“How do you plead?”

“Innocent. I know nothing of the pirates. I have neither met them nor helped them in any way.”

“Do you deny having the ability to cast your words, or hear those spoken in the minds of others?”

Djoh paused, knowing that this was the crucial question. If he told the truth, that would be as good as admitting guilt. If he denied his mindspeak, he’d be lying-—and there were people in the crowd besides Oskah who would probably call him one.

Which would leave him right back where he’d started. “Yes. I have the ability to mindspeak, but—”

The word “Witchboy” ran through the crowd. Djoh felt his heart sink into his boots again.

“So you admit to witching?”

“It’s not witching. It’s an ability, like hearing or seeing. Many animals have it too, the big cats and some horses. Are they witches too?”

The crowd was silent.

“Which animals?” snarled Oskah. “They gotta be put to death too.”

The crowd pressed forward. For a moment Djoh caught sight of Marthuh’s face, the color of new-fallen snow.

“Little¹ Brother!” cried a voice in his head. “I am outside the two-legs’ den. Many bad two-legs are approaching it along the big stream. They carry weapons, and their heads buzz with evil thoughts like carrion birds’.”

“Stop!” Djoh shouted. For a moment he had everybody’s attention. “The pirates are coming, marching along the river-bank! Run and get your weapons, before it’s too late!” “Liar!” screamed Oskah. “It’s a trick to let him escape!” A few townsmen started running for their weapons. Most milled about in confusion.

“You’ve got to get ready now, before they reach the town! Hurry!”

“Stone him now!” screamed Oskah. “Before he makes more trouble! We cain’t let him escape—”

The clanging of the town bell interrupted Oskah’s cries. A distant scream followed, then the sound of a pirate war-horn. Oskah’s face turned the same color as his daughter’s. The crowd began to dissolve, as more men ran for their weapons while others herded the women and children into the Shrine for safety.

The four Caterpillars guarding Djoh stripped off their robes, ignoring him. One of them ran into the Shrine and came out with helmets and wicked-looking maces for all of them.

Oskah grabbed one of the Caterpillars. “Where you goin’? Cain’t you see it’s just a trick? They’re cornin’ to save their spy!”

The oldest and tallest Caterpillar stared at Oskah. “Are you mad? The boy would never have warned us of their coming had he been their spy. Leave him be. We can sort out the real truth later. Now there is men’s work to do.”

“We cain’t leave him here! He’ll run off!”

“Only if he is guilty. Then so much the better, for we will be rid of him and his blood will not be on our hands. If he is innocent, he will stay to see that the truth prevails.” “Fools!”

Oskah snatched a knife from his sash and leaped at Djoh. The old Caterpillar caught him easily, then pulled his arm back and almost casually twisted it up behind him. Oskah dropped the knife and screamed.

“There is more here than we have been told,” the old man said. “It may be, Oskah son of Looey, that you have sought a private vengeance by lying to the gods at their very Shrine. Think carefully what you do, if you do not wish to take Djoh’s place here when we have beaten the pirates back to their dens!”

Oskah gave everyone a furious look but said nothing. The four Caterpillars hefted their maces and ran down the hill, and a moment later Oskah followed. Djoh stood in a daze for a few more moments, until he noticed that Marthuh hadn’t gone into the Shrine with the other women and children. From down toward the river, he could hear warcries, screams, pirate horns, and the drums of the town rallying its defenders. “Why aren’t you in the Shrine? It’s dangerous out here.” Marthuh picked up her father’s fallen knife and began cutting his bonds. “My place is with you. The gods have brought the pirates upon us, to avenge my father’s desecration of their Shrine. Let’s not waste their gift.”

The moment circulation returned to his hands, Djoh cupped her chin and kissed her. He knew little about the gods and right now he cared even less, but he knew an opportunity when he saw one.

“Marthuh, it’s not going to be safe, and I don’t know what kind of love I’ll have to offer. I still can’t think of anyone I’d rather share it with, my love.”

She squeezed his hand. “Me neither. Let’s try for the river. Maybe we can find an abandoned boat there.”

They skirted the town on their way downhill and made their way through the heavy second-growth woods to the river. The uproar of battle grew louder as they approached the water. It sounded to Djoh as if the pirates had been reinforced.

When they reached a point where they had a clear view of the town, Djoh saw that he’d guessed right. The pirates had sent one column overland, to seize the waterfront by surprise and hold it while the rest came up in boats as usual. The overland column couldn’t have been very strong, or it would have been spotted. It still might easily have cleared the waterfront, if the Blue Springs townsmen hadn’t had Djoh’s— and Iron Claw’s—warning.

Now it looked as if the townsmen were holding the two main streets leading up from the river. The pirates were extending their flank, trying to work around the townsmen. If they succeeded, they might take the townsmen in the rear. At best, the rest of the battle would be fought house to house in Blue Springs itself, which would ruin the town no matter who won. ¹

A number of small boats were drifting slowly past the two fugitives. Djoh started to pull off his clothes, for swimming out and catching one of them, then hesitated. It wasn’t fear of the cold water, being spotted by the pirates, or even being thought guilty as the Caterpillar had said.

Blue Springs had treated him unjustly, but dammit, the place was his home! He didn’t want to see it destroyed. And what would happen to his parents if he ran off? He didn’t care if everybody else thought he was a traitor, but Peetuh and Behtee—

“Djoh, don’t you think we should hurry?” Marthuh asked.

“Not yet. Wait until the pirates start their big attack. Then they’ll be too busy to watch their rear.”

He was thinking that something could be made of that fact when a familiar presence touched his mind. Iron Claw was mindspeaking, seeking him.

“Are you well, Big Brother?” Djoh asked.

“Yes, but my blood is boiling. Oh, for a good fight against these stupid two-legs!”

Djoh almost heard a thump as his thoughts fell into place. “Iron Claw, the bad two-legs are preparing to rush the den. Can you help stop them?”

“Am I a kitten? They are many, but their hearts are small. Only give the word.”

“1 will, Iron Claw.”

Djoh told Iron Claw where to go and wait, then watched as the last boatloads of pirates joined the flanking movement. The townsmen didn’t seem to be noticing it. The sheds and warehouses on the waterfront probably hid the pirates.

On the other hand, the pirates had thinned out their men on the two streets. Also, the ones on the flank were getting very close to the forest. Once they had all their attention on the enemy to their front . . .

The pirate horns blared. The pirates surged forward, meeting the desperate resistance of the townsmen. Voices and weapons made an appalling din. Djoh forced himself to wait until he was sure the pirates had no eyes for anything to their rear, then mindspoke:

“Now, Iron Claw!”

Marthuh stared as the big cat came storming out of the trees. “What is that?”

“A friend. The one I was seeing so many nights.”

The big prairiecat reached a flank guard, who seemed too paralyzed by surprise or fear to move. The man flew into the air as if he were a straw doll, then Iron Claw tore his way into the pirates' flank. They fell before him like wheat before a scythe. The ones who had room and a moment’s grace started to scatter, tripping, colliding, screaming in terror as they fought to get away from this nightmare creature who seemed to have sprung from the earth.