Strange how the enemy is so silent. Why aren’t they yelling demands or something? Sweat trickled down her neck. Her legs were cramping already. Inaction was so much more torturous to endure than action. She wanted to stand up and run toward the trucks, attacking them, just to get the combat underway.
“Remember, make each shot count,” Tom said in a tense whisper.
She nodded, moistening her lips with the tip of her tongue, afraid to try her voice.
Suddenly, fifty or sixty rebels poured out from around the ragtag, dilapidated vehicles that made up the convoy. Screaming oaths and curses, the men ran across the plain, firing their weapons uselessly since they were still out of range. Whatever heavy armament the insurgents had mounted on their trucks shot a barrage of covering fire, bracketing the Knives harmlessly on the first round.
“Fire at will!” Tom shouted.
His command startled her. Reflexively, she pressed the firing button, and the beam went wild. Her companions’ blaster fire erupted around Andi. She swallowed hard, took aim and shot again, but her next blast also went wide. Pinpointing a single enemy soldier rather than trying to sweep across the mob, Andi controlled her weapon, letting off a short burst. The man stumbled and fell as her shot hit him.
Andi swallowed. Don’t think, don’t feel, just shoot them before they can shoot you.
She settled into a rhythm of aim, fire, move on to the next target without waiting to see if she’d been successful. Totally focused on her own battle, Andi hovered in a zone, aware of the others beside her, hearing the boom every time Rogers fired his energy cannon, blocking incoming blasts, but her senses had narrowed. She focused only on the sights of her own blaster.
At first the insurgents were easy to pick off as they sprinted in a disorganized mob. The attack failed, and a few minutes later the next wave came at them using a pair of slowly moving cargo haulers as shields.
“Disable those trucks, damn it,” Tom yelled over the din. “Don’t let them get close.”
The Sectors party would have been overwhelmed in short order without the heavy weapons they’d found in Iraku’s truck. As it was, Rogers and Latvik targeted and knocked out the oncoming trucks with relative ease. A short lull fell. Andi’s hands were sore, her legs shaking. She slumped to the ground, back to the car and lowered her head. Tom moved along the line of his makeshift fortifications, checking the need for recharges, checking for injuries.
“Incoming,” Mitch shouted. Andi, Tom and the others hit the dirt as an energy charge exploded harmlessly behind them, striking midway between them and the spot where Rahuna and the Tonkilns huddled in the shelter of the Knives.
Tom took up a position where Gul’s car and the cargo hauler met. “Return fire!”
Andi pinpointed the location where the energy grenades were being launched. “Rogers, see that ugly green flatbed over there? That’s the one to take out, quick.”
“With pleasure, ma’am.” Swinging his cannon around on the makeshift turntable in Gul’s backseat, Rogers unleashed an intense barrage of energy. The designated truck blew up in a huge explosion, setting a couple of the other vehicles on fire. A number of the enemy fell, either from the concussion or from shrapnel. The rebels in the field hesitated, before withdrawing in a ragged wave.
“Yes!” Andi pumped her fist in the air and slapped Rogers on the back. “Great shot.”
“They’ve got reinforcements, sir.” Mitch pointed out three more trucks driving in from the north.
“Keep an eye on them.” Tom crouched beside Andi. “I’m proud of you.”
She stared at the newly arrived vehicles. Unexpectedly, a slimy sensation rippled down her arms, as if she’d been stroked by a tentacle. The Betang must be in one of those trucks.
“Andi?” He put his arms around her, turning her to face him.
Reaching up, she wiped a smear of blood from his cheek where he’d been grazed by shrapnel, her hand trembling. What if he’d been seriously injured, or even killed? That was a pretty near miss. “I’m cool as a cucumber when they’re attacking, but I have the shakes like crazy in the lulls like this one.”
“That’s normal. Adrenaline rush. Are you okay? No injuries?” He eyed her up and down, running his hand along her arm.
Andi hesitated.
He glared at her. “Answer me. You’re hiding something.”
Gesturing at the enemy convoy, she said, “The Betang is here. It must have come in one of those new trucks. The sensation is faint, but I can tell the creature’s there.”
“You need to see this.” Mitch crouched next to Andi’s side, viewers in hand. “To the left, by the red cargo hauler. It’s nothing I’ve ever seen. Betang projecting a false image maybe?”
Grabbing the viewers from him with a curse, Tom took a long look, then passed them to Andi. He waited while she adjusted the focus and tried to find what the two men had seen. There it is. And it’s got those horrible red stubs turned in this direction. Instinctively trying to hide, she dropped the viewers and shrank back. “That’s the creature all right. Oh, Lords, now it’s probably seen me. What can we do? Could you give me an inject, knock me out?”
Tom shook his head. “You’ll just die faster. You can’t fight it if you’re unconscious.”
“Fight it? Fight it with what?” She clamped down hard on the rising edge of her hysteria and sucked in a deep breath before she started again. “Look, I don’t want to die, but there’s nothing else we can do then, is there? At least I wouldn’t have to suffer.” Unable to meet his eyes, she swallowed and looked away. “I’m not a coward. You know I’m a fighter, but it was excruciating when the Betang tried to kill me before.” She looked at their grim faces, struck by a new worry. “Can it kill all of us with a mental blast?”
Shaking his head, Tom took her arm, rotating it a bit so they could both see the imprint of the Betang’s suckers. “You’re the only one at direct risk from the Betang.” He drew her to her feet, stopped her next anxious remark with a fierce kiss, then held her away from him. “You know I love you. Do you trust me?”
“Of course I do.” And I don’t want to die here, in the dust, where you have to watch. Trembling all over, Andi felt a cold sweat beading her arms and legs, despite the heat of the day. “Are you sure a knockout inject won’t work? Has it ever been tried?”
Face lined with worry, he nodded. “It’s been tried. We’re not going down that road, not with your life at stake. There’s a Special Forces technique to defend against mental assaults like the Betang’s. I can teach you, right here, right now.”
He expects me to master some complicated mental trick here? Now? Skeptically, Andi holstered her blaster. “How long did it take you to learn?”
“My experience isn’t important.” He scrutinized their defense line, the battered, shot-up truck and car. “We need to get you to a safer place to try this.” Tom exchanged a glance with Mitch. “You’re in charge.”
“Make it quick, sir.” The sergeant had retrieved the viewers and was studying the enemy. “They’re having a confab. The Betang’s doing a lot of gesturin’, pointing at us. Working the mob up pretty effectively.”
“I’ll be right back.” Tom flicked an assessing glance over at the rebel throng on the road. Squaring his jaw, he picked Andi up and carried her toward the Knives.
Listening to his strong heartbeat as she lay curled against his chest, she said, “I love you.”
“I love you, too.” He paused in front of a short outcropping of the glossy, black rock, setting her down in the small alcove between it and the main body of the Knives. As she tried to sit comfortably on the ground, Tom knelt in front of her, keeping her hands in his. “Concentrate on what I’m going to tell you.”
She scooted back a little, to have the rock wall of the Knives behind her. She studied his face.
Tom’s green eyes locked onto her. “First step. Identify a mental focal point that implies defense to you. Think of something symbolizing protection. A wall, a fire, something. Do
you understand what I’m saying?”
“I guess so.” Andi shrugged. She chewed her lip and looked away from him. “How is this going to help?”
“Whatever you decide on, make it real in your mind. Clear everything else out. You can’t afford to think about anything but your defense. You hold the picture, no matter what. Don’t think of me, don’t think of the Betang, except in the sense that it can’t get through to you, no matter what it tries. Have one focus, on your defensive point, and only that thought. Try it now. Close your eyes and try it,” he urged.
Hearing shouts from the barricade, she tried to peer around him. “The men are calling. You’d better go.” He’s wasting valuable time on this. I can’t let him sacrifice the safety of the others just to try to comfort me. “You’ve got to get back. I don’t want you to watch me die.” She tried a small smile for him.
Tom gave her such a rough shake that her head rocked from the force. His fingers clenched on her arms. Andi was shocked back into attention by the small amount of pain. He spoke low and fast. “Never mind them. Mitch is in charge. He’s fine. Worry about yourself. Close your eyes and visualize, now. Do it.”
Obediently, she shut her eyes, trying to empty her mind. She ignored increasing pressure in her chest and flashes of pain from the Betang’s mind scan but couldn’t settle on anything to use as a mental defense. What says protection to me? Right now, being somewhere else! A wall, as he’d suggested? No, walls crumble or fall down. No good. Fire? Andi shivered, remembering what it had been like, caught in the burning Tonkiln mansion. Definitely not fire. How pathetic and ridiculous she was to hope this emergency meditation would work! If her life wasn’t at stake she’d be laughing at the mere idea. With a sigh, she opened her eyes, shaking her head.
“This isn’t a game.” Tom shouted at her, releasing his grip on her and flinging his arms out. He stood, turned away from her, hands on his hips, head tilted, and was silent for a minute.
I’m letting him down. Andi stared at his back. He really believes this should work for me, and I can’t even pretend I’m taking it seriously. He knows I’m not trying.
As if he’d been eavesdropping on her thoughts, Tom spun around. He hunkered down and smoothed her hair away from her face with both hands, before giving her a lingering kiss. “I know what I’m asking seems absurd. I’ve seen it work. It can save you.” He pulled her so close to him that their noses were nearly touching. Andi breathed in his musky scent, and her head cleared a bit. He kept talking, his voice low and hurried. “You have to fight for yourself. You have to believe in yourself, like I believe in those heavy blasters over there. And I believe in you just as much.” Tom gestured toward the barricade behind them where his men were rearranging some of the meager defenses. “But blasters aren’t the right weapons for this kind of a fight. You have what you need inside yourself. Try again.”
Overwhelmed, Andi laid her head on his shoulder.
“Andi…for me, for us.” Tom’s voice sounded gentle, but she heard the tension underlying the calm words. He hugged her, his arms warm and strong around her shaking body. “If I didn’t think this was a real chance for you to survive, I’d be saying a whole lot of other things right now. I’d be saying good-bye, okay? And I would’ve had Mitch put you under so you wouldn’t suffer. Hell, I’d give you the inject myself. But I won’t. You can do this.”
She took another breath, savoring the moment. Fiercely, she hugged him. If Tom thinks it can be done, then I need to believe in him. Leaning against the rock wall, trying to get comfortable, Andi didn’t want any distractions, however small. She’d already found one chink in the Betang’s armor, possessing a genetic ability to see through its illusions. So perhaps she could fight off its other powers as well.
Something on a nearby slab of the black rock caught her eye. Brushing the patina of dust away, she uncovered a small painting, faded, aged with the passage of centuries, but the figures seemed clear enough. An urabu. No, a herd of urabu.
This time when she closed her eyes, the peaceful glade came to mind immediately. Had it just been a few days? She’d been leaning against the tree and the urabu had wandered into the clearing. Drawing on the memory, Andi tried to re-create all the small details in her mind’s eye—the cool meadow grass, the rough tree bark against her back, the little insects buzzing around the purple and white flowers. And, of course, the urabu. The majestic buck, with his glorious horns and those luminous emerald eyes. She realized now his eyes were the same bright green as the glow from Sanenre’s emerald healing device.
The image of the sacred urabu buck came to her mind fully formed, gazing at her. She was sure if she opened her eyes, the creature would be there, standing in front of her on the dusty plain. The buck observed her for a long minute, then swung his elegant head with the rack of crowning antlers around, facing away from Andi, guarding her as he would guard his own small herd of does and fawns.
The urabu bugled a challenging cry that echoed around the glade now existing in her mind’s eye. No one was going to think him to death. He’d go down fighting and inflict grievous harm on the opponent. Hooves, antlers, teeth—all fearsome weapons. Even the alien Betang would be hard put to get past an enraged urabu if unarmed.
Two more urabu bucks walked from the forest, joining her first protector. The trio stood together. A gentle pressure nudged against her spine. The fawn had come to her, pushing her, trying to get her to stand.
The fawn can’t be behind me. I’m sitting with my back to the Knives. Andi was tempted to open her eyes for a reality check. The alpha male turned his head and snorted at her, shaking the impressive rack of antlers.
Eyes closed, going by the vivid scene in her mind, she rose and took three steps forward.
She was in the vision, but her peripheral hearing caught snatches of what was going on around her.
She heard Rahuna ask Tom, “What are you doing to her?”
“She’s doing it herself, sir. Don’t touch her. Don’t distract her.”
Leave me alone. Andi didn’t know if she said that or merely thought it, but the sound of the men’s voices faded. She stood in the glade on soft grass. The fawn nestled next to her, its velvet fur tickling her arm. A rough tongue licked her hand as the fawn gazed up into her face with its green eyes. Swinging their heads from side to side, the three urabu bucks made a circle around her, shaking their impressive antlers in open challenge. The Betang’s inexorable mental pressure remained steady on her chest, accompanied by pounding in her head. Dark clouds ringed the urabu circle, swirling around all of them.
Three wheezing breaths later, she could no longer see the glade itself, only the ominous sooty clouds. The air crackled with tension and rumbles of distant thunder, as if a giant summer storm approached. The hair on her arms rose, and a spark of static electricity stung her hand when the fawn nuzzled her again. Tendrils of the smoky fog attempted to reach out toward her, but the urabu kicked them away, trampled them underfoot, or fended the wispy tentacles off with their long, sweeping horns. From time to time the leader of the urabu swung his head around to look at Andi, his eyes glowing more and more green as the eerie, silent battle went on. She concentrated all her strength on supporting the bucks in their efforts, trying to will them her energy to fight off the attack.
Outside the magic circle in Andi’s mind, out in the real world of Zulaire, she knew the Sectors soldiers and Abukawal were still waging a furious fight against overwhelming odds. I hope Tom is all right.
The deadly smothering pressure from the Betang wrapped her body in its grip and tightened like a clenched fist. Heart stuttering, she fell to one knee, the fawn staggering under her weight but managing to keep her from a complete collapse. Can’t think about Tom. Can’t think about anything but this battle I’m in. The fog redoubled its efforts to reach her. One tendril brushed her cheek before the fawn leaped up to butt it away. Her cheek burned where the fog had touched, the pain somewhat soothed as the fawn licked the spot.
Andi was on
her knees. Her chest wouldn’t expand to take air in. Her vision was blurry, black spots at the edges. Extremely agitated now, the urabu kicked, lashing out, shredding the fog with their horns. With his nubby horns, the fawn butted her hard in the ribs, right on the blaster sear. A jolt of extreme pain shot through her, clearing her head. The little urabu looped his head under her arm and encouraged her to stand up again.
Breathe in, count five, breathe out. Just breathe. Just count the breaths. Relax. Renewed energy circulated in her body. Planting one foot under her, Andi pushed to a standing position, leaning on the fawn. She stood there a minute, breathing more easily, surrounded by the mythical defenders.
Time to take this fight to the enemy. Grinning, Andi straightened, squaring her shoulders and walked to stand next to the urabu alpha. He acknowledged her with a look. She marched forward, all three urabu falling in beside her. Faster and faster she went, running now.
The fog swirled away from her, dissipated. The glowing red core of the smoke loomed ahead of her. I need a weapon. No, I am the weapon—my thoughts, my mind. The red thing ahead of her retreated deeper into the clinging fog as she advanced with her urabu. Determined to catch her enemy, to kill the foe, Andi sprinted.
In the distance, voices shouted her name, the sounds faint. Ignore that, don’t be distracted. They don’t matter right now.
The Betang stood in front of her, wreathed in the black fog, which twisted and writhed in concert with the creature’s tentacles. As the alien slithered backward, its red eye stalks quivered and knotted. One urabu ran ahead, lowering its antlers and shaking them in an unmistakably threatening gesture, cutting off the Betang’s avenue of retreat.
Andi slowed down, finally walking up to her enemy and taking a stand just out of reach of the curling, whiplike tentacles. Hands on her hips, eyes narrowed, she studied the Betang. I can see it through and through, nothing hidden. Maybe this is the way it sees humans. Frantically, the Betang moved back and forth on the green grass. Andi raised her hands, palms facing the enemy, which stopped and shrank back, tentacles wrapping around itself defensively.
Escape From Zulaire Page 23
