Free The Basingstoke Chronicles by Robert Appleton

was
partially obscured by the rise of a hill, yet I could still make out its blue-grey hue. This color
identified the civilization's stone abodes. The nearest village was very clear, only a quarter mile
ahead. It told me much about the tall folk.
    Built astride a dry river bed, the village was a marvel of primitive architecture; primitive,
that is, until one observed these ancient engineering feats close to. Set equidistantly opposite each
other along the river, the front lines of buildings were arranged in a quite ingenious fashion. They
were adjoined in the form of a row of square teeth lain horizontally, two parallel to the river, side
by side, then two perpendicular, one behind the other, and so on. Makes sense...a riverside
village.
    Two things sprang to mind. One was the garment belonging to the body I had seen at
Dumitrescu's; the other was the tiny pendant I had picked up from the sea bed, just prior to
finding the time machine. Both had possessed identical, angular patterns.
    Pieces of the puzzle all about me.
    Darkly reared up again, perhaps in an attempt to dispel the onlookers. Fearing an
imminent engagement, I felt my heart thump against my chest. A sudden burst of pride also
emerged, for the bear was a towering presence, and every inch of his eight feet was bent to my protection. He roared and slashed at the air with his huge claws. Many of the natives
fled toward the village.
    "Wow, easy, boy," shouted a voice, in English, from behind the crowd. The tall folk
parted to make way for Rodrigo and Pacal Votan. I gave a huge sigh of relief.
    "Get your things, Baz. We've both been invited to stay at--what was that name
again--someplace unpronounceable. It's down there, at any rate," Rodrigo said, pointing to the
village.
    "What about Darkly?" I replied.
    "As far as I can gather, the pairing of man and bear seems to have some ancient
significance," he said. "You'll have to see for yourself, though. Our new friend, Pacal Votan here,
has stirred up quite a hornet's nest for us, I'm afraid."
    Pacal succeeded in calming Darkly, but I could tell the bear wasn't entirely duped. His
big, brown eyes kept watch on the natives. As I accompanied Rodrigo past them, Darkly
followed, snorting every now and then, ensuring they stayed their distance.
    "So we're not in any danger at all, Rodrigo?"
    He gave Pacal Votan a friendly jab to the arm, before winking at me. "No more than we
were last night."
    "OK," I said suspiciously, "then what's this place called?"
    "Well, the natives don't have a specific name for it, but Pacal Votan seems to be a bit of
a rebel. He refers to the island as Apterona."
    As we neared the village, I took the opportunity to look more thoroughly at our
surroundings. Magnificent herds of red antelope drifted to and fro between us and the western
forest. To the northeast, a few miles away, not far from the dry, winding river, the tip of a large,
bronze structure came into view between the cleft of two hills.
    We approached the settlement. As well as the stubborn consignment of natives following
us, a sizeable welcome committee had assembled on the village outskirts. The copper hair of this
people was universal, as was their slightly darker skin and tall stature. I also noted how similar
the male and female garments were. All were just short of knee length. The only difference was
that the men's chitons were open on the upper half of one side, much like a Greek charioteer's,
whereas the women's were a trifle more conservative. Color-wise, I saw little apart from the basic
blues, browns and greens, though these were quite tasteful and seemed appropriately rustic.
    The dry river wound parallel to the southerly stretch of the village palisade. As we
crossed it, a coolness in the air refreshed me.
    "Check out that surface permafrost," said Rodrigo, pointing to the ground.
    I bent down to touch the soil and quickly recoiled. It was freezing! While firm and
rocky, the earth was lined with a sparkling, transparent frost.