held in the Stra!bo tribal hall, which was a single chamber the size of a warehouse.
The circular "building" was made of an enormous bush. As near as Ida could tell, the bush was a single plant, thousands of years old. As generations passed, the outer edge of the bush had expanded to its present enormous size, while the inner area died back, leaving bare ground—one huge bald spot. The Stra!bo had only to put a thatched roof in place to provide themselves a feasting hall.
The place was crowded with partying Stra!bo. Males and females all getting drunk on their thin (but highly alcoholic) grain beer and telling lies about what great warriors they were.
Acau/lay thumped Sten in the ribs and passed him a big foul-smelling pot. Sten took it. raised it to his lips, and smothered a gag. The pot was filled with a grayish-pink matter with large globules of stringy red floating and bubbling about.
"The drink of life," Acau/lay said by way of encouragement.
Sten contemplated his own life and liver, then sipped. The smell and flavor hit him like a missile.
"Thanks." Sten croaked to Acau/lay. and passed the pot to Doc, who looked at him with pleading in his eyes.
For a moment Sten almost sympathized. Then he remembered the mocking laughter and gave Doc a grin.
"Delicious." he said.
Doc suppressed a shudder and drank. And a remarkable thing happened: For the first time since they'd met. Sten saw Doc beam. Beam without benefit of tragedy or gore. Doc took another gulp. Nem!i. the Stra!bo chieftain, almost had to rip the pot away to enjoy his own "drink of life."
"What is that stuff?" Sten whispered.
"Blood and milk," Doc said with unseemly satisfaction. Then he smacked his lips.
"You're… smapsolute… I mean… absoluteshly… Clot it. You're right. It's delushhious."
Doc burped and grabbed the pot back from his host, Nem!i.
Guzzled the vile mixture down.
Sten was in awe. Doc was drunk. From the blood. Then he understood. As one of evolution's most perfect carnivores. Doc was in butcher's heaven. The blood was hitting him like 200-proof alcohol.
"Sm-watch schmiling at you… foul hu… hu… human?"
Doc glared at Sten and turned to Nem!i. Patted him on the knee with a tiny paw.
"Ya" know." Doc said, "you're not too… uh… bad… for a life-form. Now gimme that pot back."
* * *
"Aye, and it must be a lone life y' be livint, lass. Herdin' thae bloody great coos, wi' nae boot the wind in y'r ear ae company."
Alex placed a sympathetic hand on the tawny knee of Di!n.
one of the Stra'bo women. She patted his hand back, her palm engulfing even one of Alex's huge meat hooks. She was thanking him for his understanding.
"What is a woman to do?" she asked. "Hour after hour staring at the buttocks of beasts. Once in a doublemoon I get to practice my javelin throwing on a hungry Tsar-cat…"
She drank deeply. Wiped away a tear. She lowered her voice to a soft whisper.
"But I have dreams," she said.
Alex smiled, moved closer.
"You promise you will not laugh if I tell you?"
Alex nodded a solemn promise. Fingers tracing the knee a little higher.
"I dream that somewhere, someplace, there is a strong and handsome enemy. An enemy just for me. Who will love me and I can love in the killing."
She gave Alex a deep soulful look. Alex slowly pulled his hand away.
"Do you think." she began, then: "No. I could never ask. I am still an unblooded warrior. How could a man like you…"
Alex tried to be kind.
"Nae. lass, it cannae be. Ahm beit sorry, but we must be friends noo. Nae more."
Di!n sighed a maidenly sigh of disappointment, belched, and passed the gourd back to Alex to drink.
"Fascinating," Bet said. "Fascinating."
She politely covered a yawn. It wasn't just the beer, although beer had always made Bet sleepy. It was the beer plus her companion. Acau/lay.
The warrior Sten had defeated was the tribe's champion. And as champion, it was also his duty to be the Stra!bo historian.
Just then he was giving Bet a
The circular "building" was made of an enormous bush. As near as Ida could tell, the bush was a single plant, thousands of years old. As generations passed, the outer edge of the bush had expanded to its present enormous size, while the inner area died back, leaving bare ground—one huge bald spot. The Stra!bo had only to put a thatched roof in place to provide themselves a feasting hall.
The place was crowded with partying Stra!bo. Males and females all getting drunk on their thin (but highly alcoholic) grain beer and telling lies about what great warriors they were.
Acau/lay thumped Sten in the ribs and passed him a big foul-smelling pot. Sten took it. raised it to his lips, and smothered a gag. The pot was filled with a grayish-pink matter with large globules of stringy red floating and bubbling about.
"The drink of life," Acau/lay said by way of encouragement.
Sten contemplated his own life and liver, then sipped. The smell and flavor hit him like a missile.
"Thanks." Sten croaked to Acau/lay. and passed the pot to Doc, who looked at him with pleading in his eyes.
For a moment Sten almost sympathized. Then he remembered the mocking laughter and gave Doc a grin.
"Delicious." he said.
Doc suppressed a shudder and drank. And a remarkable thing happened: For the first time since they'd met. Sten saw Doc beam. Beam without benefit of tragedy or gore. Doc took another gulp. Nem!i. the Stra!bo chieftain, almost had to rip the pot away to enjoy his own "drink of life."
"What is that stuff?" Sten whispered.
"Blood and milk," Doc said with unseemly satisfaction. Then he smacked his lips.
"You're… smapsolute… I mean… absoluteshly… Clot it. You're right. It's delushhious."
Doc burped and grabbed the pot back from his host, Nem!i.
Guzzled the vile mixture down.
Sten was in awe. Doc was drunk. From the blood. Then he understood. As one of evolution's most perfect carnivores. Doc was in butcher's heaven. The blood was hitting him like 200-proof alcohol.
"Sm-watch schmiling at you… foul hu… hu… human?"
Doc glared at Sten and turned to Nem!i. Patted him on the knee with a tiny paw.
"Ya" know." Doc said, "you're not too… uh… bad… for a life-form. Now gimme that pot back."
* * *
"Aye, and it must be a lone life y' be livint, lass. Herdin' thae bloody great coos, wi' nae boot the wind in y'r ear ae company."
Alex placed a sympathetic hand on the tawny knee of Di!n.
one of the Stra'bo women. She patted his hand back, her palm engulfing even one of Alex's huge meat hooks. She was thanking him for his understanding.
"What is a woman to do?" she asked. "Hour after hour staring at the buttocks of beasts. Once in a doublemoon I get to practice my javelin throwing on a hungry Tsar-cat…"
She drank deeply. Wiped away a tear. She lowered her voice to a soft whisper.
"But I have dreams," she said.
Alex smiled, moved closer.
"You promise you will not laugh if I tell you?"
Alex nodded a solemn promise. Fingers tracing the knee a little higher.
"I dream that somewhere, someplace, there is a strong and handsome enemy. An enemy just for me. Who will love me and I can love in the killing."
She gave Alex a deep soulful look. Alex slowly pulled his hand away.
"Do you think." she began, then: "No. I could never ask. I am still an unblooded warrior. How could a man like you…"
Alex tried to be kind.
"Nae. lass, it cannae be. Ahm beit sorry, but we must be friends noo. Nae more."
Di!n sighed a maidenly sigh of disappointment, belched, and passed the gourd back to Alex to drink.
"Fascinating," Bet said. "Fascinating."
She politely covered a yawn. It wasn't just the beer, although beer had always made Bet sleepy. It was the beer plus her companion. Acau/lay.
The warrior Sten had defeated was the tribe's champion. And as champion, it was also his duty to be the Stra!bo historian.
Just then he was giving Bet a
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