Free Journey - Book II of the Five Worlds Trilogy by Al Sarrantonio Page A

originally; the Martians, Titanians, what men are left on Venus, here on Pluto. All from Earth. Outside of a few Martian fossils, there’s never been anything anywhere else to compare with Earth life. But now…”
    “Why does it bother you?”
    “As I said, Sire—it makes me wonder.”
    Dalin was growing tired, felt his mind drifting toward slumber as he yawned the words: “Wonder about what, exactly?”
    “Wonder about what’s beyond our little Pluto here.”
    “Hmm.” Dalin barely heard the pirate’s final words, and yet they penetrated his mind and colored his dreams with shimmers of particle waves.
    “And who,” Shatz Abel said.
     
    A wakening refreshed and dream-riddled, they made their ascent by the light of SunOne.
    Shatz Abel proved a skilled climber; and with their adequate gear they had climbed a quarter of the way up in no time. The spot they had chosen was not ideal, though, and now the difficult part of the mount ensued. Dalin was not keen on dangling from a jut of rock, held by rope and piton, while the pirate scaled above him, looking for proper hand and footholds; one slip reminded him all too much of his recent brush with death, as he swung to and fro while the pirate, cursing above him, hauled him back to safety.
    They rested in a scoop of rock face that could almost be called a cave; it drove back into the wall a good ten feet, but there was nothing of interest inside.
    “Which is just as well,” Shatz Abel said, “since there are other more mundane creatures like bats and such in these parts.”
    Dalin laughed. “What about your white bears? We haven’t battled them yet!”
    The pirate scowled. “You may get your chance, King Shar,” he said.
    Dalin laughed. “You fret too much.”
    After a meal and water, they proceeded; and, as SunOne was lipping the top of the far wall, where they had begun their traversal of the canyon the day before, they had nearly reached the top.
    Breathing hard, Shatz Abel called down to Dalin, “I’ll be going up and over now! Wait for my signal, then climb up after me!”
    Dalin signaled him that he had heard.
    The pirate, snugging his feet into footholds and using the piton he had just driven into the rock above him, hauled himself up and in a few moments had disappeared over the top.
    Dalin thought he heard muffled words; he shouted, “What?” and waited for an answer.
    There came none.
    But the rope was taut above him, so he proceeded to climb up after the pirate.
    At the top, with a few feet to go, a shaggy hand reached over the ledge—without thought he reached up to grab it.
    Nearly too late, he realized that this hand was in fact a paw, and now he looked up into the huge and ravenous white face of a bear.
    Dalin ducked down as the creature swiped at his face; the curled claws caught and sliced through the top of his headgear, mercifully missing the head within. The animal roared—
    —but suddenly it was flying out and over Dalin, into the abyss, its face filled with sudden shock. Limbs flailing, roaring in rage, the huge animal dropped into Christy Chasm and was lost to sight. “Sire—get up here!”
    Shatz Abel sounded nearby overhead, and Dalin scrambled up the rock face obediently.
    Peering over the top, he saw the pirate standing just in front of him, his back to Dalin; through the pirate’s legs the king saw two more shaggy white monsters slowly advancing toward the pirate.
    “I was able to push that first one over, but not these other two, I’m afraid!” Shatz Abel shouted.
    Dalin crawled up between the pirate’s legs, scrambling to stand up.
    “Give me the weapon, Sire!” the pirate demanded.
    Still on the ground, Dalin reached around for his pack and rummaged desperately through it; his gloved hands were too bulky, and he pulled one of the gloves off, driving his bare hand into the pack and pulling out what he thought was the telescoping staff they had packed; instead, he held in his hand a crude flare.
    “Give me something!