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Clans.
"The Guardian is slain!"
Nelson, turning to drag Kree's body ashore, felt his heart check as he saw why the
between
firelight was suddenly brighter now. The forest them and their firebreak was a wall
of flame, marching southward toward them.
"Our backfire has jumped the gap while we fought here!" he cried. "We can't stop it
now-Vruun is doomed!"
Chapter XVI
THE CAVERN OF CREATION
Nelson now realized with tragic clarity the simple and effective strategy that Nick Sloan
had used. Seeing them building a defense against the sweep of fire, Sloan had callously
sent Humanite warriors in to a landing he knew could not succeed to draw them away from
their fight against the flames.
And the strategy had worked. The fire had overrun their line of defense and was now
moving on the wings of the wind toward Vruun.
"We can't hold that fire now!" Nelson cried. "It will be into Vruun in an hour. Pull back!"
Retreat was a lesson the Clans had never learned. Wild with battle-excitement, they
would have refused to retreat now had it not been for the wall of flame sweeping toward
them.
Tark sent out his thought-cry. "Back to Vruun, Clan-brothers! We must get all out of the
city before the fire reaches it!"
From out in the river a submachine-gun started hammering at them as they drew back
from the water.
A stallion crashed down, a tiger screamed in rage and pain. Nelson, having lifted Kree's
body across the back of Hatha, led the way through the forest.
Great scorching winds howled and whooped about them and flung blinding smoke to
impede their way. The steady crackling of the sky-high wall of flame behind them had grown
to an ominous roar.
138
THE CAVERN OF CREATION
139
Nelson felt rage and hatred equal to those of the Clans about him as he stumbled with
them through the smoke toward Vruun. He knew that Nick Sloan would coolly bring his
forces on down the river just behind the fire, following it in complete safety. And Sloan could
wait, smiling, while the people of Vruun died amid the flaming trees.
"Hurry!" cried Nelson. "Hurry!"
The southern edges of the city were crowded. All those who had been left behind had
come there to watch the doom that rolled toward them down the reddened sky-the females,
the old, the very young. The winding forest-avenues were choked with them.
As the returning Clans swept into Vruun, scorched and bloody and raging with defeat,
from all sides the anxious question came.
"What word? Is the fire stopped?"
Then they saw Hatha and the burden he carried and it seemed to Nelson that the whole
city gave one great cry of woe and was silent. Nsharra was waiting for them outside the Hall
of Clans, and Nelson saw from her face that word of Kree's death had reached her.
She flung her mantle on the grass. She said to Nelson, "Lay my father here under the
trees."
As he did so, he heard the thought of the Clan-leaders to Nsharra. "You inherit the
Guardianship now!"
She took the weight of duty on her slim shoulders. "What is the word?"
Nelson told her rapidly. "You must get every living thing out of Vruun," he finished. "The
fire will be in these forest-streets in less than an hour."
Nsharra showed no sign of fear. She turned to the leaders.
"Lead your Clans to the northern hills, up beneath the mountains!"
THE VALLEY OF CREATION
140
Quorr growled. "Let the females and the young go. We stay to fight!"
"Fight what?" Nelson demanded. "The flames?"
He whirled and pointed to the southern sky. Crimson and cruel it lowered over them and
already the flickering glare was lighting the streets of Vruun.
"Will your Clan pull that down with their claws, Quorr?"
Tark's thought was furious. "But to run away like cubs, with our tails between our legs-!"
"So that you'll live to fight later!" Nelson told him. "When the ashes cool the Clans can
come down from the hills and attack the Humanites again!"
"He is right, Tark!" Nsharra supported. "Go now and spread the word!"
Nelson heard the cry go out by voice and thought. "North to the hills and tarry not, my
brothers!"
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