Breed to Come (13 page)

"No-farther—"

So he was accepting defeat. Furtig should now feel.relief. It was as if Ku-La had accepted the inevitable,laid his throat open to the mercy claws. But he spokeagain, and this time he asked a question which surprised Furtig, for he believed Ku-La sunk in his ownmisery.

"What seek you?"

"Knowledge." Furtig answered w'th the truth."The hidden knowledge of the Demons."

"So—also—" came the whisper. "I-found—before-I—was-taken—"

Furtig, startled, rolled over, trying to see the otherin the dark. Only Gammage's clan combed the lairsfor knowledge. Yet this stranger spoke with certainty.

"Records?" Furtig demanded. He could accept thatKu-La prowled perhaps hunting a superior weapon.But certainly he could know nothing of the tapesGammage wanted.

"Demon knowledge." Ku-La's whisper was a littlestronger, as if the necessity for communication actually produced strength to aid him. "They kept records—in-rolls-of—tape. Our people know this.

You putthem in—" His whisper died away.

But Gammage and his people were the only oneswho had learned that, who studied such. Yet Ku-Laspoke as one who had used such tapes. Furtig had toknow more. Putting out a hand, he touched the other's shoulder, only to feel Ku-La wince with a gasp ofpain.

"How do you know this?" Furtig demanded sharply.

"—live in lairs—to the east-lairs very large. We hunt knowledge—"

Another clan such as Gammage's, busy at the sametask on the far side of the lairs? But it was not possible. As Ku-La had said, the lairs were large. But thatthey had not had contact—that hinted that Ku-La'speople may have been hiding with no good intent.Had he brought out of the Rattons' claws one whowas as much an enemy as a Barker or one of the evil smelling runners in dark ways?

"Came-from a smaller lair-found knowledge therewhich brought us hunting here—" Ku-La continuedthat thread of tortured sound, bending his strength toan explanation. "We have old story-lived-with-Demons until they died-then learned—"

Could it be that elsewhere the Last Days had beendifferent? That dying Demons had not turned uponKu-La's tribe as they had so mercilessly here? Furtigdecided that such history was possible. And if thatwere so, surely Ku-La's people had a head start onDemon discoveries. Yet they had come here seekingknowledge—which made Gammage's need doubly important.

Ku-La said he had found what he sought just before the Rattons had taken him! Which meant that acache was either in Ratton territory or close enoughfor them to patrol there. Was that cache the one Foskatt had been aiming for?

"Where is this place of tapes?"

"There is a hall where stand many of those thingslike the one which broke down the wall."

Ku-La'svoice was steadier, even a little stronger, as if fixinghis mind upon his search had drawn him a little out ofhis present misery. "On the wall facing the door ofthat—there is a space there as if one had set his handinto it. Into that you must put a light—Then itopens—" His whisper ended with a sigh. Though Furtig shook the other's shoulder there was no flinchingor answer.

Was Kil-La dead? Furtig fumbled for the other'shead, held his fingers over the half-open mouth.

No,there was breath coming. But he did not believe hecould get any more directions. This chamber—wherewould he find it? He had better advance in the general direction suggested by Foskatt.

But in any case hecould linger here no longer.

Furtig dropped his head on his crooked arm andthought of the face of Foskatt. Then in his mind heretraced his passage along the ducts, concentratinghardest on the present point. He had no assurance hismessage was received, but it was the best he could do.Unlatching his container of water, he pushed it underone of Ku-La's limp hands. Then he scrambled intothe duct at his right to continue his journey.

As he rounded a turn, he saw again the faint slitsthat could only be gratings. He hurried from one tothe next. The chambers he saw were piled high withboxes and containers—as if they were part of a vaststorehouse in which the Demons had laid up treasures. Furtig had no idea of their contents. It would take seasons and seasons—even if Gammage realizedhis impossible dream and united the many tribes of the People—to explore this place.

So much of what had already been discovered wasnot understood, for all the prying and study of thosebest qualified among the In-born. If they were giventime and peace—what could they learn?

The sight of all that piled below had the effect onFurtig that a clean, newly made track might have ona hunter. His fingers twitched with the desire to swingdown, to claw open this or that shadowed container.But this was not what he had been sent to find. Heforced himself past those tantalizing displays.

With a shock he realized that the last grating gavehim a new view. He pushed close to the grill to assesswhat he saw. Machines—lines of those strange willing unwilling servants lined up. And a single door atfloor level. Ku-La's tale—had he found by chance thevery storage place the other sought? But this couldnot be Foskatt's cache, unless the vague descriptionhe had caught varied in details.

In the dim light Furtig could not see any suchspace in the wall as Ku-La had described. He used hisnose as well as his eyes and ears. The usual smell ofthese burrows—no taint of Ratton. If this was the chamber of Ku-La's story, there was no enemy guard.Dared he pass up the chance to prove or disprove what the stranger scout had said?

If Ku-La's people had had a longer association withthe Demons, a knowledge exceeding the hard-wonbits and scraps Gammage had unearthed, than anycache the other had come to find might well be superior to that listed for Furtig. He must put it to theproof!

Once more he loosened a grating, used his cord todrop to the floor below. But before he sought the endof the room, he went to the door. That barrier wasshut and he wished to barricade it—but saw nothinglarge enough to use. He could only hope that the Rattons might betray their arrival by the noise of theircoming, their rank scent.

Furtig hurried to the wall Ku-La had spoken of.And he was really not surprised to find just such a depression as had been described. It was high up; Furtighad to scratch above eye level to fit his hand into it.

What had Ku-La said—light— What light? Furtigleaned against the wall to consider the problem. Light—the Demon weapon spat lightning— He had nothing else, and he was firmly determined to force thisdoor if he could.

Furtig drew the weapon. Dolar had drilled him inthe charge of force it would spit. The wave of firewhich answered was governed by the turning of asmall bar on the butt. He could set that as low as it would go—

Having done so, Furtig put the mouth of the barrelto the depression. More than a little nervous to beusing forces he did not understand, he pressed the firing button.

There was an answering glow reflected back fromthe cup. Then, slowly, with a dull rasping sound, as ifsomething which had been a long time sealed wasbeing forced, the wall split open. It did not crumble ashad the wall in that other chamber when the nimblerhad battered it, but parted evenly, as if slashed carefully by claw tip. Furtig uttered a small purr oftriumph.

But he had prudence enough not to enter a placewith a door that might close and entrap him. His inbred caution warred with curiosity, and cautionwon to make him take what precautions he could.

Though the door remained open, Furtig turned tothe machines in rows behind him. The one which hadrescued them had traveled easily enough. Even ifnone of these were alive, could one not be pushed forward? He darted down the nearest line, trying to findone small enough to be managed. And finally, thoughthere did not seem to be much choice as to size, hesingled one out and began to pull and shove.

Then he became aware of the device that Gammagehad given him, that which must locate the tapes. Itwas buzzing, loudly enough to sound beyond thepouch where he carried it.

Heartened by that, he redoubled his efforts and hischoice moved, rolling with greater ease once he got itstarted, trundling forward to the door. There Furtigmaneuvered it into position across the threshold sothe opposed leaves, if attempt to close those did,would be held apart by its bulk. Only when it was setin place did he scramble over it.

There was a light bar within on the ceiling, so hecould see before him a narrow aisle of drawered containers such as were always used for tape storage.Hooking his fingers in the pull of the nearest, he gaveit a jerk. The drawer rolled open to display boxes ofrecord tapes. Furtig was amazed by the number. Ifeach of these—he glanced down the double row ofcontainers—held as many as this one drawer, this wasjust such a storehouse as Gammage had long hoped tofind.

Furtig slipped along the aisle, opening one drawerafter another. But before he reached the end of thatshort line, he could see that the racks within weremore and more sparsely filled. And the last section ofdrawers on the very end were entirely empty. Even so—this was a find to rejoice over.

Transportation— Furtig leaned against the farwall, looked back to the wedged door. That was a newproblem. He had brought a bag, now tightly rolled inhis belt, which would hold three or four double handfuls of tape cases. But how could he know which inthis storehouse of wealth were those that matteredthe most? There was nothing to do but make a cleansweep, transport everything here, at least into a hiding place of his own choice—which could mean some where along the ducts—until it could be carried backto Gammage.

Furtig went into action, filling the bag, climbinginto the duct to dump its contents, returning to fill and climb again. He was beginning to tire. His effortat dragging Ku-La along the duct told when added to this. But he kept to his task, making sure he leftnothing behind in any drawer he emptied.

It took ten trips, and at the end he was shakingwith fatigue. By rights he should move that machineback, try to reseal the door, cover his tracks so thatno prowling Ratton could be guided to the treasuretrove he had to cache in the duct. But he simply couldnot summon the strength to accomplish all that. Instead he swung up for the last time, lay panting thereuntil he could bring into his heavy, aching arms energy enough to reset the grill.

About him lay the tape cases in a drift which rattled and rolled as he moved. And he knew that hedared not leave them so near the spot where he hadfound them. So he began once more, this time not only filling his bag but pushing before him an armloadof loose tapes, taking what he could back along the duct.

When he reached the meeting of the ways where hehad left Ku-La, he heard a stirring. .

"You-have-found—" Ku-La's whisper was stronger,or did Furtig only imagine that because he hoped itwas so?

"Yes. But I must bring these here." Flinging outhis arm, Furtig sent the cases spinning, hastily emptied his bag. He wasted no more breath on explanationbut set to retrace his way.

How many such trips he made he did not know.FurtiJ only understood that he could allow himself nolong pause to rest for fear of not being able to startagain. But in the end he lay beside Ku-La with thetide of cases piled up like a wall about them.

Something pushed against his forearm persistently.He roused enough to shove it away, to discover that itwas the water container he had left with Ku-La. Furtig pulled it to him, opened it, and allowed himselftwo reviving mouthfuls.

Revive him those did. But now hunger awakened inturn. He hunched up as well as he could in thosecramped quarters to get at his supply pouch. In turnhe was heartened when Ku-La accepted some of thedried meat he pressed into his hand. If the othercould eat, perhaps he was not as badly off as Furtig had earlier feared. If Ku-La could move on, help himself somewhat, their return did not seem such an insurmountable problem as Furtig had thought it.

But he did not suggest that move as yet. Havingeaten sparingly and drunk even more sparingly, Furtig settled himself full length, pushing aside thewelter of tape cases to stretch out in what small measure of comfort he could achieve, and took the rest heknew he could no longer do without.

How long he dozed he did not know. But he awoke,aroused by a clicking near to hand. His body tensed,his hand crept to the butt of the Demon weapon. Thetapes!

"You wake?" Ku-La spoke. "I count our find—"

Furtig realized that the other must be piling thecases into some sort of order. For when he put out hishand he discovered that those he had shoved aside were gone. But—"our find"? Did Ku-La think to claim that which Furtig by his own efforts hadbrought out of danger? When Furtig had succeededwhere the other had failed?

Save that this was no time for quarreling. Neitherone would have any chance to claim anything if theydid not get out of here. He was sure, in spite of thepartial recovery Ku-La appeared to have made, thatthe other could not retrace Furtig's way in. Whichmeant either that Furtig must leave him here—with the majority of the tapes—or find another way out forthem both.

They lay in this wider space, the junction of threeducts. Two would lead them nowhere they could go,which left the third. It was the left-hand way, whichmight or might not carry them deeper into Rattonterritory. He said as much.

"Your way in—" began Ku-La.

"There would be a hard climb back. It was difficultto descend and I had use of both hands."

"While those gray stinkers have left me the good ofonly one!" Ku-La interrupted. "But you can return—"

"With a chance that the Rattons have already marked the route?" Furtig countered. "I cannot carryyou—or more than a few of the tapes. Should I leaveall easy prey for them?"

"The tapes being the more important. Is that notso, warrior?" Ku-La asked quietly. "Tell me, why didyou risk so much to free me from the Rattons? Youcould not have known then that I had information about the tapes. And I am no clansman or litterbrother of yours; we have shared no hunting trail.This is not the custom of your tribe, any more than itis of mine, or so I would guess."

Furtig told him the truth. "I do not know, save Icould not leave any of the People, clansman or stranger, to the Rattons. Or perhaps I have listened to theAncestor—"