The frustrated, enraged herd concentrated all its attention on the strongest source of the infuriating odor. The central tower, which contained the main communications and defensive instrumentation for the encampment, was soon reduced to a mound of plastic and metal rubble.
Meanwhile, Lauren brought the skimmer around in a wide circle and set it down between the two long buildings on the west side of the camp. The camp personnel were too busy trying to escape into the forest and dodging massive horns and hoofs to wonder at the presence of the un- familiar vehicle in their midst.
They had a fifty-fifty chance of picking the right building on the first try. As luck would have it, they choose correctly ... no thanks, Flinx thought, to his resolutely unhelpful Talent.
The roof was already beginning to cave in on the operating theater when they finally reached that end of the building.
“Flinx, how’d ye-?” Mother Mastiff started to exclaim.
“How did he know how to find you?” Lauren finished for her as she started working on the restraining straps binding the older woman’s right arm.
“No,” Mother Mastiff corrected her, “I started to ask how he managed to get here without any money, I didn’t think ye could go anywhere on Moth without money.” “I had a little, Mother.” Flinx smiled down at her. She appeared unhurt, simply worn out from her ordeal of the past hectic, confusing days. “And I have other abilities, you know.”
“Ah.” She nodded somberly.
“No, not that,” he corrected her. “You’ve forgotten that there are other ways to make use of things besides paying for them.”
She laughed at that. The resounding cackle gladdened his heart. For an instant, it dominated the screams and the echoes of destruction that filled the air outside the building. The earth quivered beneath his feet.
“Yes, yes, ye were always good at helping yourself to whatever ye needed. Haven’t I warned ye time enough against it? But I don’t think now be the time to reprimand ye.” She looked up at Lauren, who was having a tough time with the restraining straps.
“Now who,” she inquired, her eyebrows rising, “be this one?”
“A friend,” Flinx assured her. “Lauren, meet Mother Mastiff.”
“Charmed, grandma.” Lauren’s teeth clenched as she fought with the recalcitrant restraints. “Damn magnetic catches built into the polyethelene.” She glanced across to Flinx. “We may have to cut her loose.”
“I know you’ll handle it.” Flinx turned and jogged toward the broken doorway, ducking just in time to avoid a section of roof brace as it crashed to the floor.
“Hey, where the hell do you think you’re going?” Lauren shouted at him.
“I want some answers,” he yelled back. “I still don’t know what this is all about, and I’ll be damned if I’m leaving here without trying to find out!”
“ Tis you, boy!” Mother Mastiff yelled after him. “They wanted to use me to influence you!” But he was already out of earshot.
Mother Mastiff laid her head back down and stared worriedly at the groaning ceiling. “That boy,” she mumbled, “I don’t know that he hasn’t been more trouble than he’s worth.”
The upper restraint suddenly came loose with a click, and Lauren breathed a sigh of relief. She was as conscious as Mother Mastiff of the creaking, unsteady ceiling and the heavy mass of the surgical globe swaying like a pendulum over the operating table.
“I doubt you really mean that, woman,” she said evenly, “and you ought to stop thinking of him as a boy.” The two women exchanged a glance, old eyes shooting questions, young ones providing an eloquent reply.
Confident that Lauren would soon free Mother Mastiff, Flinx was able to let the rage that had been bottled up in- side him for days finally surge to the fore. So powerful was the suddenly freed emotion that an alarmed Pip slid off its master’s shoulder and followed anxiously above. The tiny triangular head darted in all directions in an at- tempt to locate the as-yet-unperceived source of Flinx’s hate.
The fury boiling within him was barely under control. “They’re not going to get away with what they’ve done,” he told himself repeatedly. “They’re not going to get away with it.” He did not know what be was going to do if he confronted these still-unknown assailants, only that he had to do something. A month ago, he would never have considered going after so dangerous an enemy, but the past weeks had done much for his confidence.
The herd was beginning to lose some of its fury even as its members still hunted for the puzzling source of their discomfort. Females with young were the first to break away, retreating back into the forest. Then there were only the solitary males roaming the encampment, venting their frustration and anger on anything larger than a rock. Occasionally, Flinx passed the remains of those who had not succeeded in fleeing into the trees in time to avoid the rampaging Devilopes. There was rarely more than a red smear staining the ground.
He was heading for the hangar he and Lauren had identified from their hilltop. It was the logical final refuge. It didn’t take long for him to reach the building. As he strode single-mindedly across the open grounds, it never occurred to him to wonder why none of the snorting, pawing Devilopes paused to turn and stomp him into the earth.
The large doorway fronting the hangar had been pushed aside. Flinx could see movement and hear faint commands. Without hesitation, he walked inside and saw a large transport skimmer being loaded with crates. The loading crew worked desperately under the direction of a small, elderly Oriental woman. Flinx just stood in the portal, staring. Now that he had located someone in a position of authority, he really didn’t know what to do next. Anger and chaos had brought him to the place; there had been no room in his thoughts for reasoned preparation. A tall black lady standing in the fore section of the skimmer stopped barking orders long enough to glance toward the doorway. Her eyes locked on his. Instead of hatred, Flinx found himself thinking that in her youth this must have been a strikingly beautiful woman. Cold, though. Both women, so cold. Her hair was nearly all gray, and so were her eyes.
“Haithness.” A man rushed up behind her. “We haven’t got time for daydreaming. We-“
She pointed with a shaky finger. Brora followed her finger and found himself gaping at a slim, youthful figure ill the doorway. “That boy,” Brora whispered. “Is it him?” “Yes, but look higher, Brora. Up in the light.”
The stocky man’s gaze rose, and his air of interested detachment suddenly deserted him. His mouth dropped open. “Oh, my God,” he exclaimed, “an Alaspinian minidrag.”
“You see,” Haithness murmured as she looked down at Flinx, regarding him as she would any other laboratory subject, “it explains so much.” Around them, the sounds of the encampment being destroyed continued to dominate everyone else’s attention.
Brora regamed his composure. “It may, it may, but the boy may not even be aware that-“
Flinx strained to understand their mumblings, but there was too much noise behind him. “Where did you come from?” he shouted toward the skimmer. His new-found maturity quickly deserted him; suddenly, he was only a furious, frustrated adolescent. “Why did you kidnap my mother? I don’t like you, you know. I don’t like any of you. I want to know why you’ve done what you’ve done!”
“Be careful,” Nyassa-lee called up to them. “Remember the subject’s profile!” She hoped they were getting this up- stairs.
“He’s not dangerous, I tell you,” Haithness insisted. “This demonstrates his harmlessness. If he was in command of himself, he’d be throwing more than childish queries at us by now.”
“But the catalyst creature.” Brora waved a hand toward the flying snake drifting above Flinx.
“We don’t know that it’s catalyzing anything,” Haithness reminded him, “because we don’t know what the boy’s abilities are as yet. They are only potentials. The minidrag may be doing nothing for him because it has nothing to work with as yet, other than a damnable persistence and a preternatural talent for followin
g a thin trail.” She continued to examine the subject almost within their grasp. “I would give a great deal to learn how he came to be in possession of a minidrag.”
Brora found himself licking his lips. “We failed with the mother. Maybe we should try taking the subject directly in spite of our experience with the girl.”
“No,” she argued. “We don’t have the authority to take that kind of risk. Cruachan must be consulted first. It’s his decision to make. The important thing is for us to get out of here now with our records and ourselves intact.”
“I disagree.” Brora continued to study the boy, fascinated by his calm. The subject appeared indifferent to the hoofed death that was devastating the encampment. “Our initial plan has failed. Now is the time for us to improvise. We should seize the opportunity.”
“Even if it’s our last opportunity?”
Flinx shouted at them. “What are you talking about? Why don’t you answer me?”
Haithness turned and seemed about to reply when a vast groaning shook the hangar. Suddenly, its east wall bulged inward. There were screams of despair as the loading crew flung cargo in all directions and scattered, ignoring Nyassa-lee’s entreaties.
“They didn’t scatter fast enough.
Walls and roof came crashing down, burying personnel, containers, and the big cargo skimmer. Three bull Devilopes pushed through the ruined wall as Flinx threw himself backward through the doorway. Metal, plastic, and flesh blended into a chaotic pulp beneath massive hoofs. Fragments of plastic flew through the air around Fllinx. One nicked his shoulder.
Red eyes flashing, one of the bulls wheeled toward the single figure sprawled on the ground. The great head lowered.
Coincidence, luck, something more: whatever had protected Flinx from the attention of the herd until now abruptly vanished. The bull looming overhead was half insane with fury. Its intent was evident in its gaze: it planned to make Flinx into still another red stain on the earth.
Something so tiny it was not noticed swooped in front of that lowering skull and spat into one plate-sized red eye. The Devilope bull blinked once, twice against the painful intrusion. That was enough to drive the venom into its bloodstream. The monster opened its mouth and let out a frightening bellow as it pulled away from Flinx. It started to shake its head violently, ignoring the other two bulls, which continued to crush the remains of the hangar underfoot.
Flinx scrambled to his feet and raced from the scene of destruction, heading back toward the building where he had left Lauren and Mother Mastiff. Pip rejoined him, choosing to glide just above its master’s head, temporarily disdaining its familiar perch.
Behind them, the Devilope’s bellowing turned thick and soft. Then there was a crash as it sat down on its rump. It sat for several moments more before the huge front legs slipped out from under it Very slowly, like an iceberg calving from a glacier, it fell over on its side. “The eye that had taken Pip’s venom was gone, leaving behind only an empty socket.
Breathing hard, Flinx rushed back into the building housing the surgery and nearly ran over the fleeing Lauren and Mother Mastiff. He embraced his mother briefly, in- tensely, then swung her left arm over his shoulder to give her support.
Lauren supported the old woman at her other shoulder and looked curiously at Flinx. “Did you find who you were looking for?”
“I think so,” he told her. “Sennar and Soba are properly revenged. The Devilopes did it for them.”
Lauren nodded as they emerged from the remains of the building. Outside, the earth-shaking had lessened.
“The herd’s dispersing. They’ll reform in the forest, wonder what came over them, and likely go back to sleep. As soon as they start doing that, this camp will begin filling up with those who managed to escape. We need to improve our transportation, and fast. Remember, there’s nowhere near a full charge in the skimmer. You and I could walk it, but-“
“I can walk anywhere ye can,” Mother Mastiff insisted. Her condition belied her bravado-if not for the support of Flinx and Lauren, she would not have been able to stand.
“It’s all right, Mother,” Flinx told her. “We’ll find something.”
They boarded their skimmer. Lauren rekeyed the ignition, removed to prevent potential escapees from absconding with their craft, and they cruised around the ruined building back into the heart of the camp.
Their fear of danger from survivors was unfounded. The few men and women who wandered out of their way were too stunned by the catastrophe to offer even a challenging question. The majority of them had been administrative or maintenance personnel, quite unaware of the importance of Flinx or Mother Mastiff.
The Devilopes were gone. “The power station was hardly damaged, perhaps because it lay apart from the rest of the encampment, perhaps because it operated on automatic and did not offer the herd any living targets. None of the camp personnel materialized to challenge their use of the station’s recharge facility, though Lauren kept a ready finger on the trigger of the dart rifle until a readout showed that the skimmer once again rode on full power.
“I don’t think we have to worry about pursuit,” she declared. “It doesn’t look like there’s anyone left to pursue. If the leaders of this bunch got caught in that trampled hangar as you say, Flinx, then we’ve nothing to worry about.”
“I didn’t get my answers,” he muttered disappointedly. Then, louder, he said, “Let’s get out of this place.”
“Yes,” Mother Mastiff agreed quickly. She looked imploringly at Lauren. “I be a city lady. The country life doesn’t agree with me.” She grinned her irrepressible grin, and Flinx knew she was going to be all right.
Lauren smiled and nudged the accelerator. The skimmer moved, lifting above the surrounding trees. They crusied over several disoriented, spent Devilopes and sped south as fast as the skimmer’s engine could push them.
“I didn’t learn what this was all about,” Flinx continued to mutter from his seat near the rear of the cabin. “Do you know why they abducted you, Mother? What did they want with you?”
It was on her lips to tell him the tale the Meliorares had told her the previous night-was it only last night? Some- thing made her hesitate. Natural caution, concern for him. A lifetime of experience that taught one not to blunder ahead and blurt out the first thing that comes to mind, no matter how true it might be. There were things she needed to learn, things he needed to learn. There would always be time.
“You’ve said ‘tis a long story as to how ye managed to trace me, boy. My tale’s a long one, too. As to what they wanted with me, tis enough for ye to know now that it involves an old, old crime I once participated in and a thirst for revenge that never dies. Ye can understand that.”
“Yes, yes I can.” He knew that Mother Mastiff had enjoyed a diverse and checkered youth. “You can tell me all about it after we’re back home.”
“Yes,” she said, pleased that he had apparently accepted her explanation. “After we’re safely back home.” She looked toward the pilot’s chair and saw Lauren gazing quizzically back at her.
Mother Mastiff put a finger to her lips. The other woman nodded, not fully understanding but sensitive enough to go along with the older woman’s wishes.
Chapter Fourteen
Several hours passed. The air was smooth, the mist thin, the ride comfortable as the skimmer slipped southward. Mother Mastiff looked back toward the rear of the craft to see Flinx sound asleep. His useful if loathsome pet was, as usual, curled up close to the boy’s head.
She studied the pilot. Pretty, hard, and self-contained, she decided. Night was beginning to settle over the forest speeding by below. Within the sealed canopy of the skimmer, it was warm and dry. “What be your interest in my boy?” she asked evenly.
“As a friend. I also had a personal debt to pay,” Lauren explained. “Those people who abducted you slaughtered a couple of rare animals who were long-time companions of mine. ‘Revenge never dies.’ “ She smiled. “You said that a while ago, remem
ber?”
“How did ye encounter him?”
“He appeared at the lodge I manage on a lake near here.”
“Ah! The fight, yes, I remember. So that place was yours.”
“I just manage it. That’s where I’m heading. I can help you arrange return passage to Drallar from there.”
“How do ye know we’re from the city?”
Lauren gestured with a thumb back toward the sleeping figure behind them. “He told me. He told me a lot.”
“That’s odd,” Mother Mastiff commented. “He’s not the talkative kind, that boy.” She went quiet for a while, watching the forest slide past below. Flinx slept on, enjoying his first relaxed sleep in some time.
‘Tis an awful lot of trouble you’ve gone through on his behalf,” she finally declared, “especially for a total stranger. Especially for one so young.”
“Youth is relative,” Lauren said. “Maybe be brought out the maternal instinct in me.”
“Don’t get profound with me, child,” Mother Mastiff warned her, “nor sassy, either.” Ironic, that last comment, though. Hadn’t she once felt the same way about the boy many years ago? “I’ve watched ye, seen the way ye look at him. Do ye love him?”
“Love him?” Lauren’s surprise was quite genuine. Then, seeing that Mother Mastiff was serious, she forced herself to respond solemnly. “Certainly not! At least, not in that way. I’m fond of him, sure. I respect him immensely for what he’s managed to do on his own, and I also feel sorry for him. There is affection, certainly. But the kind of love you’re talking about? Not a chance.”
“’Youth is relative,”’ Mother Mastiff taunted her gently. “One must be certain. I’ve seen much in my life, child. There’s little that can surprise me, or at least so I thought until a few weeks ago.” She cackled softly. “I’m glad to hear ye say this. Anything else could do harm to the boy.”