Voices of Chaos (37 page)

He edged down so he could whisper against her ear. "You must wait here--

no, hear me, please!" he added as she signed a sharp negative. "Your robe would be seen at once. And when I free the women, I will put them before me. They will need you, here, to guide them toward the ship."

She considered this unhappily, fingered the pale blue cloth, and finally nodded, human-fashion. He hesitated but could think of nothing else to add, and each moment he delayed made it harder to move. He laid a palm against her soft-furred face, then turned away and started down the narrow steps, counting as he went. Thirty steps, a short incline, and the path ended behind a massive boulder, right at the edge of a shallow stream.

Remember what she told you, the best way to remain unseen,
he ordered himself and hugged the shadows, moving slowly and cautiously along the base of the cliff, stopping now and again to watch for guards. He worked past the walled

253

opening, far enough that he could make out four guards relaxing just inside the opening of a shallow cave two caves past the walled one. Another few cautious paces, and their voices reached him clearly, amplified by the stone around them. He stood motionless then, and listened.

Better than he could ever have hoped. The four were alone here, under orders to avoid the women; the talon-armed captain had taken the remaining three somewhere for supplies, and to give the vid of the women to someone who would pass it on to others. Two of them still appeared to be half asleep.

Even the one he'd seen at first was more interested in the drink they'd been promised than in his watch. Zhik waited until all four had turned to look at something in the back of the cave before edging back the way he'd come, and he didn't step into the open until the opening of the guards' cave was out of sight.

The stream was shallow, the water unexpectedly cool. It soaked through his soft slippers. He forced himself to move quickly now, staying as much as possible in the shade of trees or behind bushes, but taking as direct a line to the walled cave as he could. He was certain he didn't breathe once, crossing the open rubble of red stone. Not until he'd hastened into cave shadow and fetched up against that wall.

A deep breath. A second. He eased along the wall to the point he'd seen from above, cautiously raised a hand so An-Lieye could tell he'd made it this far, then edged back toward the narrow door.

254

[Blank Page]

255

CHAPTER 14

****

Alexis and Magdalena sat on a filthy mat, staring at him. Both wore restraint collars, and leads of the same material fastened them to an immovable stone pillar.

"Zhik! What? How did you--?" Magdalena began in a hoarse whisper. Alexis hissed a warning at her and drew herself up straight.

"If you're a member of that gods-blasted Protective League, Zhikna, you can leave right now!" she said flatly. The words caught him by surprise; it had not occurred to him that they might suspect Zhenu, that they might think he served his father...

There was no time for this. "Alexis, no, I swear it! I only learned of this ... this outrage hours ago. To come alone-- yes, perhaps foolish, but to reach help was impossible. So I came. There is a flyer--" He reached for her collar.

Alexis leaned away from him, her eyes wary.

''Even if we
can
trust you, you better leave this thing alone. Because that guard warned me, when he put it on--"

"I know about the collars," Zhik broke in urgently. "My father ... I... No time.

Trust me. I can deactivate it. Trust, please, Alexis." The two looked at each other, Alexis openly doubting.

256

Magdalena murmured, "Trust him, Alex. I intend to." Alexis sighed, but got to her feet.

"All right--do what you can, anything is better than staying here." She glanced at Magdalena as the young noble eased two fingers between the synth-plas and her throat and forced a smile. "But just in case he kills me, don't let him touch yours, okay, Perez?"

The noble gestured a sharp negative. "They told you this strip would
kill!
A lie! These make a painful shock, but nothing more. A kill-collar is much thicker...." Zhik's voice faded as he began fiddling with the white strip.

Moments later, Alexis swore between clenched teeth, but the collar clattered to the stone floor, and Zhik was already at Magdalena's side, working on hers. The translator closed her eyes and bit down on her lip.

"It's not that bad, Perez, just caught me by surprise." Alexis hurried over to the door and pressed her ear against it. A moment later, the translator joined her. Zhik scooped up the mess of bedding and piled the smelly covers in a heap behind the pillar, then dragged the collars over and dropped them on the mat, out of sight. Alexis glanced at the result and nodded. "That won't fool anyone for long, but it should assure any of the regular guards if they just look in, like they do sometimes. What next?"

He explained as briefly as he could. "The guards were that way"--he gestured--"from here when I came, sixty paces at least, and if they are in the other cavern, they cannot see this one. There are only four guards. The rest went away in the flyer. When we go outside, we check for guards and then you run to the place I point out." He managed a quivering curve of whiskers.

'I will run as quickly as possible and then explain the rest."

"Tell us now," Alexis said calmly, though to his eyes she appeared nervous--

that line between the brows was very deep. "Something might go wrong."

His ears flicked. "Yes. Apologies, Alexis. There is a hidden path to the top of the ledge. It cannot be seen from here, but I can point near enough. There is a passage, and then steps." He hesitated, then added, "An-Lieye waits at the top. She

257

can ... she is ..." His voice faded; impossible to communicate
that
situation briefly. The women were staring; he had no idea what they might be thinking. "Unimportant. I will explain once we are safe. We must go." He moved around them, listening as Alexis had, then eased the door open a whisker's worth. No one, no sound. He hoped those young males were deep in discussion about the fermented drink they'd been promised. They were supposed to avoid the prisoners, anyway.

Young fools,
he thought grimly.
To kill servants and steal these women--if
they truly believe they are guardians of the Asha, what good have they
accomplished for anyone by this stupidity?
He pushed the portal wider, eased his way out and along the wall, head moving cautiously as his eyes searched the lower ground and then the ledge. Still quiet. He signalled to let An-Lieye know he was safe for the moment. Beckoning the women close, Zhik pointed: first down-slope to their initial halt, then to a boulder not far from the one protecting the path. That one couldn't be seen from here, he reminded them in a breathy whisper. "Go now!" He waited, watching and listening nervously while they walked quickly through the loose stone and onto springy turf. Alexis shoved Magdalena in front of her, and they broke into a run. Zhik glanced toward the guard-cave and listened intently. Silence, still. A quick look back; the door stood closed as it had when he'd arrived.

He forced himself across the rubble of broken rock and hurried into the shade of a low tree.

The women were well down the slope; he could see Alexis's pale hair bouncing wildly. A warning shout suddenly echoed behind him: Someone had seen them! Zhik stopped long enough to tear off the slippers; they were wet, the bottoms slick, and he didn't dare fall now. Well behind him, he heard more shouts, and the high-pitched whine of a weapon cutting through the growth behind him. Somewhere, near enough to make him wince, a branch tore loose and fell with a crash. Nothing came near him, and he made the stream unharmed.

He splashed through the water, reached the ledge panting and trembling, and gestured for the women to lead the way. Magdalena moved as fast as she dared: It was much darker here, and the footing was rough. Neither had shoes, he

258

realized. Bare human feet looked even more fragile than his.

He'd dropped the slippers. What if anyone found them? But no one except Zhenu would know them, and those slippers would have to reach his father first. Zhik planned on being safely off Zhenu's lands long before that.

The guards were still searching the slope, but it wouldn't be long before they came this way, and he wasn't surprised to hear one of them shout, "Fheru, guard the way across the stream! If the she-aliens reach those rocks, we may never find them!"

"Smart, aren't they?" Alexis said, panting, baring her teeth in a human smile.

It briefly warmed him; the interrelator only used that gesture around those comfortable with human ways. "Yelling in Arekkhi, and telling us poor, stupid aliens where to go hide!" She got no answer; Magdalena seemed to be using all her energy to keep going, and Zhik was nearly beyond speech.

Another blast from the weapon; this slammed into the stones above them and fortunately some distance behind. A few pebbles clattered down. Zhik chanced a quick look and swore: Not enough stone had come loose to block the path. But now, one of the guards stormed through heavy brush, cutting across the slope. He saw them; stopped to aim his weapon.

"Go!" Zhik said with a gasp as he saw the weapon. "That stone--get behind it!" Magdalena vanished into deeper shadow, Alexis right behind her. The young noble made as much speed as he could, though he was long paces behind them. The high-pitched wail of a force-beam lent energy to exhausted muscles.

Zhik heard a high-pitched human shriek of warning and saw Alexis just within the shelter, beckoning urgently. The force-beam howled a second time, but that sound was buried by the ragged crack of the huge ledge being torn apart far overhead. He threw his arms over his ears and kept going.

Stones of all sizes cracked bruisingly against him, and shards cut his hands; a massive chunk slammed into his back, sending him staggering. And then he was under the overhanging rock. Momentarily safe--but only for the moment. "Go!" he said with a hiss at Alexis, and urgently gestured up.

259

"I mean to. I wasn't going to leave you, though." She turned and started up the passage, limping awkwardly but still making good speed. "Magdalena's gone ahead; I turned my foot on soft sand." She swore in her alien speech as the foot came down awkwardly on rock. "It's okay, just sore," she added, and started up the narrow passage ahead of him, taking most of her weight on both hands and one foot.

Steps. Zhik's legs were trembling so, he wasn't certain he could make the ascent, despite the low angle of the individual steps.
Count them by fives
and when you finish a count of five, you then pause, breathe, and begin
another,
he ordered himself, and started up.

The guards' voices were muted, but he could hear the wail of another force-bolt tearing the ledge behind them apart. Rock splintered behind them, and the faint breeze that had cooled his back was suddenly cut off. Alexis glanced back, then started climbing again. "Stupid fools! They won't be able to come after us now that they've bombed the only escape route! Unless--

Zhik, is that the only way up?"

"Unknown," he said with a gasp. "Hurry!" Alexis glanced down at him, nodded once, and picked up the pace. The passage slowly grew lighter, and she turned once more.

"Gods, Zhik! you're bleeding! Are you all right?"

"Climb, please. Yes, I am fine." A dubious glance over her shoulder; he could tell she didn't believe him. He hadn't expected her to. Blood dripped from his nails, matted the fur on his forearms. The skin between his shoulders stung, the muscles throbbed; it felt as if a huge patch of fur had been scraped off.

They were nearly to the top. He could see An-Lieye's anxious face, Magdalena's pale one just behind her. The translator looked up as the force-beam wailed again; then yelled out a warning and yanked An-Lieye back out of sight. Rock-shards sprayed in all directions, and the whole ledge shook.

The sound within the cut was appalling. Zhik caught his breath sharply as more sharp chunks of rock slammed into his shoulders; Alexis half-turned, stumbled as the hurt foot took her full weight, and fell backward. Her head slammed into the wall.

260

Magdalena peered anxiously into the depression, then scrambled down to the interrelator, who was fighting to sit upright. "Are you all right?" the dark woman asked with a hiss.

"Fine," Alexis said, but her eyes looked glazed and her voice was slurred.

"Help me up." Magdalena managed to get her upright and balanced on one foot, her hands flat against the stones, while Zhik dragged himself over the edge. It took both of them to get the interrelator onto level ground. An-Lieye waited, visibly anxious, eyes moving from Zhik to Alexis, to the drop-off.

Magdalena got her shoulder under the other woman's arm; Zhik, murmuring apologies, caught hold of Alexis's waist, and between them, they got her moving. Alexis seemed barely aware of her surroundings, only now and again trying to walk. The force-beam howled every few minutes, but nothing else fell near them.

The ravine was a nightmare. Zhik ached; he was half sick from pain and fear, and increasingly certain the flyer would not be where he had left it. In the end, he had to go on alone; if the flyer was still safe, he'd need to get the rear hatch unsealed and fire the engines. Configuring the machine to reverse out of its narrow hiding would take some thought, in his current state.

Besides, there was simply no room for him and Magdalena both to help Alexis down to level ground. An-Lieye waited at the end of the ravine to be sure they headed straight for the flyer--the least delay now could be fatal for all of them.

Once he settled at the control seat, pain flared from every cut and outraged muscle, and he felt appallingly weak. I
will not be able to move again,
he thought dully. But if he could find Khyriz; then Khyriz would take control.