"What happened?" Tsoay took a stride, over the girl was now such that Travis had to all his to her.
"I think that the machine she spoke about is her. She is being to it out of as one a on a rope."
Both had and were the with interest, but there was no from them. Whatever called Kaydessa into such and will-less answer did not touch the animals. And neither Apache it. So only Kaydessa's people were to it, as she had thought. How away was that machine? Not too near, for otherwise the would have the man or men it.
"We cannot move her," Tsoay the problem into the open—"unless we and her. She is one of their kind. Why not let her go to them, unless you she will talk." His hand to the knife in his belt, and Travis what moved in the man.
In the old days a who was likely to give trouble was eliminated. In Tsoay that memory was now. Travis his head.
"She has said that others of her are in these hills. We must not set two us," Travis said, the more practical which might to that for self-preservation. "But you are right, since she has to answer this summons, we cannot her with us. Therefore, do you take the trail. Tell Buck what we have and have him make the necessary against either these Mongol or a Red over the mountains."
"And you?"
"I to where the and learn all I can of this settlement. We may have to need friends——"
"Friends!" Tsoay spat. "The People need no friends! If we have warning, we can our own country! As the Pinda-lick-o-yi have before."
"Bows and against and machines?" Travis bitingly. "We must know more we make any for the future. Tell Buck what we have discovered. Also say I will join you before," Travis calculated—"ten suns. If I do not, send no search party; the is too small to more for one."
"And if these Reds take you—?"
Travis grinned, not pleasantly. "They shall learn nothing! Can their out the of a man?" He did not his to end as as that, but also he would not be easy meat for any Red party.
Tsoay took a of their and the company of the coyotes. Travis that for all his with the animals, the had little more for them than Deklay and the others at the rancheria. Tsoay at dawn, at the pass.
Travis sat Kaydessa. They had her to a small tree, and she to free herself, her at an and painful angle, only to the same direction in which she had been tied. There was no the spell which her. And she would soon wear herself out with that struggling. Then he an expert blow.
The girl limply, and he her. It all now on the range of the or of that machine. From the of the coyotes, he that those using the machine had not any attempt to come close. They might not know where their was; they would and wait in the for the to in a captive.
Travis that if he moved Kaydessa away from that point, sooner or later they would be out of range and she would from the knockout, free again. Although she was not light, he manage to her for a while. So burdened, Travis started on, with the ahead.
He that he had set himself an task. The going was rough, and the girl his to a snail-paced crawl. But it gave him time to make plans.
As long as the Reds the of power on this of the range, the was in danger. Bows and against modern was no at all. And it would only be a of time on the part of the northern settlement—or some of Tatar fugitives—would the enemy across the pass.
The Apaches move south into the unknown the ship, thus the time they were discovered. But that would only the showdown. Whether Travis make his that, was also a of concern.
On the other hand, if the Red be met in some practical way.... Travis' mind on that more idea, it as Naginlta a prey, out and the more portions. Every of and against such an approach, success only and impossibility; yet that was the direction in which he to move.
Across his Kaydessa and moaned. The Apache his to the of he see ahead, into high by the winds. In its they would have protection from any from below. Panting, he it, the girl into the cup of space, and waited.
She again, one hand to her head. Her were open, and still he not be sure they on him and her or not.
"Kaydessa!"
Her lifted, and he had no she see him. But there was no of his identity in her gaze, only and fear—the same she had their meeting in the foothills.
"Daughter of the Wolf," he spoke slowly. "Remember!" Travis that an order, an to the mind under the of the caller.
She frowned, the she was making on her face. Then she answered:
"You—Fox—"
Travis with relief, his subsiding. Then she remember.
"Yes," he eagerly.
But she was about, her growing. "Where is this—?"
"We are higher in the mountains."
Now was pushing out bewilderment. "How did I come here?"
"I you." Swiftly he what had at their night camp.
The hand which had been at her was now pressed tight across her as if she were into its to still some panic of her own, and her were and haunted.
"You are free now," Travis said.
Kaydessa nodded, and then her hand to speak. "You me away from the hunters. You did not have to them?"
"I nothing."
"You do not hear—you feel!" She shuddered. "Please." She at the her, up to her feet. "Let us go—let us go quickly! They will try again—move in—"
"Listen," Travis had to be sure of one thing—"have they any way of that they had you under and that you have again escaped?"
Kaydessa her head, some of the panic again her eyes.
"Then we'll just go on—" his to the them—"try to keep out of their reach."
And away from the pass to the south, he told himself silently. He not lead the enemy to that secret, so he must travel west or up in this unknown until they be sure Kaydessa was no longer to that call, or that they were safely its radius. There was the of her kin, just as there was the of into a pack of the ape-things. Before dark they must a protected site.
They needed water, food. He had a dozen tablets. But the water.
"Come!" Travis to Kaydessa, her to climb ahead of him so that he watch for any of her once again to the of the enemy. But his early had told on Travis more than he thought, and he he not himself on to a than a walk. Now and again one of the coyotes, Nalik'ideyu, would come into view, in and signal, and then be gone again. The Apache was aware that the animals were disturbed, yet to his at they did not reply. Since they gave no of animal or man, he only be on guard, the about him.
They had been a for minutes Travis was aware of some of that path. Perhaps he had actually noted them with a his of the past gave him a for the marks. This in the mountain's skin might have as a natural fault, but it had been with tools, smoothed, to the purpose of some of intelligence!
Travis at Kaydessa's to slow her pace. He not have told why he did not want to speak here, but he the need for silence. She around, perplexed, more so when he on his and ran his along one of those tool marks. He was it was very old. Inside of him bubbled. A road with such labor only lead to something of importance. He was going to make the discovery, the which had him into these mountains.
"What is it?" Kaydessa him, at the ledge.
"This was cut by someone, a long time ago," Travis and then why. There was no to the road makers him when a thousand years or more the of that and this day.
The Tatar girl looked over her shoulder. Perhaps she too was by the that here time was telescoped, that past and present might be meeting. Or was that with them of their conditioning?
"Who?" Now her voice in turn.
"Listen—" he her intently—"did your people or the Reds any of the old here—ruins?"
"No." She forward, with her own the same almost-obliterated marks which had Travis. "But I think they have looked. Before they that we be free, they sent out parties—to hunt, they said—but they always asked many questions about the country. Only they asked about ruins. Is that what they us to find? But why? Of what value are old on one another?"
"In themselves, little, save for the knowledge they may give us of the people who them. But for what the might contain—much value!"
"And how do you know what they might contain, Fox?"
"Because I have such houses of the star men," he returned absently. To him the marks on the were a of to come. He must where that road ran—to what it led. "Let us see where this will take us."
But he gave the in four bursts. And the tawny-gray came out of the brush, up to the ledge. Together the him, their attention all for his communication.
Ruins might ahead; he that they did. But on another such had twice proved to be traps, and only good had their on Terran explorers. If the ape-things or any other of life had taken up them, he wanted good warning.
Together the and along the now level way of the ledge, around a to the while Travis and Kaydessa followed.
They it they saw its source—a waterfall. Probably not a large one, but high. Rounding the curve, they came into a of where of color across a of water.
For a long moment they entranced. Kaydessa then gave a little cry, out her hands to the and them to her again to the moisture.
Water the surface of the ledge, and Travis pushed her against the of the cliff. As as he discern, their road the out-flung of water, and on the wet was treacherous. With their to the solid security of the wall, into the solid of water, they it and came out into again.
Here either nature or art had a pocket in the which was with water. They drank. Then Travis his while Kaydessa her face, the cold of the to her with palms.
She spoke, but he not her through the roar. She closer and her voice to a shout:
"This is a place of spirits! Do you not also their power, Fox?"
Perhaps for a space out of time he did something. This was a place, a never-ceasing place—and to his desert-born-and-bred all water was a gift to be taken for granted. The rainbow—the Spirit People's sign—old in Travis, moving him. "I feel," he said, in to his agreement.
They the road to a where a of an season had it. Travis a way across the debris, Kaydessa his in turn. Then they were on a way which to a staircase—the weather-worn and crumbling, the so Travis if it had been for beings with a the Terrans'.
They came to a where an of was out as a roofing. Travis he make out a of on the capstone, so by years and weather that it was now only a of design.
The was a door into another valley. Here, too, in to and what there. Travis had his ruins. Only the were intact, not by time.
Mist in and forth, outlines, now shuttering, now which were in diamonds of four on tower surfaces. There were no visible cracks, no of vegetation, nothing to age and long in the valley. Nor did the he view match any he had on those other worlds.
Travis away from the doorway. Under his was a pavement, yellow and green set in a pattern of checks. This, too, was level, and undisturbed, save for a or two of in by the wind. And he see any vegetation.
The towers were of the same green as the blocks, a green which him think of jade—if be in such as these five-story towers demanded.
Nalik'ideyu to him, and he the of her on the pavement. There was a in this place, as if the air itself and all sound. The wind which had been with them all the day of their was left the cleft.
Yet there was life here. The told him that in her own way. She had not up her mind that life—wariness and in her now as her pointed toward the overhead.
The were all well above ground level, but there was no opening in the as as Travis see. He moving into the range of those to the of the towers for doorways. The and the message from Nalik'ideyu his suspicions. Out in the open he would be too good a for or might be the deep-welled frames.
The was by a boom. Travis jumped, around, knife in hand.
Boom-boom ... a second beat-beat ... then a with a echo.
Kaydessa her and called, her voice up as if by the walls. She then as she had done when they the ape-thing and ran on to catch at Travis' sleeve, her eager.
"My people! Come—it is my people!"
She him on into a run, around the of one of the towers. Travis ran after her, he might her in the mist.
Three towers, another of open pavement, and then the to them a second not two hundred yards ahead. The boom-boom to Kaydessa, and Travis do nothing but her, the now him.
