Now the wind and the rain were upon him, andhe increased his pace. The fresh-lit stars were smotheredby a mass of cloud and wisps of fog grew like ghostlyfungi on either hand. He moved among trees, paused,continued on.

"Shouldn't have stayed out this late," he muttered, andafter several more pauses, "Nel mezzo del cammm dinostra vita mi ritrovai per una selva oscura, che la dirittavia era smarrita," then he chuckled, halting beneath atree.

The rain was not heavy. It was more a fine mist now.A bright patch in the lower heavens showed where themoon hung veiled.

He wiped his face, turned up his collar. He studied theposition of the moon. After a time, he struck off to hisright. There was a faint rumble of thunder in the distance.

The fog continued to grow about him as he went. Soggyleaves made squishing noises beneath bis boots. An animal of indeterminate size bolted from a clump of shrubbery beside a cluster of rocks and tore off through thedarkness.

Five minutes ... ten ... He cursed softly. The rainfall had increased in intensity. Was that the same rock?

He turned in a complete circle. All directions wereequally uninviting. Selecting one at random, he commenced walking once again.

Then, in the distance, he discerned a spark, a glow, awavering light. It vanished and reappeared periodically, asthough partly blocked, the line of sight a function of hismovements. He headed toward it. After perhaps half aminute, it was gone again from sight, but he continuedon in what he thought to be its direction. There cameanother roll of thunder, louder this time.

When it seemed that it might have been illusion orsome short-lived natural phenomenon, something else occurred in that same direction. There was a movement, ashadow-wimin-shadow shuffling at the foot of a great tree.He slowed his pace, approaching the spot cautiously.

There!

A figure detached itself from a pool of darkness aheadand to the left. Manlike, it moved with a slow and heavytread, creaking sounds emerging from the forest floor beneath it. A vagrant moonbeam touched it for a moment,and it appeared yellow and metallically slick beneathmoisture.

He halted. It seemed that he had just regarded aknight in full armor in his path. How long since he badbeheld such a sight? He shook his head and stared.

The figure had also halted. It raised its right arm in abeckoning gesture, then turned and began to walkaway. He hesitated for only a moment, then followed.

It turned off to the left and pursued a treacherous path,rocky, slippery, heading slightly downward. He actuallyused his stick now, to assure his footing, as he tracked itsdeliberate progress. He gained on it, to the point wherehe could clearly hear the metallic scraping sounds of itspassage.

Then it was gone, swallowed by a greater darkness.

He advanced to the place where he bad last beheld it.He stood in the lee of a great mass of stone. He reachedout and probed it with his stick.

He tapped steadily along its nearest surface, and thenthe stick moved past it. He followed.

There was an opening, a crevice. He had to turn sidewise to pass within it, but as he did the full glow of thelight he had seen came into sight for several seconds.

The passage curved and widened, leading him backand down. Several times, he paused and listened, butthere were no sounds other than his own breathing.

He withdrew his handkerchief and dried his face andhands carefully. He brushed moisture from his coat,turned down his collar. He scuffed the mud and leavesfrom his boots. He adjusted his apparel. Then he strodeforward, rounding a final comer, into a chamber lit bya small oil lamp suspended by three delicate chains fromsome point in the darkness overhead. The yellow knightstood unmoving beside the far wall. On a fiber mat atopa stony pedestal directly beneath the lamp lay an old manin tattered garments. His bearded face was half-maskedby shadows.

He moved to the old man's side. He saw then thatthose ancient dark eyes were open.

"Merlin ...?" he whispered.

There came a faint hissing sound, a soft croak. Realizing the source, he leaned nearer.

"Elixir ... in earthern rock ... on ledge ... in back,"came the gravelly whisper.

He turned and sought (he ledge, the container.

"Do you know where it is?" he asked the yellow figure.

It neither stirred nor replied, but stood like a displaypiece. He turned away from it then and sought further.After a time, he located it. It was more a niche than aledge, blending in with the wall, cloaked with shadow. Heran his fingertips over the container's contours, raised itgently. Something liquid stirred within it. He wiped itslip on his sleeve after he had returned to the lighted area.The wind whistled past the entranceway and he thoughthe felt the faint vibration of thunder.Sliding one hand beneath his shoulders, he raised theancient form. Merlin's eyes still seemed unfocussed. Hemoistened Merlin's lips with the liquid. The old man lickedthem, and after several moments opened his mouth. Headministered a sip, then another, and another ...

Merlin signalled for him to lower him, and he did. Heglanced again at the yellow armor, but it had remainedmotionless the entire while. He looked back at the sorceror and saw that a new light had come into his eyes and bewas studying him, smiling faintly.

"Feel better?"

Merlin nodded. A minute passed, and a touch of colorappeared upon his cheeks. He elbowed himself into a sitting position and took the container into his hands. Heraised it and drank deeply.

He sat still for several minutes after that His thinhands, which had appeared waxy in the flamelight, grewdarker, fuller. His shoulders straightened. He placed thecrock on the bed beside him and stretched his arms. Hisjoints creaked the first time he did it, but not the second.He swung his legs over the edge of the bed and rose slowlyto his feet. He was a full head shorter than Launcelot

"It is done," he said, staring back into the shadows."Much has happened, of course..."

"Much has happened," Launcelot replied.

"You have lived through it all. Tell me, is the world abetter place or is it worse than it was in those days?"

"Better in some ways, worse in others. It is different,"

"How is it better?"

"There are many ways of making life easier, and thesum total of human knowledge has increased vastly."-

"How has it worsened?"

"There are many more people in the world. Consequently, there are many more people suffering from poverty, disease, ignorance. The world itself has suffered greatdepredation, in the way of pollution and other assaults onthe integrity of nature."

"Wars?"

"There is always someone fighting, somewhere."

"They need help."

"Maybe. Maybe not.**

Merlin turned and looked into his eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"People haven't changed. They are as rational—andirrational—as they were in the old days. They are asmoral and law-abiding—and not—as ever. Many newthings have been learned, many new situations evolved,but I do not believe that the nature of man has alteredsignificantly in the time you've slept. Nothing you do isgoing to change that. You may be able to alter a fewfeatures of the times, but would it really be proper tomeddle? Everything is so interdependent today thateven you would not be able to predict all the consequencesof any actions you take. You might do more harm thangood; and whatever you do, man's nature will remainthe same."

"This isn't like you. Lance. You were never muchgiven to philosophizing in the old days.""I've had a long time to think about it.""And I've had a long time to dream about it. War isyour craft. Lance. Stay with that.*'"I gave it up a long time ago."'Then what are you now?""An appraiser."