The answer came. Troy raised his chin, looked to the rangers with a cool measurement such as he could not have used a week earlier, but which was now a part of him.
“If you make that a trial agreement—”
Rerne smiled. “Caution is good in a man—and his friends. Very well, rangers, this shall be a trial run as long as you wish it so. I will admit that I am eager to have a catseye view of life—if you will allow me into this hitherto closed company of yours.”
Troy’s eyes met Rerne’s and the younger man drew an uneven breath. Norden’s plains were gone now. Instead he had a flash of another memory. A rock-walled room on a cliff above a lake and Rerne’s voice talking of this world and its fascinating concerns.
“Why?” He did not stop to think that perhaps his question, which seemed so clear to him, might not be as intelligible to the other. But—as if Rerne’s thought could touch his like the animals’—the other answered him: “We are of one kind, plains rider.” Then Rerne looked beyond the man to the animals. “So shall we all be in the end.”
“So be it.” Troy agreed, knowing now he spoke the truth.
About the Author
For well over a half century, Andre Norton was one of the most popular science fiction and fantasy authors in the world. With series such as Time Traders, Solar Queen, Forerunner, Beast Master, Crosstime, and Janus, as well as many standalone novels, her tales of adventure have drawn countless readers to science fiction. Her fantasy novels, including the bestselling Witch World series, her Magic series, and many other unrelated novels, have been popular with readers for decades. Lauded as a Grand Master by the Science Fiction Writers of America, she is the recipient of a Life Achievement Award from the World Fantasy Convention. An Ohio native, Norton lived for many years in Winter Park, Florida, and died in March 2005 at her home in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
All rights reserved, including without limitation the right to reproduce this ebook or any portion thereof in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 1961 by Harcourt, Brace, and World, Inc.
Cover design by Barbara Brown
ISBN: 978-1-5040-2545-4
This edition published in 2015 by Open Road Integrated Media, Inc.
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