The Source

He looked at her stubborn, bad-tempered stance, and at the great wolf standing between them, staring yellow-eyed from one to the other. 'Did I do something?'

'You thought something!' she snapped. 'You thought, "what a load of-"'

'Christ!' said Jazz. Because that was exactly what he'd thought.

'Listen,' she said. 'Do you know how many years I've been hiding the truth of my telepathy? Knowing I was better than anything else they had but not wanting to work for them? Not daring to work for them, because I knew if I did then sooner or later I'd come up against Harry Keogh again? I've suffered for my telepathy, Jazz, and yet now - here where it doesn't matter much any more - the moment I admit the truth of it...'

'Show me!' he said, cutting her off. 'OK, I can see how we won't get anywhere if we've no faith in each other.

But we won't get far by lying or misleading each other either. If you say you can do it I have to accept it, right -certainly I know there are those who do believe you have this talent. But isn't there any way you can show me? You have to admit, Zek, it would have been easy just now to take a guess at what I was thinking. Not only about your telepathy but also about this Keogh bloke - about what you say he can do! Don't tell me you haven't met up with scepticism before, not with a gift most people would consider supernatural!'

'You're tempting me?' her eyes flashed fire. 'Humouring me? Taunting me? Get thee behind me, Satan!'

'Oh, it's godlike, this talent of yours, is it?' Jazz couldn't quite conceal his sneer. 'Well, if you're that good, how come you didn't know who it was coming up the pass? if telepathy and ESP in general are real, why didn't Khuv know I'd hidden away a magazine for my SMG, which is how I came to get the chance to drag that goon Vyotsky in here with me?'

Wolf gave a low whine and his ears went flat.

'You're a

Jazz nodded, pulled a sour face. 'You rate yourself pretty damned high, don't you? God knows what sort of men you're used to, but I -'

'All right!' she snapped. 'Watch...'

She looked at Wolf, the merest glance, then turned and tossed her head, walked on toward the sun. She went maybe a hundred yards, and Jazz and the wolf stood still watching her. Then she stopped and looked back. 'Now I'm not going to say anything,' she called out. 'So see what you think of what happens next.'

Jazz frowned, thought: What the - ? But in the next moment Wolf showed him what the. The huge creature loped closer, took the sleeve of Jazz's one-piece in his great jaws - but gently - began to tug Jazz in Zek's direction. Jazz stumbled to keep up, and the faster he went the faster Wolf ran, until both of them were flying full tilt toward the girl where she waited. Only then did the wolf let go, when both of them drew level with her.

'Well?' she said, as Jazz came to a panting, stumbling halt.

He sucked the hole in his jaw where two teeth had once been, put up a hand and scratched his nose. 'Well,' he started, 'I -'

'You're thinking I'm an animal trainer,' she cut in. 'But if you say it out loud, that's it. We go our separate ways. I've survived so far without you and I can keep right on doing it.' Wolf went and stood beside her.

'Two to one,' Jazz gri

'You saw the castle back there, the keep?'

'Yes.'

'That's why.'

Jazz glanced back. The cliff-hugging castle must be miles back by now. 'But it was empty, deserted.'

'Maybe, and maybe not. The Wamphyri want me -badly. They're not stupid, anything but. They know I came in through the sphere, the Gate, and they've surely guessed that sooner or later I'd try to get out again that way. At least, I credit them with that much intelligence. It would have been easy for them during the last sundown - during any one of many sundowns - to put a creature in there. There'll be plenty of rooms and corners in there that the sun never touches.'

Jazz shook his head, held up a restraining hand. 'Even if I understood all you just said, which I don't, still I wouldn't know what it has to do with me,' he said.

'In this world,' she answered, 'you're careful how you use ESP. The Wamphyri have it - in many diverse forms - and so to a lesser degree do most of the animals. Only the true men are without it.'

'You mean, if the Wamphyri left something in that castle back there - a creature? - it would have heard your thoughts?' Again Jazz was close to incredulous.

'It might have heard my directed thoughts, yes,' she nodded.

'But that's -' he stilled his tongue before it could offend her.

'Wolf can hear them,' she said, simply.

'And me?' Jazz gave a snort. 'Does that make me an idiot or something, because I can't hear them?'

'No,' she shook her head. 'Not an idiot, just a true man. You're not an esper. Listen, when I came up this way I heard your thoughts, distant and strange and a little confused. But I didn't dare concentrate on you and check out your identity in case that allowed something else to pick out and identify me! Now that we're in the light of the sun, the pressure's off; but the closer I got to Starside the more careful I had to be. And because I couldn't be sure you weren't Vyotsky, so I challenged you. You said he'd probably have killed me. Maybe he would and maybe not. But then he'd have had to kill Wolf, too, which wouldn't be so easy. And if he had killed me, then he really would be on his own. It was a chance I had to take...'

This time Jazz accepted all she told him; he had to start somewhere, and it seemed the best way to go. 'Listen,' he said. 'Even though I like to think I'm fairly quick on the uptake, still there's a lot you'll need to explain about what you've already told me. But before that there's one thing I'd better know right now: do I need to guard my thoughts?'

'Here in the sunlight? No. On Starside, yes - all the time - but with a bit of luck we'll never see Starside again.'

'OK,' Jazz nodded. 'Now let's get to more immediate things. Where's this cave you told me about? I really think we should rest-up. And at the same time I can do a better job on your feet. Also, you look like you could use a more substantial meal.'

She smiled at him, the first time she'd done it. Jazz wished he could see her in good old down-to-earth daylight. 'I'll tell you something,' she said. 'I long ago learned not to listen in on people's thoughts - they can be nice, I'll grant you, but when they're not nice they can be very unpleasant indeed. We sometimes think things we could never express in words. Me, too. Among espers it was a general rule that we observe each other's privacy. But I've been lonely a long time - for a mind I could relate to, I mean. A mind from my own world. So while I've been hearing you talking, well, I've been hearing other things, too. When I've grown used to you, then I'll make an effort not to intrude. I'm trying even now, but ... I can't help sca

Jazz frowned. 'So what was I thinking?' he said. 'I mean, I only said we should rest-up.'

'But you meant I should rest-up. Me, Zek Foener. That's nice of you, and if I really needed it I'd accept. But you've come quite a long way yourself. And anyway, I'd prefer to keep moving until we're right out of the pass. Another four miles or so and we're out of it. But as you can see, the sun is just about to touch the eastern wall.