03. Gods at the Well of Souls (29 page)

It was said in the Campos tone of voice that few ignored; those who did lived to  regret it. 

They had managed, with Lori doing some pulling, to get what gear they'd saved a  hundred feet up the mountainside, although it was exhausting work. Mavra was  finally out of the box and on a rope tied to her ankle, but she was expected to  walk, and she managed, her feet actually able to dig into the mud and turf,  although she moved slowly. 

Although near exhaustion, Campos made sure that they had a tent up and that the  gear was either repacked or sufficiently hidden from view. The station crew had  paid them no real attention, but they were certainly bound to be remembered, so  after all was said and done, leaving everything on the bluff overlooking the  yard, the three of them and Lori managed to make a show of going down, through  the whole yard, across into the darkness beyond, and off toward the northwest.  They then circled around, came up below the yard, crossed the tracks, and at  last made it back up to the camp. 

If anybody in the yard was asked, he would swear that the trio had gone off in  that direction. 

It was enough, but it had been done only with Campos threatening and cursing. In  the latter stages she was pretty physical with them, particularly Audlay, but it  was accomplished. 

Now there was nothing to do but huddle in the tent, in the sleeping bags, and  wait for the sound of a steam locomotive. 

The late-night train had brought nobody familiar, nobody suspicious, and nobody  who didn't look like a large insect. Campos didn't know whether to be relieved  or worried, but she decided that finally she might be able to get some sleep. It seemed like only an instant, but somebody was shaking her, and hard. She  resisted, then started, reflexes taking over, and grabbed the nearest strange  arm. 

"Take it easy!" Kuzi snapped. "You was out like a light! I heard the train and  went down and took a look, and you'll never believe who got off." Campos shook herself awake. "Who?" 

"Your jilted lover, the great himself!" 

"Gen Taluud? Here? But he never goes anywhere! And he never, never does his own  dirty work! This isn't his style!" 

"Well, it's him, all right. Think I could mistake that son of a bitch, fat cigar  and all? And he's got five guys with him; looks like Pern and the whole  bodyguard." 

This was an even more unexpected curve. Campos hadn't expected to be chased by  Taluud at all. "Anybody with them?" 

"Maybe. I dunno. There was this-this thing with 'em, and they all seemed to be  talkin' to it, but I couldn't tell you what it looked like even now. I will tell  you they got horses with 'em, but the horses sure don't like whatever it was." Campos pulled herself out of the sleeping bag, every single muscle aching,  including some she had never known she had. "Are they still there?" "Last I saw, yeah. I figured I better get back here and wake you up fast." "You did exactly right. Stay here and keep Audlay quiet if she wakes up and  don't tell her about this yet. If she hears it's Genny in person, she'll panic.  I'm going for a look myself." 

Kuzi was right; it was Taluud in the flesh, and she really couldn't make out  what the hell that thing with the boys was, either. One thing was for sure: he'd  come in style. Not only horses for all the boys but pack animals, too. He  must've spent a fortune on that outfit. This wasn't personal anymore, that was  clear. She knew him too well. He'd have ducked underground under most  circumstances and just sent out feelers to everywhere to report to him if the  girls were found. No, for Genny to do it himself, there had to be more to it. There was only one possible explanation: Genny had found out or figured out who  the bird was and had come to the same conclusion she had. He'd have stayed in  character if he just wanted to give them back as he'd said. No, clearly he knew  of Mavra's value and was determined to use her to work his own deal. Back on Earth her brothers and father had always teased her about thinking too  small. Maybe they were right. What would amnesty mean to Genny? He was so  crooked, he'd have new charges in a week. And as for riches, he probably had  enough stashed away to buy his own hex. She'd had a certain admiration for him  from the start for what he'd built and how much he'd accumulated and how  comfortable he was with all of it-very much like her own father. Now that  admiration was justified. That fat old SOB was rolling the dice for all the  marbles, winner take all. 

What was that thing with him, though? It kind of flowed or oozed, but sometimes  it looked almost like a very large man-an Earth-type man. What could one do to  stop it if it found one? she wondered. It would be like shooting into a giant  wad of gum. It would be best not to find out. Genny alone would be bad enough. She watched, worried and impatient, until they finally mounted and rode off  slowly in the direction they'd faked the crew out on the night before, leaving  one of the bodyguards at the station just in case. The thing with them had gone,  too; although the animals hadn't liked it, it had assumed its manlike shape and  managed to mount a saddle. 

They'd be back because they lost the trail, because there wasn't one, or because  they would finally figure out the deception. Still, where could they go? What  could they do at this point? Where they were was as safe as anywhere else around  here, and it would be pretty tough to surprise them. 

At least it wasn't raining. It was still as humid as the jungles but much  cooler, and there was still a lot of fog and mist around. Without the rain there  seemed to be something saying that not everything was hopeless. Audlay was up by the time she returned, and Kuzi had made a small fire with the  camper oven, really just a metal device with a chemical fuel that could be used  to heat one thing at a time. It didn't give off a lot of smoke; Campos decided  to let them eat something. 

Both Lori and Mavra looked wet, muddy, and miserable, but they were still there  and still secure. 

"You are very popular," she told them. "We will see who gets who, though, in the  end. Do not get your hopes up. No matter who winds up with you, you will still  be what you are and they will still lock you away. In a way, you are both very  fortunate to be with me and not them. I need you. I need both of you. They only  want my little Mavra." 

Lori's head jerked up. Mavra! So that was what all this was about! If only there  was some way to communicate directly with her and not just through Campos! "Yeah, I'm real popular," Mavra responded. "And hungry. There were some pickings  around here, but not enough." 

"You will have to eat what you can. I have nothing to spare right now," Campos  told her. "Would you prefer I shot my pretty pony here and let you feast on him?  He's another like you, you know." 

Mavra turned and looked up at the pony and for the first time noticed the horn,  painted black though it was. No. Couldn't be, she thought. But then again, maybe  it could . . . Like Lori, she tried to think of some way of communicating. An  hour later there was the sound of another train pulling in, but it turned out to  be going in the opposite direction. For a moment she was tempted; that certainly  was one option, considering their fix. But if Genny had left one man here, had  he also left others elsewhere? There was that long layover at the border coming  up; there was probably a similar one going back and nowhere at all to hide. After another hour there was no sign of Taluud's party returning, but another  train was coming up from the south and it stopped at the station. More people  did indeed get off, and they stuck out worse than Cloptans. 

Two centaurs-blond and beautiful, Campos thought approvingly. And an  unmistakable Erdomite female. Probably the little bitch they said was with Lori  on the boat. 

And then, suddenly, her bill opened in complete amazement. It couldn't be! It  just couldn't be! But it was! 

Theresa Perez, naked as the day she was born and fatter than a stuck pig but  otherwise looking much the same. 

Campos couldn't take her eyes off the girl or fight the near lust for complete  revenge that was rising within her. 7 could have them all! Even now! I could  have them all to play with ... 

But how? 

She saw the Cloptan left behind start to walk out toward the train, spot the  other foreigners getting off, and quickly duck back behind a shed, pulling his  pistol. 

Shoot them all, you idiot! Just leave me the girl . . . 

He looked as if he might well be going to try to do just that, perhaps to all of  them, but just as he steadied his arm and aimed, something had him. Something  that somehow hadn't been visible before but now was a huge, monstrous lizard,  wide jaws chomping down on the man, who struggled once and was still. The pistol  fired once, a totally wild shot that seemed to go nowhere, and that was it. Campos was upset less at the scene than at the sudden appearance of their  savior. Where had that creature come from? And for that matter, where was it  now? 

This was going to take a great deal of thought. 

"Sorry to mess up your station. It was not intentional," Anne Marie told one of  the Mixtimite workers. "I'm afraid he was going to shoot us." 

"We have an absolute dictum neither to judge nor to interfere in the strange  customs of other races," the creature responded philosophically. "Please just  clean up any messes you make before you leave and take only your memories and  what you brought in with you." 

Gus stared at the large insect as he walked off, apparently unconcerned about  what had happened. Finally he said, "Why do I feel like I'm about to be arrested  by Smokey the Bear?" 

"Forget it," Julian told him. "Good job. How did you spot him?" "Just luck. Even Dahirs have to take a leak now and then." 

"Well, we ought to be more careful from now on," she warned them. 'Tony, see if  you can find out what this was all about from some of these workers. I want to  know what Cloptans are doing here trying to take us out." 

"You aren't the only one," Tony agreed, and trotted over to some of the workers  who were tending the water tank. 

Julian looked around at the high mountains and dense forest with its puffs of  fog and frowned. "I don't like this. I feel very exposed here." "You went through that whole nasty business at that underground nest of  cutthroats, and this beautiful spot makes you more nervous?" Anne Marie  responded, a bit amused by the contrast. 

"We were attacking there, and they had to contend with us," Julian reminded her.  "Now we're the sitting targets." She looked around and above them and then  seemed to see something. Her Erdomese eyes adjusted for the long view, bringing  the bluff into clearer view as if through mild binoculars. 

"Something?" Anne Marie asked, a bit nervous again. "I thought I saw something  on that bluff, but I can't be sure. Whoever it was is gone now, though." She  kept watching the area just to make sure. 

Anne Marie twisted around and rummaged through her saddle packs, bringing out a  medium-bore rifle with a scope and a clip of ammunition, which she inserted into  the stock. 

She checked it, then raised it to her shoulder and panned the area, looking  through the scope. 

"Can you really shoot that thing straight?" Gus asked her worriedly. "My great uncle Reggie used to sit around and tell the family stories about his  war in Burma. I'm not sure we believed them, but he was a member of the Aldstone  Downs Shooting Club, and he took me with him once when I was still rather young.  Took pity on me, I suppose-young girl in a wheelchair and all that. I watched  them shoot some clay pigeons, but it looked rather silly. They had a rifle range  there, though, and Reggie wanted to show off how good a shot he was to his  unbelieving niece. He was quite good, I might say, and just for a lark he let me  try it from the chair. It proved quite a good platform for small-bore. He'd take  me back now and then because I liked it so much. Finally stopped, though, when I  began outshooting him." She sighed. "He's long dead now, but these are stronger  arms, better eyes, and a much better platform." 

"I wish I could hold something that would shoot," Julian commented, still  looking. "My own abilities seem to be purely defensive and useful only close  in." She finally looked away, and after a moment Anne Marie lowered the rifle. "You are sure you saw someone up there?" Anne Marie asked her. "I'm sure. But who knows? It might be one of the elusive natives for all I can  tell about them." 

"Stay here, all of you," Gus said. "I'm going to go look for myself." Terry started to follow, but he cut her short. "No! They can't see me, but they  can see you now." 

Tony came back over, noticing the rifle. "What happened?" 

"Julian thinks someone is up there. Gus has gone to check," Anne Marie told her.  "In the meantime, I thought we'd be ready just in case," 

"Interesting," Tony said, thinking and looking at the bluff. "The  Cloptans-almost certainly Campos with what might well be Mavra and possibly Lori  as well-arrived just before dark last night. They went off in that direction,  toward the northwest, leaving much of their baggage behind one of the train  sheds, and weren't seen or heard of again. The colonel and five Cloptans came in  this morning, fully armed and with horses and pack mules, left that one back  here, and set off after the first group. They, too, haven't returned." Julian shook her head slowly from side to side and said, "I wish Gus was back  from his scouting. I seem to remember him saying Campos was from a pretty wild  area, maybe the jungle, back on Earth." 

"So?"