And in the sea
were kelp beds for harvesting.
The cliffs did not present too much of a climbing problem. Dalgard
divested himself of the diving equipment, tucking it into a hollow
which he walled up with stones that he thought the waves would not
scour out in a hurry. He might need it again. Then, hitching his belt
tighter, pressing what water he could out of his clothing, and
settling his bow and quiver to the best advantage at his back, he
crossed to where Sssuri was already marking claw holds.
"We may be seen--" Dalgard craned his neck, trying to make out details
of what might be waiting above.
The merman shook his head with a quick jerk of negation. "_They_ are
gone. Behind them remains only death--much death--" And the bleakness
of his thoughts reached the scout.
Dalgard had known Sssuri since he was a toddler and the other a cub
coming to see the wonders of dry land for the first time. Never,
during all their years of close association since, had he felt in the
other a desolation so great. And to that emotional blast he could make
no answer.
In the twilight, with the last red banners across the sky at their
back, they made the climb.
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