, undoubtedly erected for the convenience of the hunters. He scanned carefully, detected no one, and led his companions across. The water roared beneath them.
Half an hour passed. He kept them going with all the speed he could, stopping for nothing except the occasional hunting parties that passed. He detected another Patrol scouting party, but they avoided it easily.
Ellie muttered to herself and he turned to look at her. Her eyes had become haunted again and she stumbled, falling, and hardly seeming to notice. Stephen lifted her to her feet again.
"You okay, El?" His voice was thick with fatigue and what Edwin now recognized as strain.
"It's Karl. There's another Jil with him, and Halthzor. They're making him practice on another Arcturian..." Her voice trailed off, and she gave a soft cry.
They all stopped, watching her. Stephen shook her. "What is it?"
"The Jil hit him!" she whispered. Her white face flushed suddenly red. "That big bully!"
"Is he okay?" Loreen asked.
Ellie nodded, the flush ebbing slightly. She giggled. "Halthzor hit the Jil who hit Karl!" She giggled again. "He's real mad! He's telling the Jil that if he ever touches Karl again, he'll be in real trouble! Now he's talking to Karl, asking him if he's okay. He's picking him up and putting him on the bed. They're calling for a doctor... and a dentist."
"You're sure he's all right?" It was Loreen again.
Another nod. The girl fell silent. Edwin nodded toward a fallen tree. "Let's stop and have something to eat. Ellie, you keep us informed."
"Okay, Mr. White."
"Why did the Jil hit Karl?" Stephen asked. "Did he sass him or something?"
"No. He's just a mean Jil. Karl asked a question he didn't like." She smiled maliciously. "I'll bet the next time that stupid Jil'll think twice. Now the doctor's there. He's checking Karl. Karl's feeling better now, except for his teeth."
"What's wrong with his teeth?" Edwin settled under the roots of the fallen tree.
"The Jil who hit him--Stithvor's his name--knocked a couple of 'em out. It's okay, though. There's a dentist coming."
Edwin hunted around in the pack and extracted the food he had taken from the Jil servants two days before. It was still fresh, wrapped in its sealed packages, and there was plenty of it. The Jilectans evidently believed in bringing along ample supplies on their hunting expeditions.
They ate in silence, watching the little girl. Ellie accepted the food he offered her absently, her eyes still unfocused as she watched the events occurring around her brother, kilometers away. "The dentist's fixing his teeth," she told them. "He's all right." A pause, while she chewed thoughtfully on the marshhopper sandwich he had supplied her with. "Now the dentist's leaving. Karl's getting up. He's okay."
"Now what?" Loreen murmured.
"Halthzor's telling him to listen to Stithvor. The guy's a psychic trainer. They want Karl to be really good at his mind reading stuff. I guess the Undergrounder wasn't supposed to know when Karl read him, but he did. They think the Underground taught the Arcturian to know when he was being read. They want Karl to be able to read the guys without them knowing."
"Sensible," Stephen said. "No use in getting a dozen of your guys killed every time you find a spy."
"Yeah, and then the spy doesn't do you any good, anyway," Loreen said. "He just catches on and blows himself up."
Ellie grimaced. "Stupid Jil!" she muttered.
"What's going on?"
"Nothing. Karl's trying to do what he says. Stithvor's not very nice. He doesn't like Karl much, but he's trying not to scare him 'cause Halthzor's watching. What a bastard!"
"Ellie!" Loreen exclaimed, shocked.
The little girl looked surprised. "Sorry, mommy. I just said what Karl's thinking."
Stephen grinned. "See, mom, he thinks those things, too. He just doesn't say 'em."
"He did it," Ellie said. "He read the Arcturian, I mean." She finished her sandwich and wiped her mouth with her sleeve. "I'm thirsty."
Edwin poured her some juice from the canteen. She drank it, her expression still distant. Edwin pulled the cape around himself more tightly. The rain, at last, seemed to be letting up.
Ellie jumped suddenly. "Ick!" she muttered.
"What?"
"One of the Arcturians he read is mad at him! Oooh! He's yelling at Karl while Karl's trying to read him!" She yipped suddenly. "Oh! Oh no!"
"What!?"
"The Viceroy's hurting the Arcturian bad! Oooh! He's doing it again!"
"Sounds like he deserved it," Stephen observed, heartlessly.
"Oh, no!" Ellie's voice was distressed. "He didn't deserve this. Oh, no, not again!" She covered her face with her hands for a moment, then slowly relaxed.
"It's okay. It's okay. Karl stopped him."
"Halthzor stopped 'cause Karl asked him to?" Stephen's tone sounded incredulous. Ellie nodded.
"Yeah. I guess he didn't want to upset him any more. The Jils are leaving." She settled back. "I'm tired, Mommy."
Loreen glanced at Edwin. He shrugged. "Sure, we can rest. Looks like Karl's managing pretty well for now."
"We've got to get him out!" Loreen's voice was savage. "He isn't very big. If too many Jils hit him, it'll kill him."
Ellie smiled faintly, her eyelids drooping. "He's being nice to the Arcturian, and the guy likes him, he thinks. Karl's feeling better..." Her eyes closed.
Stephen covered her with a blanket. "I wish I was her age again," he remarked.
"Me, too," Edwin said. "No, I don't. I wouldn't go through these last sixteen years again for anything."
"Me either," Loreen said.
**********
