most peaceful
appearance. There was a family of duck-dogs fishing from the beach,
scooping their broad bills into the mud to locate water worms. And
moth birds danced in the air currents overhead. Yet Dalgard was ready
to agree with his companion--beware the easy way. They dipped their
paddles deep and cut across the river current toward the cliffs to the
north.

Two days of steady coastwise traveling brought them to a great bay.
And Dalgard gasped as the full sight of the port confronting them
burst into view.

Tiers of ledges had been cut and blasted in the native rock, extending
from the sea back into the land in a series of giant steps. Each of
them was covered with buildings, and here the ancient war had left its
mark. The rock itself had been brought to a bubbling boil and sent in
now-frozen rivers down that stairway in a half-dozen places,
overwhelming all structures in its path, and leaving crystallized
streams to reflect the sun blindingly.

"So this is your secret city!"

But Sssuri shook his round head. "This is but the sea entrance to the
country," he corrected. "Here struck the day of fire, and we need not
fear the machines which doubtless lie in wait elsewhere."

They beached the outrigger and hid it in the shell of one of the
ruined buildings on the lowest level. Dalgard sent out a questing
thought, hoping to contact a hopper or even a duck-dog. But seemingly
the ruins were bare of animal life, as was true in most of the other
towns and cities he had explored in the past. The fauna of Astra was
shy of any holding built by Those Others, no matter how long it may
have been left to the wind, and cleansing rain.

With difficulty and detours to avoid the rivers of once-molten rock,
they made their way slowly from ledge to ledge up that giant's
staircase, not stopping to explore any of the buildings as they
passed. There was a taint of alien age about the city which repelled
Dalgard, and he was eager to get out of it into the clean countryside
once more. Sssuri sped on silent feet, his shoulders hunched, his
distaste for the structures to be read in every line of his supple
body.

When they reached the top, Dalgard turned to gaze down to the restless
sea. What a prospect! Perhaps Those Others had built thus for reasons
of defense, but surely they, too, must have paused now and then to be
proud of such a feat. It was the most impressive site he had yet seen,
and his report of it would be a worthy addit