“Yes, but–but–” She raised her face. “Take me along,” she begged.
“Haadoch? No. Impossible. The Ruadrath would see you and–”
“And what?” She knelt before him and clutched at his
“I want to say goodbye. And … and give him … what I can of a
Christian burial. Don’t you understand, lord? He’ll lie here alone
forever.”
“Let me think.” Ydwyr sat motionless and expressionless while she tried
to control her sobbing. At last he smiled, stroked her hair again, and
told her, “You may.”
She forgot to gesture gratitude. “Thank you, thank you,” she said in
ragged Anglic.
“It would not be right to forbid your giving your dead their due.
Besides, frankly, I see where it can be of help, showing the Ruadrath a
live human. I must plan what we should tell them, and you must have your
part learned before morning. Can you do that?”
“Certainly.” She lifted her chin. “Afterward, yes, I will work for
Merseia.”
“Give no rash promises; yet I hope you will join our cause. That
fugitive talent you have for making others want what you want–did you
use it on me?’ Ydwyr blocked her denial with a lifted palm. “Hold. I
realize you’d attempt no mind-intrusion consciously. But
unconsciously–Khraich, I don’t suppose it makes any difference in this
case. Go to your quarters, Djana daughter. Get some rest. I will be
summoning you in a few hours.”
XVIII
—–
Where their ranges overlapped, Domrath and Ruadrath normally had no
particular relationship. The former tended to regard the latter as
supernatural; the latter, having had chances to examine hibemator dens,
looked more matter-of-factly on the former. Most Domrath left Ruadrath
things strictly undisturbed–after trespassing groups had been decimated
in their sleep–whereas the Ruadrath found no utility in the primitive
Domrath artifacts. The majority of their own societies were
chalcolithic.
But around Seething Springs–Ktha-g-thek, Wirrda’s–a pattern of
mutuality had developed. Its origins were lost in myth. Ydwyr had
speculated that once an unusual sequence of weather caused the pack to
arrive here while the tribe was still awake. The Ruadrath allowed
summertime use of their sturdy buildings, fine tools, and intricate
decorations, provided that the users were careful and left abundant
food, hides, fabrics, and similar payment. To the Domrath, this had
become the keystone of their religion. The Ruadrath had found ceremonial
objects and deduced as much. It made Wirrda’s a proud band.
Flandry discovered he could play on that as readily as on territorial
instinct. You may admit the skyswimmers can do tricks you can’t.
Nevertheless, when you are accustomed to being a god, you will resent
their not having told you about the real situation in heaven.
Rrinn and his councilors were soon persuaded to carry out the human’s
suggestion: Send an obscurely worded message, which Flandry helped
compose. Keep back the fact that he was alive. Have nearly everyone go
to the hinterland during the time the Merseians were expected; they
could do nothing against firearms, and a youngster might happen to give
the show away.
Thus the village lay silent when the airbus appeared.
Domed with the snow that paved the spiderweb passages between them,
buildings looked dwarfed. The winter sky was so huge and blue, the
treeless winter horizon so remote. Steam from the springs and geysers
dazzled Flandry when he glimpsed it, ungoggled; for a minute residual
light-spots hid the whitened mass of Mt. Thunderbelow and die glacier
gleam on the Hell-kettle peaks. Fast condensing out, vapors no longer
smoked above the Neverfreeze River. But its rushing rang loud in today’s
ice quiet.
A lookout yelled, “Trreeann!” Flandry had learned that call. He peered
upward and southward, located the glinting speck, and sprang into the
house where he was to hide.
Its door had been left open, the entrance covered by a leather
curtain–an ordinary practice which should not draw any Merseian heed.
Within, among the strewn furs and stacked utensils of a prosperous
owner, sunbeams straggled past cracks in the shutters to pick out of
dimness the arsenal Flandry had taken from the vehicle he stole. He
carried two handguns, blaster and stunner, plus a war knife, extra
ammunition, and energy charges. That was about the practical limit. The