_Sandow? He is here? With Jackara?_
_They are talking. She still holds the gun, but he stands too far away. I cannot tell, here at the edges of things, whether she is aware that he is unalone. He called her by name, which has gained her attention. She replies. He advances. It does not seem that she will shoot, for her curiosity is aroused. They speak in another language, but I catch at the rag-tails of their thoughts. He seems to know her, from somewhere--else ... She awaits as he draws near. He salutes her in some fashion which she acknowledges. He tells her now that she has violated a rule which I do not understand. She is amused by this_.
Morwin brought von Hymack into the shelter of the rocks. He lowered him to the ground, where he assumed a sitting position, back braced against the stone. He seated himself beside him and stared into the grayness. By then, the rainfall had become steady.
_He tells her that she must go-- I do not understand where, or how... She laughs. That painful laughter ... He waits until she has finished laughing and begins to speak. It is some formal thing that he says--memorized, not spontaneous. It is intricate and rhythmical, containing many paradoxes. I do not understand it. She listens_.
"Heidel, she is now with a man who is presumably trying to stop her. I do not know what will conic of it. But it is for this that we are waiting. Whatever the outcome, I have no idea what will become of you. My commander, my best friend, is dead. He had plans for you which will never come to pass. They were not especially admirable plans. But he was a great man nevertheless, and I might have helped him with them. Then again, I might have killed you, because of a danger you represented to him. Either way ..."
"I probably deserve anything unpleasant that happens to me."
"It strikes me that you were manipulated, both by circumstances and a parasitic autonomous complex with paranormal capabilities."
"You toss that off pretty glibly."
"I've been pestered by paranorm specialists most of my life. I'm an empathesiac telekineticist, whatever the hell that means--well, I move things around with my mind, and I can cause objects to induce specific feelings in people. I've absorbed the terminology. I sympathize with you. You have been used, and I would have been party to your continued exploitation. Tell me what it is that you want now."
"What? I don't know ... To die? No. To go away, I'd say. Someplace far, isolated. That is all I ever really wanted. I haven't been myself for so long that I want to get to know me again. Yes, to go away ..."
--_has finished, and she is no longer amused. She has angry words for him... Threatening... But now the thing in his mind is much nearer to the surface--the thing so like herself, when first I felt her presence in von Hymack. He speaks of this thing, mentioning a name. Shimbo, it seems to be. She raises the gun_--
There came a dazzling flash, followed by a crack of thunder. Morwin sprang to his feet.
_Shind! What happened?_
"What--?" said von Hymack, jerking his head about.
Morwin slowly sank back. The thunder came again, between small, steady flashes of light, a low, growling note that did not cease.
_The bolt struck between them, Shind said. She dropped the weapon and he took it, cast it away. But now he is no longer himself. Both their minds are mainly opaque. They are somehow akin, and there is an exchange of energies betiveen them. I believe he bids her depart once more and she protests the unfairness of it. I feel that there is fear in her. He replies. She does something ... Now he is angry. Again, he tells her to depart. She begins to argue and he interrupts her, asking whether she would carry the dispute to a contest_.
The thunder ceased. The winds grew still. Abruptly, the rain halted. The fog-hung air was instantly possessed of an unnatural stillness.
_I detect nothing now_, Shind said. _It is as though they have become a pair of statues_.
_Shind, where are you right now, physically?_
_I am drawing quite near their position. I have been moving toward them since I recovered. I was hoping there might still be something I could do. Now, though, it is purely a matter of curiosity. We are only about a quarter of a mile from you_.
_Have you looked into von Hymack's mind recently?_
_Yes. He is still in a state of depression. Harmless_ ...
_What are we to do with him, now?_
_The searchers are drawing nearer. I suppose we might just let them find him_.
_Do you think they would hurt him?_
_Difficult to say. The group I can pick up seems pretty businesslike about the whole thing, but there are some angry, unstable types ... Wait! --They are moving again! She raises her arm and begins to speak. He gestures also and joins her in whatever she is saying. Now_--
The sky seemed to collapse in a blazing sheet, and the peal of thunder that followed was the loudest he had ever heard. When his senses finally cleared, lie realized that it had resumed raining and that the taste in his mouth was blood, from where he had bitten into his lip.
_Now what, Shind?_ he inquired.
Again, the silence.
Then, "Heidel, other searchers are fairly near here--the real thing," he said. "Of course, they want to find you in order to stop the epidemics."
"That should all be ended. I can feel myself changing. I know the safe feeling, and it is on its way. Almost here, actually."
"But inasmuch as you are the only one aware of this feeling, they will still doubtless want to take you into custody. I understand that Dr. Larmon Pels is associated with the search. He would probably have you quarantined, studied. So you may get your wish for isolation."
"May?"
"I am wondering about the searchers themselves. Some of them may have lost relatives, friends ..."
"I suppose you are right. Any suggestions--beyond simple avoidance?"
"Not yet. If only we knew--"
_I believe that the issue has been decided_, Shind said.
_Which way?_
_I cannot tell. They are both unconscious_.
_Were they injured?_
_It seems the result of some form of psychic shock, so I cannot be certain. Perhaps you should come now. Jackara will need you_.
_Yes. How do I find you?_
_Relax your mind and let me move further in. I will guide your steps to me_.
_Don't guide too quickly. Heidel is not so fast on his feet_.
_What do we need him for?_
_Nothing. He needs us_.
_Very well. Come_.
"All right, Heidel," he said. "Now is the time."
They rose together and, under one poncho, leaning together, moved through the mist and the rain, moisture starring their faces, a fresh-risen wind at their backs.
When he finally came upon them, Morwin found Shind beside the man Sandow, who sat holding Jackara's hand and supporting her back with his arm.
"Is she all right?" he asked.
Sandow looked at Shind, then at Morwin. Then, "Physically, yes," he said.
He released von Hymack, who seated himself on a stone.
"Give this to that man," Sandow said.
"What?"
"A cigar, He'd like one."
"Yes. --How serious ... ?"
_We have both viewed her thoughts_, Shind said. _She is a child again, in a slightly happier time_.
"But how severe is it?"
_See whether she recognizes you_.
"Jackara?" he said. "How are you feeling? It's John . . Are you all right?"
She turned her head and stared at him. Then she smiled.
"How are you?" he asked.
_There was a flicker_, Shind said.
He extended his hand. She drew back, dropped her eyes.
"It's me. John. Wait!"
He fumbled in his pocket, withdrew a handful of coins, tossed them into the air. They swirled wildly, swarmed, fell into a pattern. Forming an ellipse, they danced before her, moving faster and faster. She raised her eyes and stared. She smiled again.
Perspiration broke out on his brow as they spun, sped, turned.