swimming but I've never actually seen anyone do it," he said. "I don't think I'm ready to leap in just yet."
Leahn turned to the Commodore who had seated himself on the ledge, removed his boots and was sticking a toe gingerly into the water. "Ah, it's a little cooler than I anticipated. Refreshing."
He wriggled his toes and watched as he lowered them into the dark water. It was crystal clear. "Let us not, my dear, plunge into anything hastily. I'm sure a place like this has its share of legends that should not be too readily dismissed."
He turned to the old man who sat perched on a fallen rock, staring round-eyed at Leahn. "What about it, my friend? Probably tales of a hideous monster or two lurking beneath the surface, strange noises on dark night—ghosts, goblins, webbed footprints in the sand, strange lights flitting to and fro in the watery depths—all the mysterious goings on that invariably attach themselves to an unusual, not to say spooky, place like this.
"Of course a trained scientist such as myself is not influenced by that sort of local superstition but we, nonetheless, approach such areas with a certain amount of healthy caution as there is often a perfectly rational explanation underlying the local myths that grow up around such places."
He stared again at his toes and tossed in a pebble which sank slowly, turning and flashing white in the darkness to a considerable depth until it was lost from sight. "A resident family of crocodiles, for instance, could give rise to all kinds of tall tales which the prudent investigator would be wise to . . . "
"Ain't no families of nothing in there, far as I know," the old man giggled. "No monsters, no ghosts, no noises, no lights that I ever heard of. Just an old water pit's all it's ever been. And if you and that lady's going to jump into it, that's something I'd dearly love to see. I believe Alexander'd even come down to see something like that."
"Would you like me to hold your coat, Commodore?" Elor asked helpfully.
"Ah . . . well. Much as I'd looked forward to a refreshing dip, I'm afraid the coolness of the water might aggravate some of my old battle wounds. Wouldn't want to stiffen up at a crucial moment."
He turned to Leahn. "That's the price we old soldiers must pay. But don't let it stop you, my dear. You go ahead and jump right in. I'll hold your tunic."
Leahn had removed her boots and gauntlets but still wore the long shirt. She smiled at the four men. "Thanks, Commodore, but my tunic and I can both use a wash." She arched gracefully out over the still water and splashed in at a shallow angle. Even after she came to the surface, Ohan found it difficult to start breathing again. He looked anxiously around for signs of anything else in the pool.
"You guys are really missing it," Leahn shouted, her voice echoing from the walls around them. "I'll go down and see if I can find the bottom for you, Commodore." With that, she kicked her feet and slid beneath the surface, a white shadow strangely distorted by the ripples she had stirred, growing smaller and darker as she descended.
"Alexander's really going to be mad he missed this," the old man said admiringly. "She swims good as a water bug in a treepond."
"You have a honeyed tongue, my friend," the Commodore laughed as he watched Leahn rise toward the surface through a cloud of her own bubbles. "Few maidens could resist being compared to a water bug."
Leahn burst into the air with a gasp, then settled back to tread water. "It gets colder going down," she said breathlessly. "No sign of the bottom."
The Commodore had gotten to his feet. "Enjoy your swim, my dear. Tomorrow I think we should take a closer look at those three pyramids."
***
The old man was right. Alexander sulked and pouted all evening. "You gotta remember," the old man explained, "ain't much going on around here from one season to the next. When something does happen, Alexander dearly hates to miss it."
He carried on so, that Leahn
Leahn turned to the Commodore who had seated himself on the ledge, removed his boots and was sticking a toe gingerly into the water. "Ah, it's a little cooler than I anticipated. Refreshing."
He wriggled his toes and watched as he lowered them into the dark water. It was crystal clear. "Let us not, my dear, plunge into anything hastily. I'm sure a place like this has its share of legends that should not be too readily dismissed."
He turned to the old man who sat perched on a fallen rock, staring round-eyed at Leahn. "What about it, my friend? Probably tales of a hideous monster or two lurking beneath the surface, strange noises on dark night—ghosts, goblins, webbed footprints in the sand, strange lights flitting to and fro in the watery depths—all the mysterious goings on that invariably attach themselves to an unusual, not to say spooky, place like this.
"Of course a trained scientist such as myself is not influenced by that sort of local superstition but we, nonetheless, approach such areas with a certain amount of healthy caution as there is often a perfectly rational explanation underlying the local myths that grow up around such places."
He stared again at his toes and tossed in a pebble which sank slowly, turning and flashing white in the darkness to a considerable depth until it was lost from sight. "A resident family of crocodiles, for instance, could give rise to all kinds of tall tales which the prudent investigator would be wise to . . . "
"Ain't no families of nothing in there, far as I know," the old man giggled. "No monsters, no ghosts, no noises, no lights that I ever heard of. Just an old water pit's all it's ever been. And if you and that lady's going to jump into it, that's something I'd dearly love to see. I believe Alexander'd even come down to see something like that."
"Would you like me to hold your coat, Commodore?" Elor asked helpfully.
"Ah . . . well. Much as I'd looked forward to a refreshing dip, I'm afraid the coolness of the water might aggravate some of my old battle wounds. Wouldn't want to stiffen up at a crucial moment."
He turned to Leahn. "That's the price we old soldiers must pay. But don't let it stop you, my dear. You go ahead and jump right in. I'll hold your tunic."
Leahn had removed her boots and gauntlets but still wore the long shirt. She smiled at the four men. "Thanks, Commodore, but my tunic and I can both use a wash." She arched gracefully out over the still water and splashed in at a shallow angle. Even after she came to the surface, Ohan found it difficult to start breathing again. He looked anxiously around for signs of anything else in the pool.
"You guys are really missing it," Leahn shouted, her voice echoing from the walls around them. "I'll go down and see if I can find the bottom for you, Commodore." With that, she kicked her feet and slid beneath the surface, a white shadow strangely distorted by the ripples she had stirred, growing smaller and darker as she descended.
"Alexander's really going to be mad he missed this," the old man said admiringly. "She swims good as a water bug in a treepond."
"You have a honeyed tongue, my friend," the Commodore laughed as he watched Leahn rise toward the surface through a cloud of her own bubbles. "Few maidens could resist being compared to a water bug."
Leahn burst into the air with a gasp, then settled back to tread water. "It gets colder going down," she said breathlessly. "No sign of the bottom."
The Commodore had gotten to his feet. "Enjoy your swim, my dear. Tomorrow I think we should take a closer look at those three pyramids."
***
The old man was right. Alexander sulked and pouted all evening. "You gotta remember," the old man explained, "ain't much going on around here from one season to the next. When something does happen, Alexander dearly hates to miss it."
He carried on so, that Leahn
Similar Books
