"This is the place," the Chonya said. "This is where the silver woman
came."
Shane studied the structure. It was a house--a sort of
fortress-dwelling in the ancient _Fantay_ style, set a hundred feet
from its nearest neighbor. Even in the semi-darkness of the early
Martian night it looked old, mouldering old. Light from Phobos and
Deimos, the tiny moons that raced across the sky overhead, glinted on
the bosses that studded the great iridium-alloy door, and the weathered
walls of _lyndyse_ stone rose sheer and blank and forbidding to the
second floor. Even there, the windows showed as narrow streaks of
yellow light, criss-crossed with heavy bars.
"We are not the only ones drawn by this place, _Gar_ Shane," the
_Chonya_ went on. "There was a _Malya_, a tough young buck with the
walk of a fighting man. He stayed in the shadows, surveying the house
from every angle, but not going near. After awhile, he went away. Then,
later, a Europan came, a flat-faced _chitza_ who looked this way and
that, as if he were afraid he would be seen. He knocked at the door,
and after they'd checked him through a peephole, they let him in.
Later, there were three others, all shrouded in _fala_ capes so I could
not tell their race. They, too, went in."
"And none came out?"
"Only the Europan. He skulked away again in but a few moments."
"A _Malya_, a Europan, and three in _fala_ cloaks," Shane repeated,
half to himself. And then, speaking to the _Chonya_: "It's time we
found out what black brew is cooking there, Nettar. Where are the hook
and rope?"
"Here, _Gar_ Shane," the other answered. He drew a coiled line and
grappling iron from beneath his coat. "Which side shall it be?"
"To the left are fewer windows," said Shane. "Wait here for me,
Nettar."
"No, _Gar_ Shane! It is madness to go alone into such a death-trap--"
Shane's mirthless laugh rang through the darkness. "Worse madness for
two. There'd be three times the noise."
"But _Gar_--"
"My mission holds less peril than you might think. But should trouble
come--should I not return--I want you here, outside, to carry the word."
* * * * *
Silently, then, Shane ran to the building and left along it. He swung
the grapnel in a tight arc ... sent it flying high into the air in an
expert throw, over the roof of the house.
The hook landed with a flat _thunk_!
Shane hugged the shadows, listening tensely. But no sound came from
within.
He tugged experimentally on the line.
The hook held.
Bracing his feet against the wall, leaning out from it, supported by
the rope, the Earthman climbed swiftly upward. In half a minute he was
over the coping and lying flat on his belly on the roof, drawing up the
line.
The round dome of a typical _Fantay_ solarium, glowing dimly with
yellowish light from some point within but below Shane's line of
vision, rose in the middle of the flat roof. Cat-like, the Earthman
came to his feet and crossed to it, there to peer cautiously down
through the crystal into the room below.
The solarium was empty, illuminated by only one dim lamp.
Quickly, Shane pried loose a crystal panel. Squeezing through the
opening, he dropped to the floor.
A door stood half-open across the room. Noiselessly, Shane moved to it,
paused and listened.
No sound came. The Earthman stepped outside, and found himself in
a narrow hallway. Following it, he came to a stairway, descended
cautiously.
Below, the lights were brighter, the air faintly redolent of age and
cooking _palorsch_.
And, somewhere, a woman was singing softly.
Shane eased out his light-gun. Silently, he left the stairs and moved
down another hallway. To the right, a door loomed. From the other side
came a muffled mumble of voices.
But not the song. Cat-footed, Shane passed the portal.
The song came clearer now--a haunting, taunting melody in a tongue the
Earthman did not know. The singer's voice held an alien lilt, a thread
of silvery tone.
Kyrsis' voice.
It came from behind another door, and this one was open a crack.
Again Shane paused and listened. But there was no sound save the
singing.
* * * * *
The Earthman stepped to the door's hinge side; threw a quick glance up
and down the hall. It was still empty. Staying back of the jamb, out of
sight from the room, he pressed his left hand against the door ever so
gently and pushed it open--slowly, as if it were moving with a draft.
Still there was no sound but Kyrsis' voice. But after a moment it
swelled a fraction, and the whisper of her footsteps crept through.
Then, of a sudden, her profile was framed between half-open door and
jamb.
In two swift steps, Shane was inside--pushing her back, heeling shut
the door.
The silver woman's great violet eyes went wide. She opened her mouth to
scream. But before the sound could come, Shane's arm was about her. His
hand clamped over her open mouth.
For an instant her body writhed against him. Her fists beat at his
chest, her feet at his ankles.
He said: "If I break you, Kyrsis, the choice will be yours, not mine."
For a long moment her eyes probed his, her body still rigid, straining
against him. Then, slowly, she relaxed.
Shane let her go.
Her pale, beautiful face held no expression now. With one last
enigmatic glance, she turned from him and moved with perfect poise to
a mirror that hung upon another door across the room. Her slender
fingers smoothed her hair, rearranged her rumpled gown.
After a moment Shane followed her, stood close behind her, so that
their eyes met in the mirror. Gently, he gripped her shoulders. "I came
for a reason, Kyrsis," he said.
"A reason, Shane--?" She said it almost absently, her fingers still
busy with her hair. "What reason?"
Shane's jaw was hard. "Perhaps you've heard that the Federation cast me
out."
"Of course. It was expected." The rich purple lips curved in the
faintest of mocking smiles. "Why else do you think I came to Horla with
you, except to lay the ground?"
* * * * *
The lines in Shane's face deepened. "I don't know. That's why I took
this chance to see you now."
"What, Shane--? I do not understand...."
"Once, on our way here, you asked me to try to understand you and your
people. You said our paths might run together if I were to take the
slavers' road."
"Shane--!" Of a sudden her body again was rigid. She twisted, stared up
into Shane's eyes. "You mean--you would give up the _Chonya_ way? You
would raid for slaves as Quos Reggar raids?"
The Earthman's lips twisted. "I'd raid--on my own terms," he answered.
"On your terms--?"
"You might not care to meet them, Kyrsis."
"At least, tell me what they are."
"When the _Chonya_ chieftains called me in, I took their way for mine.
If I raid now, it will be because their ships are with me."
"But how--?"
Shane laughed harshly. "The Federation has turned us out, with the
slaver brand upon us. If we must wear it, we'll earn it. Why should we
stand by, helpless and hopeless, while both Reggar and the Federation
fleet bleed us white? Better that we raid ourselves. At least, then,
we'll get booty." His blue eyes gleamed. "We'll bring slaves to your
people, Kyrsis--smug, fat slaves from the planets of the Federation.
We'll drag them out by the thousands!"
A strange excitement seemed to seize the silver woman. "Yes, Shane,
yes! We'll take your _Chonyas_--"
"There's more," Shane said.
"Yes--?"
"If you take us, you let Quos Reggar go."
She stared at him. "Are you mad, Shane?"
"No, Kyrsis; far from mad." He clenched his fist, and his face grew
dark with anger. "Reggar is the dog who took away my belt. If he had
his way, he'd see me with my brain rotted out with _theol_. So he is
part of my price--the part that counts the most--"
"--the part that proves you are not so different from other men after
all, _Gar_ Shane." Kyrsis laughed softly. The things that showed in the
violet eyes were very old. "For awhile I almost saw you as separate
from the rest--a man apart, so hard and strong that nothing could sway
you from what you saw as duty. But now ..."--she shrugged--"You seek to
save your _Chonyas_, yes. But Reggar hurt your pride when he took your
belt, so now, above all, you seek for vengeance."
"And if I do?" Shane clipped. "Does it matter to you? I bring you the
_Chonyas_--born raiders, a race that has carved its name in blood
across the void. Beside them, what is Reggar?--A mongrel, a cross-bred
_chitza_ served by the scum of the spaceways." He broke off. "But you
are the one who must decide. What is your answer?"
The smile left the silver woman's face. Turning, she walked
thoughtfully across the room, not speaking.
After a moment, Shane followed.
* * * * *
Again Kyrsis turned, looked up at him. Her expression was unfathomable.
"You are a bold and clever man, Shane," she said. "It is a pity you can
never hope to be quite clever enough."
"You mean--?"
"She means you've failed again, you _chitza_!" cut in a harsh familiar
voice from the mirrored door behind Shane.
The Earthman spun about.
His great carcass draped in a _fala_ cloak, Quos Reggar stood in the
doorway, light-gun in hand.
Shane froze. His mouth took on a bitter twist. "I should have known
you'd follow her here. But the _fala_ cape--"
"It fooled you?" Reggar laughed harshly. "I thought it would. And
Kyrsis did well, too, leading you over to my door, where I was sure to
hear you."
Shane said nothing.
"There's someone else here for you to see," leered Reggar. He raised
his voice, "Talu!"
"Here, _Sha_ Reggar."
Shane caught his breath at the sound of her voice. But that was all,
for then she was coming through the doorway, slim and graceful, her
waist-long blue-black hair aripple in the light, her dark _Malya_ face
as proudly lovely as before.
And as before, she bore a tray in her hand.
"_Sha_ Shane...." Her voice, her face, told nothing; nor could Shane
interpret the message that flickered, just for an instant, in her eyes.
Reggar said: "Once before I sent Talu to you with an injector,
Earthman, and you nearly broke her arm. This time, it will be
different."
Shane made no attempt to answer.
"The injector, Talu--"
Face wooden, the _Malyalara_ stripped back the cloth and picked up the
hypodermic from the tray. "It is ready, _Sha_ Reggar."
"_Theol_ was in that other injector, _starbo_, and this one holds
_theol_ now. It will be your second dose. Madness is just one more
away."
* * * * *
Shane stood very still. He looked from Kyrsis, with her pale ethereal
beauty and silver hair and translucent skin, to Talu, the slave
girl--dark, tempestuous, all _Malya_; then back to Reggar again.
Instinctively, his muscles tensed.
The mongrel said: "You'll take the dose, Earthman--because if you so
much as move a hair, I'll burn your arms off!" The light-gun in his
webbed hand was rock-steady.
"Talu--"
"Yes, _Sha_ Reggar." Quickly, efficiently, she stepped to the
Earthman's side. "Twist your neck, _Sha_ Shane."
"Twist it!" echoed Reggar. His huge lobed eyes were flecked with red.
Teeth clenched, eyes hot with hate, Shane obeyed.
The _Malyalara_ pressed the plunger.
Reggar let out a breath, stepped back. "Tomorrow, great _gar_, you
get the last," he gloated. "Then, after that, you'll serve with my
fleet ... serve gladly, happy to help us in every way, just for the
sake of another shot of _theol_." He chuckled ghoulishly. "It will be
a fitting fate--the more so after the way you've tried so many schemes
to split _Shi_ Kyrsis from me, so that you could dispose of each of us
alone. In fact--"
Somewhere, some living creature screamed. There was horror in the
sound--a hideous note, as if soul were being torn from body.
Reggar froze. "What--?"
From the hallway came the faintest whisper of footsteps.
The mongrel's light-gun prodded Shane. "You, _chitza_--open the door!"
Wordless, Shane crossed the room. He gripped the handle, pulled back
the door. Outside, the hall had gone black, lights out.
Instantly, before he could so much as draw a breath, dark hands
came out of nowhere; seized him, jerked him half into the hall. A
knife-point pricked his belly.
"Move and die, Earthman!" a voice breathed in his ear--a man's voice,
cold, and hard, and heavy with a _Malya_ accent.
Shane stood as if carved from stone.
From the room behind him, now, came another fierce _Malya_ voice: "The
light-gun, Reggar!"
For an instant silence echoed. Then Reggar cursed, and there was the
thud of the pistol hitting the floor.
* * * * *
Now the _Malyas_ holding Shane shoved him back into the room. There,
another _Malya_--a hard-bitten, swaggering little man--already had
Reggar pressed back against the wall, penned there by a knife like the
one digging into Shane's belly. Other dark, cold-eyed fighting men
stood by the mirrored door to the huge hybrid's quarters.
Talu was with them, her face aglow with fierce joy. "_Malyas,
Malyas--!_"
The silver woman, Kyrsis, stood silent and apart. But shadows of strain
showed in the lines and hollows of her face.
"We have done our work well," the leader of the dark men said. "We have
the Earthman, Shane. We have Reggar, the mongrel. We have the silver
woman. There'll be joy and feasting at Amara when we ramp our ships."
"You are of Amara, _Malya_?" Shane asked.
The other's dark eyes gleamed. "We are of Amara, Earthman--and before
you die, you'll wish you'd never heard of us or our asteroid! Other
races may let the slavers raid and not strike back. But we claim blood
for blood--"
Shane said: "I am _gar_ of the _Chonyas_, not a slaver. Ask Talu, the
slave girl. She is of your people--"
"Who takes the word of a captive woman?" The _Malya_ laughed thinly.
"We _Malyas_ have raided for slaves ourselves, in our day. A woman's
heart goes with her man, not her race."
"Check with others, then--"
"We have checked already. The word is out: you raid with Reggar. You
came to Horla with the woman, Kyrsis. It is enough!" Fierce lights
gleamed in the _Malya's_ eyes. He grinned--a savage, death's-head
grimace. "We've tracked you down across the void, you three, and now
we'll see you pay for the _Malya_ blood you've spilt--battling the
_zanths_ for your lives in Amara's great arena!"