Page 81 (1/2)

4

Gunda’stouches to the wall a few days later, and Gunda felt that it had turned out rather well The flat basalt rocks were solid, even though they were a bit rough He was sure that if he’d erected such a wall down in the Eenerated quite a few sneers, but this warn’t the Eh - nor the inclination - to sheathe his ith polished e cloud of dust began to rise up from the floor of the Wasteland far on below the slope Gunda immediately sent word back to Co before the top of Gunda’s as cluttered with observers - including a couple who quite obviously came from alien lands The scar-faced Ekial didn’t seem out of place, but Gunda was a bit startled - and awed - by the warrior queen Trenicia

‘I’d say that we’ve got visitors on the way,’ Andar ru to wear!’ Padan protested

‘Does he do that very often?’ Andar asked Gunda

‘All the tihing years ago’ He squinted on down the slope Then he looked at Veltan ‘I ,’ he said, ‘but it seems to me that the desert out there’s quite a bit lower than it e were fighting the war in the ravine above Lattash’

‘This was the deepest part of the inland sea that covered the Wasteland in the distant past,’ Veltan explained ‘I’ve never actually taken any measurements, but I rather think that depression out there’s even lower than the floor of Mother Sea’

‘Maybe if you talked with Momain,’ Padan suggested

‘Mommy?’ Veltan looked a bit confused by the word

‘Wouldn’t that sort of get you on her good side?’ Padan asked with a feigned look of wide-eyed innocence

‘I don’t think our baby brother would want to take any chances there,’ Lady Zelana advised ‘Hewith her once, and she sent him to the moon without any supper’

‘Are there really thatat the dust cloud with awe

‘They’re probably just kicking up dust to conceal their real nuested ‘That’s not an uncommon practice, you know If you don’t have as many men as your eneot more, you want to hide that as well’

‘It’s possible,’ Lady Zelana said, ‘but this is probably a new hatch After what happened in the ravine above Lattash, the Vlagh didn’t have ht just be that it’s been experi up with different varieties of children’

‘I’ trouble with that,’ Keselo ad attacked by women?’

The burly warrior woman from the Isle of Akalla reached for her sword

Veltan put a restraining hand on her ar to offend you, Queen Trenicia,’ he said ‘It’s just that he’s not at all familiar with your culture’