"To end the war."
"That too is our wish. It is not good for our people to bear instruments designed to kill those of our own kind. It hurts them. But it is a thing I cannot alone decide. There are others-you must meet them, talk with them, let them judge you in our manner. You are willing?"
"Yes," said Dumarest. "Let's waste no more time."
* * *
It was dawn when he returned, the stars paling, fading motes in the light of the rising sun. A sentry called out as he approached the circle of stones, his voice high, brittle with tension.
"Halt! Who-"
"Marshal Dumarest."
"Earl?" Ven Taykor rose at the sentry's side, knocking down the aimed rifle. "You're back! I was beginning to get worried. Half the men thought you'd been roasted and eaten, the rest that you'd sold us out. How did it go?"
"Fair enough." Dumarest added, "Ven, have you ever known any of the Ayutha to lie?"
"No."
"Never? Not even in small things?"
"They've never lied to me, and not to anyone else as far as I know. They just don't bother. They simply tell the truth, and to hell with the consequences."
Natural enough if they were telepathic, even if the talent were rudimentary. Lies would be too easily discovered and serve no useful purpose. The very concept of falsehood would be alien to a race that exposed its innermost thoughts.
As Dumarest entered the circle, Lieutenant Paran sprang to his feet. He had been sleeping, his face still drawn with the lines of fatigue.
"Any luck, sir?"
"Some. We can get out of here alive, at least. Send for a raft to pick us up. Just the vehicle and pilot, no troops. How are the injured?"
"Comfortable, but one man is pretty bad. I doubt if he'd make it if we had to carry him." The officer busied himself with his communicator. "Anything else, sir?"
"Get me headquarters."
Captain Louk appeared on the tiny screen. He looked harassed. "Marshal! Thank God you've made contact. We've had a hell of a night."
"Report."
"Two more villages were hit." He gave the map references. "A total wipe-out. The field detachments close by got there while it was happening. They were unaffected, but there was nothing they could do. Colonel Paran's out there now." He added, "It's bad, marshal. Damned bad. Those villages were close, and if the Ayutha is stepping up the attack-"
"Were any signs of the Ayutha found?"
"No, but that doesn't mean anything. If they're using gas, and they must be, we wouldn't-"
"Have men search every inch of the area for at least a mile around each village," interrupted Dumarest sharply. "Concentrate on the ground. If a living enemy attacked, there must be traces."
"Sir?"
"Find trackers, men accustomed to hunting game. Damnit, captain, use your head. I want a full report when I return. In the meantime, no offensive action is to be taken against the Ayutha of any kind. Do you understand me? I have arranged a truce."
The captain hesitated, then said, "There was a Council meeting last night, sir. The decision was to launch punitive expeditions at noon."
"Cancel those instructions."
"Sir?"
"You heard me, captain. Use the men to form a thick line around the base of the hills. If you have body-capacitance detectors, use them; if not, cut a clear path through the lofios. Halt and hold for questioning any Ayutha you may find. You understand? I don't want them shot, simply held. That's an order, captain. The success of the truce depends on your cooperation."
"Yes, sir. The Council?"
"I will report on my return."
As Dumarest broke the connection, the young officer said dubiously, "Will they keep it, sir? The truce, I mean. Those two villages-"
"Were affected last night. The truce runs from this dawn. You'd better notify all units as to the success of this mission."
"Yes, sir, but your plan? It will need a lot of men."
"They can be found." From the streets, the restaurants, those sporting uniforms and those still waiting to join the forces. Arms wouldn't be necessary; all he wanted was for men to watch. A living line of witnesses, so as to prove a point. "Check the men, lieutenant. Have them put by their arms. We won't be attacked, but I want to take no chances."
At his side Ven Taykor said, "I wish I'd gone with you, Earl."
"One was enough."
"I guess so." The guide sucked in his cheeks. "Did you reach one of their councils?"
"I saw a lot of old men. If that is a council, then I saw it. Is their word good?"
"You mean can they speak for the rest?" Taykor nodded. "I would say they could, but how can I be sure now? That attack, that was something I've never seen before, and that flame they used. How did they get weapons like that? They're primitive; to make such things you need a knowledge of chemicals, a factory of sorts." He shook his head, thinking; then, after a moment he said quietly, "What was it like, Earl? Tough?"
Dumarest leaned back against the stone, not answering, remembering the journey he had made, the twists and turns, the cavern into which he had been ushered. There had been fires and torches and things of painstaking fabrication; mats woven from fine materials, seeds linked into patterns, bones carved into delicate shapes, wooden artifacts, and items of fretted stone.
It had been full of the Ayutha, all male; he had not seen a single woman or child.
They had sat around him, asking questions, talking softly among themselves, conferring, remaining silent for long periods of time. And all the time he had concentrated on the single-minded desire that the conflict should end, that there should be peace.
"You were lucky," said Taykor. "No, not lucky, you had guts. Maybe someone else should have tried it. If they had, those villages might be normal now instead of filled with dead. Well, it can't be helped, but the way I see it, things will never be the same again. I used to feel safe in the hills-they were just like home. Now, I guess, if ever I rove them again, I'll keep looking behind me."
"You'll forget," said Dumarest. "This whole thing could be a mistake."
"Maybe." Taykor didn't sound too sure. "If so, it's one hell of a mistake to have made." He squinted up into the sky, grunting with satisfaction. "Here comes the raft."
It was empty, as ordered, the pilot scared. He licked his lips as they loaded the dead, the crusted remains of Captain Conn. As they lifted he said, "I've got a message for you, marshal. A member of your family has arrived on Chard. She's waiting for you at home."
"She?"
"Yes, sir. The Lady Lisa Conenda."
* * *
She was all in black and silver, shimmering mesh hugging the contours of her body, ebony belting her waist, more on the tips of her fingers, the toes of her feet naked in delicate sandals. She came toward him as he closed the door, smiling, teeth gleaming between her parted lips. Cosmetics accentuated the elfin planes of her face, the enigmatic look of her eyes.
"Surprised, Earl?"
"Where is Zenya?"
Shrugging, she said, "Does it matter? Shopping, making love to one of those young men in uniform, telling more than she should to those who would be your enemy-who can tell what the young fool is doing?"
"Try again."
"Sensitive, Earl? I dont know where she is, but we both know what she is like. Did you expect her to remain faithful? If so, you were a fool." Turning, she glanced around the suite. "So comfortable," she murmured. "So snug. Have you enjoyed the honeymoon? She bringing you the arts learned in countless engagements, and you… What did you bring to her? The domination she needs? The mastery she had never known?"
He said flatly, "Stop talking like a jealous woman. Why are you here?"
"Where else should I be… partner? Or have you forgotten what you promised?"
"We are no longer on Paiyar."