Merdon looked at the four youths, watching them waiting for his next reaction.
“All right, then,” he said, with a deadly calm, “you can go with the Terrans if you like. I won’t stop you.”
Without another word, Altai turned her back on Merdon and walked away. In shocked silence, the others watched her stride up the beach, toward the groundcars parked on the grassy dunes above.
“If any of the rest of you feel the same way, now’s the time to say it.”
The four young lieutenants glanced uneasily at each other. Ron shuffled his weight from one foot to the other, then blurted out, “I’m sony, Merdon. She’s right and you’re not. I’m going with her.”
He broke into a run, following Altai’s footsteps.
Tarat shook his head”There’U be others joining them when they hear about this.”
“Let them go,” growled Merdon, furious, “They’ll crawl back to us when we’ve freed Shinar.”
Altai climbed up the dune and reached the groundcar without noticing Ron following her. She opened the door f the little bubble-topped car and dropped into the driver’s seat. Only then did she allow herself to break into the tears that she had been holding back.
Okatar Kang paced his tent like a caged jungle beast, while his council of nobles sat passively at their long table and watched their chieftain.
“So the Terrans have been talking with the native leaders, have they? These spineless Shinarians blow with the windWhen we had me Terrans trapped, they were pleased with us. Now that there is more fighting to be done, they’re not so sure.”