Whether she was right or not. Barton gave up ttu

argument.

The car came to take Gerain and livajj; Barton fel a little sad, remembering how the young woman hai approached him at his first Tilaran party, and the joi he'd found with her. "So young," Limila had said o livajj later, "but of good thought." And then she an< Gerain taken hostage by Hishtoo, and Barton thinkhij he'd probably have to kill them-but that had worke< out all right. In point of fact, he'd wound up rescuing thi

two of them.

Now, he thought, as he and Limila exchanged hug with the two departing Tilarans, he'd probably never s& livajj again. So he savored her final kiss, then toucha his tongue to a tear at the corner of her eye. His owi eyes weren't all that dry, either, he noticed, "livajj," h

369 I.

said, u! value you; I am of thanks to have known you.

Be of happiness together, you and Gerain."

And when they had gone, Limila said to him, "It is a pity. Barton, that you and livajj stayed apart all the way from Sisshain. You need not have."

He squeezed her shoulder. "I know. Wouldn't have felt right, though. I mean, we were running an Earthani ship, not Tilaran." Not that anybody would have made any fuss, hut still and all...

Limila shrugged. "It was of your choice, Barton. Yes."

Not until dark was the Ship One group moved from Vertan's home. Barton wore his Shield harness, since it wouldn't fit easily into his pack; he didn't ask how anyone else dealt with the problem.

There were two groundcars, being loaded. Vertan drove one; Barton and Liroila and Abdul Muhammed got in with him. Barton in front alongside the driver, be- cause he wanted a look at where they went. The other driver was. Barton now knew, Vertan's son Tchorda.

Beside him sat Arleta Fox-along just for the ride. Bar- ton guessed. Behind him, Myra Hake and Cheng Ai took seats. In the dim light, Vertan waved back to his son, and then the two cars moved out.

The absence of regular roads or streets on Tilara, as far as he'd seen, still puzzled Barton. Now again he tried to figure how Vertan picked his car's way across verdant groundcover, between buildings spaced with no regularity, and sdll knew where he was going. The cars weren't mov- ing all that slowly, either, and the Tilaran excuse for headlights kept Barton squinting. But he could hear-the soft, bulky tires making swishing noises against the ground;

for sure, they wouldn't be tearing up the local turf.

He was beginning to relax and quit trying to figure things out, when three cars came up at an angle to block Vertan off, and slid to a stop that had to raise some heD with the underfoot,

Barton turned to Vertan, in time to see the driver slump down, no hands to the controls, and lie over against the door.

The car was headed for the blocking cars, a bunding, and a tree, in that order. And for the moment. Barton couldn't reach the controls, which he knew only vaguely.

He tried to pull Vertan out of the way, but that job

370.

took him a time. While be was still at it, the car, slowing gently, swerved to miss first the cars, then the building, and stopped short of the tree.

"What the hell?" He had Vertan out of the way now, and settled in to see if he could find the go-pedal on this buggy.

"There are safety features. Barton.w From behind him, Limila's voice. "Not infallible, but sometimes helpful. As how."

"Yeh, sure; thanks." People were getting out of the cars up ahead. They had guns. Sleep-guns for sure, be- cause what else had knocked Vertan out? Barton didn't even remember turning his Shield on, when he decided to wear it, but he must've, or why wasn't he dropped flat like Vertan? And for sure, Limiia had hers turned on.

From the cars ahead, eight or ten people charged out.

Barton fumbled for his own hand version of the sleep- - gun, found it, and dropped the lot of them.

"All right; who's awake?" Out of the car now, Barton was in a hurry to get back in and get moving. Everyone in their second car was out like pow; no help there. Bar- ton looked around and saw a tall figure. "Abdul? You had your Shield on?"

"It seemed a reasonable precaution. Barton."

"Yeh. Yeh, good. I don't suppose you know how to drive one of these things?" *'

"As it happened, when I was here before, in Tamirov's squadron, I enjoyed some of my spare time in learning that skill. So-"

"So follow me." But first he had to help Abdul wrestle the Ump figures in the second car, enough out of the way to give Abdul the driver's seat. Then Barton went back to the other car and got in.

Limila climbed in beside him. He said, "I think I know most of this, from watching as a passenger, but tell me the main handles."

She did, but then said, "I could accomplish this. Why must you?"

"Because you might not push hard enough." Maybe he was wrong; he couldn't know; Barton shook his bead.

"Navigate for me, please?"

She did, and quickly Barton learned the functions of the controls he really needed. Following Limila's guid- ance-and she waa very good at telling him without the-

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aid of gestures he couldn't have seen-Barton ran the caravan considerably faster than Vertan had done. After a time they left all buildings behind and ran through open country. From the shadowy look of the hills to either side, Barton figured he might be missing a lot of good scenery.

But for right now, he couldn't afford to worry about it.

Not much chance that ap Penn might have a second team after him, chasing tracers Barton didn't know 'about- but if that chance happened, Barton wanted to be all

braced for it.

When it didn't happen, when the two cars reached

what Limila pointed out as sanctuary. Barton realized he'd probably wasted a lot of adrenaline. Well, there was a lot of that going around.

Tevann, welcoming the group, was as courteous as ever. Just as skinny and handsome, too, Bartoa -thought.

But if Tevann and Limila wanted. Barton wouldn't be- grudge- He exchanged embrace with the Tilaran, briefly as local custom dictated, then watched while Tevann and Limila took a bit longer about the hugging, before Tevann drew back and said, "Is it of importance that

these cars be not seen here?"

Vertan was awake by now, and didn't look. or sound too woozy. He said, "Of importance, perhaps not. Of probability, though, a difference can ensue. One of dan- ger." Looking as tired as Barton had ever seen him, Vertan smiled. 'That we be of haste, removing tfaetwo vehicles to the holdings of myself, may be of best choice."

Your language says it funny, but you said it good.

Barton moved up to handshake the Tilaran. "Thanks, , Vertan, for everything. You're right; get your cars back,

so*s ap Fenn won't guess too much."

'Tour thought is of merit." So Vertan left in one car.

His son Tchorda, with Arleta Fox beside him, followed in the Other. Leaving the four Earthani, along with Limila, to accept Tevann's hospitality. Shrugging tension from his shoulder muscles. Barton followed the group indoors.

First came food and drink; then the contingent from Ship One was escorted to quarters in the guest building.

Leaving them, Tevann said, "Tomorrow we may bs of more speech. For tonight, enough."

Barton couldn't argue with that sentiment, and next morning over breakfast he was in a chatty mood. While