IV
Part of Gene's hunch proved correct. The Beast People were camped just outside the valley, this being verified by scouts sent out from the city late that evening. It was logical to suppose that the suspected attack would also become reality in the near future. There was little sleep for him that night. He lay with eyes open, thinking—but little did he solve.
Kac personally brought Gene's breakfast to him the following morning. The sad face of the chief's son was even sadder this day.
"Many of my people shall no longer know the hardships of life," he told the explorer. "One hundred of them fell before the onslaught of the Beast People. And—sorrow floods my heart—women and children account for more than half of the dead.
"Gene, my friend, my tribe is grateful for your succor in its hour of peril. But for you, the caves would now be in the filthy hands of our most despised enemies. Yea, you have proved yourself a warrior, and we belatedly welcome you as a brother."
Gene was already engrossed in the food, and an unintelligible grunt was the best he could do in the way of a reply. Kac sat on the floor, watching him with wonder—and more than a touch of pity. His brow was furrowed with thought, and suddenly he spoke:
"You are not like those, those others, Gene. The legends tell us they were cruel, merciless. But you are kind, just, and your mind knows no deceit. Spawn of the others you may well be, yet their inhuman traits dwell not in you."
Gene looked up puzzledly. "Hey! What in Deimos' Dungeons are you talking about? Who are these others, and what makes you think I'm in cahoots with them? Listen, Kac, I'm an Earthman—flesh and blood, bone and hair, every single atom. Before Man, there were no intelligent creatures on Earth; and as for Man himself doing you some great wrong, it could not possibly have happened. Your planet is unknown to my world; I myself discovered it only by the most unusual circumstances. You've got me dizzy with all this talk about supposed wrongs, so how about putting our cards on the table?"
Kac rose, nodding gravely. "Thus was it foretold. Time has erased all memory of the evil deed of your race. But our remembrance of it is as a flame that grows not weaker, but stronger, with the years. Come now, Gene Drummond, and learn of your sin."