The Witches of Karres

captain through, and the captain watched his great uncle silently. Threbus must be somewhere in his sixties if the captain’s recollection of family records was correct, but he looked like a man of around forty and in fine shape for his age. Klatha presumably had something to do with that. During the captain’s visit at Toll’s house on Karres, he’d encountered Threbus a few times in the area and chatted with him, unaware that this affable witch was the father of Goth and her sisters or his own long-vanished kinsman. At the time Threbus had worn a beard, which he’d since removed. The captain could see that, without the beard and allowing for the difference in age, there was, as Goth had told him, considerable similarity between the two of them.

This was the morning of the third day since the Venture had landed on Emris. The night before, Threbus had suggested that he and the captain go for an off-planet run today to see how the captain would make out on the sort of standard klatha tests given witches at various stages of development. Off-planet, because they already knew he still had a decidedly disturbing effect on the klatha activities of most adult witches, simply by being anywhere near them; and it could be expected the effect would be considerably more pronounced when he was deliberately attempting to manipulate klatha energies.

Threbus folded his notes together, dropped them into the disposal box of the little ship which had brought the two of them out from Emris, and adjusted the automatic controls. He then leaned back in his chair.

“There are several positive indications,” he said. “But they tell us little we didn’t already know. You’re very good on klatha locks. A valuable quality in many circumstances. Theoretically, you should be able to block out any type of mind reader I’ve encountered or heard about, assuming you become aware of his, her, or its intentions. You have very little left to learn in that area. It’s largely a natural talent.

“Then, of course, you’re a vatch-handler. A natural quality again, though a quite unusual one. Under the emergency conditions you encountered, you seem to have developed it close to its possible peak in a remarkably short time. A genuine klatha achievement, my friend, for which we can all be thankful!

“However, vatch-handling remains a talent with limited usefulness, particularly because it’s practiced always at the risk of encountering the occasional vatch which cannot be handled. There is no way of distinguishing such entities from other vatches until the attempt to manipulate them is made — and when the attempt fails, the vatch will almost always destroy the unfortunate handler. So this ability is best kept in reserve, strictly as an emergency measure.”

“Frankly,” remarked the captain, “I’ll be happiest if I never have to have anything to do with another vatch!”

“I can hardly blame you. And the chances are good — under ordinary conditions that it will be a long time before you have more than passing contacts with another one. You’re sensitized now, of course, so you’ll be aware of the occasional presence of a vatch as you couldn’t have been formerly. But they rarely make more than a minor nuisance of themselves.

“Now I noticed various indications here that you tend to be a lucky gambler…”

The captain nodded. “I usually win a bet,” he said. “That comes natural, too, I suppose?”

“Yes, in this case. Quite generally, in fact, you have a good natural predisposition for klatha manipulation. And you are, as we already know, an exceptionally strong conductor of the energies. But aside from the two categories we’ve mentioned, you have as yet no significant conscious control of them. That’s about the size of it at present…”

The captain acknowledged it was also about what he’d expected. He had felt a minor isolated quiver or two of what might have been klatha force during the check run, but that was all.

Threbus nodded, cut out the auto controls, swung the little ship around towards Emris. “We might as well be getting back down,” he said. “I understand from Goth, incidentally, that the two of you haven’t yet made any definite arrangements for the Venture’s next enterprise.”

The captain glanced quickly over at him. This was the first indication either of Goth’s parents had given that they still had no objection to letting her travel about with him.

“No,” he said. “The Chaladoor run set us up well enough — we can look around for the job we like best now.” He cleared his throat. “I’ve been wondering though how you and Toll really felt about Goth’s deciding to stay on the Venture with me.”

“We’re not opposing it,” Goth’s father told him, “for at least two very good reasons, aside from the opinion we have of you as a person. One of the reasons is that, even now, it would be extremely difficult to keep Goth from doing whatever she really wanted to do.”

“Yes,” nodded the captain. “I see that. But—”

“The other reason,” continued Threbus, “is one Goth doesn’t know about and shouldn’t know about. Several of our most capable predictors agree she could have selected no more favorable course for herself than to remain in your company at present.”

“At present?” asked the captain.

Threbus shrugged. “Let’s say for approximately a year. Beyond that we don’t know. It’s very difficult for a predictor to be specific about individual destinies over a greater span of time — particularly when the individual in question is involved with klatha.”

“I see,” said the captain.

“No, not entirely, Pausert. Let me be frank about this. Goth’s interest in you is a good thing for her. We know that, though we don’t know precisely what part it is having in her development, in what way it will affect her future. However, you would find no probability calculator prepared to say it is a good thing for you. Your future — even of the next few months — is obscured by factors which cannot be understood. I’m not saying this means that Goth will bring you bad luck. But it might mean that. And it might be very bad luck.”

“Well, I’ll take a chance on it!” said the captain, relievedly. “The fact is I’d have missed Goth very much if she weren’t going to be around the ship any more.” He chuckled. “Of course I’m not taking her idea of getting married to me when she grows up too seriously!”

“Of course not,” said Threbus. “No more, my purblind great-nephew, than I took Toll’s ideas along those lines too seriously. Now, getting back to my original query about your plans—”

* * *

“Uh, yes…” The captain hesitated. “Well, we cleared up the disposition of the last of the Uldune cargo yesterday, and the interior repairs on the Venture should be finished in another four days. Since I’m being a problem to you people in Green Galaine, I thought we might move the ship then to some other civilized world where we can make arrangements for new commercial runs. Until I can stop being a problem, it looks as if I’ll simply have to keep away from Karres — or any place where witches are operating.”

Threbus rubbed his chin. “There’s a world named Karres,” he remarked, “but Karres isn’t that world. Neither is it an organization of witches. You might say it comes closest to being a set of attitudes, a frame of mind.”

The captain looked at him. “I don’t think I—”

“On Uldune,” continued Threbus, “you discovered a bad and very dangerous situation. It was none of your business. Involving yourself in it would mean assuming the gravest sort of responsibility. It would also mean exposing yourself and Goth to the horrendous threat of the Nuris—”

“Well, yes,” acknowledged the captain. “But we knew there was no one else around who could do it.”

“No, there wasn’t,” Threbus agreed. “Now, in making the decision you did, you revealed yourself to be a member in good standing of the community of Karres, whether you were aware of the fact or not. It isn’t a question of witchcraft. Witchcraft is a tool. There are other tools. And keeping away from a world of that name does not mean dissociating yourself from Karres. Whether you do dissociate yourself or not will again be your decision.”

The captain considered him for some seconds. “What do you want me to do?” he asked.

“As I’ve indicated, it’s a question of what you’ll want to do,” Threbus told him. “However, I might suggest various possibilities. I’ve admired your ship. It has speed, range, capacity, adequate armament. An almost perfect trader, freight and passenger carrier. You could turn it to nearly any purpose you chose.”

The captain nodded. “That was the idea.”

“Such a ship is a valuable tool,” Threbus observed. “Particularly in combination with a skipper like yourself and the touch of audacious magic which is my daughter Goth. If you were operating in the Regency of Hailie, as a start, you would find profitable standard consignments coming your way almost automatically. Along with them