I stiffened against the ground, my breath hissing between those fangs which were a glassia's natural weapons. A fourth man had come into sight. And his face was very clear in the flare lamps. It was Griss Sharvan!
There were no signs of his being a prisoner. He stopped beside one of the guards, watching the robos with as much interest as if he had set them to work. Had he? Was it Sharvan who had led this crew to the cache? But why? It was very hard for anyone who knew the Traders to believe that one of them could turn traitor to his kind. Their loyalty was inbred. I would have sworn by all I knew that such a betrayal was totally impossible. Yet there he stood, seemingly on excellent terms with the looters.
From time to time the robo master made adjustments on the controls. I caught a feeling of impatience from him. And when that reached my conscious attention, I thought that the weakening of my power had passed. Which meant I might just dare to discover, via mind-probe, what Sharvan did here. Settling myself to the easiest position I could find, I began probe.
Chapter Eight
KRIP VORLUND
It was very quiet; there was no thrum in the walls, no feeling of the usual safe containment which a ship gave. I opened my eyes—but not upon the walls of my cabin in the
But I was not flying now. Then how had I landed, and—
I turned to look at the second seat. There was no furred body there. And a quick survey told me that I was alone in the flitter. Yet surely Maelen could not have landed us. And the dark outside was now that of night.
It took only an instant or two to open the hatch and stumble out of the flyer. Beside me rose the
'Vorlund!' My name out of the night.
'Who's there?'
'Harkon.' A dark shadow came from the other flitter, plowed through the sand toward me.
'How did we get here?' he demanded. But I could not give him any answer to that.
There was a grating sound from the ship. I raised my head to see the ramp issue from her upper hatch like a tongue thrust out to explore. Moments later its end thudded to earth only a short distance away. But I was more intent on finding Maelen.
The sand around held no prints; I could not pick up a trail. But if the ship's ramp had been up, she could not have gone aboard. I could not imagine what would have taken her away from the flitter. Except her strange actions back in that other valley made me wonder if some influence had drawn her beyond her powers of resistance. If so, what influence, and why would it affect her more here? Also, I could not remember landing the flitter—
I flashed out a mind-seek. And an instant later I reeled back, striking against the body of the flitter I had just quitted, going to my knees, my hands against my head, unable to think clearly, gasping for breath—for—
By the time Harkon reached me I must have been very close to complete blackout. I recall only dimly being led on board the
'What—what happened?'
'You tell us,' Lukas said.
My head—I turned it a little on the pillow. That sickening wave of assaulting blackness mixed with pain ebbed.
'Maelen—she was gone. I tried to find her by mind-seek. Then—something hit—inside my head.' It was as hard now to describe the nature of that attack as it was to remember how I had come earlier to land the flitter.
'It agrees,' Lukas nodded. But what agreed with what, no one explained to me. Until he continued, 'Esper force stepped up to that degree can register as energy.' He shook his head. 'I would have said it was impossible, except on one world or another the impossible is often proved true.'
'Esper,' I repeated. My head ached now, with a degree of pain which made me rather sick. Maelen, what about her? But perhaps to try mind-seek again would bring another such attack, and that dread was realized as Lukas continued:
'Keep away from the use of that, Krip. At least until we know more of what is happening. You had such a dose of energy that you were nearly knocked out.'
'Maelen—she's gone!'
He did not quite meet my eyes then. I thought I could guess what he was thinking.
'She wasn't responsible! I know her sending—'
'Then who did?' Harkon demanded 'You stated from the start that she is highly telepathic. Well, this is being done by a telepath of unusual talent and perhaps training. And I would like to know who landed us here—since we cannot remember! Were we taken over by your animal?'
'No!' I struggled to sit up, and then doubled over, fighting the nausea and feeling of disorientation that movement caused. Lukas put something quickly to my mouth and I sucked at a tube, swallowing cool liquid which allayed the sickness.
'It was
