Children of the Gates by Andre Norton Read Free Book Online Page A

be amusing, my boy. In Britain we have a very long history—considered today to be legend—of disappearances near such sites. People ‘fairy taken,’ who sometimes reappeared years, even generations, after their disappearances, with an explanation of spending a day, or a month, or a year in another world, these are common in our folklore.”
    “Then,” Linda broke in, “we can go back!” She had been holding Lung, and perhaps her hands closed too tightly on the small dog, for he gave a whine of protest.
    “That,” the Vicar told her gravely, “we do not know. But our own efforts have failed. And—we have seen enough here during our wanderings to suggest that such escapes, or returns, must be very exceptional.”
    Linda, still holding Lung in her arms, was on her feet. She stood so for a moment, her glance sweeping from face to face, ending with Nick. And it was to him that she spoke directly, as if she was prepared to believe him over whatever the others might say.
    “Do you think we can get back?”
    He had the choice of lying, of trying to be easy with her. But somehow he could not do it.
    “No one ever went back through the Cut-Off that we knew of.” In his own ears his voice sounded harsh.
    Her face was blank of expression. She turned abruptly and began to walk away, her walk becoming swifter as she went. Nick got up to start after her.
    “No.” She did not turn to look at him, but it was as if she knew he would follow. “Let me alone—just let me alone for a while!”
    And such was the force of the way she spoke that he stopped, uncertain as to whether he should force his company on her or not.
    “Jean.” It was Hadlett who spoke. “See that she is safe, but let her be. We must all face our truths as best we can.”
    The English girl passed Nick. He turned to the others.
    “See that she is safe?” he repeated. “And you were prisoners. Who and what do you have to fear? Let’s have it straight!”
    “Good enough.” Stroud had been eating stolidly. Now he leaned back against one of the logs helping to form their shelter. “We’re not alone here, you must have guessed that. And as far as we’ve been able to find out there’s three kinds of people—or things—or whatever you want to name ’em.
    “There’s some like us who have been caught. We tried to make talk with a couple of crowds like ours—or we think they’re like us. But they don’t understand. The last time it was soldiers, an’ we got shot at. Not our soldiers—they looked Chinese.
    “Then there’s the Herald an’ those who listen to him an’ change—” He spat out that last word as if it were some obscenity. “The Herald—he may always have been here, native to this world. He has the cities an’ the People with him. He wants us. Soon as he finds out about you two he will come snoopin’. All we know is if you take what he has to offer, then you change. After that you’re not a man or a woman anymore, you’re something different. We aren’t havin’ any of that. You won’t either, if you have sense.
    “Third—there’s the flyer hunters. They ain’t o’ this world any more than we are. Only in their flyers they can get in an’ out. One of their planes winks into the air an’, ’fore you know it, they have you netted. I don’t know what they do with the poor devils they catch, outside of shut ’em up in cages like we was. But we were lucky. The ship that caged us, it got something wrong. Made a crash landin’ here an’ we escaped ’cause the crew were wiped out. That’s when we found out they’d brought us out of England.”
    “But your smoke—you talked about bait. What—or who—were you trying to catch?’”
    Stroud grunted. “Not the flyers or the Herald, you can bet. No, we came across some tracks yesterday, mixed, women an’ children. We got to thinkin’ it was another crowd we could meet up with an’ not get shot at. Of course, they might be dream things. But we figured it wouldn’t