The Crystal Demon: 16/?
by Nancy Smith and Linda Garrick
XVI
Alan drew the last watch. He sat by the cave entrance, peering out into the storm. The sky was still dark but there was the faintest hint of pre-sunrise pink in the clouds veiling the eastern horizon.
A sudden hissing sound brought him upright and he lifted his blaster, flicking his handlight to low at the same time. The long, twisting body of the Ekkes whisked back into the rocks, vanishing completely in a split second.
Mark swore sleepily. "If that critter tries to suck my blood, I'm gonna twist it's condemned head off." He blinked through the dimness at Alan. "Everythin' okay?"
"So far."
"Scanned for the Jil lately?"
"I'm not picking him up now."
"Good. Maybe he's tryin' to sleep, too." Linley lay down and began to snore, the sound muffled by the storm without. Alan stared out into the darkness, then for some reason he couldn't explain, drew the blaster from its holster.
Uneasiness crawled over him. Something was going on, but he didn't know what it was. His shields were up tight, but now, very gingerly, he let them relax a trifle.
A voice burst in his brain, crying out for help. Lyn's voice! She was very near, and her fear and despair were vivid and intense in the call. *Alan! Alan! Help me!*
He was on his feet. *Lyn!* He hadn't realized he'd shouted her name aloud until he heard the echoes in the cave and saw his companions scramble upright. Lyn's face appeared before his mental eyes and he felt her start of understanding as his own voice answered her call.
*Alan!* Her mental voice screamed his name. *Help me! Help!*
*Here! Come toward me!*
A wailer went past, screaming. The others were peering out the entrance of the cave; Miki and Jeel crowded close to him, their voices shrill and questioning.
"Lyn's coming! She's got the Jil after her!"
Mark had him by the arm, ushering him out of the cave. The Shirva and Julia followed.
Light was beginning to stain the grass and scrubby trees without, but the wind still blew wildly and rain pattered on their faces. Alan turned and saw Lyn staggering toward them through the tossing grasses. He saw her face up close, as he had seen it in the glade when they had separated, but she bore little resemblance to the girl he remembered. Her face was dirty and streaked with mud; her dark hair, wildly tangled, stood up in matted strands around her face, and her eyes and mouth were wide open. She screamed his name and he heard it now with his ears as well as his mind. Mark cussed as a band of patrolmen burst from a small stand of trees behind her.
Alan started toward her. Mark grabbed him by the arm, pulling him back. "Let's go!" he snapped.
"We have to help her!" Alan broke his partner's grip in one motion and ran toward the fleeing girl. Linley cussed and followed.
Lyn staggered toward them and fell into Alan's waiting arms, still sobbing his name. Cursing lividly, Mark grabbed her, yanked her to her feet, tossed her to one shoulder and turned to run.
A blaster spat, raising a cloud of steam. Mark pushed Alan before him and returned the shot, cursing as he did so. "There's the Jil!" Julia also fired, sending the patrolmen scattering.
Alan had already seen the tall, blond figure among the squad of patrolmen. Miki and Jeel led their retreat, dashing up a slope of rock and threading a sure, swift way among the tumbled boulders and scrubby growth. The patrolmen and the Jilectan followed.
They couldn't outrun their pursuers for long with Lyn slowing them down. Despairingly, Alan fired a shot at the squad and heard a shriek of pain. They were going to have to stay and fight.
Mark must have realized it too. He dropped behind a boulder, pushing Lyn to one side, and fired at the nearest patrolman. The squad scrambled for cover and Alan saw the Jilectan duck behind a jutting rock. They were done for; he knew it. All the 'trols needed to do was to call for reinforcements.
Mark's eyes met his and his partner grinned, a mere stretching of the lips. "Well, we gave 'em a helluva run for their money, didn't we?"
Alan gulped and nodded. "We sure did." He glanced around. "Hey! Where are Miki and Jeel?"
Linley also glanced back. "Dunno. Maybe they decided to save their own skins. Wouldn't blame 'em a bit."
Alan peeked from behind the rock, sizing up the landscape below in which the patrolmen had taken refuge. There were a few scrubby trees growing among the rocks, and some waist-high vegetation, which afforded good cover for their pursuers. Alan waited, psychic senses scanning. A patrolman appeared, starting to make a rush for another rock. Alan fired. The man screamed and went down.
"We'll make 'em remember us, if nothin' else," Mark said. He also peeked up from behind the rock and Alan pulled him down.
"Careful. The Jil's down there, scanning. He's waiting for us to make a run for it."
Then, faint through the steady beat of the rain, there came a cry that faded into a gurgling moan. It was succeeded instantly by similar sounds, and Alan sensed acute distress from the presences in the rocks below. He dared a glance from behind the shielding rock and stared in amazement.
Patrolmen were staggering into view, gagging and moaning, their hands clutching their bellies. Indistinctly, through the rain and dim light, Alan caught glimpses of the two Shirva, flitting from man to man. The minds were flickering out one by one as had happened the day before.
But where was the Jil? Alan extended a mind probe and instantly located the alien, and the contact sent a wave of nausea through him as well. Quickly, he withdrew his probe and scrambled to his feet, hearing Mark's shout of protest as he ran down the slope toward the scene of conflict.
The Jilectan staggered into view, clutching his midriff and groaning. Alan brought his blaster up but the big alien seemed unaware of him or anything else. He staggered past Alan and fell full length into the shrubbery, gagging uncontrollably. Jeel ran past Alan, bent over the alien and did something. The ominous touch of the Jilectan's mind flickered out.
Jeel straightened up, flashed Alan a grin and again ran past. He was, Alan saw, clutching something in his hand, but there was no time for a better look. The last of the mind touches flickered out and Miki straightened up from his crouch over a body, very matter-of-factly tucking something beneath his tunic. He smiled a little and shrugged.
"All done, kid," he said.
Alan found himself laughing a little hysterically. "Miki, you saved our lives!"
Jeel materialized out of the rain and underbrush. Mark came up, panting, beside them with Julia on his heels. "Did you get 'em all?" Linley demanded.
"Yes, Mark," Miki said.
"Then let's get outta here. They woulda called for help, an' you li'l folks just killed another Jil. This is gonna be tough to cover up, an we ain't got time. They're gonna know you did it, an' that you're helpin' us. That ain't so good."
Alan felt the blood drain from his face. "What'll we do?"
"We get outta here, quick. Help me with His Lordship. If they find the body they're gonna see red. We gotta hide him."
The big alien lay face down on the rocks, his golden hair splayed out over his shoulders. Miki picked up the jeweled blaster from a spot half a meter away and examined it with curiosity. "What th'hell's this?"
"A Jil blaster." Mark heaved the slack body up, groaning. "Man! He ain't no little one! Help me, Jul!"
Julia got her hands under one of the Jilectan's armpits and heaved, and, somewhat to his surprise, Alan saw Lyn stumbling down the slope toward them. She arrived at his side and bent, adding what she could. Together, the four Terrans heaved and dragged the slack figure across the rocks toward a sheer cliff. Grunting and straining, they pitched him over and watched as the alien's body fell downward to splash into the still lake below. Mark looked quickly around.
"No time to dispose of the 'trols. Get a couple o' the blasters, and ammo packs, kids, an' a helmet or two. Move it. The guys they called for'll be here any minute."
Alan ran down the slope to the nearest patrolman. His shields were wide open, scanning widely for the first warning that company was arriving. He undid the strap and pulled the helmet free, shuddering a little at the expression on the man's face. Jeel was doing the same with another figure a little further down the slope. He straightened. "This one's got food. You want it?"
"Sure, bring everything. Hurry."
The Shirva detached the pack and ran toward him. A tingle of apprehension ran down Alan's spine. "They're coming! Let's go!"
"Mik!" Mark shouted. "Can you find us a place to hide?"
"Hide? What th'hell, sure!"
Lyn stared at the little Shirva in awe. "What the dickens ... he's talking like a Shallockian -- with a Terran accent!"
Alan glanced at her, trying to harden his heart. She was the enemy -- or had been. The memory of her cutting words back at the base still stung, but her attitude had changed. She seemed more friendly now, but then, they had saved her life. The Jilectan would certainly have discovered her psychic powers if he had managed to catch her.
Mark glanced at her. "He's been takin' lessons, girlie. C'mon. If you wanna stay with us, you can come along. Otherwise, take off. We don't need someone that's gonna blurt out our hidin' place the minute she gets caught."
Alan saw her face change and felt her quick flash of anger at Mark's words, but somewhat to his surprise she said nothing. Miki started to lead the way up the slope, and they followed.
Julia was also looking at Lyn. "I don't want her along, Alan! We can't trust her. Stun her and leave her here."
"No," Alan said. "She won't betray us now. She can't."
"Oh, so she's finally figured that out?" Julia said sarcastically.
Lyn said nothing, nor did she look up to meet Julia's eyes. Alan could sense her anger and humiliation, but her mind shields were once again partially closed and he could pick up nothing without a direct probe.
The rain increased again, whipping the rocks around them with driving force. The shrubbery thickened as they proceeded, and they began to see a few trees of evergreen variety growing between the scattered rocks.
Lyn caught her foot on a rock and fell. Alan started to bend down to help her and then resisted the temptation. Lyn struggled painfully to her feet again, not looking at him. Mark glanced at Alan and lifted an eyebrow. Alan felt himself flushing.
The underbrush became still thicker, growing higher than Mark's head. Somewhere close by came the sound of a rushing stream. Miki headed toward it, his small feet steady and sure among the rocks. A Weepee rushed away from them with a long, screaming cry but the Shirva ignored it. He scrambled up a steep slope and disappeared over the top. Alan followed, then turned and extended a hand to help Julia. She came up lightly, hardly needing his assistance, but Lyn hesitated and Alan saw that she was clutching something beneath her jacket -- a bulge that he hadn't noticed before. On sudden impulse, he reached down for her. Linley grasped her arm and hauled her up far enough for Alan to reach her. He pulled and she came up over the ridge, still clutching the bulge beneath her jacket.
Miki had vanished into the shrubbery but his mind was still ahead, calling Alan. They followed, stumbling a little now at the thick tendrils and weeds at their feet. Alan felt his ears pop as they progressed and knew they must be quite a distance up from where they had encountered the patrolmen. Lyn walked beside him, her head bowed and mind shields closed.
For another hour and a half they trudged on through the rain. Lyn was stumbling with exhaustion when Miki finally stopped, ducking under a jutting ledge of rock. Beneath them was more rock, flat and smooth as though polished by water. More rock rose up on their other side and beside them a river roared past, terminating in a six-meter waterfall. They were almost totally shielded by the rock walls, the falls and the bushy undergrowth. It was a good hiding place, protected from the elements by the ledge of rock above. Spray formed a mist that touched their faces with dampness but the rain could not reach them here.
Lyn dropped in a limp heap and lay unmoving, face down on the rocks. Alan tried not to look at her. He went over to Mark and squatted down beside him. Linley was consulting the compass on his chronometer. "Man! Those kids can really move! We're nearly eight kilometers from where the Jil was killed, an' this is a good spot. We should be able to hole up here for quite a while. We sure can't head for the base for a while."
"I know."
"Damn, it's cold! Guess we're a bit higher up than we were." Linley pulled an emergency blanket from his pack and pulled it around his shoulders. "What now?"
Alan was still trying not to look at Lyn. She had pushed herself to her knees and was shivering, clutching her arms close to her body. Linley grinned crookedly at Alan and removed the last blanket. "Here. Better put it around her before she gets more frigid. She's bad enough as it is."
Alan took the blanket, feeling his face burning, and went over to Lyn. Without speaking, he wrapped it around her. She looked up at him, meeting his gaze for the first time since her arrival, and he was surprised at the anguish in her expression. Gone was the haughty officer's daughter, and in her place was a small girl, lost and alone.
"Are you all right?" Alan tried to quell the tug of pity that rose unbidden. Before, when he had tried to comfort her, she had insulted and taunted him.
"Yes, thank you." She clutched the blanket convulsively around her shoulders and smiled shakily at him. Alan felt his heart melt and quickly tried to make his face expressionless. He started to straighten up, but her hand came out quickly, catching him by the wrist. "Alan --"
"Yes?"
She released him, her gaze dropping to the ground. "Nothing."
His gaze rested on the bulge now showing beneath her light jacket when the blanket had fallen back. He frowned, suddenly aware of an aura -- one that he had sensed before, and recently too. It made his skin prickle. "Lyn, what is that?"
She glanced down at the bulge and reached beneath the jacket, producing a small, round object, wrapped tightly in a silvery, grey cloth. "It's the Skelzir globe."
"*What*?"
"The globe. The one Mark Linley and his friend were trying to steal."
"How the devil did *you* get it?" Mark demanded.
Julia and the Shirva were standing behind him, the little aliens looking puzzled, Julia surprised and a little suspicious.
"Better make sure, Alan," she said. "It might be a trick."
Lyn reddened. "It's not a trick, Lieutenant Austell! I --" Her voice fell abruptly. "I'm sorry. I know you have no reason to trust me, but I won't betray you. Not now."
Julia laughed.
Lyn's flush grew darker. She turned to Alan and extended the object. "This was given to me by Sublieutenant Timmar of the Viceregal Patrol. He was my father's friend. He tried to help my father when I was kidnapped."
Gingerly, Alan accepted the thing. "What did he tell you about it?"
"Nothing -- except that it was very dangerous." She stopped suddenly, tears filling her eyes.
Mark squatted down beside her. "I think you'd better give us the whole story, honey."
She nodded, still looking at the ground. "Timmar was my father's friend. Dad saved his life once, years ago. I don't know if you know what that means to an Arcturian, but --"
"We know," Alan said. To an Arcturian, the concept of friendship carried a somewhat different meaning than to other species. To the pseudo-reptilian species from Ceregon, a friend remained a friend for life. An Arcturian would not hesitate to betray anyone or risk anything, literally, to help his friend.
She met his eyes. "Yes, I guess you know a lot of things I didn't give you credit for, don't you." She swallowed hard. "My father tried to steal the globe and bring it here, as he promised you. Timmar helped, but someone caught on. Timmar thought it was Dad's valet. Anyway --" She paused, tears flooding her eyes again. "Anyway, the Patrol came after them just as they were boarding Dad's ship. Dad was hit --" Her voice caught, but she continued. " -- But he held off the patrolmen until Timmar could get aboard and take off. Tim didn't know if he was killed or captured, but he believed Dad was captured, because the base was alerted when Major Linley and I arrived. They had interceptors waiting, but apparently they didn't have time to get any cruisers here. That means Dad managed to hold them off for some time." She stopped, taking a deep breath. "You know, that means a public execution for him."
Alan knew it, all right. Poor old Parnell, who had only been trying to save his only child from death.
There was a silence. Then Lyn began to cry again. She was hardly pretty now, Alan thought. Matted, black hair fell to her shoulders in wet, tangled ringlets, and beneath the dirt, her thin face was white with exhaustion. Her formerly fine clothing was torn and filthy, and one fashionable sandal had been lost. Yet suddenly Alan saw her with new eyes. She had been their enemy, but she had been faced with hard reality, and it had changed her. She had been bruised and knocked down, but she had gotten back up and gone on. She was willing to admit her mistakes and try again. Could they do less? If they condemned everyone who had once been on the side of the Jilectans, then wasn't Mark in exactly the same position as Lyn? Not to mention several hundred other patrolmen who had deserted and joined the Terran Underground over the years.
Julia was regarding her expressionlessly. "It's a little different when it happens to *you*, isn't it, Miss Parnell?"
Lyn nodded miserably, not looking at her. "I'm sorry. You're right, of course. I was a fool." She sank her face in her hands and Alan could sense the effort she had made to render that confession. She was proud and high-spirited, as she had demonstrated many times. Apologies would not come easily from her.
He held up the cloth-wrapped globe. "Go on, Lyn."
Her face came up. "Yes, of course. Timmar took off, but the Patrol came after him and damaged his communicator. He got away, though, and headed here, knowing full well that he'd probably meet a bunch of 'trols when he came out of hyperspace." She paused, wiping away tears with the back of one dirty hand and smearing grime across her face. She regarded her smeared palm dispassionately. "Oh dear. I must be a mess."
"Go on," Mark said impatiently.
"All right, Major. So, anyway, after Alan let me go, I ran for the trees. Another ship showed up, and I recognized it as Dad's private vessel. It fired on the Patrol ship and disabled it badly, then Timmar landed, picked me up and took off. He told me what had happened -- everything I've just told you, and then asked what had happened to the men from the Underground. He said that our only chance now was to find you again and hope that you'd be willing to accept us into the Underground. He said you'd probably take me because I'm a psychic. I don't know how he knew. I'd never told Dad or anything, but apparently Tim had known for some time. Also, he said we had the globe and that the Underground wanted it badly, and we might be able to use it to buy our way in. I showed him the spot where you'd all gone into the woods. He checked with his scanners and saw that everyone on the Patrol ship was dead, and said he was going after you. I was to take the ship and wait for his signal that he'd found you."
"Sounds like a pretty smart guy," Mark said.
Lyn nodded. "I've known Tim all my life and he was always very nice to me. Dad used to say that if he'd been a Terran, he'd have made Strike Commander long ago."
"Sounds like it," Mark said. "Then what happened?"
"Then everything fell apart. We were about to land when another 'trol ship showed up -- a scout. He came after us, and must have figured we weren't legit, because he took a shot at us. Timmar fired back and tried to run for it. We almost made it. Then the guy damaged us and we had to glide in. Tim brought us down and managed to land in a field. He grabbed the globe and yelled for me to run for it. The other ship landed not far away, and at least six patrolmen jumped out and came after us. Tim was hit, but I managed to grab the globe and run. I made it to the trees, but they were right behind me and I knew they were going to catch me. I didn't know anything about jungles and couldn't really move very fast. They were getting nearer by the minute. Then I tripped. Maybe I banged my head or something because I was suddenly waking up. I was lying on the forest floor with the globe under me, and everything was quiet. I couldn't even hear any birds. I pulled myself together and started back for the field, trying to figure out what had happened. I'd gone maybe a hundred meters when I found the patrolmen who'd been chasing me. There were five of them, and they were all dead!" She shuddered at the memory. "It was awful! There weren't any marks on them, not even a scratch, but they'd all been horribly sick before they died." She paused, staring at Alan. "What are *you* laughing at?"
"Nothing," Alan said. "I'm sorry. Go on."
Lyn sniffed. "It was hardly funny, I can tell you. I fell apart, all alone there with the forest so still and quiet. I screamed and ran. I don't remember much else for a while. When I finally came to my senses, I was lost and couldn't have found the ships again if my life depended on it. I wanted to go back to Timmar. I had some wild idea that maybe he wasn't dead -- that he'd followed the 'trols and somehow killed them. I looked and looked, but I couldn't even find the patrolmen again. I wandered and wandered." She sighed. "I don't remember ever being so hungry. I didn't even have a blaster, even if I could have used one. Dad didn't like me touching his, and he never showed me how to use it. I'd been here about two days when I realized that the little voice I'd been hearing in my mind was yours, Colonel Westover. I came toward you then, but I kept running into patrolmen, searching. Then I sensed that Jil, and after that I kept my shields up. Once or twice, I lowered them to get direction, but usually I couldn't sense you, either. I thought maybe you'd been killed. You see, I kept finding these bodies in the woods -- patrolmen, mostly -- and they'd all been killed just like the first ones that chased me. Then last night, it began to storm and it was so dark I couldn't see anything. I was so cold that I was afraid if I stopped, I'd die, so I kept moving. Then I started running into those darned birds! They must roost on the ground or something, 'cause I kept tripping over them and they'd go shrieking away, announcing my position to the whole galaxy. I couldn't sense you anymore either, so I just kept stumbling on, trying to find shelter. At last I did -- a fallen log with a bunch of scrubby bushes beside it. I scrunched against it, trying to keep warm. It cut the wind, but it really wasn't much use against the rain. I guess I must have slept, though, because suddenly I was waking up and somebody was coming through the bushes right beside me. He was flashing a light around, but he didn't see me. It was pitch black, and I kept quiet. Then another one came through the bushes and he fell right over me. I hit him as hard as I could in the stomach with both fists, then jumped up and ran." She sighed. "I surprised him, but I couldn't have done much damage, 'cause less than a minute later I heard him yelling. I ran like crazy, screaming for you, and after a few minutes I heard you answer. Boy, what a relief that was! I ran right toward you, calling. My shields were down, of course, and then I sensed that Jil! He must have been with the 'trols, and came when he heard I'd been found." Lyn's voice trailed off and she sighed. "I guess you know the rest."
"Yes, I guess we do." Alan surveyed the cloth-wrapped object in his hand, then, very gingerly began to remove the cloth.
"No!" Mark snapped.
He paused. "I have shielding, Mark. The psychic it killed didn't."
Linley shook his head. "I saw what it did to Danoole. The thing sent him completely off his rocker. Don't take that cloth off."
Lyn spoke unexpectedly, siding with Mark. "Timmar told me to keep it wrapped. He said it was dangerous."
Alan hesitated, torn between wariness and curiosity. "I --"
A large hand descended on the globe and removed it from his hand. "I'll take that."
"Hey!"
"Forget it, Alan," Julia said. "You may outrank us, but every non-psychic in the Underground has specific orders about you."
Alan sighed. He hated that particular order. Everyone had to protect him first. He found himself hoping that another psychic better than him would be found, so he wouldn't be in the position of the Underground's golden boy anymore. It was a pain to have to let others take risks in his place, and an order he preferred to ignore whenever he had the excuse. You'd think, by now, that Kaley and the High Command would have figured out that he could take care of himself.
Mark stuffed the cloth-wrapped object into his pouch.
Miki tugged at his sleeve. "What th'hell is it, please?"
Alan glanced down at him. "We really don't know."
"Issa ball, please?"
"Yes -- sort of a globe. It's milky white and about so big."
"Oh." Miki let go of his sleeve and took a step back. Mark watched him with unconcealed interest.
"You get the feelin' li'l Mik here knows somethin'?"
"Yes," Alan said. He squatted before the Shirva. "Do you know what it is, Miki?"
Miki spoke to Jeel softly in their own language. Jeel frowned, looking at Mark's pouch. "Ah hell!" he said.
Lyn stared at the aliens in astonishment. "Who are they?"
"They're Shirva," Alan said. "Natives of the planet."
"But how could *they* know about the globe? We don't know much about it, ourselves."
"True enough," Mark said, "but they're amazin' li'l guys. They've surprised us a couple o' times before." He spoke to the Shirva again. "Do you know what it is, kids?"
"Maybe," Miki said cautiously. He extended a hand. "I wanna see it, please?"
Mark hesitated, obviously unsure. "I dunno. It's dangerous. I saw what it did to a friend o' ours."
"You'd better let him, Mark," Julia said. "If he knows what it is, the chances are that he knows how to deal with it."
Still, Mark hesitated. "Alan, *you* look the other way. Lyn, you better, too."
Alan obeyed, and saw Lyn turn away at the same moment. "Okay, go ahead."
Miki spoke abruptly to Jeel, who also turned his back. There was a short silence. Then Miki voiced an alarmed squeal, which carried unmistakable overtones of pain. Alan spun back and had a fleeting glimpse of a round, glowing globe about the size of an orange. The thing seemed to leap out at him, angry and savage. He sensed instant death in its attack, and he snapped the small gap in his shields closed. He felt the impact of the blow against the protecting shields and there was a blinding light, succeeded instantly by a stab of pain. He heard himself yelp and Mark snapped his name.
Then the thing was gone, and he was hoisting himself up on his hands. Mark was kneeling beside him. He shook his head, seeing spots floating in the air between himself and his partner.
"Are you okay?" Mark demanded.
Alan nodded, feeling slightly stunned, but determined that his partner wasn't going to see it. "Yeah. Wow!"
"What happened?" Mark demanded. "You looked like somethin' hitcha. Damn! It felt like somethin' hit me, too!"
Alan looked around. They were all looking at him -- Lyn, Julia, Miki and Jeel. The globe lay on the ground, once again covered by the cloth. "I'm okay, Mark."
"Holy hell! You scared the pants off me! Whatta link! What happened?"
Alan shook his head. "I'm not sure, exactly, but I'm sure of one thing." He stopped. "That thing's alive."
"Alive?" Mark raised an eyebrow. "How can it be? It's nothin' but a hunk o' rock."
"It's alive," Alan said definitely. "It attacked me. It came at me like it was trying to kill me. I closed my shields quick, but I felt it hit them. If I'd been unshielded, I'd have been dead."
"You sure?" Mark glanced at the cloth-wrapped thing. "It don't look like no life form I've ever seen."
"I'm sure."
"It is alive," Miki said unexpectedly. "Alan is right."
Mark turned toward him. "Okay, Mik, spill."
"Spill? Oh, you mean tell. This critter issa Bovva Ra. There's some here, still, I thinks."
"*Here*? On Kasal?"
"Damn right," Miki said. "Not too many, anymore. Most of 'em is dead."
"But what is it?"
"It issa Bovva Ra -- a globe beast. Once there was a lotta them, but not anymore. You must never look at it." His small face was very serious. "It'll take you away. It'll eatcha."
"Alan, what the hell is he tryin' t'say?"
"Just a minute." Alan established contact with the little alien for a moment, and the matter became clear. "Miki says the globe is a living psychic being, Mark, just as I said. It feeds off non-psychics, utilizing and destroying their life energy -- their will, as it were -- to strengthen itself." He shuddered uncontrollably. "It attacked Miki and me because it was afraid of us. It can't control psychics who are shielded, and it's possible we could destroy it. That's why it tried to kill us."
Mark digested that. "I don't understand. How in hell could it feed off the energy of Terrans? I've never heard of such a thing."
"That's what Miki says, and it fits with what I felt and what we've seen. It makes sense. Remember the non-shielded psychic it got hold of? It killed her. It drove the non-psychic insane. And remember Tarfee? He acted like he wasn't all there when we took him away from it. But when I tried to probe him, he reacted with fear -- almost terror."
Mark thought that over. "Do they originate here?"
Alan spoke to Miki telepathically, then answered. "Miki says no. He says there were more of them a long time ago, but now they're almost extinct; at least here. He's only seen one other in his whole life, and that was when he was very young, but he doesn't know where they came from."
"How did they get rid of it?"
"He isn't sure. It had something to do with the leader of his tribe -- Miki's grandfather. His name was Pekko, and he was a psychic, too. He's dead now. They had a weapon -- something that Miki calls a Droma, that helped them."
Julia sighed. "Too bad Miss Parnell didn't show up while we were still in Shirva territory. It'd be real nice to know how to get rid of this thing, and presumably someone in his tribe must know."
"Miki says not. His grandfather died suddenly, along with his father. Miki has a Droma, but he doesn't know how to use it against the thing. As long as he has it, though, he isn't afraid of the globe. This Droma -- well, he didn't say much about it, but supposedly it will shield him against hostile psychic beings."
"A Droma, huh? He's got it on him now?"
"Yes." Alan hesitated. "I don't think he wants to talk much about it. Another tribe secret, you know."
"Uh huh. Now I understand why the Chief was so mad when he thought we wanted Mik for keeps. Li'l guy's sorta valuable to 'em if these globes ever make a comeback. Does Mik think he can fight this critter?"
"He doesn't know. I get the impression he's afraid to even attempt it. His father knew how and he was supposed to tell Miki when he got of age, but --" He spread his hands. "It didn't work out that way. Miki says he might be able to do it, but he isn't sure, and he never expected to have to. They're almost extinct, as I said."
There was a silence. The storm at last seemed to be dying and a rift had appeared in the clouds on the horizon. The boisterous wind continued to blow.
"Now what?" Julia said at last.
"I dunno." Mark blew out his breath. "Maybe if we just wait a while, the Patrol'll decide we've been killed and relax their guard some."
"How long?" Alan asked.
"I dunno. Six -- maybe seven days."
Miki stirred restlessly, glanced at Alan and spoke softly in the Shirva dialect. Alan understood. "We can't wait that long."
"Huh? Why not -- oh damn! I forgot about those condemned leaves. He hasn't got enough to last him, right?"
"No."
Linley swore and scowled darkly at the roaring water beside them. "Well, look, the stuff grows on the planet, doesn't it? Ain't it possible we can find some for him? The Shirva don't come around here to collect it' cause we're so near the base, so you'd think --"
Miki was shaking his head. "Non purra," he murmured. "Ta pon pattan. Fur lan."
"There isn't any this close to the base," Alan translated. "Miki says that something the Patrol does to the water and air keeps the Lemke from growing here."
"It figures," Mark said with resignation. "Well, listen, kid, how far would we hafta go to find some?"
Miki answered for him. "Two, maybe three days walk."
Mark cussed softly. "Okay, look, I'll take Mik an' we'll head back an' get some. You an' the girls stay here, Alan."
Jeel shrilled something and Miki spoke up. "That ain't gonna work, Mark."
Alan translated as Miki paused, obviously at a loss for words. "Jeel says they only have enough leaf for two more days and Miki'll need more than that if he has to march. Jeel will go for him, and leave his reserve supply behind. If Miki's quiet and takes it easy, he won't need so much."
"But what about Jeel?"
"He's full grown. He says he'll be fine."
The two aliens were speaking softly, their faces together. Mark watched them, frowning. "Is he sure he can make it?"
"Hell, yes!" Jeel said unexpectedly. He grinned whitely at Mark. "No sweat."
"But Jeel," Alan said, "you won't have any Lemke at all."
Jeel piped a sentence in the Shirva language. Alan sighed. "He says he can make it, but Miki's worried about him. I can tell."
Mark shrugged philosophically. "It's up to them. They know their limitations better than we do. C'mon, Jeel, we'd better shake a leg. The sooner we get goin', the sooner we'll get back."
Alan shook his head. "You'd better stay here, Mark. I'll go with him. It's safer for me to travel around here. I don't look so much like a 'trol."
"No way. It's too dangerous."
"Dangerous for who?" Alan got to his feet, preparing to do battle. "I'm short, and I'm a psychic. There's no way the natives could mistake me for a 'trol."
"I don't look like a patrolman either," Julia pointed out. "In fact, I look less like one than either of you."
"No!" Alan and Mark spoke together.
"Look," Mark said persuasively, "if it came down to a fight, I'd have a better chance --"
"Exactly. That's why you should stay here."
"Dammit, kid! Kaley's given me orders to keep you outta dangerous situations, an --"
"You know that's not the reason, Mark," Alan said. "Going with Jeel won't be any more dangerous than staying here. I speak the language better, so I can communicate with him. Miki speaks Basic pretty well, so he can communicate with you. Besides, somebody's going to have to provide food for everyone. Miki won't be able to. He's got to rest, and you saw how good I was at cleaning fish."
Mark swore. "I should know better than to try'n out-talk you, but --"
Julia interrupted. "Why don't you just draw lots?"
Mark scowled at her. "Don't be silly. Alan'll know which straw t'pull by just lookin' at 'em."
"I'll let you draw first, Mark," Alan said. Already precognition was tugging at his senses, telling him that Mark would lose. Mark glared at him suspiciously, but Julia was already bending to draw two blades of vegetation from a crevice in the rocks. Turning her back, she did something with the straws, then turned, presenting what appeared to be two blades of the same length between her slim hands. Alan glanced at them, knowing instantly which was which.
Mark frowned. "Short or long?"
"Short straw goes," Julia said.
Mark frowned at the two and Alan watched, a sensation of peace now flowing through him. With satisfaction, he watched his partner touch the short straw, grasp it between thumb and first finger for a moment, then change his mind and quickly draw the other one. Alan quickly drew the short one.
Mark swore, flinging his choice into the river. "You knew I was gonna lose, didn'tcha? That's why you were so agreeable!"
"I'm sorry, Mark. But --"
Mark blew out his breath explosively and threw up his hands. "I guess it was inevitable. Sorry to be a sore loser, but --"
"I'll be all right," Alan said. "I've got Jeel with me, after all. He knows what he's doing."
"Hurry back, for the luvvamike, an' don't get lost."
"We won't."
Julia kissed his cheek. "Be careful, Alan."
"I will." Alan shrugged his pack into position and glanced at Lyn. She was watching him, her thin face still smudged with dirt and tears, and her eyes met his squarely. She had brown eyes, he realized -- beautiful brown eyes, completely surrounded by long, thick lashes. She looked no more than fourteen in the dim light of the stormy morning.
He went over to her and her eyes stayed with him. She came to her feet as he approached, her face expressionless, but her mind shields relaxed, and he felt her mind touch his lightly.
*Are you all right?* He spoke telepathically.
*Yes, thank you.* The reply was also telepathic, and quite formal. *Don't worry about me.* She smiled faintly. *I'm really pretty tough, in spite of appearances.*
*I believe it.* Alan still made no move to touch her. She had taunted him once and the memory lingered. He would never give her the opportunity again.
She was still looking at him, and he could read no scorn in his expression now. She wasn't beautiful, like Julia, but her features were somehow appealing because of their slight imperfections. Her upper lip was slightly too prominent, her nose a trifle flat and upturned, her face shape a little rounder than it should be. Alan tore his gaze from hers and turned deliberately to Julia.
"It might not be a bad idea to give Lyn a few tips on shielding. She's not bad, but she could use some practice. If they get another Jil tracer here --"
"I will," Julia said.
Mark gave his shoulder a light shove. "Better get goin'," he said. "Jeel, you see he stays outta trouble."
Jeel grinned. "Hell yes, Mark," he said.
**********
tbc
