Conflict and Courage (14 page)

“He’s alive,”
he said, “but I think he’s hurt bad. A broken leg at least – maybe
some internal injuries. We must get him to the top. It’s too
dangerous down here. These men could come this way any time and
then where will we be?”

“In the bag,”
was Ustinya’s surprising comment. “Qenya on way down. She not hurt.
She help drag Maurice up.”

It was amazing
how the Lind managed to pick up human slang, Ustinya, like Kolyei
and Larya was one of the best.

Watched by the
others, the three of them struggled to move Maurice’s inert body up
the hill (it was very steep and sheer) after Louis had splinted the
leg, their muscles straining with every heave. Thankfully Maurice
remained out for the count. As dawn was breaking, they reached the
summit. Louis busied himself getting the older man comfortable,
covering him with all the blankets he could muster and hoping he
did not have any serious injuries apart from the leg.

“We must keep
him warm,” he said. “Shock is the biggest killer.” Vsei and Qenya
lay down on either side of him, their body heat being the most
sensible solution to the warmth problem. They dared not light a
fire.

Aglaya’s eyes
were filled with worry. “Will he able to ride?” she asked.

“Not for some
time,” Louis answered. “Probably weeks and he’s going to be in a
lot of pain when he wakes.”

He looked at
her as he spoke, “we’ll have to change our plans. Ustinya and I
will have to go on with you to Fort. I’ll whiten my hair and dirty
my face. If I keep to the shadows I should be able to carry it
off.”

Aglaya looked
doubtful.

“It’s either
that or abort the mission,” warned Louis. “We’ve been lucky, we’ve
got this far without being seen. What are the chances if we have to
do it all over again?”

Aglaya nodded.
“I not like it but see no other way.” She turned to the others. “We
sleep today and tomorrow, make sure Maurice is okay then go to
Fort.”

Maurice had
been Fernei’s original choice to make the initial approach to Fort,
but his accident made that impossible. It would now be up to Louis
and when he woke Maurice worried that the lad would stand out like
a sore thumb amongst the convicts, none of whom were under
thirty-five. Louis’s youth would be a distinct disadvantage, not
that they had much choice in the matter. Louis was right; it was
either this or abort the mission.

Gerry had told
Jsei that he intended to ‘hide in plain sight’, so Louis would
approach the livestock area when dusk began to fall. They knew of
the man’s love of animals from Jessica Howard and had decided that
they would start their search for him there.

Maurice glanced
at Louis. The lad’s face betrayed no more than a touch of
nervousness and a great deal of determination. He had a good mental
picture from Jsei of what Gerry looked like.

It had been
Jsei who had suggested Louis Randall and Ustinya as the other
vadeln-pair for the mission. He had known he would be debarred from
going because his vadeln Geraldine was female. The boy, Jsei had
noted, was very intelligent and showed a knack for deviousness
almost as good as his own. Louis and Ustinya made a good team.

Jim and Francis
had been reluctant, thinking him too young, as had Fernei, but that
had been before the old white had met him. He had looked at Louis
Randall and had been reassured. True, the boy was young, just
sixteen, but there was maturity in his face, coupled with an
enquiring mind that the Susa of the Avuzdel was sure would not
diminish as he grew older. Afanasei had pressed Jsei’s case;
informing Fernei that, in his opinion, Louis needed more of a
challenge than the Vada could offer. The boy thrived on it.

“Time for you
to go,” Maurice informed Louis, “be careful, don’t take any chances
and don’t wait around too long. Better safe than sorry. Your
disguise won’t hold in the sunlight.”

“It’s dark
enough now,” Louis agreed.

“Don’t worry
about me,” Maurice continued, “Qenya and Vsei will wait with me
until my leg is better and then we will run north. It’s perfectly
safe here. No one in their right mind would attempt to climb up
that slope however much they wanted to see the view from the
top.”

“What does that
say about us then?” Louis teased. “You have the painkillers?”

Maurice nodded,
“plenty of rations and water. Expect to hear from me sometime.”

Louis clasped
the man’s hand in a silent farewell and departed. He, Aglaya and
Ustinya crept out of the dom and down the slope. Louis mounted and
they began a cautious approach southwards towards Fort’s livestock
area. Louis hardly breathed as they passed like shadows through the
trees.

When it grew
light they would rest in the last of Jsei’s hides and Louis would
make the first contact attempt at dusk, when they hoped the
convicts would have finished their work for the day.

They found the
small hide as dawn began to break and rested, careful not to make
any noise. All three shared the watches, each lying awake in turn
whilst the other two slept.

As evening
approached they ate a meal consisting of the dry travel rations and
drank some water.

Louis began to
disguise himself, dirtying his face and hands with the camouflage
cream Laura Merriman-McAllister had prepared.

Ustinya watched
critically.

: Remember back
of neck :

Louis dutifully
rubbed the cream in then combed some dust through his hair for good
measure.

: It stinks
:
This comment came from Aglaya.

Aglaya was
trying without much success not to breathe in the pungent
fumes.

: Poof,
they’ll smell you coming :
added Ustinya.

: Laura told me
the smell dies away after a while :

They waited for
the ‘while’ as Aglaya sniffed him over at intervals.

: I think we
can go now :
she telepathed Ustinya
: smell is gone, tell
Louis we go with him to edge of lian :

The three set
out, moving like silent shadows through the undergrowth until
Aglaya and Ustinya paused in mid-stride.

: Men ahead
:
warned Ustinya
: dismount :

Louis did so,
being careful not to make any undue noise then followed the two
Lind as they crawled towards the leafy knoll that overlooked the
livestock corrals. They smelt the animals before they saw them and
Ustinya wrinkled her nose in disgust. The smell was almost as bad
as Laura’s black cream.

The three
watched as the group of men below checked the livestock fences and
began to make their way back to one of the larger buildings. There
was some other activity over at the far end of the complex but
certainly all was quiet in the paddocks nearest them.

: Do you see
any guards? :
asked Louis of Ustinya.

: No but that
does not mean there are none :

It seemed like
an age before Aglaya turned her head towards them and Ustinya
passed Louis her order to start moving downhill.

: Be careful
:
Ustinya warned her vadeln :
Call if danger and I come get
you :

Louis nodded,
caressed her neck and began to creep away. When he reached the edge
of the woods he stood upright and trying to look casual, began to
walk towards the buildings. As he drew nearer he could hear the
insistent lowing of the cattle and then the sound of clanging pails
and low voices from a long low wooden shed to his left.

: Milking
time :
Louis sent to Ustinya
: I’ll try and get in closer, I
can see a light :

He crept round
to the farthermost end of the shed keeping to the shadows as much
as possible. At the farthest corner he spied a chink of light
showing through a gap in the planks. He was able to see the men and
animals inside, but they were unable to see him.

Louis
recognised Gerry immediately, the man was sitting on a three-legged
stool beside one of the cows. As Louis watched, the spy settled the
restless animal with a few low words of encouragement and began to
milk her; Louis could hear the soft whoosh as the milk hit the
pans.

This was too a
good a chance to miss. It might well have taken many days to locate
him and thinking quickly on his feet was a speciality of Louis. He
put his mouth to the chink in the wall and whistled.

Gerry’s head
came up and he looked round the shed, every sense alert then bent
once more to his task.

Louis tried
again.

“Gerry,” he
mouthed into the hole, sotto voce.

This time
Gerry’s head came up and stayed up, his eyes looking round. He
stood up from his milking stool and approached the heifer’s head as
if checking for her comfort. As he bent down, he half-turned his
own head towards the crack.

“I’m from the
north,” Louis whispered, “meet you later at the prickly bushes this
end of the woods? You know where?”

Gerry showed no
emotion. He nodded and returned to the stool where he began milking
again as if nothing had happened. If his hands trembled, no one
noticed.

Louis took the
hint and looked round to make sure he was not being watched. He
walked away from the shed, ducking round behind a high fence. Using
this as cover he made his way back to where Aglaya and Ustinya were
waiting. Reaching them, he forced himself inside the bushes,
ignoring the spiky dugo leaves that tore at his clothes; there, he
cuddled down beside Ustinya to wait for Gerry, knowing that it
might be quite a while before the man managed to get away
unseen.

Gerry’s fingers
trembled anew as he finished milking the last cow.
At last! Jsei
has kept his promise. Help has come!
His mind raced as he
tipped the milk into the churn, not rushing but forcing himself to
keep his movements slow and deliberate in keeping with his assumed
persona of slightly stupid herdsman.

He partook of
evening supper with his fellow workers as he usually did, then,
just as usual, excused himself saying that he was tired. They did
not expect him to accompany them to the encampment for the
evening’s entertainment so none were surprised.

“Taking your
usual walk before you go to bed?” one asked with a sardonic
laugh.

Gerry nodded,
“aye,” in his usual taciturn manner.

“See you in the
morning then,” the man answered, still laughing.

His disguise
was holding. His cultivated reputation as a loner meant that they
did not even watch as he left.

Gerry looked
round with care, making sure that no one else was looking and trod
a leisurely path across the corrals to the edge of the woods. He
had been this way often enough so that, even if someone saw him,
they would think the route not unusual. Once past the corral fences
he started up the low hill towards the prickly bushes at the
top.

Louis tensed as
he heard the soft footsteps. It was fully dark now, the moon’s glow
hidden by the night clouds. Gerry stopped for a moment when he was
almost at the top of the hill, uncertain of just where exactly he
should be making for.

Louis coughed
and the footsteps came nearer.

“In here,”
whispered Louis.

There was a
rustling of branches and leaves as Gerry forced his way towards
Louis and hunkered down beside him. He did not seem surprised to
see the two Lind, their eyes glinting in the moonlight.

“Thought you’d
forgotten me,” was Gerry’s comment as he tried to make himself
comfortable. He looked at his contact’s face and his eyes widened
when his mind registered just what he was seeing.

“You’re a mite
young for this sort of caper aren’t you?” he asked as he grasped
the lad’s hand and shook it heartily, “but you are more than
welcome.”

“One grows up
fast on this planet,” replied Louis. “Ustinya and I have already
fought in one battle and I’m sure it won’t be the last.”

Gerry nodded
understandingly. Tales from the war in the north had been discussed
ad nauseam amongst those who had taken part.

“Jessica and
Jenny?” he queried.

“Safe and well
with one of the Lind packs.”

“The
horses?”

“Well too from
what we’ve heard. There are two young ones now.”

Gerry smiled a
happy smile and took a deep breath, “I have much to tell you and
not much time. I might be missed if I stay out too long.”

“Tell me what
you can,” said Louis. Ustinya and Aglaya here will make sure what
you say gets back to those who need to know.”

“We have to get
Peter Howard’s children away now,” Gerry began, “the Lords Baker
and Cocteau have plans for the children, but first, other matters,
the north must be warned.”

He then
proceeded to tell the trio all that he knew, of the building of
strange ships, the new Lordships, the situation of the women and
the location and numbers of the regiments.

“But it is of
paramount importance that Cherry and Joseph be got out. I promised
their father before he died and their mother too. I don’t know
either how long I can keep going here. Society is becoming more
rigid, there are laws and rules now and people are beginning to ask
questions, not the farmers I work with, but Baker’s men.”

“Do they
suspect you?”

“Lad, they
suspect everyone, even themselves.”

“Then you’ll
have to come north too,” decided Louis. Aglaya nodded
agreement.

“I’ll admit to
relief at that,” said Gerry, “I could stay … but …”

“There’s no
reason for you
to
stay. You have done enough. Let’s get
Jessica’s brother and sister out. What about her mother?”

Gerry ignored
the last question for the moment.

“Lysbet and
Gavin Quirke must go too. There will be five of us all told.”

Aglaya agreed
to this.

“Five humans we
can manage, especially if three are younglings. When?”