“It might not be my place to suggest such a thing,” Doc began, “but considering that none of our friendly forces have made their presence known to us, perhaps we should make a search of the grounds.”
“We could do it in a wag,” Dean suggested.
“I’ve thought of that,” J.B. said, “but I just know that as soon as I move from here they’ll show up.”
As if on cue, Jak, Clarissa and three women stepped through the front doors of the main building.
“Ah, right on time,” Doc said.
As the group approached, J.B. kept his eyes fixed on the building. “Where’s Mildred and Ryan?”
“Went after Krysty,” Jak said. “Not back yet?”
J.B. shook his head. “All right, hop on back, we’ll search the grounds for them.”
Jak helped Clarissa and Melanie onto the wag. The two women who had been in the baron’s bunker wanted on, too, but Jak shook his head.
Just then a weak voice could be heard saying a familiar name.
“Ryan!” the voice said. “Ryan Cawdor!”
J.B. turned to look at Clarissa. “Do you know this man?”
“No,” she stated. “Never seen him before.”
Dean was the first off the wag, his blaster drawn and pointed precisely at the center of the man’s forehead.
“Where is he?” Dean shouted. “Where’s my father?”
“Ryan, Ryan Cawdor.”
Dean looked as if he was getting angry, thrusting the blaster hard against the man’s face.
J.B. got out of the wag and ran around to where the man was standing. “How do you know the name Ryan Cawdor?”
“He shot me with his blaster,” the man said, “and told me to give you a message.”
“What’s the message?”
The man fell to one knee. “Said you would take me with you when I told you.”
J.B. looked at the others on the wag, then nodded. “All right, what’s the message?”
“I was a member of a raiding party from Reichel ville. We came for breeders and one of the ones we took was the redhead. Ryan Cawdor and Mildred went after them.”
“Where are they headed?”
“We came here on foot, but our boats landed at Fort Erie, on the north shore of the lake.”
“How long since they went?”
“Hour, mebbe more.”
“We can meet them there,” Clarissa said.
J.B. stood up. “What do you mean?”
“We drove through Fort Erie on our way here,” she said. “We can get there in the wag and beat Ryan and the raiders to the shore. We can be waiting for them when they arrive.”
J.B. considered it.
“Do you think this jumble of bolts and metal is fit to make the journey?” Doc asked.
J.B. looked at the wag. It had taken some hits, was leaking radiator fluid and the brakes were gone. The engine was running rough, too, but they had enough fuel and everything else seemed to still be in working order.
“Yeah,” he announced. “We can make it.”
“Hot pipe!” Dean said, leading a cheer from the rest of the friends.
“Doc and Jak, get this guy onto the wag!”
“We should take them, too,” Clarissa suggested. “The women will come in handy.”
J.B. was silent a moment, thinking. “Good idea.”
Jak and Doc put the raider on the back of the wag, then helped the two women on, as well.
“After you, ladies,” Doc said, bowing his head.
The two women smiled and looked at each other. ” ‘Ladies,’ he said,” one of them echoed Doc’s words.
Jak and Doc climbed up onto the back of the crowded wag.
“Hang on, everyone,” J.B. shouted. “It’s going to be a bumpy ride.”
He put the wag in gear, and they were off.
Chapter Forty-Three
Ryan and Mildred had made up their lost ground. They were directly behind the group now, and could begin picking off members of the party the next time they stopped for rest.
And that would be coming soon, since the air had become filled with the smell and feel of a large body of water close by. They had to be within a mile of Erie Lake, and if Ryan and Mildred were going to make a try for Krysty, they’d have to do it soon.