F. Wilson - The Tery

Cautiously they emerged into the courtyard. The tery noted the positions of the sentries and pointed them out. He did not want to get caught again. Rab darted along a deeply shadowed wall with the tery close behind; he paused at a flimsy wooden door and peered within.

"This is the kitchen," he whispered, once inside the dark, deserted space. "They prepare the food for the keep's higher-ups here." He pointed to a narrow door off to the left. "That leads to a passage which opens directly onto the stairs of the main tower. The scullions use it to deliver food at mealtime. I doubt very much if anyone will be watching it now."

They opened the door and felt their way along the dank inky passage. Torch light filtered through cracks in another door far ahead and they soon found themselves on the massive circular stairway of the main tower.

Rab glanced above and below, then smiled.

"As I suspected: No guards. No one's looking for danger from the inside. Come. We've got to get to the top unseen if we're to find Kitru."

Wordlessly, the tery pushed ahead and assumed the lead. Adriel was near now — he could feel her presence as he glided up the stairs. He halted as he heard the sound of descending footsteps ahead, up around the curve of the stairway before him. Whirling, he motioned to Rab to stay where he was and went ahead alone. A window opened through the outer wall above him. The tery reached it with a powerful leap and concealed himself within its shadow.

A young man, alone, rounded the curve and came into the light of the sputtering torch attached to the wall.

Dennel.

As the youth passed the window, the tery leaped from his niche and landed behind him with a whisper of sound. Dennel spun in surprise and fear.

"Wha —?"

Then he recognized the tery. He peered into the darkness beyond the torch light. If looking for signs of a guard or a keeper, he found none.

He approached the tery slowly, cautiously — he did not appear to fear for himself, but seemed to want to avoid frightening a dumb animal.

The tery let him come.

"How'd you get out, boy?" he said in a coaxing tone. "Don't worry. I'm not going to hurt you. I'll take you to your friend."

He edged closer, talking continually in a soothing, gentle voice. The tery stared at him, barely restraining the urge to tear into his throat.

"You want to see Adriel?" he went on. "That's who you're looking for, aren't you? She's right up those stairs and you'll probably get to see her tomorrow. That's when —"

The tery could hold still no longer. His right hand shot out and closed on Dennel's throat as he rose on his hind legs and lifted him clear of the steps.

"Traitor," he rumbled in his grating voice. "To save yourself you betrayed all of your kind." He shook him like a limp doll.

Dennel was unable to utter a sound. Even without the tery's huge hand half-crushing his larynx, the sound of coherent speech from the lips of what he had considered a stupid beast, coupled with the naked fury he saw in that beast's yellow eyes, would have struck him dumb.

"Easy, now! Easy!" Rab said, ascending into the light. "Just hold him steady. He's a Talent and I'll communicate that way to save time."

Dennel locked pleading eyes on Rab, obviously looking for a way out of the tery's grasp. But Rab's expression remained cold, his eyes flinty, until he had learned the answers to whatever questions he was asking.

"All right," he said finally. "Set him down and he'll lead us to the Finder."

The tery complied and hovered impatiently over Dennel as the young man leaned against the inner wall, gasping and rubbing his throat. Rab pushed him upward.

"Move. It'll be light soon."

Dennel took two steps, then lurched away and started to run down the steps. The tery caught the back of his tunic in his fist and raised Dennel into the air again. He was about to hurl him against the stone steps when Rab caught his arm and stopped him with an urgent whisper.

"No! Put him down!"

The tery hesitated. He wanted to hurt this human, and he could see in Dennel's wide, terrified eyes that he knew it, too.

Rab stared hard at Dennel. "He won't try that foolishness again — will you?"

Dennel shook his head. The tery hoped the human was now fully convinced that he was not quick enough to elude his reach.

Rab scrutinized the tery as he put Dennel down. "You frighten me, friend."

"You have nothing to fear from me," the tery said in a rough whisper. "Only the captain named Ghentren and those who would hurt Adriel need fear me."

Rab's smile was wry. "That's a relief."

The tery pushed Dennel between them and pointed upward. "Lead."

Rab paused before moving. "I think I'd know you were human now even if I hadn't found those ancient volumes. Since we entered this tower you've displayed craft, deceit, loyalty and outrage at betrayal. For better or for worse, my friend, you're as human as I."

The tery pondered this in silence as a thoroughly cowed Dennel led the ascent. Following almost absently, he tried to sort the confused jumble of thoughts swirling through his mind.

Could Rab be right? Could he be truly human after all? Was it really so preposterous?

He thought back on his brief coexistence with the psi-folk and realized how easily he had accepted their company, as if it were the most natural thing, despite the fact that he had had no previous close contact with humans. Not only had he felt at home, he had been drawn back to them after initial contact. He didn't need them for food or shelter — he simply enjoyed being in their company.

Perhaps the desires awakened in him by Adriel the day before were not so unnatural after all…

Further speculation was terminated by Rab's hand on his shoulder. They had reached the top of the stairway and a great wooden door barred their way. Hearing a voice within, Rab elbowed Dennel aside and gently pushed it open.

A lean, graying man stood in the center of the room, a wine cup in his hand. He was dressed in a soiled tunic girded with a leather belt from which hung a short sword in a scabbard.

The tery heard Rab mutter, "Kitru."

The lord of the keep swayed as he poured red liquid from a silver flagon. Adriel was bound to a chair before him, her back to Rab and the tery.

Kitru was shouting at the girl. "Fool doctors! Told me the drugs would make you totally subservient to my will — idiots! I wasted the entire night waiting for them to work!"

The tery froze for an instant at the sight of Adriel, then coiled to lunge forward. Rab grabbed his shoulder and signaled him to wait. The tery eased back. He would wait — but not much longer. He watched Kitru sip noisily from his cup and go on speaking to Adriel.

"But when it's light and I've had some rest, we'll try a new approach — the howls of your beloved pet should make you more compliant. And if that fails, we'll make sure to capture your father alive when he arrives to save you. But I will have a compliant — no, enthusiastic — Finder by the time Mekk arrives. Do you understand me?"

The tery dropped all caution then and burst into the room. Startled by the intrusion, Kitru instinctively reached for his sword. The blade had cleared its scabbard by the time the tery reached him, but before Kitru could put it to use, the tery knocked it from his hand and closed long fingers around the keep lord's throat.

"Don't!" Rab cried. "I know what you're thinking, but don't . Just hold him there until I check the girl."

He leaned over Adriel. The tery watched her face. Her expression was blank, her pupils wide. Rab shook her shoulder and her head lolled back, but she did not respond.

The tery growled and tightened his grip on Kitru's throat. Rab turned quickly.

"She's all right. I've seen the effects of this drug before. She'll be like this until about midday, then she'll be sick, and after that she'll be herself again."