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Still he could barely force himself to probe Apollo's memory, and then only under the pressure of
immediate need. He was unable to plunge down to the depths where he might find information
concerning his colleagues in the pantheon and the subject of godhood in general. If he could have
convinced himself that some specific, urgent need had to be met, then maybe but Jeremy wasn't sure
that he'd be able to plunge in even then.
Well, he thought, so be it then. So far the Lord Intruder seemed to be working on the plan of bringing
important matters to Jeremy's attention only when the moment had arrived to do something about them.
Well, he had to assume that one of the greatest gods in the world knew what he was doing.
And Katy was still missing. Jeremy moved on, all his senses in a heightened state of alertness. He was
trying to call up powers that he knew must be his, if he could only find the way to use them.
Goats grazing in their high, sloped pastures, some of which seemed tilted more than halfway to the
vertical, looked down over their white beards at the intrusive climbers. The beasts' eyes seemed to have
the penetrating gaze of wizards, and one reminded Jeremy irresistibly of a certain archivist he'd
encountered in the distant library.
Except for a goatherd or two, the climbers encountered no other traffic as they ascended, but certainly the
path was not overgrown. It was as if some subtle magic kept it clear. Around it, strange-looking ferns and
wildflowers grew in profusion. A swarm of ordinary bees droned somewhere in the middle distance. The
common noise had acquired a newly ominous significance, sounding a minor echo of Apollo's
vengeance.
Already it was becoming obvious that the Mountain had a great deal of the magical about it. The summit,
more crested ridge than single peak, always seemed to be only a little farther on, though perpetually out
of sight behind the bulge of the nearer slopes. And yet here, even more than on any ordinary mountain,
you could climb for hour after hour, maybe day after day, without reaching the top. Jeremy, now clinging
to the flank of the first mountain he had ever climbed in fact, it was the first the eyes of Jeremy
Redthorn had ever seen found it impossible to rid himself of the eerie feeling that he could go on
climbing for years, forever, and still never reach a point where there were no more rocks above him.
Over the last days and weeks, the phenomenon he'd first noticed in the Academy barbershop was
becoming more pronounced. According to the wondering description provided by Kate, single strands
and patches of Jeremy's hair were growing in a lustrous almost-black, matching the traditional look of
Apollo. The dark hair was slightly curly, as were his naturally red locks, a detail that somehow made the
coloring look all the more artificial.
And Jeremy's face had been ugly, or at least plain, by conventional standards or at least he had come to
think of himself that way. But it was easy to accept Katy's wondering assessment that now, over the past
few days, he was growing handsome. Of course his cheeks and chin and upper lip were still as smooth
and hairless as they'd ever been.
Fervently he wished for a really good mirror, then decided that if he had one, he'd be afraid to look into it.
Ferrante had a bad few moments when he realized that Jonathan, who'd been only an inch or two the
taller on the day they met, now overtopped him by almost a full head. Of course it was only natural for
boys of fifteen to grow.
file:///D|/Documents%20and%20Settings/harry/...The%20Face%20of%20Apollo%20(v1.1%20htm).html (138 of 221) [2/4/2004 11:11:05 PM]
Fred Saberhagen - The Book of the Gods 1 - The Face of Apollo
"But this's bloody ridiculous!"
He remembered how Katherine yesterday had noticed and commented on these changes, even before
Jeremy himself was fully aware of them. Katherine didn't begin to understand, but she knew there was
something strange about this boy, and she liked him and tried to be reassuring.
When Jeremy came upon, in one of the small mountain streams, a pool still enough to offer a coherent
reflection, he stared into it, as he had stared at his reflection in the Honeymakers' well, and knew a
sinking feeling.
Because he was changing. It didn't seem that he was going to come out looking exactly like the Dark
Youth, either more like him, yes, but his bodily proportions were not going to be so perfect, any more
than his hair was going to turn entirely black.
It wasn't only a matter of hair or of the changes that came to any boy growing into manhood. What
frightened him was that his whole face no, his whole head; no! his whole body! seemed to be growing
now according to a different pattern, trying to take on the shape of an entirely different person.
Other changes in his body were not as immediately apparent but more substantial. His muscles were no
longer merely stringy but rounding into strength. His masculinity was more heavily developed though
for the time being, at least, erotic images rarely intruded upon his thoughts, either waking or sleeping. He
supposed that might be because the Intruder of late had been concentrating upon other matters. He had
his own business to set his mind on. Yes, all roads, all thoughts, led back to the Intruder. Apparently
Jeremy Redthorn was not going to spend much time thinking about subjects in which the Lord Apollo
was not interested.
Or worrying about them, either. Thank all the gods well, thank Apollo, anyway that Jeremy's body
was developing with a great deal more classic symmetry than his face.
It was hard to remember now, but not that long ago, back around midsummer, he'd had trouble
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