to interrupt their progress as they swung back to the west.
With luck it would be midday before Hathcar finally
realized his plans had fallen through and ventured to check
on the ruins.
“I think I understand what was going on,” Jon-Tom
murmured. “The girl was a virgin.”
” ‘Ere now, mate,” Mudge protested, “I’ve been around
meself, but even I can’t tell for certain just by lookin’.”
“She’d have to have been for it to fit.” He glanced
down at their mount. “She was a virgin, wasn’t she,
Drom?” Roseroar looked on curiously.
“The sight and scent of her suggested so,” the stallion
replied.
“I read something somewhere about the attentions of a
virgin girl being irresistible to a unicorn.”
“An ancient and more-or-less accurate notion, which
Hathcar was counting on to draw me out. They would have
succeeded with their plan except for ignorance of one
fact.”
“Wot fact, mate?” Mudge asked.
Drom turned to look back at the otter. “I’m gay.” He
increased his pace.
“Uh, ‘ere now, mate, maybe we’d all be better off
walkin’ after all.”
246
Man Dean Foster
THE DAY or THE DISSONANCE
247
“Nonsense. We are still not far enough away from
Hathcar’s troop to chance slowing down.”
“That’s debatable. Besides, there’s no need for you to
keep on carryin’ us about like this. Don’t want to make
you uncomfortable or nothin’.”
“It sounds to me as though you are the one who is
feeling uneasy, otter.”
“Wot, me? Not me, guv’nor. It’s just that I—”
“What’s wrong with you, Mudge?” Jon-Tom asked
him. “I thought you’d be glad of the chance to rest your
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