THE CRUCIBLE OF TIME BY JOHN BRUNNER

So too had Skilluck, as he said, and he preferred to come home late with vines and trencher-plants intact. What then of last year?—countered the others, and he could give no answer, except to say the fortune of the stars must have been shining on him.

Knowing him for a skeptic, they dismissed that and went on worrying.

Still, the weather continued fair. Despite the fact that they had met icebergs further south than even Toughide and Shrewdesign last summer, there had been whole long cloud-free days and nights, and the children had exclaimed in wonder at the marvels thereby revealed, especially the great arc of heaven composed of such a multitude of stars it never dwindled regardless of how many fell away in long bright streaks. Those riding Tempestamer kept begging for a peek through Skilluck’s spyglass, and Wellearn amused them with fantasies based on something Embery had said, about the time when folk would travel to not just another continent, but another world.

One, though, acuter than the rest, demanded seriously, “Where do we find the kind of briq that swims thither?”

“If we can’t find one,” Wellearn answered confidently, “then we’ll have to breed one—won’t we?”

“She’s slowing,” Skilluck murmured. “That means landfall, if I’m any judge.” Keeping his spyglass trained on the horizon, he swung it from side to side.

And checked.

“Wellearn, did the Hearthomers mention a people around here who consign their dead to the sea?”

Startled, Wellearn said, “That’s a custom of seafaring folk like us! They said there were none on this whole coast! That’s why when Blestar died we—”

“Oh, I remember,” Skilluck interrupted. “But there are bodies floating towards us. Five of them.”

It was in Wellearn’s mind to ask whether he was mistaking some unfamiliar sea-creature, when his own eye spotted the first of them. No chance of error. Here came five light-mantled people of the Hearthome stock, and none was making the least attempt to swim…

“Stop Tempestamer eating them at all costs!” Skilluck roared to Strongrip. “It could be one of them is still alive!”

His guess was right. The last they hauled out of the water, while the passengers gazed in awe and terror, was still able to speak, though salt-perished and on the verge of death. Wellearn’s mantle crumpled as he translated.

“We thought they were your people!” the stranger husked. “Even though they came to us by land! We thought maybe you were short of briqs to carry everyone…”He retched and choked up salt water.

“Go on!” Skilluck urged, aware how all the other captains were closing their briqs with his to find out what was wrong. Wellearn continued his translation.

“Beyond the mountains, land won’t thaw this year! Except along the coasts, snow is still lying and the ground is hard as rock! That’s what we found out from a prisoner we took. Never expecting an attack, we met the strangers with courtesy, but they were dreamlost and frantic and wrecked half of Hearthome before we managed to stop them. I never thought to see such slaughter, but they had started to eat us—yes, eat us!” A sound between a moan and a laugh. “And some of them were worse! They tried to eat themselves!”

“What of Hearthome now?” Wellearn cried, clenching his claws.

“I—we…”

The effort was too much. Salt-weakened, one of his lower tubules ruptured, and the victim saved from the sea leaked out his life on Tempestamer’s back.

After a long dread pause Skilluck straightened. He said grayly, “We must go on. We can’t go back. From what he said it’s clear that if Ushere isn’t doomed already it will be by next year. We’ve come south across a fifth of the world, and if even here we find that people have been driven off their lands by cold and hunger…”

There was no need to finish the statement. Those around him nodded grave assent.

“But if we can’t settle here after all—” Wellearn began.

“Then we’ll survive at sea!” Skilluck exploded. “The way the wild briqs do!”

“Not even Tempestamer can bear a load like this indefinitely!” Sharprong objected, indicating the puzzled and frightened passengers. “We’ve had an easy voyage compared with last year, but if there are going to be more storms—”

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