Relieved at not having to go with Ringg, he followed the captain,
falling into step beside him. They moved in silence, along the smooth
stone path.
"The crystal creatures made this road," Vorongil said at last. "I think
they read minds a little. There used to be a very messy, rocky desert
here, and we used to have to scrabble and scratch our way to the
monument. Then one day a ship--not mine--touched down and discovered
that there was a beautiful smooth road leading up to the monument. And
the lichens never touch that stone--but you probably had all this in
school. Excited, Bartol?"
"No--no, sir. Why?"
"Eyes look a bit odd. But who could blame you for being excited? I never
come here without remembering Rhazon and his crew on that long jump. The
longest any Lhari captain ever made. A blind leap in the dark, remember,
Bartol. Through the dark, through the void, with his own crew cursing
him for taking the chance! No one had ever crossed between galaxies--and
remember, they were using the Ancient Math!"
He paused, and Bart said through a catch of breath. "Quite an
achievement." His badge still looked reassuringly yellow.
"You young people have no sense of wonder," Vorongil said. "Not that I
blame you. You can't realize what it was like in those days. Oh, we'd
had star-travel for centuries, we were beginning to stagnate. And now
look at us! Oh, they derided Rhazon--said that even if he did find
anyone, any other race, they'd be monsters with whom we could never
communicate. But here we have a whole new galaxy for peaceful trade, a
new mathematics that takes all the hazard out of space travel, our
Mentorian friends and allies." He smiled. "Don't tell the High Council
on me, but I think they deserve a lot more credit than most Lhari care
to give them. Between ourselves, I think the next Panarch may see it
that way."
Vorongil paused. "Here's the monument."
It lay between the crystal columns, tall, of pale blue sandstone, with
letters in deep shadow of such contrast that the Lhari could read them:
a high, sheer, imposing stele. Vorongil read the words slowly aloud in
the musical Lhari language: "'Here, with thanks to Those who Watch the Great Night, I, Rhazon of
Nedrun, raise a stone of memory. Here we first do touch the new worlds.
Let us never again fear to face the unknown, trusting that the Mind of
All Knowledge still has many surprises in store for all the living.' "I think I admire courage more than anything there is, Bartol. Who else
could have dared it? Doesn't it make you proud to be a Lhari?"