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edged with stone chips.
Stul grinned as he saw the other party approach. "Ha, Kordu! Is it that you
and your Hunters now must perform women's work? What have you done to so
displease the High Chief?"
The Elder Brother called Kordu ignored Stul's taunt. "We go to do what must be
done that this Feast will lack nothing. This is work for any man who is not
too swollen with pride. Far worse to leave anything undone for this Feast."
"Then a Warriors' Feast is coming? How so?"
Kordu grinned. "It is a mighty moment for the Ganthi. Only five times before
has a Stranger come into our land and proved worthy of living among us as a
warrior. Now it has happened again. And I was first among the Ganthi to meet
him."
Stul smiled thinly. "What did he do to prove his worthiness? Turn you over his
knee and spank you?"
This time Kordu obviously was keeping a rein on his temper as he replied. "He
sprang upon the tail of a three-horns and ran the full length of it with no
weapon in his hands. Then he took a spear from its neck and killed it with a
thrust in the eye. It was the largest three-horns ever seen by Hunters, and he
is the bravest Stranger ever to come among the Ganthi." Then he noticed
Katerina. "What have you there?"
"A gift for the High Chief," said Stul. "She is a woman who knows the arts of
war. A warrior woman will be a mighty gift for Geddo."
Stul was obviously trying to boast of his prize. Just as obviously he was
feeling angry and thoroughly frustrated. For a week he had been expecting that
everyone in Thessu would stand around and gape in amazement at his prize,
cheering wildly as he presented her to Geddo. Now he was home, and
everybody was too busy preparing to celebrate the arrival of this mighty
stranger to pay any attention to him. Katerina wanted to laugh out loud at
Stul's predicament.
Meanwhile Kordu continued to look her over. "Has she said of what people she
comes?" he asked.
Stul shook his head. "She has said nothing. She has spent much time on the
journey cleansing herself in the manner of her people. But it is not a manner
that I know of."
"That proves nothing, Stul. You are not noted for your wisdom or for your long
memory of anything except insults." Kordu frowned. "I wonder if she is of the
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same people as the Stranger. He also is much larger than most of the Ganthi.
Like this woman he is pale of skin, although his hair is dark. We know little
of his customs as yet, but "
Shouts and cheers suddenly exploded from behind the walls of Thessu. Kordu
broke off, turned, then smiled.
"I think you shall see the Stranger for yourself in moments, Stul. Such cheers
mean that he comes."
Stul tried to sneer. "Is he so mighty, or have we grown so weak, that we shout
like children when he comes?"
Kordu shrugged. "Go and also slay a three-horns singlehanded, as this man has
done. Then you will find out if we will cheer you as we cheer this ah, here he
is." Kordu pointed at the gate, where a tall man was striding out into the
sunlight. Katerina's eyes followed the pointing finger. Then she stared, and
went on staring, while the strength seemed to drain out of her so that she had
to fight not to collapse on the ground.
The man walking out of the gate toward her was Richard Blade, the British
secret agent from Lord
Leighton's Project. He was thinner, dark with dirt and sunburn, bearded, and
dressed as an Elder
Brother of the Hunters of the Ganthi. But he was Richard Blade, alive and sane
and healthy here among the Ganthi, in this time and this place. He was Richard
Blade or she, Katerina Shumilova, was finally going mad.
She was not going mad. She still would not go mad. She would live and fight.
But she knew there was one thing she would not do now, because there was no
sense in it.
She would not even try to guess where and when she was until she had talked to
Blade. She did not know enough and she could not know enough about this world
until then.
Of course, he was a British agent. On Earth he was an enemy, and there would
be no sense in asking him what was going on, or expecting him to answer. But
here wherever "here" was he was the only person who might know what was going
on. She was someone who desperately needed help. A minute ago she would have
been ashamed to admit that. Now it made no difference whether she admitted it
or not. It was true.
Would Richard Blade see who she was and how badly she needed his help? If he
saw, would he help?
Chapter Seventeen
«^»
Blade's self-control was formidable. It was part of his professional skills,
and it never deserted him, no matter where and when he might be, or what he
might be facing.
He still had to fight not to show stunned surprise and bewilderment when he
recognized the captive woman with the band of Hunters. Blade had a
photographic memory for faces and knew at once who she was. She was the blond
computer technician from the Complex, the new one. She was stark naked, and
now thin almost to gauntness. Her hair was as tangled as a briar patch and her
skin showed dozens of fading bruises and healing scratches. In spite of all
this she held herself straight and her blue eyes gazed
about her curiously and alertly.
At least they were curious and alert until they fell on him. Then they widened
until they showed white.
The woman staggered as if she had been struck and for a moment Blade thought
she was going to faint.
The two Hunters holding her tightened their grip. That and some miracle of
strength and self-control kept the woman on her feet.
Blade controlled his surprise and started thinking again. He was going to have
to do something to take the initiative. If he just stood there much longer
trying not to gape like an idiot, other people would notice, wonder, and do
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the first thing that came to their minds. Blade was sure that would not be
good either for him or for the woman. He had to get her away from her captors
and under his protection.
Anything else could wait. Otherwise she faced a grim future here among the
Ganthi.
In the long run he wanted much more than just getting the woman decent
treatment. He needed to talk to her, and that would be impossible unless she
was under his protection.
Here she was in Dimension X, alive, reasonably healthy, apparently perfectly
sane and functional.
How had she wound up being sent into Dimension X? How had she managed to
arrive here safely and survive? Did her being here mean that the problem of
finding another person able to travel into Dimension
X had at long last been solved? That was an exciting question, enormously
important for him, for the
Project, for England.
Besides, this was the second time on this one trip something bizarre had
happened. The first time had been winding up here among the dinosaurs and the
Ganthi, along with poor Arllona. Now there was this.
WHAT THE BLOODY HELL WAS HAPPENING BACK IN HOME DIMENSION?
Blade took a deep breath, realizing that he'd nearly shouted that last
question out loud. He strode forward until he was face to face with the Elder
Brother of the Hunters who had captured the woman.
"This woman is of my people. I claim her and say that she shall pass to me."
"Who are you, Stranger who dresses as a warrior of the Ganthi?" said the Elder
Brother. His face and tone were cold. "By what right do you claim her?"
"My name is Blade. What I have done; you know. I am a warrior of the Ganthi
because of it. I may choose a woman who pleases me and who is not claimed by [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]