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instruments won t find us. Good faring and thanks for all your help.
The trees swayed as the earth rocked under their feet. Maissa gasped, looked
with anxiety at the ship as it rocked precariously, threatening to topple on
its side. Kale laughed, savage exultation in his dark face. Our world grows
impatient for your departure. He pulled the horse around and disappeared
under the trees. The others, having said scarcely a single word, kept their
dour silence and disappeared after him.
Work your hands around so I can see the knots. Stavver s voice was absurdly
commonplace and calm. Aleytys burst out laughing then subsided as she heard
the hysterical note in her own voice.
After about a half hour s twisting and straining, following Stavver s
instructions, she managed to work the ropes loose enough to pull one hand
free. She stepped away from the tree, rubbing her sore wrists. I feel like an
arthritic old lady. The earth rolled beneath her, sending her staggering.
When the ground steadied again, she darted to Stavver. We better get out of
this fast.
Lee, idiot. My knife. You ll go a lot faster.
Ay-mi, thickhead. She snatched the knife from the sheath and began sawing
at the rope.
Careful. I need all my fingers.
She chuckled, but calmed down and cut the ropes away with quick efficiency.
When she moved on to Maissa, he walked to the box, rubbing his own wrists. He
took the tools and chameleon web out, thrust them behind his belt and worked
the box into the sling.
When Maissa was free, Aleytys caught up the placidly sleeping baby and
followed her to the ship.
Maissa stopped at the foot of the ladder, staring without expression at the
trees where Kale had disappeared. Then she slowly wiped her hands together and
ran up the ladder. A minute later the chain tightened and the box began rising
toward a cargo hatch.
Aleytys moved close to Stavver, slipping her free arm around his waist,
nestling close to him. I scarcely believe it s over.
She felt him stiffen. Not yet. His voice sounded strange. Look.
Through the congealing clumps of bacteria a grey sphere somewhat battered and
blackened settled with a hum of power toward the ground about a hundred meters
from Maissa s ship.
The Hounds! Aleytys clung to Stavver as her knees threatened to give way.
Why didn t I dream them if they were this close?
Up the ladder, Lee. He boosted her onto the first rung. Move!
On the screen in the bridge they watched the sphere settle to the ground,
extruding two pairs of fins to hold it upright.
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Aleytys chewed on her thumb, frowning a little as she watched. Can you break
away?
Maissa shook her head. She clicked the nail of a forefinger against the glass
of a telltale. Damper field. Drains energy from engines. And here& . The
finger moved across the face of the console. Pincers& tractors& they ve got
enough hands on me to hold a battleship.
Then I better get us some help.
Maissa s eyebrows rose.
Open the lock for me.
Why?
If I can get the earth shifting under them, can you hold this ship from
going over? She glanced back at the ominous grey sphere. And would it help?
Maissa laughed, eyes dancing in her dark face. That should shake the
bastards up. Still grinning she tapped one of the lighted squares. Move your
butt, woman. Get your little friends busy.
Aleytys stood beside the foot of the ladder, body stripped nude, hands flung
outward. You! she cried, projecting demand, anger, scorn. You called me
sister once. You tricked me and used me. You owe me!
Thunder answered, sounding petulant and unwilling.
She gathered her anger and flung it at them hot as ball lightning. PAY!
She felt an answering anger swirling around her. Pay! she demanded. You
owe me. Shake that ship over and we ll be quits.
The earth groaned beneath her feet and thunder groaned in the sky. She sensed
a grudging acquiescence. Good! She broke the contact with the earth and ran
back up the ladder.
Maissa turned when she came back into the bridge wrapping her batik around
her. Well?
Wait. She moved to the screen. Look.
They saw the Rmoahl ship begin to rock in gradually widening arcs as the
earth shifted and slipped beneath the landing fins. Maissa worked busily to
keep her own ship upright as the outriding waves of the earthquake passed
beneath them. She kept breaking into happy little chuckles as she watch the
sphere struggle. They waited too long. Ah& ah& ah& .
A crack opened, swallowing one fin so that the Hound-ship tilted and swayed,
then crashed heavily on its rounded side.
Maissa thrust Aleytys back from the console. Get down. Hold on. Both of
you. She ran her hands rapidly over the sensors, throwing the ship into the
air, it seemed to Aleytys, by force of her will alone. The surface of the
world retreated until it was a mottled marble hanging against the velvet dark
of space. The little ship swam invisibly through the layer of sensory probes,
past the circling Karkesh stingships swarming around hunting for the intruder
that had ghosted down setting off enough alarms to stir up the security forces
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of the whole world. Maissa s ship skimmed through them and darted rapidly
toward the zone of FTL conversion.
After conversion Maissa swung around and stretched luxuriously, smiling
brilliantly at Stavver and Aleytys. I believe I swore I d take you two
wherever you wanted. I!kwasset, wasn t it? She raised her brows at Stavver.
He jumped easily to his feet, his dark-dyed face changing as Maissa s had
changed. This was his world as much as hers. His grin met and matched hers.
Quietly Aleytys got to her feet, watching them expand, throwing off the
world-life like some smothering blanket, both of them growing stronger as if
the engines that drove the ship fed them as much as they fed the ship.
Forgotten for a moment, Aleytys moved quietly to the screen and watched the
dance of the stars across the blackness, letting the sheer beauty of them heal
the hurts in her. Then she turned away. Sharl s probably wet and hungry. And
I need a bath. Oh god, do I need a bath.
Stavver laughed and ran his fingers through her hair. I like you better as a
redhead, Lee. Come on. We can get rid of this dye along with the dirt.
EPILOG
Aleytys woke slowly, a dull ache behind her eyes. She was lying on the floor&
a floor? She worried at this oddity a moment, but thinking hurt so she quit.
She sat up carefully then leaned against the wall pressing the heels of her
hands hard against her eyes. The pain retreated.
She looked dully around. The walls were pink. Ceiling, floor& pink. Padded
until it felt like spongy flesh beneath the firm smoothness of pink skin. The
fourth side of the room wasn t there. She was in a padded pink box tipped on
its side with the top gone. Why was it so& familiar& why& .
Madar! She slid her hands over over over the smooth sensuous skin. I m
dreaming, she thought. It s that damn dream again. Since I reached puberty.
Waking up naked& . She looked down at herself. Naked. In a stupid pink room. Oh
god, I ve got to wake up.
Trembling and uncertain, she crawled to the wall and managed to push herself
onto her feet. Wake up wake up wakeup wakeup& .
She beat against the wall. It yielded spongily with a dull splatting sound. A
dull splatting sound? Ahai! It isn t a dream. Her eyes snapped open.
Maissa! she shrieked. Then her knees folded under her and she bounced onto
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