"Right." Tlad continued speaking as he flipped through each of the volumes. "But they're not far behind me. They're heading directly for the keep. I suggest you let them know where you are. They should be in range."
Rab looked off into the forest for a moment, then returned his attention to Tlad.
"There. They know we're safe and where we are. Should be here soon. Now, tell me what —"
"Where's Volume Five?" Tlad quickly ran through the four volumes a second time. "Did you lose it?"
With a dumbfounded expression, Rab sat down with a jolt on the other side of the pile of books.
"Who are you? I'm the only one who can read these things. How could you know that Volume Five is missing? This is the only set."
"Wrong." Tlad said, voice low, words hurried. "I come from a fishing village but never had much of a bent for the sea. So as a boy I used to comb the ruins up the coast. I found a similar set and brought it to the village elder who knew how to read some of the ancient writing. He kept the books for a long time, and when he was finally through with them, he made me row him out past the reef. As we sat in the boat, he swore me to secrecy and told me what the books contained. Then he threw all five overboard."
"Then this is not the only set," Rab said.
"No. And there may be others."
"This means you know about the Shapers and the Teratols, and the truth about the Talents and the teries."
"I also know the contents of Volume Five."
"Then you know more than I do," Rab said. "I never got to translate that one."
"Then it's lost?"
"No. One of Kitru's officers is on his way to Mekk's fortress with it now."
Tlad shot to his feet. "No!"
The violence of Tlad's reaction penetrated the mental fog enveloping the tery. He rose and padded toward the pair.
"What's in the fifth volume?" Rab asked.
Tlad hesitated, then seemed to reach a decision.
"Volume Five tells of the final days of the Teratol society and how they gathered all their records, their techniques, and their hardware into a huge underground cache. Among the items they hid were the super weapons they used to keep the underclasses in line. Volume Five gives the location of that cache."
Rab too was on his feet now. "And it's on its way to Mekk!"
"If that madman gets his hands on those weapons, there won't be a forest left to hide in. He'll have everything that doesn't bear True Shape — whatever that happens to mean at the time — hunted down and destroyed. And a lot of other things will get destroyed along the way. Maybe everything. Is there any way we can intercept that officer?"
"No," Rab said with a quick shake of his head. "Dennel told me that the messenger was scheduled to leave during the night. He's long out of reach by now."
"Dennel?" Tlad said. "Where is he?"
Rab explained what had happened inside the keep.
Tlad nodded and glanced the tery's way. "I suspected Dennel was up to no good."
"He's not important now," Rab said. "I must know: Where is the cache?"
"If the maps were accurate, right under Mekk's fortress. The Teratols seemed to think it was pretty safe — you had to go through the Hole to get to it."
Rab started. "The Hole? Then it's unquestionably safe."
Tlad said, "Surely the Hole is empty now."
"No. The offspring of the original inhabitants still dwell there — no one dares to let them out. And no one enters the Hole willingly. Don't worry: The cache is safe."
"I wouldn't count on it. If Mekk learns that the Hole stands between him and the power to destroy anything that displeases him, he'll find a way around it or through it. He'll get to that cache."
"Then we're doomed."
"Not if we get there first."
"And they call me crazy," Rab said with a humorless laugh. "How do we do that?"
Tlad tugged at his beard. "I can't say. I'm from the coast. I don't know much about Mekk's fortress."
"You certainly know your way around the forest."
"I live in the forest now — I'm a potter, not a fisherman. But there must be some way we can get into the fortress and retrieve that book."
"There is none, I assure you. Mekk dwells in mortal fear of assassination — that's why he's postponed his inspection tour of the provinces so many times. The walls of his fortress are sheer and high — not even our tery friend could scale them."
"How about the main gate? There's got to be traffic in and out of the fortress."
"All civilians must have passes to enter the fortress, and all are sent home at dusk. Mekk's tower is surrounded by troopers day and night. There are no chinks in his armor. I'm afraid we're lost."
"No," Tlad said with a certainty that seemed unfounded, "We're not lost. Every stronghold has at least one weak spot. I'll find it."
He turned and hurried off into the trees.
The psi-folk arrived soon after Tlad's departure, and it was a silently joyous event. They all recognized Rab by his Talent and crowded around him, slapping him on the shoulders and back. Adriel was laid on a drag and had regained consciousness by the time they all returned to the camp area that evening. Rab, Komak, Adriel, and the tery sat apart during the celebratory feast that followed.
Rab gestured to the tery, who had not strayed from Adriel's side during the entire journey, and now listened intently to the conversation.
"This is quite a fellow you have here."
"That he is," Komak agreed.
Rab had made sure to impress upon all the importance of the tery's role in Adriel's rescue. He pressed the point again.
"I can't say it often enough: If not for this fellow, Adriel and I would still be locked within the keep, and the rest of you would be dead at the base of the walls."
"I know," Komak said. "I never thought he would amount to much when Tlad convinced me to bring him into the camp, but he's certainly proved me wrong. He's a smart one — smarter than some humans I've known."