206 stretched to the sky, he was floating above the infant structure.

Pressure, pressure to generate heat, to make stone run, to fill the crevices. He gathered his strength and, holding the whole in his mind, pressed down. The stone resisted. He increased the gravity of his persona, spreading himself out to cover the whole area. He sum- moned more power and pressed himself down. The rock yielded fractionally, compressing in on itself, beginning to flake at the edges. Jarrod summoned the heart of fire, the white heat of the banked ember, and applied it del- icately along the running length of walls. The stone be- gan to glow, rock began to run.

Gently, Jarrod thought to himself, gently. He eased the pressure and felt, rather than saw, the stone slow and solidify. He willed himself lower so that he could see more clearly. There was a sheen to the surfaces, almost a slick polish, and the outer sides appeared to be one smooth surface. It had worked. It had been easy.

His choice of spell had been right and, as far as he could judge, the overall height of the walls was only down by an inch or so. The exertion hadn't tired him, far from it. It had been quick and easy and he had all this energy stored in him. It would be a criminal shame to waste it.

The plans that Greygor had drawn and that he had pored over for so long came into his mind. He had told the architect that Magic didn't work that way, but, given the circ.u.mstances, he could surely use his power for more than this.

Nastrus intruded into his concentration. 7 see what you intend and we will help you if you decide to proceed.

If you can hold the plan in mind and lift the stone on the plain, we will place it for you.'

'Done,' Jarrod replied without hesitation.

What followed terrified and amazed Greygor and Yarrow, crouched against the cliff beside the shelter.

207.

First, three of the unicorns disappeared, and then blocks of stone began to fly through the air. That was not a new sight, as such, and they had become inured to the presence of unicorns, but what overwhelmed them was the sheer volume of the performance. A second thick- ness was added to the outer walls, with openings for fireplaces and s.p.a.ces for chimneys. Piers appeared in double rows and, as they watched, developed branching vaults, the stone tendrils growing as if they were trained along wires. Bricks filled in the angles. Interior walls appeared, and then the upward march of the outer walls resumed. The burgeoning towers developed interior channels for the disposal of human waste exactly as the plans had laid them out. Just when the multiple activi- ties threatened to daze them into numb acceptance, there would be a pause when the entire expanse seemed to shudder and grow a shiny skin.

For Jarrod it was like being the master of a supernal juggling act. He held Greygor's plans, with all the little side panels filled with detail, in his mind and made sure that Nastrus understood them. Another part of his memory recalled the disposition of materials on the plain and lofted them as needed so that the younger unicorns could send them up the mountain. Nastrus would direct them to their proper place and Jarrod would then fuse them. The activity was multifarious and nonstop and Jarrod gloried in it. He held the power thrumming through him in exquisite check.

The work became simpler when the ground floor was complete. There could be no more interior building un- til the beams were in place and the subfloor laid. Jarrod, drunk with the opportunity to perform in a major way after so long a hiatus, used the opportunity to embellish the corbels, create hoodmolds over the windows in the wings and stone tracery in the those of the Great Hall.

He grew c.o.c.ky and added an oriel to the solar where

208 there had been none in the plans, tapped into a chimney and added a fireplace and fused blocks of stone together to create a curving staircase from the undercroft, through the east end of the Hall, and on up to the solar.

When he was finished, the battlements were crenellated and brick chimney stacks, modeled after those at Ce- lador, sprouted. Others would have to await the com- pletion of the roof.

The volley of materials slowed to a halt. There was no more that could be done at this stage. Jarrod was disappointed; the energy was still strong in his body, he felt no fatigue. Putting his memory, his mind and his will to work, he lilted the rest of the material from the plain and floated it up to the plateau with no a.s.sistance

from the unicorns.

'Most impressive,' Nastrus said sardonically when the last piece was grounded. 'It's time/or you to climb down now. You may not be tired, but the rest of us are.'

Jarrod returned reluctantly to his body. He allowed the energy to drain out of him and felt his arms float down to his sides- The compensatory euphoria rushed in to take its place, but, for once, it didn't provide the ultimate pleasure- He had enjoyed functioning at that high level, felt hugely alive and useful. He opened his eyes and blinked at the setting sun. Had it really been that long? He looked down at the sh.e.l.l of the castle and smiled. It would be nice, he thought, to sit here for a while and survey his handiwork. He had gone beyond what he had thought was possible, caught by the frenzy

of creation. .

'You couldn't have done any of this without us,' Nas- trus reminded him. 'Why don't you climb down while you still have the strength. You probably look like a prune

with mold on the top.'

'That's what I love about you,' Jarrod thought back lazily, 'you're always so supportive, so positive.'

209.

By the time Jarrod reached the ground, he was un- steady, and, from the reaction of the two men, Nastrus had been close to the mark. He was glad that there was no looking gla.s.s at the camp. He had no memory of being put to bed, nor of the storm that raged for the next three days. From then on he took little part in the completion of the work. He would lift the heavy beams so that the unicorns could move them. On occasion he held them aloft while they were fitted into the slots that Yarrow had chiseled into the walls, but he was capable of little else. There was a minimum of conversation around the fire at night because the other two were as tired as he.

Nevertheless, the work progressed. The details seemed endless, but, at the end of the fourth sennight, even Yarrow was convinced that there was no more that they could do. Jarrod used magic once more. He carved an inscription in the stone over the main door dedicating the building to Greylock and giving credit to the archi- tect, the mason and the unicorns as he had promised Yarrow that he would. They bade good-bye to the younger unicorns and, accompanied by Nastrus, made their way back down to the Alien Plain. It took them a day and a half. It took a fraction of that time to return to Stronta.

ChAptGR 19

V.

arodias was striding up and down the Presence Chamber, high heels clacking on the polished wood. He was dressed all in black, save for an oversized ruff at the throat and a short fall of lace that covered the join between sleeve and glove. On a perch beside the throne a falcon moved uneasily from foot to foot, responding to its master's mood. Malum stood two paces behind the Elector of Estragoth and watched his sovereign crossing through the pools of light thrown by the leaded windows close to the roof of "the hunting room," as it was popularly called. It was the first time that he had been in it, and he found it quite extraordinary. It was painted to look like a forest glade complete with branches overhead and leaves upon the floor. As re- markable, perhaps, was the fact that, apart from the Emperor, the Elector and he were the only people in the room. The Emperor stopped and pivoted.

"It is an affront to our national honor, Estragoth.

We are diminished in the eyes of the world." The high voice was agitated.

"I think not, Your Imperial Majesty," Phalastra re- plied calmly. "The record will show united resolve on the part of the Commission to do what was best for Strand. It was for that reason that I abstained on your behalf."

"And are we not a laughingstock in the Courts of 211.

Arundel and Paladine?" The Emperor's voice was back under control, his face a mask with small, slitted eyes.

"No, Sire." Phalastra paused ever so briefly. "Let me amend that. The courtier rabble undoubtedly gossips, but the rulers and their councillors are perfectly well aware that Isphardel has been handed a long and costly setback. No one likes the economic power of the Is- phardis and while they will not say so publicly, your cousins of Paladine and Arundel are delighted to see that power diminished. The division of the Isphardi ter- ritories was Your Imperial Majesty's prime objective.

That objective has been achieved."

"They have, however, extracted sureties from Talis- man and from the Magical Kingdoms." Varodias walked back to this throne and seated himself. The fal- con, rea.s.sured, ruffled its feathers and settled down.

Phalastra permitted himself a brief, brittle laugh. "In- ternational guarantees," he said sardonically. "They could scarcely do otherwise when one considers the trade concessions that were offered to them, but neither of the Royal ladies would send troops to Songuard."

"Naxania of Paladine sent troops to Fort Bandor,"

Varodias observed.

"True, Sire, but that was against the Outlanders and to avenge the ma.s.sacre of Your Imperial Majesty's gar- rison. I cannot see her sending men against a brother monarch in defense of clansmen or Oligarchs."

"There is that," the Emperor conceded. His gloved hand went out and stroked the bird's poll. "We suppose that the important thing is that our plan of colonization can begin. We have already instructed our Rotifer Corps to survey our lands and to pick the best sites for settle- ments." His voice had warmed. "There will be no entry fee for those of our soldiers long since promised land, but there will be obligations and a new oath of fealty.

212 Estates will be awarded." Varodias produced a small, satisfied smile. "They will not be cheap."

"Your Imperial Majesty has borne the entire cost of the development of the rotifer and the research on the captured battle wagons," the Elector said diplomati- cally.

"Indeed we have," the Emperor agreed complacently, and then the mood turned as he added, "Fifteen years and precious little to show for it. They were a strange breed, those Outlanders."

He might make better progress, Malum thought, if he allowed some of the other scientists near them.

Varodias settled back into the throne and the fingers of the left hand began to dance on the arm. The Elector knew the sign. Varodias was wearying of the audience.

"We commend you, my Lord Elector," the Emperor said, "and you too, my Lord of Quem. It seems that you have performed your long and arduous tasks well after all."

Both men bowed.

"We suppose, my old friend," he said to Estragoth, "that we shall have to find some new employment to keep you from mischief." The accompanying smile, for once, was genuinely warm.

"Your Imperial Majesty is most kind," Phalastra re- plied, "but it I may be permitted to crave your indul- gence?"

The Emperor's eyebrows rose, but he nodded.

"I have served your ill.u.s.trious father and yourself for better than five decades and this old flesh grows weary.

I have spent long years away from home of late and I would as lief spend what years are left to me in Estra- goth."