"Andre Norton - Yurth Burden" - читать интересную книгу автора (Norton Andre)

ome menace they could not restrain by the Upper Sense. Prudence must be h
er guide now.

Elossa pulled tight the string of her food bag, picked up her staff, got to h
er feet. No more easy way by the road. She must put her mountain knowledge to
the test. No Raski had the skill of the Yurth in the heights. If she was ind
eed the quarry now, she was sure she could outdistance her trailer.

The girl began to climb, not with any spurt of speed-who knew-this chase mi
ght be a long one and she must conserve her strength. Also she could not st
retch the power too far, keeping in touch with the pursuer and still sense
out any trouble ahead. That lightest of mind-probes could only be made at i
ntervals, to be sure she was being trailed and not that the other was going
about some business of his own on the lower reaches.
2.

At a point well above the forgotten road Elossa paused to take a breath or
two, allow her mind-search to range below. Yes, he was still on a course
which brought him in her wake. She frowned a little. Though she had taken
precautions against such a thing yet she had not really believed it would
happen. No Raski ever hunted Yurth. This trailing was unheard of among her
people since the great defeat of the King-Head Philoar two generations ag
o. Why?

She could stop him, she believed. Illusion, mind-touch-oh, yes, if she wan
ted to bring her own talent into use, she had weapons enough. But there re
mained what lay ahead of her. When one set out upon the Pilgrimage there w
as no hint given by those who had made it of what might be expected. Howev
er, there were some warnings and orders, the foremost of those being that
she would need all her talent to face what lay ahead.

It was the nature of the Upper Sense in itself that it was not a steady thi
ng, always remaining at the same force no matter how one used it No, it wax
ed and waned, must be stored against some sudden demand. She dared not exha
ust what she might need later merely to turn back a stranger who might come
this way by chance and did not really trail her.

Night was not far off and nights in the mountains were chill. Best find a pl
ace to hole up for the dark, cold hours. With eyes used to such a task, Elos
sa surveyed what lay ahead. So far this upward slope had not been enough to
tax her strength greatly, but she noted that there were sharper rises beyond
. Those she would leave, if she could, for the morning.

She now stood on a ledge which, to her right, widened out. Some drifts of s
oil there gave rootage to small bushes and grass. Bearing in that direction
she came out into a pocket-sized meadow. The same stream which had given h
er drink near the ancient road fed a spring pool here. Her sweep of mind-se
arch touched birds, several of the small rock-living rodents, nothing more
formidable.