"Sounds interesting," Jack said. "By the way, if you're hungry there's bread, meat, and fruit in the refrigerator."
"Thank you," Draycos said, suddenly realizing just how hungry he was.
"Don't thank me," Jack said with the first touch of humor Draycos had heard from him all day. "The One caught me slipping some food into my pocket from the serving platter and told me that wasn't necessary, that they would supply whatever I wanted for breakfasts and midnight snacking."
"Very kind of him," Draycos said, changing direction back to the door. "If you don't mind . . .?"
"No, help yourself," Jack said. "I can't vouch for what kind of meat it is, though."
"There are many species of animals who live in deserts," Draycos reminded him.
"Maybe," Jack said doubtfully. "But in a farming area like this, I'm guessing most of what they get is some sort of rodent."
"Or fish."
"Oh, right," Jack said, his voice brightening. "Yeah, that sounds a lot better. Good. Go have some fish."
The platter in the refrigerator was a welcome sight, piled high with thin strips of dried and seasoned meat. Draycos ate his fill, not actually caring what kind of creature it had come from.
And when he was finished, he returned to the bedroom and told Jack all about his unplanned trip to the city.
Jack listened in silence until the K'da had finished. "What do you think it means?" he asked.
"I think it's fairly obvious," Draycos told him grimly. "Someone out there doesn't want a Judge-Paladin visiting this canyon."
"Or maybe they don't want him visiting the mining area you spotted outside the canyon?" Jack suggested.
"Possibly," Draycos said. "However, at this point the specifics aren't important. There was no one outside as I came in, and the shuttle's controls seem straightforward enough. We can be back at the spaceport within an hour and—"
"We're not leaving."
Draycos broke off in midsentence. "What do you mean?" he asked carefully.
"Uncle Virgil told me my parents were killed by an explosion," Jack said, his voice going dark. "That made sense when I thought they were miners. But I can only think of one situation where a Judge-Paladin would die that way." In the darkness Draycos sensed the boy brace himself. "I think they were murdered."
Draycos twitched his tail in a grimace. He'd come to that same conclusion the moment Jack had learned their true professions. "All the more reason for us to leave."
"All the more reason for us to stay," Jack countered. "Judge-Paladins aren't just roaming benchwarmers, you know. They have the authority to investigate and to even pass summary judgment in some cases. I'm apparently a Judge-Paladin now. Let's investigate."
Draycos sighed. "Jack, we don't even know what we're looking for," he said. "Not to mention the fact that all your detection and sensor equipment is aboard the Essenay."
"That just means we'll have to make do with our eyes and your nose and tongue," Jack said. "Hey, you're the one who told me that K'da warriors had the right and the duty to pass judgment on murderers."
"That was under K'da and Shontine law," Draycos reminded him. "At any rate, my prime duty is to protect my host."
"You will be," Jack assured him. "You'll be right here with me the whole time. Look, Draycos, it'll be a week or two at least before anyone can get here. Maybe even longer—that number your buddy called was a Barcarole exchange, and that system's nearly all the way across the Orion Arm."
"Unless they choose to spend extra fuel to obtain extra speed."
"Which assumes whoever it is even bothers to send anyone," Jack went on doggedly. "It's been eleven years, after all. I doubt anyone even cares anymore."
Except you, the thought flicked through Draycos's mind. "We should at least go back to the spaceport and try to contact Uncle Virge," he urged. "Let him know what we're doing, and have him standing by in case of trouble."
For a long moment Jack was silent. "Actually, I don't think the Essenay's here anymore," he said at last.
Draycos felt his neck arch. "That's impossible," he said. "Uncle Virgil programmed the ship to stay with you and protect you."
"Then where is it?" Jack demanded hotly. "Uncle Virge knew about all this, remember? He should have been buzzing around overhead before we even landed."
"But where would he have gone?"
Jack shook his head. "I don't know," he said, his brief flash of anger fading away. "Maybe Frost or Neverlin tracked us here and was able to nail him. Or maybe they didn't actually get him, but he's had to go to ground like he did on Rho Scorvi."
He inhaled deeply, then let the air out in a long sigh. "Or else Alison's taken control and flown off on her own."
Draycos hesitated, the automatic denial sticking in his throat. Ever since Alison and Jack had met, back at the Whinyard's Edge training camp, he'd somehow felt that the girl was trustworthy. That trust had only deepened during their time together on Rho Scorvi. It was hard to believe she would betray them.
But then, Draycos had been wrong before. "I don't think Uncle Virge would permit himself to be blocked or neutralized for long," he said instead. "He was programmed by Virgil Morgan, and we both know how clever and devious he was."
"Yeah, well, I get the feeling Alison's a lot more clever and devious than she lets on," Jack said. "But never mind that. The point is that whatever's happened to the Essenay, we've still got access to that shuttle out there. We can leave pretty much anytime we want to."
Draycos flicked his tail. There were some serious flaws in that argument, of course. But it was clear Jack didn't want to hear them. "And until we so decide, you wish to investigate your parents' deaths?"
Rolling half over in bed, Jack reached over to the nightstand and picked up the Judge-Paladin hat. "I can't just walk away, Draycos," he said quietly, fingering the hat. "I just can't."
"I understand," Draycos said, conceding defeat. It was still a terrible idea to stay here—every thread of warrior instinct in his heart was screaming at him to get them out of this place.
But he was a poet-warrior of the K'da, and his first responsibility was to his host. Jack wanted to stay, so stay they would.
And he really did understand Jack's need to do so.
"Hey, don't look at me that way," Jack admonished him, some of the darkness in his mood lifting. "It'll be all right." In the dim light from outside, Draycos saw the boy smile tightly. "Trust me."
CHAPTER 8
"Jupa Jack?"
Behind his closed eyelids, Jack frowned. What in the world—?
"Jupa Jack?" the call came again.
With an effort, Jack pried open one eyelid. There was a faint glow coming from the other room, but nothing any reasonable person would consider actual daylight. "I'm here," he called back. "What is it?"
"It is sunrise, Jupa Jack," the Golvin said. "Time to awaken and prepare for your duties."
Jack frowned. "What, already?"
"Most others are already awake and refreshed and going about their own duties," the voice replied reprovingly.
"Terrific," Jack muttered under his breath. "All right, I'll be right there."
"I will wait outside to escort you to the Great Assembly Hall," the other said, and Jack heard the subtle rustling of the fringe as the visitor exited.
"The Great Hall?" Draycos murmured from Jack's shoulder.
"The One said they'd be setting up a judgment chair for me next to his Seat of Decision," Jack told him. "Blast. The way Onfose was talking yesterday, I was hoping they'd take a few days first to translate all those case files into English."