The Space Guardian Read Online Free PDF

orders from Landlord Vogil and others.”
    He turned and pushed through the pack animals, which had stopped bobbing and merely squatted, grinning happily. When he reached one beast that Lahks had noticed was laden, he removed something from his pocket, slapped the pocket closed, and extended his hand toward the animal. A long, prehensile pink tongue emerged from the grinning mouth, delicately touched the Hetman’s palm, and retreated between the quite respectable teeth. Hetman Vurn now returned to Lahks and the Cargomaster. The pack animal after twice trying to follow him directly finally backed out of the group and came around the side. Four men came forward and unloaded two small but heavy chests.
    “As agreed, Cargomaster,” Hetman Vurn said.
    “Do you have . . . anything else?”
    The barely noticeable hesitation alerted Lahks. No one had mentioned heartstones on the Free Trader, and the ship seemed to make a perfectly adequate profit out of its regular delivery of goods; this oblique inquiry was the first indication Lahks had that there was off-world trade in heartstones.
    “Not this trip, Cargomaster,” the Hetman replied. He shrugged. “Next time, perhaps. There are always hunters. You have already loaded the goods from the shed?”
    The Cargomaster nodded and Lahks was alerted again. She had not been asked to debark as soon as the ship made planetfall. She wondered whether it was to keep her from seeing the cargo. However, with his ship’s business concluded, the Cargomaster was preparing to shed his final responsibility on Wumeera.
    “This is Freelady Tamar Shomra. She has come to stay on Wumeera for private reasons. I hope your beasts can take her baggage into town?”
    The Hetman looked curiously at Lahks. There were few types of business that could attract anyone to Wumeera. “Welcome to Wumeera, Beldame. There will be a drom to take your baggage. Would you like me to give a message concerning you to my Landlord? Perhaps he can help with your business.”
    “Perhaps he can,” Lahks said with specious earnestness, but she was thinking of semantics. The Free Traders who dealt on many worlds used the form Freelady so that where slavery or serfdom was practiced there could be no doubt as to the status of their crew and passengers. On Wumeera, however, she was called Beldame; slavery was then unknown, but women were scarce or valuable or both, since all of them were called “beautiful lady.” “I am looking,” she said, giving no evidence that her mind was elsewhere, “for my brother, Absalom Shomra. He came here to find the jewel of the country, the one called the heartstone. We received two messages from him by private courier—and then nothing.”
    “He resembles you, Beldame?”
    “Not at all,” Lahks said. “He is very large—tall and strong. His face is broad, his hair very light, almost white; his eyes are a clear, pale blue.”
    The Hetman’s eyes widened; then his face closed. Lahks’ heart leaped into her mouth. Surely Hetman Vurn had recognized that description, and it was an accurate rendering of Ghrey’s appearance. The void where Ghrey’s signal had lived ached so that various rational explanations of Vurn’s reaction were pushed aside in favor of the most unlikely. There had never been the smallest indication that Ghrey had touched on Wumeera, but, her heart cried, there was no evidence against it, either. Still, Lahks had enough control to ignore the Hetman’s response; it was apparent that he had tried to conceal it.
    “You must ask in the town,” he said. “I live in the Landlord’s manor and have little contact with strangers.”
    He turned away abruptly and shouted orders at his men for loading the cargo. Lahks watched his overabsorption in these details thinking that Hetman Vurn was a very bad actor. There could be no doubt at all that he knew something about a man who matched Lahks’ description. She had no intention of pressing him just then. When she wanted, she