Part 27 (1/2)
Although Kirek might have fooled the machines into to letting him depart, the guards here were very much human, however. Zical headed back to the sentries to ask more questions. Perhaps one of them had left his post and the other turned his back for a few seconds. Or perhaps the guards could be conspiring with those rioters in the city.
Fighting to hold on to his temper and keep his voice even, Zical kept his tone low. ”If Kirek's not here, maybe one of the guards is lying.”
Dora placed a hand on Zical's shoulder and he slowed. There're other possibilities.
Perhaps someone took him out another way.”
”Then you don't think he left voluntarily?” Zical had to ask the question, pleased that Dora was thinking through her fears, not panicking.
Dora frowned in anger. ”Leave voluntarily? Stars. Yesterday, he risked his life to save us all and you think he'd leave without so much as saying good-bye?” Her expression of anger faded to fear and frustration. ”He told me”-her voice broke-”that he'd rather risk dying with us than living here alone. Does that sound like he'd just wander off?”
Dora banged her fist against the wall, took another step and banged again. At first Zical thought she'd gone crazy in her grief. But then he realized she was taking the initiative, listening to the echoes, checking the main hallway for signs of a fake door or a secret pa.s.sageway.
The crew and scientists gathered as word of Kirek's disappearance spread. They farmed out, all of them searching for a secret entrance. Meanwhile, the guards must have notified Deckar of the Oracle's disappearance. With no regard for his personal safety, the man ran into their compound, his movements graceful, his giant leg sliding to a stop before their group. Deckar was one unarmed man among many Federation people, and they could easily have killed Deckar before the Kwadii soldiers could save him, but the real concern on his face for the Oracle's whereabouts put them all on the same side.
Deckar's suspicious gaze sought Zical and Dora. ”You saw to it that he escaped from us once before, shortly after your arrival.” Clearly the guards had filled him in.
”How do I know you haven't done so again?”
'”You don't.” Zical and Deckar stood toe to toe, both men bristling with anger. The Risorian might have an inch on him a height, but Zical's chest and shoulders contained more power. As a trained warrior, not a dilettante, Zical could take the Kwadii down- but he didn't want to fight. He needed this man's help and spread his arms wide to emphasize his words. ”However, we had no reason to send Kirek away.” He shot Deckar a searching look. ”We, believe we're among friends and that you would do no harm to the Oracle.”
”That is so.” The tension in Deckar s shoulders eased and he relaxed, his clenched hands. ”However, there are others on Kwadii who do not believe in Tirips.”
165.
”You think the Selgrens took Kirek?” Dora didn't mince words.
”There are many possibilities. There are rumors about a Selgren fanatic, L'Matti who wants to prove the Oracle is a fake. He's determined to bring down Risorian control of the council.”
”Would L'Matti harm Kirek Dora asked.
”I don't trow. The Oracle's presence has disturbed many nonbelievers and you've seen the violence on the streets of our cities. If the Selgren L'Matti has the Oracle, he might try to make him recant, then release the retraction to true believers. And the clerks might be just as vigorous in their testing to prove Kirek is truly Tirips's Oracle.”
”He's just a little boy,” Dora protested, her tone quivering with anxiety.
Deckar rubbed his forehead. To all Risorians, the Oracle is Tirips's messenger. The G.o.ddess speaks through the Holy Oracle. It's unlikely, but possible, he was taken by our most scared order of clerics who would test him to verify-”
”What kind of tests?” Dora interrupted with alarm.
”I'm not sure.”
”How would the clerics gain access to this compound and smuggle him out?” Zical asked.
The holy orders are secretive but reputed to possess unusual powers. Normally, they don't interfere in our jurisdiction. But Tirips's Oracle would attract the interest of those who don't normally deign to speak with the rest of us who aren't so devout.”
Dora's brows narrowed. ”These tests-”
”The sacred clerics will not kill him,” the Risorian said, but Deckar didn't sound certain.
”What if the Selgrens have taken Kirek?” Dora asked.
Deckar shrugged. 'They would want to prove he isn't the Oracle.”
”And how would they go that?” Zical asked, not really sure he wanted to hear the answer.
”Selgrens are unpredictable. I have a diplomatic call in to the council. They have yet to respond.”
Zical was unsure that a call to the council and the Selgrens was a wise move.
Without knowing who had taken Kirek, Zical couldn't tell who was friend or foe.
In addition to Zical's concern for the boy's safety. Kirek's disappearance added complications to their mission and delayed their journey, a holdup that might ultimately prove costly. With the mission already behind schedule, Zical hoped it was merely a matter of another few hours until they found Kirek and departed Kwadii.
With his own seething frustration at delay, upon delay, Zical wondered what else could go wrong. He'd thought it only a matter of time until the Kwadii released them to continue on their quest. By now the Sentinel was likely long gone from its post, leaving the Zin free to enter the galaxy. Any more delay might prove disastrous.
166.
”You have my full cooperation,” Deckar old them I've ordered sensor scans for this past day rechecked. We will thoroughly interrogate all the guards and examine any discrepancies in their stories. And I've sent search parties in every direction.”
Dora's eyes were bleak, ”Thank you. But we need to search for him with our s.h.i.+p. If you could remove the dampeners on our computer, we could make faster progress.”
”I don't have that kind of authority” Deckar dashed Zical's hopes that the Risorian would go along with Dora's good suggestion. ”And without the Oracle, your status here is once again suspect.”
”First, we escape.” Zical had called a conference, and it was a measure of his leaders.h.i.+p skills that their people followed him without question. Each of them longed to leave the planet and continue their mission. All were frustrated and on edge. Dora watched the faces of the crew and scientists carefully as Zical spoke, yet despite their eagerness to leave Kwadii, discipline remained intact and all seemed determined to follow his orders. ”Once we're free of this compound, then we go after three targets. Dr.
Laduna, you and your people must seek out the holy clerics and learn if they have Kirek.”
”And if he's not there?” Dr. Laduna asked.
”Rescue him and bring him to the s.h.i.+p.” Zical turned to his right-hand man ”Vax.
See if you can find out more about the Risorians. Try to discover if Deckar's been lying to us and if Kirek is among them.”
Vax frowned. ”You think Deckar has Kirek?”
”It's the most likely scenario.” Zical spoke thoughtfully. ”Were on his home turf.
Who better than the Risorians to take the Oracle? Deckar may have kept him for his own purposes, or turned him over to their clerics.”
”It makes sense to cover both possibilities.” Dora nodded, anxious to put Zical's escape plan into action. They'd already waited hours for darkness to arrive, but with every pa.s.sing minute, Kirek could be taken farther away and hidden better. To think an abductor had slipped right past her to kidnap him was intolerable. Logic told her Zical was right and it was not her fault for failing to protect the boy. She'd had no reason to believe Kirek was in danger. However, the thought still didn't prevent the guilt from slas.h.i.+ng her, and if they didn't find him safe, she might never heal.
”Dora and I will seek out Avanti and the Selgren L'Matti. Even if the Selgrens don't have Kirek, she may know which of her people would most likely abduct him.”
”But will Avanti help us?” Dora asked ”We'll deal with her when the time comes,” Zical said, suspecting Avanti had been sympathetic to their cause, but had tried to distance herself to protect her feelings when she'd thought they'd be executed.
Cyn spoke over her shoulder, but the fingers of his chief engineer were busy with wires that Dora had found behind a wall panel during a search for Kirek. They still had 167.
no notion of how or why Kirek had been taken from them, but investigation for a secret pa.s.sageway had led to the discovery. Cyn believed she could use the nexus of wires to create a feedback loop into the Risorians' security hologrids to make the Risorians who monitored their ”prison” from headquarters believe that they still remained inside.
Overcoming four guards shouldn't be a problem. Success would depend upon coordinating the attack on both exits without allowing the guards, to signal for additional help. From there, they would split up, making their recapture more difficult.