"Did you say, 'inidran'?" asked Storm behind her, coming up to examine her scalp burn and to spray it with salve.
She gestured, holding her head still. "There's a Dushau woman over there. We need an extra sleeping—" Her flailing hand hit chill Dushau nap. She jerked her head around and discovered she'd hit the emaciated Dushau woman in the face as, body shaking with weakness, she crept up to bend over Jindigar, eyes wide in pure astonishment.
"Jindigar? It was you! Jindigar!" The look of sensuous rapture on her starved features turned to bottomless terror as she felt his cold flesh.
Cyrus bent to take her hand away, saying, "Darllanyu, you shouldn't be up!"
SEVEN
Darllanyu
"He's not dead!" exclaimed Darllanyu, and then looked beyond the hive to where the sun rose, a slice of new moon barely visible against the mauve sky. "Darllanyu!"
"Yes, I said 'inidran,'" repeated Cyrus to Storm.
"I don't need inidran, Cy," she insisted. "Look, the sun's rising darllanyu."
They all inspected the east, as she added, with equal parts hope and determination, "I was born at darllanyu—" At their incomprehension she elaborated. "—when the sun rises coupled to a new moon. Dushaun has two moons, like Phanphihy, but even so, such moments are rare enough to be regarded as omens—which even an Oliat can't interpret."
Cyrus muttered to Storm, "Inidran."
Storm nodded and turned to go. "Probably do Jindigar some good too. Krinata, did you know Prey's dead?"
She nodded, swallowing back a little choking cough at the reminder, trying not to feel the stinging pain of that death echoing out of the confused depths of memory.
"No, not inidran," muttered Darllanyu, pulling aside a fold to put an ear to Jindigar's chest. "This isn't just Oliat Dissolution shock. What happened to him?"
Krinata recited the pertinent facts with a clinical detachment she didn't feel. Cyrus listened with growing amazement but kept silent. When she'd finished, Darllanyu shook her head, the fear back on her face. "Then I'd say he's lost in the Archive. Inidran won't do any good." She sent Storm in search of other medications that might help.
Cyrus glanced at the Dushau woman doubtfully, then went with Storm. Krinata asked her, "You're an Oliat Officer?"
Darllanyu settled weakly on the edge of the sleeping bag. "I was Outreach to Avelor's, but we lost three, and now Avelor, so we're just a triad." Imp came and curled up on her knees. She cuddled him. "You're a warm creature."
"I'll get us some clothes," said Krinata.
She found Terab soothing the children, and two Lehiroh helping Irnils with the medical supplies. Viradel, Adina, and Fenwick were breaking out rations. As she scrounged an outfit for Darllanyu, she heard Cyrus asking Storm, "You mean you brought all this across that desert with only a duad?"
"Jindigar's the best," bragged Storm. "And Frey, his protégé, was brilliant."
"Must have been," agreed Cyrus, taking the medication for Darllanyu. Krinata gave him the outfit for her, saying, "Go ahead, I'll bring some food."
He nodded. "The natives fed us, but their diet—" He shook his head, added a smile of gratitude, and left.
With-increasing anxiety as day advanced, they dressed and ate, expecting the Squadron to return for their dead any moment now. Then they reassembled the caravan, Cy pitching right in. The Lehiroh—who never mixed with any of the others—accepted him instantly. He worked without a spoken direction, tossing and catching things like a member of their team. He even helped dig Prey's grave.
Krinata's tears flowed freely. Frey had never let her get close, but he'd have made a good friend. Did I kill him? His death had probably trapped Jindigar. Frey never did anything to deserve this! And neither did Jindigar!
She didn't remember everything and didn't understand much of what she thought had happened. On the way bad to the sleds after the scant moments of the burial, she told Darllanyu, "This may have been my fault," and recited Jindigar's warnings about Prey's condition.'
"I'm sure Jindigar wouldn't allow you to accept all the responsibility. You responded as anyone might have." Dark Dushau eyes came to focus on Krinata. "I've felt the hive's attack too. I couldn't have done better than you did." They parted, but Krinata found Darllanyu directing a puzzled stare at her at odd moments as they formed up to march.
The Lehiroh set the course along the line Jindigar had held, but Darllanyu came to the lead sled and corrected the heading. "Our settlement is that way, ten days' march-maybe fifteen or twenty with this caravan."
"There're more people on mis world?" asked Storm.
"Friends and associates of Raichmat's zunre," answered Cy. "Didn't Jindigar—"
"He never said others were already here!"
Krinata suddenly knew what had given Jindigar hope but left him doubting his own senses. "He must have contacted Avelor's Oliat from back in the desert!" Frey had thought he was trapped in the Archive, babbling about the dawn.
Darllanyu added, "Yes, we saw him—that's why we came out here, looking for you."
Storm said, "We'll be trailed by the Squadron. We can't lead them to the settlement!"
"Everyone there is waiting for us," argued Darllanyu "Cy and I must bring Jindigar there, even if you choose another course."
Terab had arrived to hear part of the discussion. "We can't stand here arguing," she decreed. "For now, we head for this settlement. What's between here and there?"
"A river gorge and a grassland. Large herbivores," said Cy, "and predators to match. Dozens of kinds of hives, some scavengers." He ran a hand through his hair. "It's going to be fun getting the sleds across the gorge."
"Storm's a good rigger," said Ruff. "You any good?"
"The best. You got semis and half-blocks?"
"Yes," said Storm. "Maybe Jindigar will be able to help by then." They had him secured atop the sled that carried the children and piols, for none of the medications had done any good. Darllanyu had concocted a syrupy mixture from ration bars, which they'd managed to get him to swallow a spoonful at a time. It'd keep him alive—maybe.
Darllanyu answered, "Jindigar can't help himself. But there's a Historian at the settlement who might retrieve him—and save the Archive—if we get there quickly enough/'
Krinata went back to her sled, which had the extra sled tied on behind, determined not to be the one to slow them up. If there was help for Jindigar anywhere, she'd get him there if she had to carry him on her back. But no sooner had Storm called, "for'd" than someone in the rear yelled, "No! Halt!"
One of the sleds had risen to travel height with one corner dragging. The Lehiroh adjusted it so the corner came clear of the ground and awarded it to Cy, in the position next to Krinata's tandem rig. Though he limped, Cy didn't complain about the hard pace the Lehiroh set. They were racing from the Squadron as well as to save Jindigar.
As the sun arced up into a cloud-studded sky, Krinata caught Cy's barely repressed grimace of pain and said, 'Talking takes my mind off my aching feet." And she told him her theory of why Jindigar hadn't mentioned contacting them. "I'm sure he didn't expect anyone to come out after us."
"We've done it before. Avelor's knew there was a group here, but from that distance they couldn't figure who or how many. And they didn't know about the Squadron when they decided to send us out. Why are they chasing you?"