The House of Yeel - By Michael McCloskey Page 0,18

saw. So much so Jymoor found herself a bit strained to listen. Yet she could say nothing to silence the Great Yeel. She would just have to suffer his foibles.

They came to another rocky outcropping jutting up through the trees. The rocks formed a sheltered spot with a dry clearing between them. The trees hugged the formations as if trying to embrace the stone, forming a leafy ceiling to the area.

“I found it! I spent a night here on my journey out to the Far Coast!” Jymoor said. “I was having trouble keeping to my old path, because I can’t see any landmarks in the dark.”

“You slept out here? On those rocks? I thought your culture encouraged sleeping in shelter, inside those crude dwellings you construct,” Yeel said. “Ah, but of course. You don’t have any means of…of course. I think now you slept here because you had no choice!”

“Uh, yes. Well, this was the best spot in the area. I’ve grown tired, my lord,” Jymoor said. “Could we perhaps break camp here, and seek some rest? You must be tired as well…or do your powers keep you strong?”

“We can rest if you wish. My, ah, powers keep me from needing any sleep. But I comprehend your need for recharging your mental agents. A necessary part of your biology. We all have our natural strengths and weaknesses. Classify sleep under the weaknesses.”

Avorn grunted. He wandered the perimeter of the clearing, as if assessing it on his own terms.

Jymoor sat down and began to unload her sleeping pack. “I’ll set up camp here, then,” she said. “This little niche will make it easier to stay warm and safe.”

Yeel watched Jymoor for a moment.

“I can understand your desire to sleep under the stars, at peace with nature, but what of the dangers you spoke of? Wouldn’t it be wiser to seek real shelter for the night?”

“That would be the best option, but we’re far from civilization,” Jymoor said. “We must make do with what we have. I realize, my lord, that you’re probably used to the amenities of your palace, but we will have none of that on the hard road we travel.”

“Why’s that? We could simply stop in at my house for the night,” Yeel suggested. “No need to create a fire or risk the nocturnal predators. Your nose is not producing enough mucus to protect you from the shadow scorpions you mentioned, I feel. Of course, I’ll defer to your judgment. I’m prepared to withstand the elements if you deem it necessary. Wait. Is it some kind of bonding ritual?”

“What? How?” Jymoor stammered. “We can’t head back now.”

“I couldn’t hope to achieve great missions without the resources provided by my domicile! We have to have food, equipment, chemical agents, and a place to shelter. It only makes sense that we should pop back in from time to time. I can only carry so many artifacts on my person at once.”

Yeel reached for his belt and freed his roveportal. Placing the device upon the ground before him, he spoke the command word.

“Nibleetzak!”

The tiny device hummed and a rod of light rose just higher than Yeel’s head. A two dimensional doorway opened in thin air, displaying a view of Yeel’s water chamber.

“Here we are! Won’t you join me? Or did you find my guest chamber to be inadequate? I could send some supplies out if you’d rather stay here.”

“My lord! I’d underestimated your powers. I’d heard the stories, of course, but I never realized. You can bring us back to your house? That’s fantastic. Why are we traveling at all? Perhaps you should simply have used magic to take us to my homeland!”

“Ah, well. I don’t have that particular magic. The roveportal is a very ancient artifact that I’ve mastered that allows me to return home from time to time, but I can’t go just anywhere, you understand. The portal goes with me. I have to carry it to your nation of Riken.”

“I see,” Jymoor said.

“You see? Ah, you understand. I see. Ha! A joke! You see, I see you see! Ha!”

Jymoor nodded politely. “Very funny,” she assured Yeel, but she did not laugh.

“That reminds me, I’ll keep an eye on the portal while we’re gone,” Yeel said, dropping something small on the ground. “If something comes along we’ll want to be aware of it. Most creatures instinctively fear the portal but you never know what awful monster might be lurking about. The Far Coast is a dangerous place, much worse than