“ARE YOU A MEDIC?!?!” Ram’s voice was suddenly shrill. “Who told you you could make medical decisions?” The violence of his own reaction startled and shook him.
“Yes, sir. I’m on my way to unload the Northmen at once, sir.”
“Let me talk to him,” Matthew said softly. “Phaeacia, this is Matt Kumalo. Over.”
There was a brief lag, and the voice, when it answered, was husky and earnest. “God but I’m glad to hear your voice, Matt. How are you? How are all of you?”
“Mike and I seem to be all right, Ram, considering. And Anne Marie says she’s all right too. But I expect Jomo and Celia had better check us over when we get back up. Chan’s the one in bad shape. Catatonic. He was curled up in a tight ball when Charles and the Northmen got us out, and I had to clip him pretty hard to loosen him up enough to carry.”
“Okay. Sounds like it could be worse,” Ram said. “Look, Matt, about the Alpha: I’m really concerned that we don’t get mixed up in their war down there. What I want is to get all of us back on board, including Nikko.”
“We’re already mixed up in their war, Ram,” Matthew said mildly, “or maybe I should say they’re mixed up in ours. Three Northmen were killed getting us out of that hell-hole—three out of six.”
There were seconds of silence. “It was their choice,” Ram answered. “They like that kind of thing; they wanted to go. And I didn’t plan to tell you yet, but the Northmen are holding Nikko hostage.”
This time the communication lag was Matthew’s. “Hostage?”
“To pressure me for help when the orcs had the Alpha. But we’ve got Ilse and her baby of course, and Nils is on board the Beta. So now that we’ve got Alpha away from the orcs we ought to be able to trade and get Nikko back.”
“Ilse’s husband on board the Beta? Are you sure? I’d swear he was dead. This may sound crazy, but everyone else seemed to see what I did—Mike and Anne Marie did anyway. His ghost was in the dungeon during the fighting.”
“I believe you, all right, but he’s not dead. It’s just something he seems to do, some wild psi talent. Ilse does it too.”
Ivan interrupted. “Matt, you’d better sit down now. I’m going to land in just a minute. Sten says their big chief is down below.”
“Right. Did you hear that, Ram?”
“I heard it.”
Beta was in sight now, a bit above them, as if she’d been waiting; she made no move to land. Alpha sat down gently. Charles opened the door and sent the landing steps out. At once two powerful arms wrapped tightly around him from behind, pinning his arms to his sides, and carried him helpless from the pinnace. A second Northman picked up Anne Marie and carried her unprotestingly out. Quickly Ivan activated the shield.
“You’re trapped,” he said. “I turned the shield on; you can’t get out.”
“Then turn it off,” Sten said reasonably.
“I thought we were friends,” Matthew said. “What are you doing this for?”
“We need your sky boat. Don’t worry; we’re not orcs. We won’t hurt you. Get out now—” He gestured at Mikhail. “—you and him, and take the unconscious one with you.”
Matthew looked at the Northman’s scarred face for a moment, finding neither threat nor relenting in it. “Okay,” he said, turning. “Help me, Mike.” They picked Chandra up and carried him outside.
Sten and Ivan were alone then. “Open your invisible wall so we can take them away,” Sten instructed. “Then do what is needed for me to talk to Nils Järnhann in the other sky boat.”
Ivan hesitated and the Northman’s sword slid from its scabbard to touch lightly on a switch, deactivating the shield. Ivan’s eyes caught on the congealed blood that remained where the blade met the handguard. Obviously the Northman’s attention missed little, and his competence and willingness were beyond doubt.
“Beta and Phaeacia, this is Ivan. Beta and Phaeacia, this is Ivan. The Northmen have taken us prisoner. The Northmen have taken all of us on the Alpha prisoner and one of them wants to talk to Nils now. Over.”