CHAPTER VIII

"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!"