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.Near the end of the second day, the glitter of sunlight hinted at a large bodyof water on their left."The lagoon of the bulls," said Yan."Bulls?" asked Pierrette."And cows also?""Of course.But not milk cows that suffer man to pull their teats or decidewho mounts them.Such cows are lucky to be undesirable, because they remainfree.The bulls.that's a different story, for men desire them." Heshrugged."But many bulls are born, and only one is needed to quicken a herd."file:///K|/eMule/Incoming/Douglas,%20L%20Warren%20-%2.Sacred%20Pool%20(.html.jpg%20v3.0)/0671319566__27.htm (4 of 21)2-1-2007 14:08:02- Chapter 27Pierrette pressed him to explain."Herakles passed through Camargue, driving Geryon's red cattle.He allowed hiscows to breed with fierce black Camargue bulls.The fame of Camarguebloodlines spread." Romans sought bulls for their arenas, for though small,they were quick and intelligent, and many a lion and man were skewered ontheir lyre-shaped horns, even in Rome itself."I hope we'll see them," said Pierrette.* * *Elsewhere, over the high, forested country of the central massif, a great birdflew southward on black-and-white wings.Reaching the confluence of the Rhodanus and the Druentia itturned eastward.Such a course, had anyone noted it, would have seemedunusual, for storks migrated south in September, notPage 195 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlMay.They mated and nested in the Camargue.Why would a stork fly towardMassalia? And why would it carry in its long bill a vellum scroll tied with ared silk ribbon?Its route took it over the long, white scarp where Marius defeated theTeutons, then over the valley of the Holy Balm, Magdalen's resting place, andat last came in view of the red scarps of the Eagle's Beak.Had Minho of the Isles not possessed a stork's bill instead of lips, he wouldhave smiled: Ansulim had been homesick indeed; his home's portico was notunlike the colonnade of Minho's palace, or his brother's, in Crete thatlong-abandoned edifice called the Labyrinth.He circled on broad, outstretched wings, and landed atop a parapet, amusedthat while it had been sunset a few moments before, now here it was high noon.The boy had learned a trick or two, he reflected.He himself could scarcely bind time more effectively than his student haddone though the FortunateIsles were of greater extent than this small keep.The king sent tendrils of thought seeking his erstwhile pupil.He wassurprised to spot him miles to the west.As soon as Minho found him, Anselm knew.He abandoned his half-built cairn,and hurried homeward.Minho waited patiently if a bit sadly, for lost youth was nothing if notsad and at last heard the clatter of the aged boy's sandals upon the steepstone stairs."Master!" Anselm cried.Then: "Master?" The tall shape was still a stork.While an unseasonal stork was unusual, the presence of the King of the Isleswithin the flowing river of time, was.impossible.There was no sayingwhat havoc it might have wrought with the world."Master, is it truly you?"file:///K|/eMule/Incoming/Douglas,%20L%20Warren%20-%2.Sacred%20Pool%20(.html.jpg%20v3.0)/0671319566__27.htm (5 of 21)2-1-2007 14:08:02- Chapter 27Minho did not like reunions with boys no longer young.He did not enjoy theguilt.He could only free poor Ansulim from the geas that had held him butthen there was the fresh guilt of commanding him to one final task.As astork, he could not speak aloud, but Anselm heard him.* * *"You must not fail this time," said the king, when he had given hisinstructions.Anselm looked up from his perusal of the scroll.When he had first unrolledit, he had found another rolled inside."That one is not for you," said theking."You must give it to the scholar ibn Saul." Anselm stuck the scrolls inhis sash."This is a formidable task, Master," he said, wrinkling his forehead, "but atleast it's not like the last one you gave me absolutely foredoomed.Thisrequires only the active cooperation of an ignorant fisherman, a Christianpriest, and an atheistic scholar."Ah! The poor aged boy.Guilt lay leaden in his stork's gut.How could he flywithout ridding himself of it? He sighed (silently, of course, for storks didnot express themselves so) and said "Ahribad ne poharta, merati haralmer akkarimad."Anselm looked confused.What tongue was that? It sounded only vaguely Minoan."It's a spell from my remote ancestor," said the king."Once our people livedin bands like seals.They could no more build cities than can wolves.Selfishness, diverse interests, and conflicting behaviors prevented them fromsharing tasks like building walls and bastions, or digging canals to irrigatefields.This spell freed men to join in cooperative effort
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