smoke and moonglow. She ran to him.
A new voice barked from the car, “Barbro, hurry!”
Christmas Landing knew day: short at this time of year, but sunlight, blue
skies, white clouds, glittering water, salt breezes in busy streets, and the
sane disorder of Eric Sherrinford’s living room.
He crossed and uncrossed his legs where he sat, puffed on his pipe as if to
make a veil, and said, “Are you certain you’re recovered? You mustn’t risk
overstrain.”
“I’m fine,” Barbro Cullen replied, though her tone was flat. “Still tired,
yes,
and showing it, no doubt. One doesn’t go through such an experience and
bounce back in a week. But I’m up and about. And to be frank, I must know
what’s happened, what’s going on, before I can settle down to regain my
full strength. Not a word of news anywhere.”
“Have you spoken to others about the matter?”
“No. I’ve simply told visitors I was too exhausted to talk. Not much of a
lie. I assumed there’s a reason for censorship.”
Sherrinford looked relieved. “Good girl. It’s at my urging. You can imagine
the sensation when this is made public. The authorities agreed they need
time to study the facts, think and debate in a calm atmosphere, have a
decent policy ready to offer voters who’re bound to become rather
hvsterical at first.” His mouth quirked slightly upward. “Furthermore, your
nerves and Jimmy’s get their chance to heal before the journalistic storm
breaks over you. How is he?”
– “Quite well. He continues pestering me for leave to go play with
his friends in the Wonderful Place. But at his age, he’ll recover-
he’ll forget.”
“He may meet them later anyhow.”
“What? We didn’t-” Barbro shifted in her chair. “I’ve forgotten too. I
hardly recall a thing from our last hours. Did you bring back any kidnapped
humans?”
“No. The shock was savage as it was, without throwing them straight into
an . . . an institution. Mistherd, who’s basically a sensible young fellow,
assured me they’d get along, at any rate as regards survival necessities,
till
arrangements can be made.” Sherrinford hesitated. “I’m not sure what the
arrangements will be. Nobody is, at our present stage. But obviously they
include those people-or many of them, especially those who aren’t full-
grown -rejoining the human race. Though they may never feel at home in
civilization. Perhaps in a way that’s best, since we will need some kind of
mutually acceptable liaison with the Dwellers.”
His impersonality soothed them both. Barbro became able to say, “Was I
too big a fool? I do remember how I yowled and beat my head on the
floor.”
“Why, no.” He considered the big woman and her pride for a few seconds
before he rose, walked over and laid a hand on her shoulder. “You’d been
lured and trapped by a skillful play on your deepest instincts, at a moment
of sheer nightmare. Afterward, as that wounded monster carried you off,
evidently another type of being came along, one that could saturate you
with close-range neuropsychic forces. On top of this, my arrival, the
sudden brutal
abolishment of every hallucination, must have been shattering. No
wonder if you cried out in pain. Before you did, you competently
got Jimmy and yourself into the bus, and you never interfered
with me.”
“What did you do?”
“Why, I drove off as fast as possible. After several hours, the
atmospherics let up sufficiently for me to call Portolondon and
insist on an emergency airlift. Not that that was vital. What chance
had the enemy to stop us? They didn’t even try-But quick trans-_
portation was certainly helpful.”
“I figured that’s what must have gone on.” Barbro caught his
glance. “No, what I meant was, how did you find us in the back-
lands?”
Sherrinford moved a little off from her. “My prisoner was my
guide. I don’t think I actually killed any of the Dwellers who’d
come to deal with me. I hope not. The car simply broke through
them, after a couple of warning shots, and afterward outpaced
them. Steel and fuel against flesh wasn’t really fair. At the cave
entrance, I did have to shoot down a few of those troll creatures.