as it
was obvious the attack had failed.

"Why did you bring him here?" he growled at Ulv. "Why didn't you
kill him?"

"He is here so we can listen to what he says, Gebk. He is the one
I told you of, that I found in the desert."

"We listen to what he says and then we kill him," Gebk said with a
mirthless grin. The remark wasn't meant to be humorous, but was made
in all seriousness. Brion recognized this and knew that there was no
danger for the present moment. He slid the gun away, and for the
first time looked around the chamber.

It was domed in shape and was still hot from the heat of the day.
Ulv took off the length of cloth he had wrapped around his body
against the chill, and refolded it as a kilt, strapping it on under
his belt artifacts. He grunted something unintelligible and when
a muttered answer came, Brion for the first time became aware of
the woman and the child.

The two sat against the far wall, squatting on either side of a heap
of fibrous plants. Both were nude, clothed only in the matted hair
that fell below their shoulders. The belt of strange tools could not
be classified as clothing. Even the child wore a tiny replica of her
mother's. Putting down a length of plant she had been chewing, the
woman shuffled over to the tiny fire that illuminated the room. A
clay pot stood over it, and from this she ladled three bowls of food
for the men. It smelled atrocious, and Brion tried not to taste or
smell the sickening mixture while he ate it. He used his fingers, as
did the other men, and did not talk while he ate. There was no way
to tell if the silence was ritual or habit. It gave him a chance for
a closer look at the Disan way of living.

The cave was obviously hand-made; tool marks could be clearly seen
in the hard clay of the walls, except in the portion opposite the
entrance. This was covered with a network of roots, rising out of
the floor and vanishing into the roof of earth above. Perhaps this
was the reason for the cave's existence. The thin roots had been
carefully twisted and plaited together until they formed a single
swollen root in the center, as thick as a man's arm. From this hung
four of the vaedes: Ulv had placed his there before he sat down. The
teeth must have instantly sunk in, for it hung unsupported--another
link in the Disan life cycle. This appeared to be the source of the
vaede's water that nourished the people.

Brion was aware of eyes upon him and turned and smiled at