we're going to make it that far before dark."
"I don't suppose there are any way stations as there are on the real road," Haafiz growled.
Daulo shook his head. "There weren't the last time I was there."
"But there's a large flood-control culvert under the road about five kilometers ahead," Akim said. "It's large enough to accommodate all of us, and we should be able to get there while we still have enough light to put together some sort of barriers at the ends to discourage predators."
"A culvert?" Haafiz echoed, sounding outraged. "You expect me to spend the night in a culvert?"
"Not at all, Your Excellency," Akim said courteously. "You're welcome to remain outside in the forest instead."
Haafiz glared at him. "There will be payment for this day, Miron Akim," he said, his tone dark. "And for you as well, Moffren Omnathi." With an effort, he straightened up. "If this is our path, let us get on with it."
"Very well, Your Excellency." Akim half turned and gestured to one of the Djinn. "Kavad, you'll be first on wheelchair duty. The rest of you, screen formation."
"And watch for danger," Omnathi added as they all set off together. "In every and all directions."
They headed off, Akim and Omnathi in the lead, a glowering Haafiz a few steps behind them, Daulo and Kavad bringing up the rear. The rest of the Djinn formed a sort of moving circle around them, their eyes continually sweeping the landscape.
And as they reached the edge of the forest and continued on beneath the canopy of branches and leaves, Daulo found himself wondering if this really had been his suggestion, the way Omnathi had said.
And wondered, too, how exactly Akim knew about a culvert five kilometers up a lonely forest road.
CHAPTER FIVE
Jin had wanted Warrior to fly the demesne ship over Milika as they headed out into the forest, arguing that they needed to get a better look at what the Trofts were doing in and around the village.
But Siraj had argued that such a move might be seen as provocative or at least suspicious, and that the last thing they could afford was to spark a reaction from one of the invaders' warships. Warrior had agreed, and had ordered his pilot to give Milika a casual but wide berth as they headed to the drop point.
From Zoshak's description of the clearing, and Warrior's response to that description, Jin had already concluded that it was the same place where she and Merrick had been dropped on their clandestine arrival two and a half weeks ago. That conclusion turned out to be correct. The demesne ship was considerably larger than the freighter she and Merrick had traveled in, but Warrior's pilot managed to squeeze it into the available space with only a single stand of crushed bushes at one end.
Having seen firsthand the extensive subcity the Qasamans had created beneath Sollas, Jin had expected Zoshak's watch station to be a similarly extensive system of rooms and corridors and defenses, though of course on a much smaller scale. It was a slight disappointment to find that the station consisted of a single large room with living facilities at one end, an empty weapons rack at the other, and a set of blank monitors in the center.
But of course, the station was thirty years old. The Qasamans had probably been new at this whole rabbit burrow thing back then.
The watch station entrance was a simple trapdoor leading to a narrow fold-down stairway, the station itself wasn't exactly spacious, and the Isis gear consisted of a hundred good-sized crates. But Jennifer McCollom, the amateur linguist that Harli Uy had sent along with the expedition, turned out to be a master of packing. With her diminutive frame darting around everywhere, directing the Cobras and Djinn as she just barely managed not to get trampled underfoot, they were able to fit everything inside.
And then, to Jin's surprise and dismay. Warrior announced it was time for him to leave.
[Two hours on Qasama, the Tua'lanek'zia demesne has limited our stay,] he
"I don't suppose there are any way stations as there are on the real road," Haafiz growled.
Daulo shook his head. "There weren't the last time I was there."
"But there's a large flood-control culvert under the road about five kilometers ahead," Akim said. "It's large enough to accommodate all of us, and we should be able to get there while we still have enough light to put together some sort of barriers at the ends to discourage predators."
"A culvert?" Haafiz echoed, sounding outraged. "You expect me to spend the night in a culvert?"
"Not at all, Your Excellency," Akim said courteously. "You're welcome to remain outside in the forest instead."
Haafiz glared at him. "There will be payment for this day, Miron Akim," he said, his tone dark. "And for you as well, Moffren Omnathi." With an effort, he straightened up. "If this is our path, let us get on with it."
"Very well, Your Excellency." Akim half turned and gestured to one of the Djinn. "Kavad, you'll be first on wheelchair duty. The rest of you, screen formation."
"And watch for danger," Omnathi added as they all set off together. "In every and all directions."
They headed off, Akim and Omnathi in the lead, a glowering Haafiz a few steps behind them, Daulo and Kavad bringing up the rear. The rest of the Djinn formed a sort of moving circle around them, their eyes continually sweeping the landscape.
And as they reached the edge of the forest and continued on beneath the canopy of branches and leaves, Daulo found himself wondering if this really had been his suggestion, the way Omnathi had said.
And wondered, too, how exactly Akim knew about a culvert five kilometers up a lonely forest road.
CHAPTER FIVE
Jin had wanted Warrior to fly the demesne ship over Milika as they headed out into the forest, arguing that they needed to get a better look at what the Trofts were doing in and around the village.
But Siraj had argued that such a move might be seen as provocative or at least suspicious, and that the last thing they could afford was to spark a reaction from one of the invaders' warships. Warrior had agreed, and had ordered his pilot to give Milika a casual but wide berth as they headed to the drop point.
From Zoshak's description of the clearing, and Warrior's response to that description, Jin had already concluded that it was the same place where she and Merrick had been dropped on their clandestine arrival two and a half weeks ago. That conclusion turned out to be correct. The demesne ship was considerably larger than the freighter she and Merrick had traveled in, but Warrior's pilot managed to squeeze it into the available space with only a single stand of crushed bushes at one end.
Having seen firsthand the extensive subcity the Qasamans had created beneath Sollas, Jin had expected Zoshak's watch station to be a similarly extensive system of rooms and corridors and defenses, though of course on a much smaller scale. It was a slight disappointment to find that the station consisted of a single large room with living facilities at one end, an empty weapons rack at the other, and a set of blank monitors in the center.
But of course, the station was thirty years old. The Qasamans had probably been new at this whole rabbit burrow thing back then.
The watch station entrance was a simple trapdoor leading to a narrow fold-down stairway, the station itself wasn't exactly spacious, and the Isis gear consisted of a hundred good-sized crates. But Jennifer McCollom, the amateur linguist that Harli Uy had sent along with the expedition, turned out to be a master of packing. With her diminutive frame darting around everywhere, directing the Cobras and Djinn as she just barely managed not to get trampled underfoot, they were able to fit everything inside.
And then, to Jin's surprise and dismay. Warrior announced it was time for him to leave.
[Two hours on Qasama, the Tua'lanek'zia demesne has limited our stay,] he
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