Shepherd by Piers Anthony Read Free Book Online

would gladly tell her. But what was this other thing he might risk? He did not take her for a deliberate tease despite her actions. She surely had something in mind.
    Unsatisfied, he finally drifted off to sleep himself, still holding her hand.

Chapter 5:
    Travel
    In the morning they resumed their trek. “As we get closer, the challenges get worse, for the sheep,” Elen said. “We will need your ingenuity.”
    “I haven't shown much of that yet.”
    “You will.”
    The forest path opened onto a broad orange plain. “Here there be dire wolves,” Elen said. “They are large and fierce, and have been known to attack sheep, overwhelming them by sheer numbers and mass. They take some losses, yes, but merely eat their fallen pack-mates.”
    “If the sheep can't stop them, how can I?”
    “Men know how to handle fire. That's enough to make the difference.”
    Ah. “I'll make torches.”
    They set to work gathering torch materials while the sheep nibbled cautiously at the edge of the plain, ready to retreat into the protective woods at need. Shep was in one sense relieved to learn that the sheep were not proof against every threat. But that relief was token, while his nervousness was larger. If the sheep could not handle this crossing even with precognition, it must be formidable indeed.
    Soon they they had about eight torches. Shep judged that each would burn about fifteen minutes, and they would use two at a time, so they had enough for a crossing lasting one hour. Would that suffice?
    The sheep assembled at the fringe of the plain, ready to cross. It seemed that eight torches were enough. Shep struck a spark from the flint in his pack, and ignited a small fire in the dry grass at his feet. He lit a torch and gave it to Elen, then lit another for himself before stomping out the fire.
    They moved out. There was no sign of any opposition. But the wolves would surely come once the party was in too deep to retreat. That gave him an idea. “Elen, douse your torch. We'll save it until we need it. We might need the extra time.”
    “The sheep indicate we have enough.”
    “They may have allowed for my economy.”
    Elen nodded. She put her torch down to the ground and twisted it in the sand until it snuffed out.
    Python came in close to the sheep. That was an indication that she sensed danger. Vulture, riding one of the sheep, spread her wings and flew in low circles above them. Then, abruptly, she descended, resuming her ride. That was her indication of immediate danger.
    “Light your torch,” Shep told Elen grimly.
    She crossed to him and touched her torch to his. At that moment the plain erupted with howling bodies. The dire wolves did not charge in from a distance; they had been lying in ambush, and now surrounded the party.
    “Distract them enough so that they can't coordinate their attack on the sheep,” Shep said, changing the nearest shape. It was a wolf the size of a pony, heading toward the sheep. Shep ran at it with torch extended, catching it on the flank. The wolf howled in pain and jerked away. Right into the shoulder of a sheep. Blood flowed as the knife stabbed the wolf's side. So the sheep were not defenseless against these predators, merely overwhelmed—if he failed to do his job. The sheep trusted him.
    Shep whirled on the next wolf, striking at its open mouth. It bit reflexively on the torch—and really howled as its mouth got burned.
    Another wolf tried to sneak in behind the sheep. Suddenly Python was there, catching the wolf by the nose and flinging coils around it. The wolf howled and retreated, and Python let it go. But the wolf had been badly bitten; it was out of the fray.
    Thereafter the wolves were more careful, but hardly finished. They merely got smarter, seeking better opportunities.
    Vulture took off and hovered clumsily above the flock.
    Two more wolves came after the hindmost sheep. Python struck again, taking the wolf's nose in her mouth and biting so it hurt. But the second wolf went