Fugitive of the Stars / Land Beyond the Map by Edmond Hamilton

Author:Edmond Hamilton [Hamilton, Edmond]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: General, Music
Publisher: Ace Books
Published: 1965-11-26T07:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER X

IT HAD been a quick and furtive sound, as though some creature scurried out of sight to lie in wait around the next bend of the crevice. Horne shook his head violently to clear the cobwebs out of it.

Ewan had his gun out. It was a much more formidable weapon than Horne's stunner, which he guessed was almost exhausted of its charge anyway.

"Stay here with Yso,” he said to Ewan. “I'll try and see what it is."

He started forward, one step at a time. He was very tired and curiously reluctant for any more fighting. He wanted to lie down and die, or sleep, he didn't much care which, so long as it was restful. But he went on toward the dark pillar of rock, dragging his feet.

A voice spoke to him. It was a very queer, creaking, rusty voice with long-drawn sibilants and a general sound as though human speech was a trial to it.

"Don't ssshoot,” it said. “Pleassse. I am friend."

Horne stopped, a quiver running down his backbone. “Friend, are you?” he said harshly. “Then why are you hiding?"

"People ssshoot,” said the voice. “Too quick. I have food and water for you. Pleassse?"

Horne laughed. “You do, huh? For us. That's fine. But it's kind of a silly lie. You couldn't possibly know anything about us."

The voice said, “Fife hass a radio. He heard the talk of the Vellae."

"Fife?"

"Our leader."

"But the Vellae thought we were dead."

"We were closer to the wreckage than they. There were no bodies in it. Fife sssaid you got away. We have been looking for you all this time."

"Who are you?” Horne said.

"I am Chell of Chorann."

Horne remembered Chorann. It was one of the remotest worlds of the Fringe, beyond even Allamar, far out on the rim of the galaxy. He had touched there just once, in a ship carrying machinery to a mine project that had been established there. The mine-clearing had been nothing but a pinpoint opening enclosed by the vast, glowering, grotesque forests of that world. The engineers at the mine had spoken of the mysterious form of life that drifted in those mighty forests, aloof, never showing itself in friendliness, glimpsed only as flitting shadows. The memory of that did not make Horne feel any great rush of confidence in the unseen creature who called himself Chell.

He said, “Yes, but who are you with? Where's your group? You said ‘we'."

Chell answered quietly, “We are those few who have escaped from the Vellae slave-pens."

Yso caught her breath and stood up. She came forward.

"Tell him to come out, Horne. I want to talk to him."

"Don't ssshoot?” said Chell.

"Not unless you do something you shouldn't,” Horne said.

There was the faint sound, louder and less furtive this time, but still in some way not human. A peculiar shadow moved out slowly from behind the rock, taking on bulk and solidity in the twilight gloom."

"Sssee?” said Chell, without rancor. “It is safer for usss of Chorann to ssspeak first."

Horne saw very well. He would have

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