The Man Who Loved Mars Anthology by Lin Carter

Author:Lin Carter [carter, Lin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Sci Fi & Fantasy
Publisher: Custom Book
Published: 2022-05-31T23:00:00+00:00

It was a long climb to the top of the crater wall, but they made it without too much trouble. Something in the air of the Valley had filled them with energy. They felt, all of them, years younger and far more vital and vigorous. Their strength and endurance and their ability to resist fatigue seemed extraordinary, even to themselves.

Perhaps it was due to the Pool of Eternity. Perhaps some of its vital energies leaked into the very air of the Valley, charging all who breathed thereof with renewed vigor and stamina.

They did not know how else to explain it; but they were aware of the freshness and strength that welled up within them as they climbed. The task should have left them trembling with exhaustion, but it . did not. And they reached the rim of the crater tired and aching, but not overly so.

The shock of emerging from the unnatural warmth and humidity of the oxygen-rich atmosphere of Ophar into the cold, dry air of Mars took its toll on all of them, however. Inga and Zerild had to rest, panting and shivering, while their bodies slowly adapted to the abrupt change. Even Thaklar found some difficulty in adjusting. They lay there, gasping for breath, pulses drumming, looking down into the crater. From this height the illusion was complete and the falsity of the mirage was thoroughly in-detectable. They could have sworn the bottom of the crater was only a barren desert plain littered by crumbling boulders.

The Valley, it seemed, would protect its secret for ages more….

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