Books In English "City Of Illusions" Ursula K. Le Guin | Page 57

a kind of grin he muttered, "What else…?"
"I don't know. You had to."
Her face was white and drawn with strain; he paid no attention to what
she said. She was too cold to rest there, and he got to his feet, pulling her
up with him. "Come on. It can't be much farther to the river."
But it was much farther. She had come to his tent after some hours of
darkness, as he thought of it—there was a word for hours in the Forest
tongue, though its meaning was imprecise and qualitative, since a people
without business and communication across time and space have no use
for timepieces—and the winter night had still a long time to run. They
went on, and the night went on.
As the first gray began to leaven the whirling black snowrubble of the
storm they struggled down a slope of frozen tangled grass and shrubs. A
mighty groaning bulk rose up straight in front of Falk and plunged off into
the snow. Somewhere nearby they heard the snorting of another cow or
bull, and then for a minute the great creatures were all about them, white
muzzles and wild liquid eyes catching the light, the driven snow hillocky
and bulking with flanks and shaggy shoulders. Then they were through the
herd, and came down to the bank of the little river that separated
Basnasska from Samsit territory. It was fast, shallow, unfrozen. They had
to wade, the current tugging at their feet over loose stones, pulling at their
knees, icily rising till they struggled waist-deep through burning cold.
Estrel's legs gave way under her before they were clear across. Falk hauled
her up out of the water and through the ice-crusted reedbeds of the west
bank, and then again crouched down by her in blank exhaustion among the
snowmounded bushes of the overhanging shore. He switched off his
lightgun. Very faint, but very large, a stormy day was gaining on the dark.
"We have to go on, we've got to have a fire."
She did not reply.
He held her in his arms against him. Their boots and leggings and
parkas from the shoulders down were frozen stiff already. The woman's
face, bowed against his arm, was deathly white.
He spoke her name, trying to rouse her. "Estrel! Estrel, come on. We
can't stay here. We can get on a little farther. It won't be so hard. Come on,
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