REUNION
Scene 48
“Galanaisa! What are you doing? You’re not in shape for this! You’ve lost blood!” The officer leading the Gellin squad tried to slow her as she stepped up, but Galanaisa twisted and slipped by.
“These people counted on me, and I’m not deserting them. Follow me.” Her voice was grim. A blood-soaked binding was knotted, lopsided, around her head, and her hair was matted. Down the excavation tunnel she led them, shouldering a beam gun, stumbling, propping herself against the uneven walls, until they arrived at the damaged hatch. A rockmuncher was tilted next to it, and a large hole showed where others had descended to the short shaft beyond.
“Listen!” She held up a hand. From below, a distant murmur of voices that faded into silence. “Let’s go down, slowly. I’ll take lead. No, no, I will. Space a bit between yourselves.” Gritting her teeth from pain in her right leg, she lowered herself onto the first rung. I hope I’ve got enough left for this. I don’t want to be carried back up.
# # #
Turtuz silently moved down the tunnel toward the short shaft up to Fornonck. Voices – he froze. Behind him a hundred steps, Terrenci, Inkurisar, Nakiran, Munizkara, and Mentrianos waited without moving or speaking.
He warned them with a gesture to stay, and approached the shaft entrance. Hearing a stealthy step from above, he looked up, and then backed away, close along the tunnel wall. He readied a knife.
A bloodstained boot and pant leg came wobbling down, feeling for the next rung, and Galanaisa dropped heavily onto her good leg just as Turtuz came at her, ready to strike. He recoiled.
“Turi! It’s me!” She staggered back away from the shaft opening as the squad officer dropped next to her. Terrenci and the others came running over as the squad assembled from the shaft.
Turtuz embraced Galanaisa gently, growling, “You look awful! Why aren’t you back up in Fornonck resting?”
“Couldn’t stop her,” the squad officer broke in.
“Keep it down!” Terrenci hushed the relieved greetings among all the others. “We know the Hounds and the other two headed down towards the portal shaft, but we’re not sure they went up to the portal. They’re chasing Guinban and Piotras, so that puts Derizan’s people and Tellina and the baby at risk. We’ve got enough here to beat them, but those Hounds are absolutely deadly.”
The squad officer said, “We have to move silently and quickly. Galanaisa, you and others not armed for fighting will have to guard the rear, in case those four split up.”
“It’s a long walk, and a long climb to the portal chamber,” Turtuz reminded them. “Let me scout first.” And the whole group began the lengthy walk.
# # #
At the foot of the portal shaft, Turtuz signaled for silence and waiting. He began the ascent, putting a foot on the first rung up, and went perfectly still.