At last Cho relinquished his post to a crewman and spoke. “Rest now.”
In the cabin there was no sign of the Lady Ayna. Ray put aside the shield and pulled off his sodden cloak. He saw Cho stumble to the nearest bench and half collapse against the table, leaning forward, his head on his arm.
His own head back against the wall, Ray closed his eyes. A moment earlier he had wanted nothing but sleep, to close his eyes and forget everything. But now, against the dark of his lids, he saw-trees! Rank after rank of them, towering into the sky with limbs beginning many feet above his head. Between them were shadows that flowed to and fro like the wash of restless waves. And deep inside him a faint uneasiness stirred weakly. He knew a small, faded desire to walk under those roof-high branches, deep, deeper into the shade of the trees. Somewhere within them was the gate, the rent in the fabric of time, and if he could find it, he would return
The trees grew darker and darker until trunks, branches, and restless shadows were all one and the same. And in Ray the wish to return to the gate was stilled. He slept at last.
There were five men now in the director’s office instead of two. But one of the five held the attention of all.
“I can promise you nothing, gentlemen. Psychophysics is as much of an experimental program as this `Operation Atlantis’ of yours.”
Fordham put down his pipe. “I know there’re a hundred different experimental programs in existence-”
“Put that in the thousands, and you’ll be closer to the truth,” said the first speaker.
“All right, thousands then, Dr. Burton. And, tell me this: does anyone know what’s being done-the all-over picture?”
“They have the reports-”
Fordham smiled wearily. “Who reads them? Probably several different committees. But does anyone ever try to coordinate the whole picture any more?”
“Probably not, until something such as this happens and there is a state of emergency,” the other agreed.
“Now, do I understand you right, Dr. Burton? You believe that you might have a way to influence our man to return to the point of recall-through some mental process? Always supposing Fordham does get his door-or whatever you want to call it-open again?” the man in the general’s uniform leaned forward to demand impatiently.
“Stress that word `might,’ General Colfax,” returned Burton. “We’ve had a few results that have amazed us, but it depends upon the man tested and the circumstances. There is this in our favor-this Osborne was suddenly thrust into a situation for which he was totally ‘unprepared, which would put him under immediate strain. According to his record”-he picked up the sheet of paper before him but did not glance at it, rather looked from man to man in the room-“he has had no contact at all with our type of training. However, he is said to be a `loner,’ which means he may be self-sufficient to a point, enough not to panic immediately. What he will, or did, make of his transition from here to there is anyone’s guess. We can only try to compare him with the controls we have studied.
“He may have lingered about his point of entrance, seeking a return-if he can possibly have figured out what did happen. If so, our problem is relatively easy. If he was frightened enough to run-panic-stricken then we can try the brain call. I have hopes of that because he will be unique in that time era. Therefore, always providing he had not gone too far, we can hope that a call pattern attuned as closely to the type we think he may be as we can set it will bring him back.”
“A lot of `ifs’ in all this,” commented General Colfax. “I say we would be on the safer side sending in a squad-”
“Just suppose you marched your squad through, General,” Fordham cut in, “into a wilderness such as the North American continent was perhaps four thousand years ago. Hunting one man across such country would not be easy. If Dr. Burton can call him back-”
“If again! What makes you think the country would be so different?”
“You saw the film,” Fordham replied simply. “Did that look like downstate Ohio to you? Trees such as those-”
“-take centuries to grow, I know,” Colfax replied. “And if the doctor’s gadget does not work?”
“Face it!” Hargreaves blinked bloodshot eyes. “We may never see Osborne again. He could have been dead an instant after that film was shot. We aren’t sure anyone could survive such a trip. But even if we don’t find him, we’ll have to send explorers through sooner or later. Maybe the doctor’s think-beam can help on the next try, if it doesn’t succeed with Osborne.”
“When will you be ready?” Fordham asked Burton.
“We haven’t gotten anything down to a walkie-talkie size. No, we’ll have to dismantle, transport, assemble again. I can’t honestly give you any estimate. We’ll work round the clock and cut all the corners we can. But it will be several weeks at least-”
“Several weeks,” General Colfax repeated. “I wonder what will happen to Osborne meanwhile. If he is still alive!”
6
RAY awoke and lay blinking for a moment or two, trying to hold onto something carried out of the dreams-something of importance. But already it was gone. Cho stood above him, only partly visible in the gray light that was not clear day.
“It is dawn,” said the Murian, as if that statement had some inner and important meaning.
The American arose, wincing at cramped muscles, to follow Cho to the upper deck. Fog and clouds were gone. Around them lay the sea as smooth as those restless waves might ever be. In the east the sky was rose and pale gold. But on deck lay two bundles sewn into cloaks.
Cho paused. “Han-my friend-” Then he walked to the rail. Others raised the planks on which those bundles lay. All of the crew were there, to Ray’s reckoning, standing at attention as if for review. The banner, which crackled in the wind from the ship’s mast, was now halfway down the staff.
“sea”—Cho’s voice grew stronger with each word” our heritage from ancient days, open now for these, your sons. Having performed with honor their duty, they are now at rest. Shelter their bodies while their spirits abide safe in the halls of the Sun-”
The boards tilted. Ray heard a catch of breath from the Lady Ayna. Then the rising sun turned the waves into a golden glory as the Wind Ruler sped on.
Night, or the gloom of the day before, had been in keeping with the black shadow of the raider. Ray did not know why he had expected to find it gone with this new bright morning, nor even why his surprise at seeing it still behind, just within eye limit, was so disturbing. It came no closer; perhaps it could not overtake them. But the crew of the Murian vessel continued to stand to arms and keep a wary lookout. Their conversation was broken at times by long pauses as they watched their own wake.
“It is all wrong!” Cho set both hands on the rail as he stared at that distant pursuer. “They are dead; they must be. That ship is manned by the dead!”
The Lady Ayna caught her lower lip between her teeth, as if by that pressure alone she could keep from words she would rather not utter. But Ray answered.
“You may be right; you know the powers you control. But as long as it comes no closer-” Only he felt it, too, the gnawing of nerves caused by that ever-present shadow on the sea that did not move in or give one the chance to strike back, remaining always a hovering threat, the worse for what it aroused in one’s imagination.
“Yes, as long as it does not come close-” the Lady Ayna echoed him. “And we must be near the sea gates of Mayax. Do you know, Lord Cho, I have never seen the motherland. Even as Lord Ray, I shall visit a strange country, when we harbor at the City of the Sun. Is it like unto Uighur?” She was almost chattering, trying to use words to cloak her thoughts.
Cho gallantly seconded her. He turned purposefully away from his stern watch. “It is very different. Uighur is made up of mountains and narrow valleys, but in the motherland wide fields border broad rivers. The city lies at the mouth of one such river. Sometimes at nightfall the dwellers in the courtyards take small craft and go out upon the water for their pleasure. They sing together, and the harpers play-”
The Lady Ayna sighed. “Thus, in times of peace. Yes, different from our windswept land where the horse herds run free and wild to the outposts, beyond which outlaws struggle with beast-men and devils of the Dark to keep life within their bodies-”