m off from his
city. But he is wrong, they will never come. It is like waiting for the
moon to fall. The raiders' ships will return, and they will be stronger
than ever. But not a ship of the Zervs remains in neighboring space to
succor us. Yet he hopes, and his followers wait. It is foolish, and he
cannot trust you or men like you to get help for him. He is too old to
meet new conditions and to understand."

Few of the Zervs had shown the rapt interest in me and my people that
this Zoorph had made so plain. I thought backward on how carefully she
and I had been kept apart since our first meeting, and I realized there
was more to it than Nokomee's words of anger.

"What is a Zoorph, and what is your name? Why did Nokomee warn me
against all Zoorphs?"

"A Zoorph is a member of a cult; a student of mysteries not understood
by the many. The others have a superstition about us, that we destroy
souls and make others slaves to our will. It is stupid, but it is like
all superstitions--hard to disprove because so vague in nature." She
flickered impossible eyelashes at me languishingly, in perfect coquetry.
"You don't think me dangerous to your soul, do you?"

I didn't. I thought her a very charming and talented woman, whom I
wanted to know much better. I said so, and she laughed.

"You are wiser than I thought, to see through their lies. They are good
people, but like all people everywhere, they have their little
insanities, their beliefs and their intolerances."

Yet within me there was a little warning shudder borne of the strange
power of her eyes on my own, of the chill of the night, of many little
past-observed strangenesses in her ways, in the fear the Zervs bore for
her ... I reserved something of caution. She saw this in my eyes and
smiled sadly, and that sad and understanding smile was perfectly
calculated to dispel my last doubt of her. I slid closer across the
grass, to lie beside her.

"What could I gain by a knowledge of what lies in the city, Zoorph?" I
asked.

"My name is _Carna_, stranger. In that city you can learn whether there
is danger for your people in what the Schrees plan on earth. We could
not tell that, for we do not know enough about your own race's
abilities. You could steal a vehicle to take you to your own rich
cities. And as for me, I could go with you, to practice my arts in your
cities and become rich and famous."

"What are your arts, Carna?"

"Nothing you would call spectacular,