The Weakling Read online

certainly don'tintend to make a apology of any kind. Not to you. I merely made areasonable request. After all, these brutes are on my land and in myherd. I can find no mark of identification on them, of any kind." Barrashrugged.

  "As a matter of fact, I don't even know yet which two you are trying toclaim. All I ask is indication of which ones you say are yours and somereasonable proof that they actually came from your train. Certainly, amere claim of recognition is ... well, you'll have to admit, it's alittle thin."

  * * * * *

  Makun looked at him angrily.

  "Now, you pay attention to me. And pay attention good. I'm not stupidand I'm not blind. I can see all those jewels you're loaded down withand I know why you're wearing them. They tell me a lot about you, youcan be sure of that. Don't think I haven't noticed that patronizing airof yours, and don't think I've liked it. I haven't and I don't.

  "I know you're scared. I know you're worried to death for fear I'm goingto pull something on you. I spotted that the first time I talked toyou." He paused.

  "Oh, I've been trying to ignore it and be decent, but I've had aboutenough. I've been in this caravan business for a long time. I've dealtsquare and I'm used to square dealing. Now, you've been putting out alot of side thoughts about thievery and I don't appreciate being treatedlike some sneak thief. I'm not about to get used to the idea, either.

  "Now, you'd better get the air cleared around here and then we can talkbusiness. Otherwise, there's going to be a lot of trouble."

  Barra felt a surge of fury rising above his fear. This lacklander clownactually dared to try to establish domination over a member of theruling class? He breathed deeply.

  "I don't have--"

  "All right, listen to me, you termite. You've come way too far out ofyour hole. Now, you just better crawl back in there fast, before I turnon the lights and burn your hide off."

  The surge of mental power blazing at Barra was almost a physical force.He cringed away from it, his face wrinkling in an agony of fright. Makunlooked at him contemptuously.

  "All right. Now, I'll tell you--"

  Smoothly, Barra's hand went to the haft of his distorter. The jewelseemed to rise of its own accord as it blazed coldly.

  For an infinitesimal time, Makun's face reflected horrifiedcomprehension before it melted into shapelessness.

  Barra put the distorter back in its rack, looking disgustedly at themess on the cushions. There was nothing for it, he thought. He'd have todestroy those, too. Cleaning was out of the question. He shook his head.

  Like all these strong types, this Makun had neglected a simpleprinciple. With fear as his constant companion, Barra had been forced tolearn to live with it.

  Extreme mental pressure was merely another form of fright. It couldparalyze a braver soul--and often did. It merely made Barra miserablyuncomfortable without disturbing his control. And the hatred that wasalways in him was unimpaired--even amplified by the pounding terror.

  The more thoroughly Barra was frightened, the more effectively heattacked.

  He leaned back in his seat, letting the drumming of his heart subside.Eventually, he would recover enough to guide the boat out of the swampand back to the Residence.

  Tomorrow? Well, he would have to inventory the freight the man hadcarried. He would have to check those draft beasts. Perhaps he coulddiscern the hidden identification Makun had mentioned.

  And he would have to make disposition of some twenty slaves. He summonedup a smile.

  Now that he thought of it, this affair could be turned to profit. Afterall, Dar Makun had been diverted from his route and he had lost some ofhis train. And caravans had been known to disappear in the vicinity ofturbulent nulls.

  All he had to do was deny knowledge of the fate of Dar Makun's caravanif there were any inquiry. Oh, certainly, he could tell any inquirer,Dar Makun had arrived. He had stayed overnight and then taken hisdeparture, saying something about cutting around the null and back tohis normal, northern swing.

  He was feeling better now. He turned his attention to the controlcrystal and the boat swung about, to make its way back toward the lake.

  * * * * *

  It took longer than he had thought it would. It was evening of the dayafter the death of Dar Makun when Barra turned in his seat and raisedhis hand, then waved it in a wide circle.

  A quickly directed thought halted his mount and he looked about oncemore, at the thick forest.

  This clearing was as close to the village of Celdalo as he wanted tocome. The villagers never came into this heavy screen of trees, butbeyond the forest, there might be some who would watch and wonder. Hesmiled grimly.

  Of course, it didn't make too much difference what slaves mightthink--if they could think at all, but there was no reason to leaveunnecessary traces of the day's work.

  He swung about in his cushions and looked back at the line of draftbeasts. They were swinging out of line now, to form a semicircle, facingthe trees ahead.

  He impressed an order on his mount to stand, then lifted himself out ofthe cushioned seat between the armor fins. For a few seconds, hehovered, looking down at the beast he had been riding.

  Yes, he thought, he would do well to raise a few of these creatures.They were tractable and comfortable to ride. A good many caravan mastersmight be persuaded to get rid of their less comfortable mounts inexchange for one of these, once they had tried a day's march.

  One by one, the big saurians came to the forest edge and entered theclearing, then crouched, to let their drivers swing to the ground. Barralooked at the lead driver.

  "Make your cargo stack over here," he ordered, "at this side of theclearing. You will wait here for your master."

  The man looked confused. A vague, questioning thought came from him. Itwasn't really a coherent thought, but just an impression ofdoubt--uncertainty. Barra frowned impatiently.

  It had been much the same when he had ordered this man to load up backat Tibara. Perhaps it was no wonder Dar Makun had been forced to learnvocalization if this was the best slave he could find to develop intohis headman.

  Carefully, he formed a projection. It showed the carriers gathering intheir unloading circles. He made one of the projections turn and dropits head over another's back. The wide mouth opened and stubby, pegteeth gripped the handling loop of a cargo sling. Then the long-neckswiveled back, to repeat the performance.

  Barra watched as the man before him nodded in obedient understanding. Heshot out a sharp, peremptory order.

  "Do it, then! Do it as shown."

  The man made noises, then turned, shouting at the other drivers.

  Barra watched as the stack of cargo grew. At last, the final sling waspositioned and a heavy cloth cover was dropped over the great piles.Barra looked at the headman.

  "Bring your drivers close," he ordered. "I have something for them tosee."

  Again, there was the moment of confusion, but this time the man hadgathered the main sense of the command. He turned again, shouting.

  The drivers looked at each other questioningly, then moved slowlyforward, to form a tight group before Barra, who watched until they werein satisfactory position.

  He concentrated on the group for a few seconds, starting the formationof a projection to his left.

  As the air glowed and started to show form, the eyes of the driversswung toward it. Barra smiled tightly and swung his distorter up. Thecrystal flamed as he swept it across the group of slaves.

  He kept the power on, sweeping the distorter back and forth until allthat remained was a large pool of slime which thinned, then oozed intothe humus. At last, he tucked the rod back under his arm and examinedthe scene.

  There was the pile of goods. There were the carrier beasts. But no manor pseudoman remained of the caravan. His smile broadened.

  Once he had sorted this cargo and moved it to the Residence and tovarious warehouses about the Estates, all traces of Dar Makun and histrain would be gone.

&nb
sp; To be sure, a few villages would find that their herds had increased,but this was nothing to worry about. He sighed.

  It had been a hard day and it would be a hard night's work. He wouldhave to forget his dignity for the time and do real labor. But this wasnecessity. And there was plenty of profit in it as well.

  So far as the rest of the world might know, Dar Makun and his caravanhad left Kira Barra to cut back to the northern swing. And the turbulentnull had swallowed them without trace.

  He turned away. He would have to bring work boats in to the nearbybeach. Their surrogates were already attuned and ready, and one of themhad been equipped with an auxiliary power crystal. He would need that.

  As the boats arrived at village piers, the various headmen would merelyfollow instructions as given by the boat's surrogates. He would be donewith this operation in a few hours.

  * *