The Defiant Agents

e slowly in English. "Do thes

ehead from a coil of braid, pulled

s as those four-footed hunters of y

ile of yours?" Travis raised his c

t night they can ride on its beam. We are not far enough into th

ns that those you fear dare not

can climb far enough insid

t now only inches away from hers. She did not shrink from his close scrutiny but met him e

sitated, and now there was a shade of puzzlement on her face. "There is a reason-a dream. No, there is the dream and there is reali

he warriors of Genghis Khan bore so proudly. Tatars, Mongols-the barbarians who had swept from the fastness of the steppes to change the course of history, not only

ce again. "That lies far back in the h

ueer, lost expression

rdly distinguish the words. "My people live

hem to listen. Now he put out hi

ed

tion-one of Eskimos, one of Pacific Islanders, and one of his own Apaches-had no reason or chance to select Mongols

d her carefully, intent on n

"Russian ... Russian ..." she repea

pable of tracking a fugitive, and if mountain heights were protection against such a hunt, he inten

ame to go on," the

the encroaching Spanish, horses had always been wealth to his people. To leave an animal wh

ere, free,"

the w

vis leaned close to make sure she was listening to him as he spoke with emphasis-"you will travel with us into these

" she told him evenly. "Untie my hands, brave warr

nife as long and keen as his from the folds

ghter, since I hav

lt. Alerting the coyotes, he dispatched them ahead; and the three started on, the Mongol girl between the two Apache

ground level, depending upon the coyotes for warning. But he held them all to a steady pace. And he did not question the girl aga

your own people

aydessa," she

you see here Tsoay of the People-the Apaches-while I am Fox.

he word with the same accent he

you have not answered my question, Kayde

nging to her arms. "There are my people of the Golden Horde, though once we were different and we can remember bits of that previous life. Then there are also the men who live in the sky ship and use the machine so that we think only th

truth, Travis recognized. By all accounts his people had come out of Asia in the very dim beginnings of migrating peoples. For all her dark-re

ment on his wrist-"you, too, were sent he

is

those here who

e are

ome free?" she d

ecked ship, the fact that his people possessed no r

mountains," he r

hey are so great, those men of the machines. But they are

quite sure of her meaning, but he dared not ask more detaile

sent out to learn how lay this land, they went along in the flyer with a machine so that there would be no more escapes. But we knew!" Kaydessa's fingers curled into small fists. "Yes, we knew that if we could get beyond the machines, th

.." She was counting the names off on her fing

d y

go. Her son was born that night, but the others had the machine at work once more. We might long to go here," she brought her fist up to her breast, and then raised it to her head

ow did you escape?"

d hunt with them. But I prayed that the spirits of the upper air look with favor upon me, and they granted aid...." Her eyes held a look of wonder. "For when we were out on the plains and well away from the settlement, a gras

id this

e sun

h landing of the American ship. Had one thing any connection with the other? It was very possible. The planeting spacer might

in these mountain

ssa, who am eldest daughter to the Khan-for you are like unto us, a warrior and a brave man, that I believe. It may be that you cannot be governed by their machine, for you have not rested under their spell, nor are of our blood. Therefore, if they come close enough to send forth th

t a danger she firmly believed in. Whether she was right about his immunity to the Ru

the Lightning." His fingers moved as if to curl about the sacred char

a long moment and then

way back to the pass. A low growl out of the dark brought them to an instan

n the stretch ahead. Anything from a slinking four-footed hunter to a

tion to a spot at the left perhaps a hundred yards on. There was a great splotch of dark there, large enough to hide a really formi

ck was growing impatient as its destined pr

that pointed rock-

e it?" Tso

t the m

. But in this light such weapons were practically use

aydessa asked i

waits for

e set her fingers to her lip

ne from Tsoay. There was a cry, scaling up in a throat-scalding scream which made Travis flinch. N

t it had been groveling on all fours when it fell, and now it was rising on its hind feet, one forepaw striking madly at the

ttacking coyote was already gone. Together Naginlta and Nalik'ideyu were harassing the creature, just as they had fought the split horn

ang for its throat. Even then the coyote yelped and flinched, a bleeding gash across its head from the raking talons of t

st, so did this stench remind him of something. Where-when-had he smelled it before?

east things which had lived in the dark of the desert world the Terrans' wandering galactic derelict had landed upon. Yes, the beast things whose nature

final goal of the ship's taped voyage. So they were a part of the vanished civilization. And Travis' own vague surmise concerning Topaz was proven cor

essa made a f

soay asked Travi

t over from the star people's time. And I

clothes, has no weapons, but it walks erect. It looks like

cked in force on the other worlds, looked about him apprehensively. Even with the coyotes on guard, they could not stand up to

face outward to a space they could cover with arrow flight if the need arose. And the coyotes, lying before

to every sound of the night, their hearts beating faster at a small

guards," Travis observed. "By morning

ar girl at first protesting, and then falling exhaus

wanted to make sure about that. On the other hand, there was the problem of the Tatar-Mongol settlement controlled by the Reds. There was no doubt in his mind that, were the Reds to suspect the existence of

with attention. She was looking straight ahead, her eyes as fixed as if she were in

s was already moving. He pushed on, rushing

Where do you

ed to free herself. When he tightened his grip she did not fight him actively as during the

deliberately tripped her, twisted her hands behind her back. She swayed in his hold, trying to win to her fe