Turning Point (24 page)

Skai handed him the excess length. “Just play it out slowly,” he said, dropping his stick down before he began to lower his legs over the edge. “I'm letting go now.”

Garras braced himself and managed to absorb the shock of the extra weight of the Terran. Muscles already aching, he slowly fed out the blanket until it suddenly went slack.

“I'm down,” Skai called. “I'm going to check out the next couple of dry patches before anyone else comes. Just wait there.”

“It's like stepping stones,” said Carrie quietly to Kusac. “Did you ever play that game when you were young?”

“What are stepping stones?” he asked, leaning back against the trunk.

His shoulder was giving him more trouble than he would admit, but he wasn't about to let Vanna know. She'd have to increase the drug to a level where he'd be a liability to them all, and he didn't have the necessary peace and quiet to try to deal with it his own way—the way he had learned at such a high cost when he had first landed on this planet. At least he was blocking it from Carrie.

“Stepping stones are stones you stand on to keep your feet out of shallow water when there isn't a bridge. It's also a children's game back on Earth.”

“No, we don't have such a game. With bare feet, it doesn't matter so much if they get wet.”

Garras' call caught their attention. “Carrie, you next, then Kusac. One at a time, please.”

“Here we go,” muttered Carrie, taking Kusac's hand for support as she tried to get astride the branch.

When Carrie reached Garras, he handed her the blanket rope and instructed her to tie it round her waist. Gamely but clumsily, she lowered her hands to the branch, holding on tightly as she slid first one leg and then the other off. Her grip slipped and with a shriek of surprise, she found herself hanging suspended in midair.

Garras' arms were nearly wrenched from their sockets, and Kusac hurtled along the branch to join him, nearly falling off himself in his urgency.

The weight lessened, and Garras was able to move his chest and breathe again.

“I've got her,” yelled Skai. “Let down the rope before she swings over the swamp!”

Garras fed the rope out hand over hand as fast as he dared until he felt Skai take all her weight.

“She's down,” he said, keeping her in his arms. “You're safe now,” he said. “I wouldn't let you fall.”

“Then let me go,” she said.

Reluctantly, he released her. “I'd like to talk to you later,” he said.

“We've nothing to talk about,” she replied shortly, moving one cautious step backward.

“Carrie,” shouted Kusac, “are you hurt?”

“No,” she said, looking up at him, “I'm fine. I just slipped and got a fright, that's all.” She could sense his fear receding. She staggered slightly, putting her hand to her head. The heat and humidity were really making her feel ill. She'd be glad when they reached the pod and she could rest properly.

“I'll take her to the next dry spot. This bit is only large enough for two. Come on,” Skai said, businesslike again.

She followed carefully in his footsteps to the next dry patch, which luckily was a good bit larger.

“Stay in the middle,” warned Skai, “and you'll be quite safe.” He moved off toward the tree. “Remember, I want to talk later,” he said, turning back to her for an instant.

“Damn!” Carrie swore under her breath. She glowered at his retreating figure but couldn't shout a reply without looking foolish. As if her life wasn't complicated enough without having him to contend with. He seemed to have gotten the idea that he and Kusac were in competition over her. She'd have to deal with him once and for all, before Kusac did.

“You're next, Kusac,” said Skai.

“Garras, you go now. I'll wait and get Guynor to lower me down.”

Garras pushed himself up on his elbow. He stared hard at Kusac, wrinkling his nose in thought. “I didn't have you figured as stupid, lad, but I may have to revise that opinion.”

Kusac's ears flattened in distress, and he tried to control the involuntary flicking of his tail.

“You know as well as I do that Guynor is unlikely to lower you anywhere but into the swamp, and I don't intend to lose another good crewman, especially to his psychoses. Now tie that blanket round yourself and let's get you down. I'll get Guynor to lower me next. His injuries won't prevent him from taking his share of the heavy work. You tend to the business of helping your Leska locate the pod.”

Kusac's mind was spinning as he fastened the rope. He knew that Garras had said he would speak for him when they returned to the Khalossa, but he hadn't realized that the Captain had accepted his personal involvement with Carrie. Now he thought about it, it was completely in character with Garras' past experience as an escort to Trading missions with other Alien races. He obviously didn't share Guynor's species prejudice. He shook his head to clear his thoughts, and gingerly favoring his injured shoulder, swung himself off the branch.

Once the Captain was down, Skai left him to supervise the descent of the other Sholans and returned to where he'd left Carrie.

She was deep in conversation with Kusac and broke off as he approached.

“We need to head north, Skai, toward that clump of greenery there,” she said, pointing into the distance.

“How much farther is it?” he asked, shading his eyes as he checked the position of the sun.

“Two or three kilometers, maybe four,” answered Kusac.

“You'd better hope it's nearer two,” muttered Skai, “or we might not make it before dark. We have to be under some sort of cover by then or we won't survive the night.”

“We'll make it,” Carrie reassured him. “It's difficult to judge distances from ground level when I've only seen it from above.”

Skai gave her a disbelieving glance before he turned to start probing the swamp again.

 

The sky was shot with red and purple streaks by the time they reached the next tree complex. It was larger than the last one, comprising several main trees plus dozens of offshoot trunks. Skai had to utilize their blanket rope again so they could climb up to the lowest branch capable of sustaining their weight.

“It's just over there,” said Carrie, too weary to have any enthusiasm at reaching the end of their journey. She was cold and all she wanted to do was sleep. She indicated a large overgrown area between the central trunks. “The ground there is solid.”

Skai snorted doubtfully and clambered from branch to branch until he reached the clearing. He probed the ground with his stick, then lowered himself until he could jump down.

While he checked the area, Carrie slumped down where she sat, head between her arms.

Vanna leaned forward. “We'll soon have the pod open and be able to rest and eat,” she said quietly. “You've done well to guide us here. I know what a strain it has been for both of you.”

Kusac laid his hand on her arm. “Our part is done. From now on, the rest of the crew take over.”

“She's right,” Skai's voice floated over to them. “We've a large area of solid ground here with what looks like your pod on the edge of it. You're damned lucky it didn't fall in the open swamp. Better get down here now before dusk falls. I just hope your craft is large enough for seven, because if not, we've really got problems when the night life starts moving.”

Wearily, they got to their feet and dragged themselves the last few meters. Once down, the Captain and Guynor joined Skai by the large mound of vegetation.

“Don't touch it with your hands,” warned Skai, reaching out to stop Garras. “We don't know what's made its home in there.”

Using the machete, he began to hack away at the base of the growth. Clouds of tiny insects swarmed upward accompanied by several large iridescent green beetles. The beetles hovered for a moment, then headed straight for Skai.

Before Skai had time to react, several flares went off simultaneously.

“Shit! Looks like the bug deflector has died. Thanks, fellas.” He poked his stick through the greenery and pulled it aside. Underneath was the dull gleam of metal.

“That's it,” said Garras exultantly.

Something pale flitted past them through the lengthening gloom.

Skai glanced up again. “Keep your guns out, all of you. I want two people on guard to shoot anything that moves,” he ordered crisply. “We'll have to get the hatch uncovered now, the rest can wait till morning.”

“We could use the guns to sear the growth at the base,” said Guynor. “There shouldn't be anything vital down there.”

“It's a risk we'll have to take,” replied Skai as he stood back to allow the two males room to work.

As they burned their way around the pod, Skai followed them, pulling the matted fronds down with his stick until he found the entrance.

“Stop,” he yelled over the sound of sizzling greenery. “Found it!”

Garras rushed round to where he stood and began to examine the panel at the side of the hatch. A series of indentations and symbols suggested a coded numeric or alphabet system.

Skai shifted his weight impatiently. “Well, open it,” he said.

Garras used a claw tip to poke a sequence of buttons and waited expectantly. Nothing happened.

“There's a lot of splashing from the water over here,” Mito hissed from the edges of their little islet. “I think we ought to hurry. It's heading this way.”

Garras tried again, a worried frown on his face. When nothing happened again, he began rapidly punching out a short series of keys.

“The door lock's malfunctioning and I can't get the manual override on!”

“By all the Gods, what is that?” demanded Guynor, watching in terrified fascination as a leathery green head emerged from the turbulence. The barrel chest and splayed legs were visible as it crawled out of the water, its body twisting first to one side then the other to match its leg movements.

Skai glanced round, peering across the gloom to where Mito stood. “A swamp dragon! Try and keep the bloody thing at bay, herd it away from us. Their bite's poisonous, and they move fast.”

The reptile gaped its mouth and roared, showing rows of banked sharp incisors. Its long, thick tail flicked, ripping out a small bush that was in the way.

Garras was still frantically punching buttons when there was a sudden deep metallic thunk and the panel on the outside was illuminated. Reaching around his neck, he pulled out a necklace bearing a narrow metal strip and hauled it over his head.

There was another deep roaring noise followed by a high-pitched squeal, then the sounds of pursuit through vegetation.

Fumbling, Garras threaded the strip into the slot at the bottom of the panel. There was a loud clunk, then the doorway slid open with a faint hiss of compressed air.

With a faint moan, Carrie slid bonelessly to the ground. As Skai and Kusac rushed to catch her, Garras jumped into the black opening. Within moments they were blinded by the glare of the interior lights.

Guynor and Mito came crashing into the clearing.

“We couldn't contain it,” said Guynor, gasping for breath. “It's headed this way.”

“In!” urged Skai, virtually pushing Guynor through the opening. “We can't stay out any longer.” He grabbed Mito and gave her a shove in the right direction.

He bent down to where Vanna and Kusac were leaning over Carrie.

“You get in. I'll carry her. You can't manage her with your shoulder,” he said as Kusac tried to take his arm out of its sling. “Get in, damn you! We haven't time to argue,” he insisted while Kusac still hesitated.

The roaring was getting nearer.

He hoisted Carrie into his arms as the other two tumbled in, then passed her to the waiting Garras. Several arms grabbed him and hauled him inside.

As the door hissed shut behind him, the swamp dragon hurled itself against the side, making the pod reverberate hollowly. Teeth grated on metal, and even from inside they could hear the angry roars.

“You'd better pray to your Gods that this pod is whole, otherwise it could be our coffin,” said Skai, untangling himself from the Sholans.

He looked round for Carrie. She had been handed shoulder high to the back of the craft and was now lying on a pull-down bunk with Vanna bending over her.

“God, but that was too close,” Skai said, wiping his sweating face on his sleeve. “What's wrong with Carrie?” he asked.

“That's what I want to find out,” replied Kusac, trying to edge his way over to her. “I know she's utterly exhausted.”

“I want a medical opinion,” frowned Skai, also moving forward.

Vanna looked up. “Kusac gave you the medical opinion,” she replied sharply. “You forget that what she experiences, he experiences. She needs to be left to sleep now. Go and do something useful with the others,” she ordered, then watched to see he went.

“Kusac, you sit with her while I look at your shoulder again. Most of Carrie's exhaustion is due to your suffering,” she continued reprovingly.

“Guynor, you and Skai locate the galley area and find us something to eat and drink,” ordered Garras, squatting on the floor. “Mito, you check out the pod's life support, engineering, and communications. See what's still operational—and open an external air sphincter if the filters are still functioning. No point in depleting the internal air supply when we don't need it,” he said, lowering his head to rest it tiredly on his forearms.

“Aye, sir,” replied Mito, moving over to a glowing bank of lights on one of the walls.