Breed to Come (22 page)

The hacked way was several times barred by vinesshe had to snap. There was no difficulty doing that; they offered no resistance. Except that Ayana hadsuch a horror of touching them, even with gloved hands, which she had to force herself to the act eachtime.

So she reached the center of this horror garden, ifgarden it had been. There was a wide, square openingin the ground. Oddly enough, none of the vegetationcrowded near that hole, or door. For it was not achance opening. Around it was a band of stone overwhich none of the vines hung.

The signal was—down! But how? Ayana shone herhand lamp into the hole. Flashing here and thereshowed her a room, or perhaps a section of corridor.And the floor was not too far below. If she hung byher hands, with her suit inflated for a landing, shecould make it. Again it would seem she had no choice.

Ayana landed. When she got to her feet, swingingthe lamp around, she saw that this was a small chamber with a door in only one wall—that way—

What had Tan—Jacel—been hunting which hadbrought them here? To her it had more and more thesmell of a trap. But it had been Jacel who hadbeamed that help call, and he would not have urged either Massa or her into danger. Or, could one dependon Jacel's reactions any more?

In the underground ways the beep was even louder,more persistent than it had been above. By all indications she was close to what she sought. There was noturning back—

Ayana held the lamp in one hand, her stunner ready in the other as she went on. Then she stiffened,stood very still, listening.

Sound ahead, but not a call of her kind, or thetread of one walking in protect boots, but rather a swishing noise. She longed to call out, to be reassuredby a human voice that one of those she hunted werethere. But fear kept her dumb. It needed all her willpower to force her ahead.

A crosswise passage— At her belt the beep was acontinuous note. She was close to its source.

To herright, along that sideway.

"Ayana!"

Jacel! Her lips, her mouth were so dried she couldnot produce more than a hoarse croak in return. Butshe began to run, turned right. And there was lightahead.

Furtig sat by the stream from the spring. The morning was going to be fair. He sniffed the air, goodsmells. He had not realized how few good smells therewere in the lairs. Oh, there were those places wherethings grew, but those seemed different, even if theywere plants. It was as if they had never been the sameas those of the wilds, or else that far back, like thePeople, they had been somehow changed. He feastedeye and nose now on what was familiar arid right, andhad not been wrought upon by any Elemon knowledge.

It was a promising morning—outwardly. But ofwhat it promised for his mission here there was no hint. None of the Elders, or even the younger warriors, had spoken after the withdrawal of the Choosers.

Furtig thought that a bad sign. His people werenormally curious. If they did not ask questions aboutthe weapons or the lairs, such silence seemed hostile.

"A good day—" Foskatt came down the slope. Hehad spent the night in the outer part of the cave of hisown family line. Now he squatted on his heels by thewater, running the fingers of one hand back and forthacross the scar of his healed wound as if that stillitched a little.

"Any talk?" he asked.

"Not so. It was as if I had come from a hunt only,and an unsuccessful one at that," Furtig growled.

"With me the same. But do not forget that Lilihaargued well for us. If she convinced the Choosers—"

Furtig gave a hiss of irritation, though he knewthat Foskatt spoke the truth. It was the Choosers who ruled when it came to the point of safety for thefull clan.

"Ssss—warriors who greet the dawn!" Both theirheads turned swiftly.

Eu-La stood, her hands on her slender hips, her tailswitching gently, evoking an answering whisper fromthe dry grasses it brushed. She was smaller than Liliha, but her body was well rounded.

Yes, she was closeto the season when it would be her turn to sit high onthe Choosing ledge and watch warriors contend forher favor.

"We are not the only ones early astir," Furtig answered. "What brings the cave sister from her sleeping nest?"

"Dreams—dreams and wishes—" Suddenly sheflung wide her arms, holding high her hands to the sky. "Long have I dreamed, and wished, and now it seems that I shall walk into the full of my dreams, have my wishes—"

"Those being?" Foskatt's question rumbled hoarsely.

"That I go to Gammage, that I learn more than canbe learned in these caves—that I can use these, myhands, for greater things than I do here!" Now sheheld her hands before her face, flexing her fingers.These were not as long as Liliha's, but neither werethey as closely stubbed as those of many of her sisters. "If the clans decide to go or not, still I travelwith you, cave brother." She looked to Furtig. "I havespoken to Liliha and she has agreed. It is my right asmuch as any warrior's to go to Gammage!"

"True," Furtig had to agree. She was correct. If shelonged for what the lairs had to offer, then she couldprofit by what she could learn there.

Perhaps this was another way out. Perhaps even ifthe Elders held back those of the clans who werebound by custom, there would be those, among theyounger ones, who would go to Gammage and so swelleven bya few the force within the lairs.

It was as if Eu-La could read his thought at thatmoment, for after she jumped lightly down beside them and leaned forward, about to lap daintily fromthe free-flowing water, she glanced up to add: "But I think that the Elders of the Choosers will have madeup their minds soon. There was talk in the second cave last night. When it comes to the safety of younglings, then they listen well. And Liliha answeredmany more questions in the dark hours. Do not believe you have failed until you are told so."

She dabbled in the water, flicking droplets here andthere like a youngling playing. But Furtig, watchingher, was reminded again of Fas-Tan, who acted as onealone even when she knew well that warriors watchedher longingly. Again he saw on Foskatt's face thatsame intent look he had seen the night before.

For a moment a growl rumbled deep in Furtig'sthroat. Eu-La, he had known Eu-La for a long time.It was she who had encouraged him before he went toGammage. Eu-La was very precious. But if Eu-Lawere at this moment a Chooser and looked at him,Furtig, would he rejoice?

The turn of his thoughts surprised him almost asmuch as Foskatt's reaction to Eu-La had done.

Eu-Lachoosing him? He liked her much, but not, he realized, as Foskatt did. He would fight for her in oneway, to protect her against harm. But he would notstrive to win her Choosing favor. That was not how he

thought of Eu-La.

When he thought of a Chooser— Sternly Furtigtried to order those straying thoughts. There was nomore chance of that than there had been in the otherdays of winning Fas-Tan's favor. Not all warriors woneven the passing interest of a Chooser. And they livedand did as they had to—though many became far revers without clans.

He was lucky. Within the lairs there was much tobe done. If he could not equal the In-born with thenlearning and their mastery of the Demon machines,there was always exploring and fighting the Rattons.Yes, he was lucky to have so much, and ought not,even in his thoughts, reach for that which he couldnever win. Foskatt—Eu-La—if it came to that ifmight be very well.But these were days to think not of Choosing andthe beginnings of new clans and families, but of whatwas going to happen to those already in existence.

Eu-La proved right. In the end the Choosers' decision was that the move to the lairs was better than alife in the wilds, where younglings might be taken ashad those of the Tuskers. Their answer to the threatof Rattons and Demons was that four Demons withtheir own weapons turned against them were not formidable. As for Rattons—from the earliest legends ofthe People such had been their natural prey.

Therefore Gammage might expect these clans to come tohim before the moon overhead vanished into the Nights of Dark.

But Eu-La wished to return with the messengers.So four rather than three set out again by night to return to the lairs.

There was no sign of the flyer, though they neverfelt safe from it. And when they met again the Tuskerpatrols, they learned it had not been seen.

The Tuskers had another message. One of theirscouts had witnessed at the far end of their territory astrange thing. A truce flag had been set up. And, leftby it with food and water to hand, a Barker whoseemed to be recovering from ill treatment. Thosewho left him were a part of People from the lairs. Hehad been claimed by his own kind before nightfall,and the Barkers had not torn away the flag.

Rather they were now gathering, with more of theirscouts arriving all the time. And there were signs theyplanned to camp nearby in the woods.

"So we freed that Barker from the Rattons," Furtig !said. "But that may have been by far the easier part.

232To get the People and the Barkers under a commontruce flag is a thing unheard of."

"Yet," pointed out Liliha, "the Barkers did nottear down the flag. It still stands. Thus they have notyet refused to talk. They summon their own clans tospeak together, even as we have gone to argue withthose of the caves. But whether—"

"We cannot trust Barkers!" Furtig broke in. "Evenif the Demons are all the legends say they were, wecannot trust Barkers."

"Barkers lived with the Demons," Eu-La said."That is where they first learned evil ways." She wasrepeating the old legend of their own kind.

"But so did our people once," Liliha reminded her."The First Ancestors fled from the lairs only whenthe Demons turned against them in their last madness and cruelty. But you are right in this—Gammage must have a powerful argument to make theBarkers listen. Saving one of them from the Rattonsis not enough. But it is a beginning."

Furtig thought of the truce flag. Even though theBarkers had not thrown it contemptuously to earth,refusing contact, it would take great courage for anywarrior of the People to go to it unarmed, trusting inthe good will of his enemies. Who would Gammagechoose—or who would volunteer to do that? And howwould he who went know that it was the proper time?Would the Barkers advance a flag of their own in answer?

Furtig was suddenly more eager than ever to getback to the lairs, to know what had happened sincethey had left. Had the Demons been reinforced? Buta quick question to the Tuskers reassured them as tothat—no second sky-ship had come down.

Broken Nose and his people would keep guard here,and, being informed of the coming of the cave clans,they would provide an alarm system to let those travel in such safety as could be devised.

Ahead lay the lairs and what might await themthere. They slipped into the open with all the stealth and craft they possessed.

Ayana stripped off the sterile gloves, and crumpledthem into a small ball, since they could not be usedagain. Jacel lay with beads of pain sweat still plain onhis face. His eyes were closed, and she knew that the |pain reliever had taken effect. Also the wound was notso bad as she had first feared. If they could now gethim to the ship and under a renewer, in a day's timehe would have no more to show for that gash than awell-closed seam.

But she was more than a little puzzled. There was amed-kit at Jacel's own belt. Tan wore another. Andsuch a gash as this was easily handled by the materials they carried. Why had they sent out that panickedcall for her? »

She had asked no questions until now, being intenton the patient. Tan, standing against the wall, hadvolunteered nothing. Nor had Jacel. In fact he hadappeared to be affected out of all proportion to the seriousness of the wound itself. Perhaps—Ayanaglanced around the bare chamber—there had been some poisonous substance feared—but instant antispray would have handled such.Now that she had time to think-— Ayana did notlook at Tan squarely, but as if she did not want himto see she noticed him.

But Tan was not watchingher; he was staring on through the other door in theroom, seemingly so absorbed that he must see or hearsomething—or be waiting for something to happen.

"What is it?" Her words sounded too loud, evenechoed a little.

Now he turned his head. And in his eyes Ayana sawthat queer gleam which frightened her. She shivered.Cold as this place was, the protect suit should havekept her warm; but Tan now had the ability to chillher through when he looked like that.

"You will have another patient, a very importantone. We have had wonderful luck, Ayana, we havemade contact—"

"Contact with whom—or what?" she demandedwhen he paused.

"With those who live here. Do you know, Ayana,this is a storehouse of information. They have shownus tapes, machines— What we learned from the FirstShips is nothing, nothing at all to what we can learnhere! If we have time—"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, our friends are not the only ones trying toget this information. There are others—and they maybe closer. There was a war here in the old days. Anddo you know what kind of a war?" He came awayfrom the wall to stand over her.

Ayana rose quickly, not liking to have him towering above her so.

"A war between men and animals—animals, mindyou! Things with fur and claws and fangs that dared to think they were equal with man—dared!" He wasbreathing fast, his face flushed. "But there were others. Men in their last days here were few, they had tohave friends, helpers—and they found them. Then,when man was gone those others were left, left to defend everything man had fought for, all the knowledge he had won through his own efforts, defendedagainst the animals. They are still fighting that battle, but now it is our fight, too!

"They need you, Ayana. There is a place of medicalinformation—think of it—a storage of all the wealthof knowledge of man's time on this world! They havebeen trying to hold that against the enemy.

Theyneed our help so badly. One of their leaders, a geniusamong them, one who has been able to untangle manyof the old records, was badly injured in fighting theanimals. He has been taken to this center, and now they need your aid.

"Think of it, Ayana—such devices of healing aswere just hinted at in our records! You can see them,learn to use them—you can help this leader. It is sucha chance as only luck could have given us."