Alan Dean Foster Kingdoms of Light

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fluff was gazing back at him out of eyes that protruded from the depths of
dense down. Whether it was composed of feathers or fur, he could not tell.
Taken unawares by its proximity, he snapped awake. Emitting a startled coo,
the orange sphere promptly fluttered its feathers (or fur) and rose vertically
into the air. Looking up, Oskar saw that it had joined a dozen others of its
kind. They hovered above him for another moment before flocking as one for the
grove of orange-tinted palms from which they had emerged.
"I wonder what they are." Cocoa was sitting up on the deck.
"I wonder if they're edible." Standing next to her, Cezer rested a hand on his
belly. "I'm hungry."
"We should conserve our supplies. How about some fresh fish?" Samm stood
contemplating the water.
Cezer's face lit with anticipation, and he all but slobbered on his fine
clothes. "Fish! You're asking a cat if it would like some fish?"
"You're not a cat anymore," Taj pointed out.
"I'm not all human, either," Cezer shot back. "Don't tell me you don't feel
the urge to flap your arms and take to the sky." Before the other man could
reply, the swordsman had turned back to Samm. "Get us some fish, and I'll lick
you clean myself."
The giant wore a look of distaste. "Thanks, but I got clean enough in the
river."
"How are you going to catch fish?" Oskar wondered. "Master Evyndd used to take
me fishing with him. There is no fishing equipment on board this boat.
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Besides, it is a delicate skill. You have to understand how to read the play
of swimmer and sand, light and water."
"Then I will be delicate." Leaning over the side, Samm caused the entire boat
to tilt in his direction. While his companions struggled to remain erect, the
giant scanned the softly rippling surface of the river intently. Espying
motion, he brought his enormous axe down in one swift, arcing movement. Water
erupted, cascading over the gunwale and drenching everyone and everything
aboard.
Sputtering, Oskar was about to say something disagreeable--until he saw the
half dozen stunned fish that now lay twitching on the deck. Water spilling in
rivulets from his bald pate, Samm sat back down in the stern, set his axe
aside, and patiently began picking at the yard-long specimen nearest his feet.
With a cry, Cezer and Cocoa bent to do the same. There was no place to make a
fire, but that did nothing to mute the avidity with which those on board tore
into the unexpected bounty. Having always consumed it raw, they saw no
necessity to cook it now.
Only Taj did not participate. The orgy of consumption, with fish blood and oil
staining the deck and pale flesh and bone flying every which way, turned his
stomach. He had to satisfy himself with dried fruits and vegetables from those
stored in Samm's pack.
Bellies swollen, stomachs packed full, they settled down as cats and snakes
will do after eating for a long, contented nap. That left only Oskar--who
although he had eaten well was not quite as serious a fish fanatic as his
feline companions--and Taj to consider the country through which they were
passing. While the boat drifted onward, the others slept off the unexpected
feast. Rhythmic digesting sounds issued from somewhere within the somnolent
Samm, persuading Oskar that despite what one might think, it was indeed
possible for a snake to snore.
"I still can't figure out why those soldiers didn't come after us."
"You heard Mamakitty's explanation." Taj was leaning over the prow of the
boat, contemplating the water. Suddenly he lifted his head. "Maybe that's the
reason, up ahead."
Oskar had to squint. Though excellent, his eyesight was not as sharp as the
other man's. Then he saw it: the place forward of the bow where the river
disappeared into a huge cave. The rim of the yawning opening was dominated by
prominent stalactites and stalagmites.
"We'd better wake the others. We have to go ashore before we reach that. No
telling what happens to the river once it has entered the cave."
"We'd better wake them quickly." Taj had straightened, and the hair on the
back of his neck had stiffened. "That's not a cave. It's a mouth. And those
things lining its rim aren't cave growths made of dripping stone. They're
teeth...."
NINE
Amid frantic yelling and screaming, and not a few accompanying kicks and
blows, Taj and Oskar fought to rouse their companions. One by one, as soon as
they saw where their free-drifting craft was heading, the others came awake
with astonishing alacrity.
"The wooden thing on the end!" Mamakitty led a general rush toward the back of
the boat. "Samm--push on the wooden thing affixed to the stern!" As seemed to
happen more and more the longer they dwelled in human form, the word suddenly [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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