Journal Entry 019/0264 The change in weather from the Castle to wherever it was D'israeli lived was dramatic; we went from frozen midwinter to high summer on apparently a high plain; grass and a few scraggly trees stretched out for miles around us.Journal Entry 019/0264 The change in weather from the Castle to wherever it was D'israeli lived was dramatic; we went from frozen midwinter to high summer on apparently a high plain; grass and a few scraggly trees stretched out for miles around us. Except for south; in that direction there was an odd haze, like a band of mirage, that I couldn't make out. Also in that direction, I could see smoke, so I guessed that was the direction of the settlement. Actually, that made sense. This stepping disk was associated with only one settlement, and the tree associated with this disk was on the opposite side of it from the smoke. "Twenty kilometers, huh?" P'nyssa said. "Something like that." "Then we should start walking." And walk we did. It should have taken us nearly five hours to reach the settlement, and as we approached it I noted that if the haze got any clearer, I couldn't tell. We didn't speak much as we walked. We had walked the first four hours when there was some dust being kicked up and I turned to my left to see what it was. There were four large beings on four equally oversized horses riding our way. I focussed on them. Uncia? Out here? For that matter, I didn't know where "here" was. For all I knew, we were on or near the Uncia climatorial bands, in which case Rael shouldn't been living out here. They rode up and heeled their horses to a stop. The one in the lead spoke Quen. "Greetings, Friend. What brings you here?" I replied in the growls, hisses and spits of traditional Uncian. "Good day, Uncia. We seek D'israeli Mittleson." "Then you will find him living with us, over by our camp. Would you like a lift? I am called RRawl." "We would very much. I am Shardik, and this in P'nyssa." At the mention of my name, the Uncia began to talk among themselves. "We would be honored by your presence, Father," RRawl said in Uncia. "Thank you." I said. I walked forward towards the horse; he held down an arm and hoisted me onto the saddle behind him. |