Dragon and Herdsman

Jack chewed at his lip. "Seems to me our best bet would be to group all the Erassvas together in the middle where we can protect them."

" 'We'?" Alison said pointedly.

"Fine; where you can protect them," Jack said. "Whatever. Then we let the Phookas roam around the outside, while you and I stay near the Erassvas."

"That's pretty much what I was thinking," she agreed. "Unless, of course, you're ready to give up on this caravan and send them back home."

"Not with those mercs still on our tail," Jack said firmly. "They'd slaughter the whole bunch of them."

"Why?" she demanded. "That's the part I don't get. Why .would the Malison Ring waste perfectly good ammunition on any of them?"

Jack sighed. "I already said I can't explain. Trust me; we have to stick together."

Alison sighed. "Fine," she said in resignation. "In that case, we'd better start looking for a good place to turn west. We're going to need those foothill caves more than ever now. In fact, we're going to need a whole apartment complex worth of them."

"We're not going to the hills," Jack said. "I've been thinking, and I'm not sure anymore that the Essenay was destroyed like Frost thinks. I'm thinking maybe it just hid in the river and is making its way down toward us."

"Really," Alison said, her dark eyes probing his face. "You have any evidence for this? Other than wishful thinking?"

"Not really," Jack had to admit. "But the computer is pretty resourceful."

"The computer?" Alison asked pointedly. "Or your uncle?"

Jack frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't play cute," she growled. "I heard that other voice, just before that last explosion. It didn't sound like any P/S computer system I've ever seen. Where was he hiding, anyway?"

Jack suppressed a grimace. He'd been hoping she hadn't caught Uncle Virge's change in tone there at the end. "I'm sorry. I really can't talk about that."

There was a long, uncomfortable silence. "You know, Jack, it can be fun to have secrets," she said. "But sometimes those secrets can turn around and bite you on the butt."

"Don't treat me like a child," Jack snapped. "I can't talk about it. Period."

Her lips tightened briefly. "Fine," she said. "Have it your way. I just hope you'll find it in your heart to loosen up a little before something I don't know kills me. So you want to tell Hren about our new marching order? Or should I do it?"

"I'll tell him," Jack said. He nodded at the claw marks. "And given that, I think that if I'm on point I should carry the Corvine."

"You ever fired one before?"

Jack gave her a lopsided grin. "I had ten whole days of training back at the Whinyard's Edge, remember?"

"That's what I thought," Alison said. "Tell you what. I'll keep the Corvine, and I'll take point."

"Whatever," Jack said, trying to keep the satisfaction out of his voice. Perfect. "You corral Greenie, and I'll go find Hren."

They'd been traveling in their new formation for nearly an hour when Draycos finally reappeared, slipping into sight through the undergrowth. "About time," Jack said as the dragon put a paw on his outstretched palm and vanished up his sleeve. "Any problems?"

"None," Draycos said. "The animals I smelled were plant-eaters, though with quite formidable-looking horns. I was able to drive them on their way with little difficulty."

"And this took you a whole hour?"

"No, of course not," Draycos said. "I scouted ahead for other potential threats, then circled back to see if I could learn what the mercenaries were doing."

"And?"

Jack felt a whisper of movement across the back of his right leg as the dragon twitched his tail. "I found no signs of pursuit," the other said. "Either they are still pondering their next move or else they have already decided on a different tactic."

"Probably the latter," Jack said. "I just hope it doesn't involve bringing the Kapstan over the forest and strafing randomly until they hit something."

"They wish to capture you alive," Draycos reminded him.

"They wanted Uncle Virgil alive," Jack countered. "I'm not so sure how badly they want me by myself."

"We shall see," Draycos said. "At least the heavy foliage will prevent them from using the transport's infrared detectors to easily locate you. And of course, they still do not know how K'da appear on such detectors."

"Don't be so sure," Jack warned. "Remember, Frost and Neverlin are working with the Valahgua. If I were Neverlin, as soon as I knew a K'da had survived I'd have screamed for all the data they've got on your people. Including how you show up on IR detectors."

"That data would not do them any good," Draycos said. "Valahguan sensors work differently from yours."

"Maybe," Jack said. "But don't forget that the Malison Ring had four of the Valahgua's nasty little Death weapons when they attacked your advance party. If the Valahgua were willing to hand those over, I don't think they'd be too hard to talk out of a couple sets of sensors, too."