his trousers.
"Don't do it here," she said. "We don't want the smell in our breakfast."
Oh. Well, he had made the gesture, such as it was. With relief he retreated to a more distant site and did his business. He didn't have to actually do it in her presence; he just had to be able to if the need arose.
They ate, and drank some meltwater Chex had saved in a pair of cups. Then Volney emerged, bringing out some tubers he had found somewhere underground, and they traded some of the remaining fruit for these. It was surprising how good the tubers were; the vole evidently had a fine nose for such things.
They resumed their walk along the path. When they reached the lake, Volney was taken aback. "I can't crow that water!" he protested.
Obviously he couldn't. Esk wasn't certain whether voles could swim, but it hardly mattered; the giant monster out there made swimming hazardous. If the vole tried to splash around the edge, the way Chex had, he would be half floating, because his little legs were too short to achieve good purchase beneath the water. The reeds would eat him alive. If he tried to tunnel under, he would simply encounter muck that filled in as fast as he dug. There was no question: water was a formidable barrier.
He looked at Chex. No, it didn't seem feasible for her to carry the vole. Volney was too big, and not constructed for riding. Also, how would he, Esk, get around the lake, if she carried someone else?
"I think we should construct a raft," Chex said. "There is driftwood at the shore, some fairly substantial pieces, and if we use vines to bind it together, and long poles to move it, it should serve."
"A raft?" Volney asked. "What is thiv?"
"It's like a boat, only clumsier," Esk said.
"What iv a boat?"
Chex looked at Esk, then back to Volrtey. "Your folk aren't much for water, are they?"
"We have great revpect for water," the vole protested. "We drink it, we bathe in it, we guide it into our burrowv for the nourivhment of root farmv. The meandering Kivv-Mee River wav the life-vevvel of our Vale." His whiskers drooped. "But now, of courve, the Kill-Mee River poivonv uv."
"But you don't go on it?" she persisted. "You don't swim or sail?"
"Vail?"
"A boat is a craft that floats on the surface of the water, carrying folk across it A raft does this too. A sailboat is propelled by a sheet stretched out against the wind. You do not know of these things?"
"It voundv like movt intriguing magic."
She smiled. "Well, we'll try to demonstrate this magic for you, so you can tell your folk when you return. It should facilitate your use of the river. But tell me, how do you cross the Kiss-Mee?"
"We have bridgev over it and tunnelv under it," Volney explained. "They were much labor to convtruct, but give good vervice. Unfortunately, when the demonv vtraightened it, these crowingv were left vtranded by vacant channelv, and now are uvelew. The volev on the far vide are unable to join thove on the near vide."
"Couldn't you make new bridges or tunnels?" Esk asked.
"Not while the demonv guard the channel. They permit no activity of that nature."
Chex sighed. "You need the Good Magician's counsel, certainly! Well,
let's get to it. We must gather as much wood as we can, as large and dry as we can, and tie it together. We should be able to fashion a raft large enough to support us all."
"You wivh dry wood?" Volney asked. "Will it not get wet when it touchev the water?"
"Dry, so that it isn't waterlogged, and will float better." She found a piece and picked it up. "We can make a pile here beside the path."
"Now at lavt I comprehend," Volney said. He set off in search of wood.
There was more driftwood and fallen wood in the vicinity than had been at first apparent, and before long they had a huge pile. They found strong vines, some of which they used to make a harness so that Chex could haul the largest pieces. Then they used that vine to tie the wood together.
By noon they had a large, ungainly structure that most
"Don't do it here," she said. "We don't want the smell in our breakfast."
Oh. Well, he had made the gesture, such as it was. With relief he retreated to a more distant site and did his business. He didn't have to actually do it in her presence; he just had to be able to if the need arose.
They ate, and drank some meltwater Chex had saved in a pair of cups. Then Volney emerged, bringing out some tubers he had found somewhere underground, and they traded some of the remaining fruit for these. It was surprising how good the tubers were; the vole evidently had a fine nose for such things.
They resumed their walk along the path. When they reached the lake, Volney was taken aback. "I can't crow that water!" he protested.
Obviously he couldn't. Esk wasn't certain whether voles could swim, but it hardly mattered; the giant monster out there made swimming hazardous. If the vole tried to splash around the edge, the way Chex had, he would be half floating, because his little legs were too short to achieve good purchase beneath the water. The reeds would eat him alive. If he tried to tunnel under, he would simply encounter muck that filled in as fast as he dug. There was no question: water was a formidable barrier.
He looked at Chex. No, it didn't seem feasible for her to carry the vole. Volney was too big, and not constructed for riding. Also, how would he, Esk, get around the lake, if she carried someone else?
"I think we should construct a raft," Chex said. "There is driftwood at the shore, some fairly substantial pieces, and if we use vines to bind it together, and long poles to move it, it should serve."
"A raft?" Volney asked. "What is thiv?"
"It's like a boat, only clumsier," Esk said.
"What iv a boat?"
Chex looked at Esk, then back to Volrtey. "Your folk aren't much for water, are they?"
"We have great revpect for water," the vole protested. "We drink it, we bathe in it, we guide it into our burrowv for the nourivhment of root farmv. The meandering Kivv-Mee River wav the life-vevvel of our Vale." His whiskers drooped. "But now, of courve, the Kill-Mee River poivonv uv."
"But you don't go on it?" she persisted. "You don't swim or sail?"
"Vail?"
"A boat is a craft that floats on the surface of the water, carrying folk across it A raft does this too. A sailboat is propelled by a sheet stretched out against the wind. You do not know of these things?"
"It voundv like movt intriguing magic."
She smiled. "Well, we'll try to demonstrate this magic for you, so you can tell your folk when you return. It should facilitate your use of the river. But tell me, how do you cross the Kiss-Mee?"
"We have bridgev over it and tunnelv under it," Volney explained. "They were much labor to convtruct, but give good vervice. Unfortunately, when the demonv vtraightened it, these crowingv were left vtranded by vacant channelv, and now are uvelew. The volev on the far vide are unable to join thove on the near vide."
"Couldn't you make new bridges or tunnels?" Esk asked.
"Not while the demonv guard the channel. They permit no activity of that nature."
Chex sighed. "You need the Good Magician's counsel, certainly! Well,
let's get to it. We must gather as much wood as we can, as large and dry as we can, and tie it together. We should be able to fashion a raft large enough to support us all."
"You wivh dry wood?" Volney asked. "Will it not get wet when it touchev the water?"
"Dry, so that it isn't waterlogged, and will float better." She found a piece and picked it up. "We can make a pile here beside the path."
"Now at lavt I comprehend," Volney said. He set off in search of wood.
There was more driftwood and fallen wood in the vicinity than had been at first apparent, and before long they had a huge pile. They found strong vines, some of which they used to make a harness so that Chex could haul the largest pieces. Then they used that vine to tie the wood together.
By noon they had a large, ungainly structure that most
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