black litah contented himself with rolling about in the shallows and following his
immersion with a dust wallow. Unable to swim, Hunkapa Aub splashed about near the shore like a
happy child.
It was therefore surprising that Ehomba woke not to the smell of damp vegetation or surroundings, but
to an odor that was distinctly acrid.
Sitting up and pushing aside his blanket, he tilted his head slightly and sniffed. The sun was just
considering the eastern horizon and none of his companions were yet awake. The smell was as familiar as
it was distinctive, but from what direction was it coming? Of one thing and one thing only he was certain:
Something in their vicinity was ablaze, and it wasn t the extinguished campfire.
Turning his head slowly to his right as he tried to locate the source of the odor, his gaze fell upon the
black litah. As was its manner, it had awakened noiselessly. Now it was sitting back on its hindquarters,
nose in the air, inhaling silently.
 You smell it also, Ehomba murmured.
The big cat nodded once.  Something burning. What, I can t guess yet.
 Can you tell where? Which direction? Knowing how much more sensitive the big cat was to odors of
every kind, Ehomba ceased his own efforts in favor of the litah s.
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There was a pause, then Ahlitah lifted a forepaw and pointed northward.  That way. And coming closer,
fast.
 Better get everyone up.
While he roused Simna, the black litah prodded Hunkapa Aub to wakefulness. By the time the
swordsman was sufficiently conscious to communicate, the sharp, acrid smell of burning vegetation was
thick in Ehomba s nostrils.
 Etjole? Raising himself up on his elbows, Simna blinked once, then wrinkled his features.  Somebody
making breakfast?
Satisfied that his friend was awake, the herdsman straightened and gazed soberly to the north.  I think
this grassland is on fire.
It came roaring toward them like a wall, advancing in a solid line from horizon to horizon. Orange flames
framed in red fed hungrily on the dry grass. Their superhot crowns licked at the sky, rising fifty feet and
more before transmuting themselves into gouts of dense black smoke that obscured the clouds. Fleeing
before the blaze was a rampaging menagerie of terrified creatures large and small. Broad-winged raptors
and agile dragonets swooped and darted in waves before the flames, feasting on the insects and small
game that were being driven from their hiding places by the onrushing conflagration.
Wind drove the fire forward. Where it advanced too rapidly for those in its path to escape, charred
corpses littered the smoking, blackened earth in its wake.
 By Gapreth! Suddenly wide awake, Simna was scrambling to gather up his gear.  The pool! Into the
pool!
 It is not wide enough, Ehomba countered.  The fire is too big. The flames will consume the grass on
both sides and merge above the surface. They will suck the air from above the water, burn the lungs and
suffocate anyone who is not fish or frog. Even as he spoke, the towering flames had advanced another
ten feet nearer to the campsite.  Downstream! If we can find a pool too broad for the flames to
overreach we will be safe.
Carrying everything, they fled from the onrushing blaze. Ahlitah flew effortlessly over rocks and gullies
that slowed less nimble companions. Burdened by packs, lesser individuals than Ehomba and Simna
would have fallen fatally behind. Hunkapa Aub was not graceful, but his expansive stride compensated
for his occasional ungainliness.
As they fled, the stream continued to flow strongly alongside them, holding out the promise of a
hoped-for refuge somewhere up ahead. When the ground showed signs of sloping slightly upward,
Ehomba took heart. The slight alteration in terrain strongly suggested that the water that was now flowing
downhill beside them would soon have to come to rest in a large, still body.
It was the tallest of the travelers who sang out moments later.  Hunkapa see water!
 Another pond? a gasping Simna inquired. He was panting hard not so much from running as from the
rising temperature. In spite of their exertions, the wall of flame was gaining on them, and the fire gave no
indication of tiring.
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 No pond, Simna. The shaggy biped stumbled, caught himself, and loped on.  Hunkapa see lake!
Unless their hirsute companion s definition of a lake was radically different from their own, Ehomba
knew they would soon reach a place of safety. Seemingly intent on proving that good news came in
bunches, like grapes, the wind chose that moment to drop to almost nothing. The grass fire continued to
burn behind them, but it was no longer racing south at high speed.
 Watch yourselves. The composed warning came from Ahlitah.  We re not alone. There are animals up
ahead. Big animals.
 Of course there are, Simna wheezed.  Probably seeking safety in the lake just like we are.
 No. The big cat sounded puzzled.  Actually, they re coming this way.
That made no sense, Ehomba reflected as he ran, covering the uneven ground with long, supple strides.
His swords bounced against his back. Why would any creature deliberately be heading toward the fire,
even if the wind had fallen?
As he topped a slight rise he saw them for himself, an irregular line of golden brown shapes arrayed
between the fleeing travelers and the looming silvery sheen of the prairie lake. Its calm, expansive waters
beckoned, promising relief from the heat and refuge from the raging blaze.
The beasts initially espied by the black litah boasted dark stripes along their lower flanks and each of
their six legs. They had short, nobby tails and oddly flattened skulls like the heads of digging spades. The
slightly protuberant eyes that gazed out at the world from the upper corners of the weirdly triangular
skulls were covered with transparent membranes that glistened in the sun. Double rows of sharp incisors
were visible in the long, flattened jaws. From the summit of the skull projected a single bizarre horn that
curved forward and up.
They were built like grazers, Ehomba saw; heavy of body, thick of fur, and short of leg. But their teeth
were designed for biting and chewing flesh, not grass or other plant matter. Yet among the dozens of
incisors he could see not a single canine tooth or tusk. Such teeth were suitable for biting off and slicing
up large chunks of meat, but not for killing. This singular orthodontic arrangement marked them as
scavengers. So did their stumpy legs, with which they could never hope to run down even the smallest of
healthy herbivores.
As for what they scavenged, that was abundantly clear. At least two of the sturdy, stockily built
creatures could be seen chewing on the charred, blackened remains of less fortunate animals that had
been mortally injured by the fire. Apparently these extraordinary beasts tracked the advancing flames [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]