Mac kicked at the creature. “I think it is unconscious, Captain.”
“Sissy,” Becker said. “We never touched it. Some people will do anything to get out of having to answer a few simple questions.”
“Joh, you told it we would stop its pain if it told us what we wished to know,” Aari said.
“Looks to me like the pain has almost stopped,” Becker said.
“No, it is worse. The thing is dying. We must have Khornya heal it. I would but-1 cannot.”
“Ain’t it just too bad for old klacker here that they took out your horn, then?” Becker said, and Aari felt a flash of anger toward him.
“We must call Khornya back in to save it, Joh. It may ^ye _ more information.”
“Hmm, true. You look like you can use a break anyway, buddy. Go ahead then. Get her.”
Aari left quickly. He was surprised to see that he had to call the robolift to return to the deck for him to descend. Its deck was stickier than ever, despite the heavy traffic, and when he tried to move his feet made a sucking sound. The patches of sap were -yes, they actually were larger than they had been when he and Becker ascended to the ship with the prisoner. He bent down, curious, to touch the stuff. It seemed innocent enough, but when he tried to right himself, he found that the hand he had been using to steady himself on the deck stuck to it. He lost his footing and fell, getting sap all over the front of his shipsuit. He unstuck himself and regained his balance with some difficulty. He also resolved to clean the deck as soon as they had disposed of the prisoner.
As the lift continued to descend, he saw that the bright blue day had become indigo night, lit only by the pale blue moons. The wind soughed through the tall sapphire grasses. Khornya was nowhere to be seen, but as he looked, he suddenly heard a raucous “Mrowl” and saw RK bounding across the field between the beach and the woods.
As soon as the cat saw him, RK turned and leaped back in the direction from which he had come. Sprinting a few steps, \J^ turned and stared meaningfully, his gleaming eyes twin molten gold coins. He mrowled again and Aari followed, reluctantly. rle had planned to take a slight detour and try to clean off the ^icky, irritating sap with sea water, but the cat was trying to lead him to Khornya, of that Aari was certain. “Where is she Riid-Kiiyi?” he asked.
RK ran another few feet and glanced back again, mrowling for Aari to follow him. The cat was conveying a sense of urgency that worried Aari. Through the long grass and to the ferny trees, Aari followed the cat’s lead. Khornya. The cat was leading him to Khornya. She was in some sort of trouble, perhaps wounded, or maybe she had found Maati and Thariinye and they were ‘wounded and she had sent the cat back for help and-Aari smelled the Khieevi spoor before he was actually upon it. Old and cold, it had hardened to a nasty shiny trail. The Khieevi. The Khieevi had Khornya.
He vomited what little food he had eaten that day into the underbrush. Returning for Becker now was out of the question. Every moment counted-he remembered -what the creatures had done to him and his blood ran cold at the thought of Khornya in their clutches. Precious time would be lost if he went back to the ship-moments Khornya would pay for in unimaginable pain if the Khieevi did indeed have her. Somehow, somehow he had to find her, to free her, to protect her. No one must go through what he had. Especially not Khornya-beautiful, graceful, gentle Khornya. So kind. So caring. Practical and intelligent too and very strong, but no one could hold out against the Khieevi. That they should have a chance to break her into pieces as they had him was unthinkable.
Perhaps he couldn’t yet feel what he, sensed she -would have liked him to feel for her-he still felt hollow inside, numb and cold, when he wasn’t filled with pain and fury. He had nothing to give to someone like Khornya. But he owed it to her to make sure she lived to receive it from someone else someday.