Looking up, Mjipa said: "What's the matter with the ayas?" The animals were pricking their ears, distending their nostrils, and acting uneasy.
From the depths of the forest came the sound of some large body moving. The ayas began to prance and tug at their tethers.
"Something's coming," said Mjipa. "Maybe a yeki. Put away your sewing things, Lish." Already on his feet, Mjipa picked up his scabbard and drew the blade.
Behind him, Minyev muttered: "My lord, I am gallowed with f-fear!"
The noise came closer; the ayas became frantic. Something bulky was moving; Mjipa caught glimpses of striped green-and-buff hide through the shrubbery.
"A shan!" screamed Minyev, and ran. His footsteps died away.
Mjipa picked up a large stick from the fire and waved it to fan its glowing end into flame. Alicia crowded up behind him. Mjipa snapped back over his shoulder.
"Damn it, woman, don't grab my arms!"
Among the branches appeared a head as large as that of a horse, but crocodilian in aspect. Behind it appeared a long neck, and then the rest of the creature. A Terran might have described it as a dragon-sized, long-necked, six-legged lizard, if on Krishna the mammals were as sharply divided from the reptiles as on Earth.
The shan had its eyes on the tethered ayas, who now strove frantically to break their bonds. Mjipa moved quickly between the approaching shan and the riding animals. He thrust his torch at the shan, which drew back the fanged head on the long neck, then shot it forward in a snap. The jaws clanged together centimeters from Mjipa's face. Before the head could withdraw, Mjipa slashed the muzzle with his sword. The gashed skin opened; blue-green blood flew. With a fearsome bellow, the shan drew back its head, ambled forward a pace, and lunged again.
Mjipa thrust the burning brand into the predator's gaping jaws. The jaws slammed shut; the stick was torn from Mjipa's hand as the animal jerked back its head. It gave a muffled scream of pain and shook its head violently, but lacked the wit to drop the stick. Grunting and squalling, it backed away from Mjipa, turned on its six legs, and hastened off out of sight, still shaking its head with the stick in its jaws.
Mjipa let out a long whoosh of breath. Alicia sat down at the base of a tree and leaned back, saying: "At this rate, I'll be an old woman in spite of your LPs. Why did you stand and fight? We could have run off like Minyev did, and the thing would have eaten the ayas and left us alone."
"And then we should have been plodding along afoot when Khorosh's merry men caught up with us. For that matter, why didn't you clear out with him? From the way he was going, he must be halfway to Kalwm."
"I don't know. I guess I couldn't let a mere male show he was braver than I. Will the monster be back?"
"Possibly. I think we'd better saddle up and shift camp, if we can find Minyev."
"Serve the coward right if we went off and left him."
"Oh, come," said Mjipa. "You musn't be intolerant of these natives. Some are brave enough; but I never hired Minyev as a fighting man. The chap's honest and able as Krishnans go, and you mustn't expect all the virtues in one package."
"But you're the one who's always belittling the 'natives,' like an old-fashioned Terran imperialist."
"I don't have illusions about them, that's all. In a few more centuries, they may catch up to where we are now. Meanwhile I have to deal with facts, not theories." He wiped the blood off his blade, saying: "At least, I've now had some practical use out of this snickersnee. Never did like the damned things."
"How can you be a hero on a medieval planet and not like swords?"
"In the first place, I'm not a hero, just a bloody bureaucrat trying to earn his keep. In the second, I don't suppose you've ever worn one?"
"No."
"Well, let me tell you, they're an effing nuisance, always pulling your clothes out of shape, or poking you in the soft parts, or tripping you up, or banging the furniture. We'd better start yelling for Minyev."
Shouts finally brought the factotum back, much subdued. In- moving camp, he insisted on doing all the heavy work, even when not asked to, as if to atone for his flight.
At the Mutabwcian border, Mjipa produced the passport from Vuzhov of Kalwm, explaining: "I came through here a couple of moons ago, you may remember. I am now on my way back to Kalwm, my mission accomplished."
The Zhamanacian officer nodded approval; news of the kidnapping of the Heshvavu had evidently not reached the border post. But then the officer indicated Alicia, with her scarf wound around her hair and the rest of her muffled in Minyev's cloak. "Who is that?"
"A Terran slave boy I found in Mejvorosh and bought," said Mjipa airily. "He calls himself Mustafa."
The officer stared briefly at Alicia but then handed back the passport, saying: "Pass through."
The three walked across the neutral zone, leading their ayas. At the second gate, Mjipa was asked the same question about Alicia and made the same reply. All went as before until one of the soldiers closely scrutinized Alicia's scarf.
"What pretty stuff!" he said. "Where can I get one?" Taking a dangling end of the scarf between thumb and forefinger, he gave a little jerk. Alicia uttered a small shriek as the turban fell apart, leaving her head exposed and the scarf in the Mutabwcian's hand.
Instantly alert, the officer said:"Wait here, O Terran!" To the duty squad he said: "Watch these three closely. Take charge of their animals."
The officer walked quickly to the command hut. Soon he was back, saying: "I thought we had word from Yein to watch for a yellow-haired Terran female. Do you, sir, insist this be a male?"
"An immature one," said Mjipa.
"Yeghats!" shouted the officer. A lieutenant appeared from another hut, buckling on his sword as he ran.
"Look at this!" said the officer of the guard. The two officers conferred in an undertone, of which Mjipa caught only the words "... built much like human women, on the outside at least ..."
The officer of the guard turned to Alicia, untied the string that held Minyev's cloak about her, and swept off the garment. As he did so, Yeghats stepped up and fumbled with the buttons of her shirt.
"Ho!" said Mjipa. "What are you doing? Terrans allow not such familiarities!"
The lieutenant continued to struggle with the buttons until he had them undone. He flipped the edges of the shirt aside, exposing Alicia's indubitable mammalian femininity.
"I protest!" shouted Mjipa. "This is a violation of diplomatic courtesy!"
"Protest to the government in Yein," said the officer. "Yeghats, you shall escort these Terrans to the royal palace."
"You do not understand," insisted Mjipa. "Those bulges will disappear as he gets older—"
"Save your breath, Terran," said the officer. "Yeghats, take the Kalwmian along, too; and turn them over to Minister Zharvets."
In the palace in Yein, Minister Zharvets said:"You again, Master Mjipa? Mistress Dyckman, you are under arrest. Seize her, men!"
The ubiquitous guards surrounded Alicia in the chamber of audience. Mjipa cried: "What are you doing, my lord? She has done nothing. I protest—"
"You are ever protesting," said Zharvets. "Know, O Terran, that this alien female had the insolence to utter a bare-faced lie to my sovran lord, the Heshvavu Ainkhist. That is a violation of the seventh ordinance of the reign of Verjapist the Third, section five, subsection thirteen. In fact, you are he who exposed this covin."
"I know not whereof you speak," said Mjipa.
"Oh yea, you do indeed. It hath to do with the anatomy of Terran females." The minister turned to his secretary. "Go bear word to His Awesomeness that the Terran female's within his grasp." As Mjipa, glaring with fury, made a threatening step. Zharvets added: "No unseemly brabble, now, Master Mjipa, or I'll have the guards smite off her head along with yours."