The Weakling Page 8

picked up, or she mightbe needing a new father." He turned again.

  "I'll get Kesonta to help with that roof. It'll be straight in an houror so."

  Retonga looked after him for a moment, then caught the eyes of a coupleof the women. He made a sweeping motion toward the earth of theclearing, then walked back to his own door.

  He turned, inspecting each detail of the village.

  "Let's see. Is there anything else for the master to find wrong?" Again,he examined each house closely.

  At last, he turned away, walking toward a path.

  "He'll probably be looking at the waterfront, too," he told himself,"and at the lodge."

  He walked slowly along the path, checking the forest floor as he went.As he got to the beach, he looked toward the pier, then winced.

  A few hundred yards out in the lake, a high wedge of water was sweepingtoward him. At the apex of the vee, he could see the shape of a boat,its bow riding high over the water.

  "Oh, no," he groaned to himself. "Trouble again!" He waited.

  As the wave splashed to the pier, he dashed forward to secure the boat.Kio Barra merely glanced at him. Briefly, he caught the impression of awide field. A line of great beasts were crossing it, their long necksbobbing as they walked. He nodded in understanding.

  A caravan was coming in. That would be trouble, of course, but of minornature. He turned, to follow the glittering figure as it floated towardthe path and on, into the village.

  * * * * *

  As the caravan came to a stop, Naran's beast bent its knees andcrouched. He swung himself to the ground.

  He was getting the hang of this, he told himself. At first, he had beenforced to fight an almost uncontrollable compulsion to float downnormally, but now it seemed quite sensible to grab the heavy fiberstrands and swing forward till his feet were solidly on the ground. Hespun about.

  "All right," he shouted. "Take your reins. Form your unloading circleson me. We'll be here for a day or two."

  He watched as the slings were lifted from the brutes' backs, then turnedhis attention to the man who was greeting Dar Girdek.

  So this was the Lord of the Mountain Lake. He shook his head. The fellowglittered almost from head to foot. Naran examined the jewelryappraisingly. He wore a fourth-order cap. They didn't make them anyheavier than that one. And if there was a device that had been left out,he had never heard of it.

  In addition, he could identify three heavy-duty shields, a powerlevitator, a handful of destructor and paralysis rings, and a projectormedallion capable of forming several hundred cubic feet of solid,detailed illusion. He shook his head.

  This man must have spent the entire income of his estate for severalyears in assembling this array. There was enough there to outfit abattle group of competent psionics.

  "If this guy needs all that stuff just to get by, he's as near topsionic zero as you can get," Naran told himself. "Either that, or he'sloaded with a power compulsion that's never been equalled." He frowned.

  "Or both," he added thoughtfully.

  He looked again at the blaze of jewelry.

  Faintly, he could sense the sour feel of fear. It acted as a carrier fora mixture of hatred, envy, and contemptuous hauteur. Naran whistledsoftly. There was more, too. He wished he dared try a probe, but withall that arsenal of psionic crystalware, it would be unwise.

  "Hit those shields of his and I'd bounce off with a noise like a millionbells," he thought. He turned away.

  He'd have to keep his own mind fully hooded around here. He looked backagain, glancing at the distorter rod Barra carried. His eyes widened alittle.

  "Given adequate drive, that thing would stop a Fifth Planet battleship."He grinned.

  "Arm a couple of hundred men with those things and they could go out andtake the Fifth apart, bit by bit. Then we wouldn't have to worry aboutthose people and their mechanical gadgets."

  He dragged his attention back to the business at hand, tapping in on DarGirdek's thoughts.

  "... And we can tour the Estates later today," Barra was saying. "I maybe able to show you some worthwhile goods, as well as a few good draftbeasts to carry them."

  Naran risked a light probe, taking advantage of Barra's divertedattention.

  He had been right, he thought. It was the "or both." He shook his head.The guy was almost pathetic. Obviously, he wanted to be the greatest manon the planet. And equally obviously, without his amplifier jewels, he'dbe little stronger psionically than one of Dar Girdek's drivers.

  As Dar Girdek followed his host toward the village, Naran turned hisattention back to his drivers. He would have to make camp and then gettogether with that village headman. There'd be plenty of arrangementsthey would have to make.

  He was surprised at the arrangements Retonga had already made. Therewasn't much question about it, the entertainment of caravans wasfamiliar business with this headman. He knew all the problems--and theiranswers.

  Of course, Dar Girdek had told him about the hospitality of Kira Barra,but this had to be seen to be believed. He spent his first reallyrestful night in weeks.

  The next morning, he walked slowly along the path to the drivers' lodge,paying little attention to his surroundings. Somehow, in spite of thereception given the caravan, he was uneasy.

  He recalled his conversation with Retonga the night before.

  The man had asked questions about the conditions of the trail. He hadbeen curious about the treatment of the drivers by the master of thetrain. Then he had shaken his head, looking out over his village.

  "It is far different here. This is an estate of death and terror, andour master is the very lord of these. I was a child when his fatherdied, but I think things were different then." He had looked searchinglyat Naran.

  "I've never mentioned these things before," he went on. "But there'ssomething--" He had looked down at the ground, then up again.

  "Our master became Kio through the death of his brother," he went on,"and it was through the deaths of other headmen that I was placed incharge of this village." He had glanced back into the door of his hut.

  "I had no part in causing those deaths. The life of a headman here inTibara is short and none but a fool would fight for this position ofmine. It is not a good one. The master's demands are heavy and his handis even heavier."

  This didn't match with the reputation of Kio Barra as a consideratehost--a fair man to do business with. It made him wonder.

  Had his brother actually ever left this place? But if not, where werehis drivers? What had happened to his train of draft brutes? How had thecargo he carried been disposed of?

  Oh, of course, he knew there were caravan masters who would acceptfreight and ask a minimum of questions. Goods could be disposed of. Andthis was a breeding estate. The slaves? He shook his head. Too simple!

  He brought himself back to the present, looking thoughtfully at thedrivers' lodge ahead of him. Then he probed gently, trying to establishrapport with Dar Girdek. The man could be in real danger.

  He frowned and probed with more force. There was nothing. The frowndeepened.

  After his talk with Retonga, he had established rapport with the caravanmaster, but the older man had attached no importance to his suspicions.

  "No," he had thought back, "you are seeing a robber behind every rocknow. Kio Barra is a tough master, of course. He's got a big estate here,and he really keeps it up to the mark. He's a good host and a reallygood man to deal with--liberal trader. Remember, I know this guy. I'vebeen here before." There had been the impression of a smile.

  "Besides, this guy's harmless, remember? Sure, he's a businessman. Butif he should try anything violent, I could take care of him withouttaking time out to think about it." A final, dismissing thought hadcome.

  "Look, forget about it, will you? If you had to suspect someone of dirtywork, pick on some of those northerners. Kio Barra's too well known forfair dealing. I'll make a deal with him, then we can go up to thenorthern swing and really look around to see i
f we can find any trace ofthat caravan of your brother's."

  Naran kicked at the trail. Dar Girdek was a good trader and a successfulcaravan master. He knew goods and their value, and he was expert inhandling beasts and drivers. But he had never been too sensitive. Andhe'd absolutely refused to wear a probe amplifier.

  "Look," he'd thought disgustedly, "how would you like to do businesswith some guy that wore a great, big, yellow headlight to tell you hewanted to poke around in your mind?"

  Naran put his foot on the lowest rung of the short ladder leading to thelodge door.

  Unless he was badly mistaken, he knew now where his brother had gone.And now Dar Girdek had joined him. The details? He shrugged.

  They were unimportant. But