“We have our double capes and hoods, Etienne, and we can tolerate colder climes than thee. We will be all right, as long as it does not prove necessary to remain outside for too long.”
Etienne unexpectedly leaned forward and the hydrofoil lurched sharply to port. “Sorry. Instinctive reaction.” He pointed. “What’s that?”
A small mountain stood in the shallow water by the riverbank. The mountain had a half dozen legs, two of which were busy in the water. As they watched in fascination the multi-ton beast brought up a twisting hundred-kilo fish in hooked claws, transferred the catch to a long snout lined with sharp triangular teeth. For so massive a creature it moved with blinding speed. Long black hair covered the entire body and dragged in the water.
Eyes with narrow pupils peered out at them from beneath bony ridges. Etienne edged the hydrofoil toward shore for a closer look. As he did the beast turned with a deep grunt then galloped away on all six legs, its catch clutched firmly between extended jaws.
“I have never seen anything like that before, de-Etienne.” As he spoke Homat made rapid protective signs across his chest and stomach.
“I have,” Tyl said softly. “A Hyral. I have seen only two such before and both were dead, having fallen over the edge of the Guntali.”
As they stared the hirsute fisher crested a slight slope, where it dropped its catch between its mate and two massive roly-poly cubs before turning to throw a penetrating, high-pitched roar toward the boat.
Lyra was staring through her recorder as she committed the new discovery to their records. “Family group. I wondered what else the Na ate.”
“Speaking of the Na,” Etienne said as he steered the hydrofoil back into the middle of the river again, “it’s cold enough here for them to come right down to the water, but we haven’t seen any.”
“Perhaps they stay away from the river out of superstition, some kind of taboo.”
“I wouldn’t think that. Not with all the fish to be had in these waters.”
“Maybe the air’s too thick here. We’re not nearly as high as the Guntali near Turput. It wouldn’t matter. The river’s still wide and deep enough to protect us.” She looked thoughtful.
“Something will have to be done about the Na, Etienne. We’ve seen proof that Mai and Tsla can work together, but the Na appear too primitive and combative to be brought into any worldwide interracial process without extensive education and a great deal of care. Just because I’m not fond of them doesn’t mean I want to see the other two dominant races exterminate them.
“They’re not animals. They’re intelligent and have developed a rudimentary society. If you consider the amount of territory they control then a case could be made that they and not the Mai or Tsla are Tslamaina’s dominant life form.”
“I’m glad we don’t have to make the ultimate decisions,” he replied. “Someone else will have to decide whether it’s right to intervene in local affairs to protect the future of the Na, and that’s a long way down the road.”
Though the Skar’s course twisted in a steady curve farther eastward, they continued to travel north toward the planet’s sole ice cap. The occasional appearance of the sun through the uneasy clouds did little to warm them. Despite this Homat spent an inordinate amount of time out on deck, luxuriating in his thermal suit and the freedom it provided, a freedom to laugh at temperatures that would have frozen an unprotected Mai in minutes.
They saw evidence of the ice cap before they set eyes upon it. It announced itself as a brightening ahead, where the ice reflected the sun back against the undersides of scudding clouds. The next morning they lifted on repellers to clear still another rapid, turned a bend in the river, and saw the southernmost edge of the frozen rampart.
The once awesome canyon of the Barshajagad had been reduced to a meandering river valley. Numerous waterfalls tumbled down the melting edge of the cap. They would freeze solid again during the night.
They did not have to trace dozens of the streams to locate the source of the river Skar. The much shrunken but still navigable stream emerged from a huge hole in the wall of ice, having eroded a tunnel a hundred meters high at the entrance. Etienne guided the hydrofoil in until it floated beneath the lip of the vast cavern. Then he carefully nudged the boat ashore, scraping bottom several times before beaching on the gravel.
Overhead the ice had thinned and sunlight poured through the translucent, frozen ceiling, tinting the ice a pale blue and illuminating the river for a distance of several dozen meters from the entrance. Then it was swallowed by cold night. Cold water dripped from smooth icy stalactites, stinging the upturned faces of the crew as it stood on the deck to examine the surroundings.
“What a beautiful place,” Lyra murmured. Somewhere a faint echo concurred with her opinion.
The four Tsla kneeled in a circle, chanting and making signs. The Redowls waited respectfully until the ceremony had concluded before Lyra inquired as to its purpose.
“We give thanks,” Tyl explained. “We feel in our souls a great warmth, as must thee, for thy journey has been far longer than ours.”
“We couldn’t have made it without your help,” Etienne told him, “and without the aid of your people.”
“All given freely in the pursuit of knowledge. We were glad we could help.” Swd and Yij likewise expressed their feelings, while Yulour stood nearby and looked on with bemused contentment.
“What do we do now?” Homat inquired, peering out through the eyeslits in the cloth that covered his face. “Do we begin our return tomorrow? A long journey.”
“I know you’re anxious to go home, Homat, but we’ve come all this way to see the source of the Skar and we’re not leaving until we do so.”
Homat sounded puzzled. “But have done so, de-Etienne.” He gestured at the spacious cavern and the distant darkness. “What other source can there be?”
Etienne smiled as he turned to point into the blackness beneath the ice. “This isn’t the river’s source. Somewhere back there it emerges from the mass of the ice cap, probably in the form of a hot spring. I can’t think of another mechanism which could have bored so deep a cave in the body of the ice. I need to record it.”
Homat’s eyes grew wide. “You can’t mean to go back in there, de-Etienne! This is the top of the world. Who knows what devils and monsters lie in wait for us in the night which lives throughout the day?”
“Why should any lie in wait,” Lyra asked gently, “since no one ever comes here? If any did live back in there they’d long since have given up hope of any meals coming to visit them.”
“You argue very plausibly, de-Lyra. My mind wishes to believe you, but my insides are not convinced.”
“If you’d feel safer you can camp on the shore here and wait for us to return. I doubt the river runs very far back, hot springs or not.”
“No, no, I will come with you,” the Mai insisted bravely. “I would rather do that than stay here alone. You are certain there is not far to go?”
“I can’t be sure, but I’d be willing to bet we’ll have less than an hour’s journey in the boat. If the water becomes too shallow, we’ll travel the rest of the way in on repellers.”
“Why do your words not make me feel confident, de-Etienne?”
“Relax, Homat.” He turned to Lyra. “When we reach the source I want to take some core samples. This must be very old ice and the geologic history of the planet is stored here, conveniently waiting to be thawed out for study.”
Lyra offered no objection. Their goal was within reach. Soon they would begin the long journey back to warmer climes. Let Etienne enjoy his fieldwork for a day or two. There was no reason to rush now that they’d arrived at their intended and eventual destination.
He looked to his right, deeper into the cavern. “There’s a nice wide spot. I’m tired of rocking. The water there is gentle and shallow. I’ll move us over and set the foils down on the gravel. Be nice to sleep without rocking for a change.”
“Second the motion,” Lyra said. “It should be safe enough. There’s no sign of carnivores about, no bones or dung on the beach, and the water should keep any small vermin clear of the boat, assuming this environment is benign enough to permit their existence.”
