"Lee, John - Unicorn Saga 04 - The Unicorn Peace UC" - читать интересную книгу автора (Lee John)

humor; I've been naked in some dreams.

He ploughed ahead, arms swinging unnaturally slowly
and his sandals sticking to the ground. He glanced over
his shoulder and the vague feeling of dread became con-
centrated in that direction. Worse, the grasses be had
swept aside and trampled down had sprung up again.
He pushed on, heart thumping painfully, breath whis-
tling in and out. Logic dictated that he stop and take
stock of the situation, but logic had no place in this
dream. Fear drove him and the slug's pace, which was
the best that he could do, added to the dread.

It went on forever and yet it was over in moments.
He stood at the base of a mountain range that sloped
gently at first and then soared up. He knew it instantly
even though he had only seen it once before and then
from above. This was the range that formed the north-
ern border of the Alien Plain. Beyond it was a sea or
an ocean. His glimpse of the coastline had been brief
and he had been very tired.

The fear that had driven him was ebbing and he gazed
at the slopes with something akin to relief. The spur of
fear might be gone, but he was wary still. He turned
slowly and looked at the way he had come. A towering
wall of green crowded behind him. Upward then. As he
turned back and glanced up, a building flickered into
view and disappeared. That couldn't be. No man had
ever set foot in these mountains. He took a deep breath

THE UNICORN PEACE + 3

and peered upslope. The building, large, turreted and
shining, appeared and then vanished.

He stood, waiting for it to reappear, but nothing hap-
pened. He braced his shoulders. No sense waiting here
while the gods knew what crept up behind him. He set
off again. The slope was gentle at first, but soon became
steeper. Massive boulders blocked his path, forcing him
to detour. He stopped from time to time to look for the
building. There was a glow, he was certain of that, and
once he thought he saw a tower with a conical top. To
reach it became a compulsion, but, hard as he climbed,
he seemed to be getting no closer. The path turned
treacherous with loose scree denying him puchase. He
clung to the rocks, hauling himself up, desperate to
reach the security of the insubstantial refuge. Then he
lost his footing altogether and tumbled back, stomach