Page 72 (1/2)

"We won’t," I said, and walked through the doorway

We followed Benthas, through the reens It was ed ood s a orn path, the only other sounds a songbird’s whistle and the low but rising roar of falling water Bentham’s assistant said little and that was fine by us; E tension and had no interest in idle conversation

We passed through the trees and out onto a track that curved around a ray rocks and patches of snow Distant pines like rows of bristling brushes We jogged at a moderate pace, careful not to exhaust ourselves too soon After a fewbefore a thundering waterfall

Here was one of the signs Bentham had promised THIS WAY, it read, plain as day

"Where are we?" E the sign, we followed a path that becaroith trees and thickets We pushed aside the bra behind us The path ended at a small stream We followed the strea into a low opening in a hillside, the entrance to which was hidden by ferns and moss The assistant knelt on the stream bank and pulled back a curtain of weeds--then froze

"What is it?" I whispered

He pulled a pistol fro cry came back, and then a creature rolled out into the strea at the creature It was all fur and claws

"Dunno," said the assistant "But it aiting for you"

It was nothing I could identify--it had a luiant bulbous eyes, and even they seemed to be covered with fur I wondered if Caul put it there--if maybe he’d anticipated his brother’s plan and booby-trapped all the shortcuts into his Panloopticon

The streauns," Emma said

"He doesn’t," the assistant said "This one’s mine"

Emma looked at him expectantly "Well, could we borrow it?"