02 Quetzals Flock

QUETZAL'S FLOCK
wooden, hides covered the floor and the walls. Several smoky flares lit the main
room. Beyond it was a smaller room with a bundle of bedding - once again,
illuminated with flares. Attached, was a communal bathroom with several entrances.
It was empty, for which he was thankful. He was in no mood for an audience,
especially with the Pentacle suspended from his neck.
"I hope this is suitable for my Lord?"
Kane nodded and Nijah made a hasty exit. When Kane was sure he had
privacy, he dropped the cloak and tested the water with his toe - it was within
tolerance. He eased himself in and touched bottom. For the first time since he had
witnessed the battle with the sea monster, he was alone. He laid on his back and
wallowed in the luxury of the first bath he had had in days. He thought back over the
journey from the Arch. He had a moment of regret that he hadn't thanked Hammadi,
Dagh and Motya, but he sensed that their paths would cross again before he moved on
to his next destination in his grand tour of the universe.
He took his time in the pool. It was total indulgence to feel cool and clean and
he had no way of telling how long he would be allowed to enjoy the facilities. He
discovered that the water level remained constant although it was on the move. He
was too lazy to explore where it entered but guessed it was somewhere in the depths
and the overflow trickled off somewhere near the surface. The whole area was a
thermal nightmare, with steam rising through fissures from where water met the
molten heart of the still active volcano. Visions of a sudden eruption turned his
enjoyment into trepidation and he made a hasty exit.
He wondered how many thousands of years the crater had been inhabited.
Someone must have realised the potential and despite the risk, had set about
sculpturing the rock into living quarters. It was an ingenious way of escaping the
torrid heat of the red star. He had read enough about the development of stellar
material to know that the bloated star was approaching the end of a long cycle and
that soon there would be a cataclysmic change. The people of the planet must have
existed under the current conditions for countless generations. The only escape was to
go beneath the surface of their world - but their escape would be short lived on the
cosmic scale of things, because the changes their star would experience, would utterly
destroy Jubal!
Kane left a cascade of water on the rock floor and returned to his private
quarters. Rough cloths of unidentifiable material had been thoughtfully provided. He
dried himself and dressed again in the flowing Kous. He was hardly finished before
Nijah appeared once more, hovering just inside the entrance to the outer room. His
nervousness had returned.
"If my Lord pleases. My Lord, the Master of Dreams, wishes to greet you
personally. He requests your presence in the chamber which he never leaves."
"I would like to greet the Master of Dreams."
Nijah retreated out of the door backwards like one of those obsequious Old
Earth servants who never showed their backsides to a potentate - unless the potentate
had certain inclinations. Kane watched the conflict of two necessities with some
interest, eventually Nijah was forced to turn his back and lead the way. Once more, it
was downward and as they turned each corner, the seismic and thermal activity
increased. The ground and rock walls shuddered and Kane's nervousness reached
panic proportions.
His guide eventually stepped to one side - apparently, this was as far as he
went. Kane stood in the entrance of a great cavern. Its floor was a carpet of vapour
which surged and boiled as spurts of steam jetted out of hidden vents. Kane hoped he
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