Burton said, “Aah!”
” ‘Do you remember that, Kazz?’
” ‘No.’
” ‘Of course not. I told you not to remember that. But I now tell you to remember it. Do you remember it, Kazz?’ ”
A silence of about twenty seconds followed. Then the Neanderthal said, ” ‘Yes, I remember now.’
‘ “Very good, Kazz. Now, forget it again, though what I told you then still is a command. Isn’t that right?’
” ‘Yes, that’s right.’
” ‘Now, Kazz. Has Burton ever said anything to you about this Ethical? Or about anyone, man or woman, who claimed to be one of those who brought us back from the dead?’
” ‘No, Burton-naq never told me anything like that.’
‘ “But if, in the future, he does tell .you, you will come to me at once and tell me. You will only do this, however, when no one else is around. Where no one can overhear us. Do you understand that?’
” ‘Yes, I understand.’
‘ “If for some reason I am not available, if you cannot get hold of me because I am dead or gone on a journey, you will tell Peter Frigate or Lev Ruach, instead of me. Do you understand?’ ”
Burton said, in a low voice, “Ruach, too!”
” ‘Yes, I understand. I will tell Peter Frigate or Lev Ruach instead of you.’
” ‘And you will tell them only when no one is around, where no one else can overhear you two. Understand?’
” ‘Yes, I understand.’
‘ “And you will not tell anyone else about this, you will only tell Frigate, Ruach, or myself. Understand?’
” ‘Yes, I understand.’
” ‘Very good, Kazz. That’s fine. We will go now, and when I snap my fingers twice, you will not remember this or the first time. Understand?’
” ‘Yes, I understand.’
” ‘Kazz, you will also . . . oh, oh! Someone’s calling for us! No time for an excuse now. Let’s go!’ ”
Burton had to guess what this last remark meant. Monat must have been about to tell Kazz what he should say if anyone asked him what the conversation had been about. That was a lucky break for Burton. If Kazz had had a reasonable story, then Burton would never have become suspicious.
26
Burton said, Sit down, Kazz. make yourself comfortable. You sit there for a minute. I’m leaving. Monat will be coming in, and he will talk to you.”
“I understand.”
Burton walked out of the hut and stood for a minute. He should have posed as Monat when he first started the session. That might have overcome Kazz’s resistance more quickly, and Burton would not have had to resort to the trickery of the bear and Besst.
He re-entered, and said, “Hello, Kazz. How are you?”
“I’m fine, Monat. How are you?”
“Great! Very well, Kazz. I’ll take over from where your friend, Burton, left off. We’ll go back to that first time I talked to you, just after you had noticed that Frigate and I had no marks on our foreheads. You now remember that time, Kazz, because I, Monat, tell you to do so.
“You will go back to the second after you had told Monat. Are you there?”
“Yes, I am there.”
“Where are you, Monat, and Frigate?”
“We are near a grailstone.”
“What day, or night, is that?”
“I do not understand.”
“I mean, how many days was it after Resurrection Day?”
“Three days.”
“Tell me what happened after you spoke to them about the lack of the mark.”
Kazz, speaking in a monotone, described the events immediately after. Monat had said that he and Frigate wanted to speak to him privately. They had walked across the plain and gone into the hills. There, behind a giant irontree, Monat had fixed his eyes upon Kazz’s. Without the use of any mechanical devices, without even informing Kazz what he was doing, Monat had hypnotized him.
“It was as if something dark flowed from him to me, something dark and overpowering.”
Burton nodded. He had seen Monat demonstrate this power, this “animal magnetism” as it was known in Burton’s time. He was a stronger mesmerist than Burton, which was one reason why Burton had never permitted the Arcturan to attempt hypnotizing him. In fact, Burton had taken precautions against getting caught unawares by Monat. In an elaborate self-hypnosis, he had told himself that he must never allow himself to be mesmerized by Monat. However, Monat could be powerful enough to break down that command, so Burton had been extremely cautious about being alone with him.