Read The Warlock Rock for Free Online Page B
Authors: Christopher Stasheff
stopped stock-still, struck by the idea. "Not a bad idea, Delia. The music's been around this neighborhood for at least seventy-eight hours; the local peasants must have heard it. They sure wouldn't doubt their own ears. Yes, they'd believe in the music-rocks more strongly."
"There are a greater number of rocks, too," Gregory noted.
"That would certainly increase the overall ambience," Fess agreed.
"Especially," said Gwen, "if thou art between two rocks."
"Yet how can one not be, when there are so many?" Magnus asked. The trees opened out into a large clearing, and the children stared at the sight that met their eyes. "Fess," asked Magnus, "what is that slanted slab of rock that doth stand upright on its edge?"
"The angle," Fess said slowly, "is that of the sun at midday. Can you not tell me?"
"It is a gnomon—the 'hand' of a sundial, that doth cast its shadow on the number of the hour of the day." Fess nodded with satisfaction. "You did know it."
"Then there should be numbers on the ground about it," Gregory said.
"Why, so there are!" Cordelia said, astonished. "Yet they are so huge that I did not recognize them. And made of flowers! Oh! How pretty!"
"Why, thank you," someone said.
"Not thee, horseface," Geoffrey said, glancing up with absent-minded scorn, then back at the huge sundial—and spun about, eyes wide and staring. " 'Tis a rocking horse!" Page 28
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"That talks ?" Rod asked, amazed.
"Certes I do talk. Dost not thou?"
"I have heard that aforetime," Magnus muttered.
"Small wonder, son," Gwen assured him. "It, too, must needs be made of witch-moss."
"The ingenuity of these psionic crafters astounds me," Fess murmured. The horse rocked gently in time to the music of the rocks—or was the music coming from the toy itself?
.
"What dost thou here?" Cordelia skipped up to the horse, hands behind her back. Her brothers glanced at one another; they knew her techniques.
"I do seek to grow," answered the rocking horse. "Dost not thou?"
"Aye, yet I did not know a thing of wood could gain."
"Why, a tree doth, and 'tis a thing of wood. Wherefore may not I?"
"For that thou dost lack roots," Gregory answered reasonably.
"Thou dost, also. Yet I have arcs of wood beneath mine hooves, which can gain nourishment from the grass I rock on. The more I rock, the more I grow."
Gwen glanced down at his rockers. "Small wonder; thou dost rock upon a patch of witch-moss."
"I think he may also gain from the beliefs of the latent projectives around him," Fess murmured.
"Didst thou not tell me that nigh onto all the folk of Gramarye may be latent witch-folk of one sort or another?" Magnus asked.
"'Espers,' son," Rod corrected. "You're old enough to use the more technical term, now."
"Yes, I did say exactly that," Fess confirmed. "I have calculated such a saturation, based on the assumed proportion of the original colonists who had latent psionic powers. That is, however, only an assumption. We would need to check the character-profiles of all of them most carefully, to determine whether or not there is any basis for that assumption."
Gregory's eyes lost focus in a particularly dreamy look.
"The things of witch-moss grow," Magnus pointed out. "That is evidence of a sort for thy conjecture."
"Yes, but scarcely conclusive. I would not yet develop it as an hypothesis."
"What wilt thou be when thou art grown?" Cordelia asked the oversized toy.
"A rock horse," the equine answered.
Page 29
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Geoffrey frowned. "If that is what thou wouldst wish to become, then what wouldst thou term thyself now?"
"Oh, I am but a hobby," the rocking horse answered. "When I am grown, I shall be a career rocker!"
"Thou shalt career about on only two rockers?"
"Nay! Regard my fetlocks!"
The family looked, and saw large, brightly painted wheels attached just above the arcs of wood.
"I
"There are a greater number of rocks, too," Gregory noted.
"That would certainly increase the overall ambience," Fess agreed.
"Especially," said Gwen, "if thou art between two rocks."
"Yet how can one not be, when there are so many?" Magnus asked. The trees opened out into a large clearing, and the children stared at the sight that met their eyes. "Fess," asked Magnus, "what is that slanted slab of rock that doth stand upright on its edge?"
"The angle," Fess said slowly, "is that of the sun at midday. Can you not tell me?"
"It is a gnomon—the 'hand' of a sundial, that doth cast its shadow on the number of the hour of the day." Fess nodded with satisfaction. "You did know it."
"Then there should be numbers on the ground about it," Gregory said.
"Why, so there are!" Cordelia said, astonished. "Yet they are so huge that I did not recognize them. And made of flowers! Oh! How pretty!"
"Why, thank you," someone said.
"Not thee, horseface," Geoffrey said, glancing up with absent-minded scorn, then back at the huge sundial—and spun about, eyes wide and staring. " 'Tis a rocking horse!" Page 28
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
"That talks ?" Rod asked, amazed.
"Certes I do talk. Dost not thou?"
"I have heard that aforetime," Magnus muttered.
"Small wonder, son," Gwen assured him. "It, too, must needs be made of witch-moss."
"The ingenuity of these psionic crafters astounds me," Fess murmured. The horse rocked gently in time to the music of the rocks—or was the music coming from the toy itself?
.
"What dost thou here?" Cordelia skipped up to the horse, hands behind her back. Her brothers glanced at one another; they knew her techniques.
"I do seek to grow," answered the rocking horse. "Dost not thou?"
"Aye, yet I did not know a thing of wood could gain."
"Why, a tree doth, and 'tis a thing of wood. Wherefore may not I?"
"For that thou dost lack roots," Gregory answered reasonably.
"Thou dost, also. Yet I have arcs of wood beneath mine hooves, which can gain nourishment from the grass I rock on. The more I rock, the more I grow."
Gwen glanced down at his rockers. "Small wonder; thou dost rock upon a patch of witch-moss."
"I think he may also gain from the beliefs of the latent projectives around him," Fess murmured.
"Didst thou not tell me that nigh onto all the folk of Gramarye may be latent witch-folk of one sort or another?" Magnus asked.
"'Espers,' son," Rod corrected. "You're old enough to use the more technical term, now."
"Yes, I did say exactly that," Fess confirmed. "I have calculated such a saturation, based on the assumed proportion of the original colonists who had latent psionic powers. That is, however, only an assumption. We would need to check the character-profiles of all of them most carefully, to determine whether or not there is any basis for that assumption."
Gregory's eyes lost focus in a particularly dreamy look.
"The things of witch-moss grow," Magnus pointed out. "That is evidence of a sort for thy conjecture."
"Yes, but scarcely conclusive. I would not yet develop it as an hypothesis."
"What wilt thou be when thou art grown?" Cordelia asked the oversized toy.
"A rock horse," the equine answered.
Page 29
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
Geoffrey frowned. "If that is what thou wouldst wish to become, then what wouldst thou term thyself now?"
"Oh, I am but a hobby," the rocking horse answered. "When I am grown, I shall be a career rocker!"
"Thou shalt career about on only two rockers?"
"Nay! Regard my fetlocks!"
The family looked, and saw large, brightly painted wheels attached just above the arcs of wood.
"I
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