Cobra Traitor, page 12
part #3 of Cobra Rebellion Series
Again, no sound and no movement. “Okay, I guess we do it the hard way,” he said. “I’ll give you to the count of ten.”
He began counting aloud, three seconds per number. He’d reached eight, and was debating with himself whether he should start with his lasers or his sonics, when the section of wood gave a small tremble, and then swung silently outward on concealed hinges.
Framed in the center of the doorway was Hanna Herbseeker, Anya’s mother. “Anya said you were clever,” Hanna said disdainfully. “We didn’t believe her.”
“You should always believe in family,” Merrick said, looking past her shoulder at the room behind her. It was only dimly lit, but quick boost of his light-amps showed that it was considerably larger than the one he was standing in. Unlike the rest of the hideout, its walls were lined with shelves that seemed to be well stocked with packages of various sizes and shapes. “And you shouldn’t lie to your allies,” he added.
She sniffed. “We have no allies.”
“The way you treat people, I’m not surprised,” Merrick said. “Shall we go inside? I’ve had a long walk, and I’m guessing you have chairs in there.”
Hanna hesitated, then silently stepped back and moved out of the way. Merrick walked through the doorway, half expecting someone to try to jump him.
The expected attack didn’t come. And as he came fully into the room, he saw why: aside from Hanna there was only one other person in the big, sprawling room.
Anya.
She was seated at a table halfway back toward the side wall. Her hands were folded on the table, her head bowed, her eyes focused on her hands. Merrick keyed up his infrareds, trying to read her emotions from her facial blood flow pattern. But while the pattern was definitely there, he couldn’t tell whether the underlying feeling was anger, embarrassment, or shame. “Hello, Anya,” he called, turning past Hanna and heading toward her. “Glad to see you’re all right.”
“I am likewise relieved to see you,” Anya said without looking up.
“Your enthusiasm is gratifying,” Merrick said with more bitterness than he’d really intended. “So you want to tell me how this all went down?”
Anya remained silent.
“Fine,” Merrick said. He looked at Hanna, then back at Anya. “I’ll tell you, then. Show your mother a little more of my cleverness.”
“Leave her alone,” Hanna growled. “She did not betray you.”
“That first night we came here you were expecting to find people inside,” Merrick said, ignoring her. “Which seemed ridiculous to me, given how empty and unequipped the place was—it wasn’t set up to be anything but a temporary hiding place. Only there were people here, weren’t there? They just weren’t where I could see them. I assume you waited until I was asleep and then sneaked in the rabbit hole here for a strategy conversation.”
“There was no one here,” Anya said, her voice so quiet that Merrick had to notch up his audios to make out the words. “Only a few notes.”
“Notes identifying Svipall as the place to go, I assume?”
Anya’s throat worked. “They said my parents had gone to Svipall to investigate what the masters were doing there.”
“Which you could have told me when I woke up,” Merrick bit out. “We could have skipped the whole crashed ship and Kjoic detour and gone straight to Svipall.”
“But the notes were written before the crash,” Anya said, a note of pleading in her voice. “You had already said the crash was important. Commander Ukuthi had told me you were wise and that I was to follow your leading.”
Merrick clenched his teeth. “Withholding information is not what following my leading means. That doesn’t explain why the hell you didn’t tell me after we got to the ship instead of pulling that lame ‘we’re from Svipall’ thing on Kjoic.”
“I was afraid of him,” Anya said. Her eyes were glistening with tears now, Merrick saw. “I was afraid if I told you he would hear.”
“You didn’t have any trouble telling me other stuff that he might have had trouble with,” Merrick countered. “What it boils down to was that instead of dropping him off someplace harmless and being rid of him, we ended up hauling him to the exact place we don’t want a Troft looking over our shoulders.”
“Leave her alone,” Hanna ordered.
Merrick spun to face her, his hands curling into laser-firing positions. The last thing he wanted right now was interference from an ice-hearted woman who’d let her own daughter be taken offworld into Troft slavery. “I told you—”
“She was not afraid of the Trofts,” Hanna cut him off. “She was afraid of you.”
The words hit Merrick like a slap across the face. “Afraid of me?”
“She was told you were wise,” Hanna said. “She was told you would lead her to victory. But you have not done so.”
“I’ve been here less than three weeks,” Merrick bit out. “How long have you been fighting the Trofts?”
“She was told you were wise,” Hanna repeated.
Merrick turned back to Anya, wanting very much to remain furious at her even as he felt his anger and frustration fading away. He’d been so focused on trying to figure out how to complete his mission—and to keep himself and Anya alive while he did it—that he’d never stopped to really think how this all probably looked from her point of view.
And he should have. Because there’d been glimpses into her thoughts and hopes if he’d bothered to pay attention. Her borderline hero worship had been obvious. Her dismay whenever he admitted out loud that he wasn’t always right was jarring. Her blind willingness to go along with anything he suggested should have been disquieting.
He’d learned the necessity for instant obedience from the Qasamans during the war. But Anya’s obedience went far beyond that.
Huffing out a sigh, Merrick crossed to the table and sat down beside her. Her shoulders tensed, and her facial blood flow changed subtly, but otherwise she gave no acknowledgment of his presence. “I don’t know what Commander Ukuthi told you, Anya,” he said quietly. “It’s true that I have some skills and abilities. It’s also true that I’ve been through a war against some of these same Trofts. But I’m not perfect, not by a long shot. When it comes to figuring out what the Trofts are up to, I’m just as lost as you are.”
He paused, waiting for a response. But she remained silent. “The point is that we’re in this together,” he continued, “and it’s going to take both of us to make it through. We’re wiser together than we are alone.”
“Wisdom counts for little if there is no action,” Hanna said accusingly. “Action counts for nothing if it’s too late.”
“What action are we not doing that’s too late?” Merrick asked, looking back at her.
“The action of rescuing Anya’s father,” Hanna said. “Ludolf Treetapper has been in Svipall these three days. He has not emerged nor been heard from since he entered.”
Merrick chewed at the inside of his cheek. He’d hoped that the presence of Anya and her mother meant that none of the family had tried to infiltrate the Troft hornets’ nest he’d stirred up. But apparently Ludolf had ignored the risks. “How did he get in?”
“I don’t know,” Hanna said impatiently. “It was in the confusion of your escape—that’s all I know. We must focus on the fact that his life may be in danger.”
“Yeah, being a stranger in Svipall these days isn’t much fun,” Merrick agreed grimly. “And you have no idea how he got in?”
“Why do you care about that?” Hanna countered. “You were able to get in. Why do you need to know his method when you have your own?”
“Because my method probably won’t work anymore,” Merrick said. “After my last visit, I’m guessing they’ve tightened their security.” In fact, he knew that they had, having just watched them running new perimeter foot patrols and low-altitude aircar patterns.
But this wasn’t the time to bring up what he’d been doing for the past three days. It especially wasn’t the time to talk about who he’d spent those days with.
“Then you must find another way in,” Hanna insisted. “Our first task is to save him.”
“No, our first task is to not blindly rush into anything,” Merrick said, trying to think. He didn’t have the faintest idea how he was going to get into Svipall again, or how he would find Ludolf once he got there. And whatever he did, he absolutely didn’t want to do it with Hanna looking over his shoulder. “Let’s start with the size of this resistance group of yours. How many people can you pull together on short notice?”
With his infrareds still on, he could see the blood flow in her face change. “Enough,” she assured him. “What do you need?”
“Enough people for an excursion through the forest to get some weapons,” Merrick said, watching her face closely “I’m guessing you should bring twenty or more. Can you do that?”
“Of course,” Hanna said, her infrared pattern not changing. “When do you need them?”
“I don’t; you do,” Merrick corrected. “Anya’s going to take you to the wrecked Troft ship about fifteen kilometers south of here.”
Hanna’s eyes flicked briefly to Anya. “What do you expect for us to find there?” the older woman asked.
“Hopefully, something you can use against the masters,” Merrick said. “Most of the lasers have probably already been removed, but there should be stunners and nets, or whatever they use to corral wild animals. Some of the smaller lasers might have been missed, too—you’ll have to check and see. It won’t be great, but it should be better than those bersark bombs you used the last time around.”
“The bersark was effective everywhere we used it,” Hanna said stiffly. “If more had come to our cause—” She broke off, her pattern changing again. “New weapons will be of great use.”
“Good,” Merrick said. Her pattern changed as the images of the painful past faded back into memory.
But the pattern she now settled into wasn’t the same one that had been there when she told him about how many fellow rebels she had on call. That suggested that one of those times—then, or now—may have been a lie. And somehow, he doubted that the part about new weapons being useful had been the lie.
And suddenly, he was tired of this dance. Anya’s blind trust in him was bad enough, but at least he had a Cobra’s weaponry and some combat experience. For her to put the same trust in her parents, after all they’d done to her, verged on the insane. Especially since they’d clearly sat on their hands for the past eight years.
It was time to finally call Hanna’s bluff. “On second thought, it would probably be better if Anya and I both accompany you there,” he said. “Between the masters and the forest itself, there’s a lot of danger out there. The bigger the group, the better.”
Another flicked look between mother and daughter. “Unless the numbers are great enough to draw unwelcome attention from either quarter,” Hanna said. “Don’t concern yourself with us.”
“Then allow me to concern myself with Anya,” Merrick said. “I made a promise to look after her.”
“I understand,” Hanna said. “And I agree. Instead of going with me, she shall go with you.”
Merrick scowled. That was not where he’d wanted this to go. “You’ll need her more than I will,” he said firmly. “The ship isn’t easy to find.”
“We will find it,” Hanna said, equally firmly. “As for you, you’re still a stranger on our world. Your lack of knowledge of our language and customs may yet betray you.” Her throat worked. “Besides, Ludolf Treetapper’s life may even now be encircled by danger. Further delay in his rescue could prove fatal. You must go to him. And Anya Winghunter, for her own safety, must go with you.”
Merrick scowled. Ploy and counterploy; and he’d come out on the short end of the stick. Not only would Anya’s presence slow him down along the way, but he wasn’t at all sure how she’d react when she found out that he and Kjoic were working together. “What about your journey back to the villages to gather your people?” he asked. “We should all go together at least that far.”
“No,” Hanna said. “I know these forests far better than you. I’ll be in no danger.” She looked at her daughter. “But it’s unbecoming to bargain with her as if she was a mere tool. Anya Winghunter? What of us do you choose to accompany?”
Anya looked at her mother, then at Merrick, then back at her mother. For a few seconds the two women locked eyes. Then, Anya lowered her gaze and she turned back to Merrick “I will go with Merrick Hopekeeper,” she said, her facial infrared pattern shifting. “If he’ll have me.”
“Of course I’ll have you,” Merrick said, suppressing a sigh. So much for that approach. “Fine. So Anya and I will head back to Svipall and see what we can find out about Ludolf Treetapper while you gather your people and head to the wrecked ship.”
“Agreed,” Hanna said. “When and where shall we meet?”
“Let’s say at the home of Alexis Woolmaster, where you took me after my accident,” Merrick said, running a quick calculation. “We should be ready four days from now at sundown. Will that give you enough time?”
Again, Hanna’s facial pattern shifted. “Yes,” she said. “I will leave at once.”
“It might be better to wait until morning,” Merrick pointed out. “It’s starting to get late out there.”
Hanna shook her head. “Time grows short, and Ludolf remains in danger. I leave at once.” She raised her eyebrows. “As do you?”
“I thought we’d wait until morning,” Merrick said. Pretending to spend the night here would give Anya a safe place to wait while he tailed Hanna to see where she went and who she met up with.
“No,” Hanna said, an edge of anger creeping into her voice. “I’ve told you already: Ludolf Treetapper is in danger. Surely a powerful warrior like you does not fear the nighttime forest.”
“At this point a few hours are unlikely to make a difference.”
“But they might?”
Merrick shrugged slightly. “They might,” he conceded. “I was just thinking of your daughter and her safety.”
“I do not fear for my daughter when you are at her side,” Hanna said. “Anya?”
“I agree,” Anya said quietly. “And my mother is right. I fear more for him than I do for myself.”
Privately, Merrick conceded defeat. Hanna was on her own now, just as she’d wanted. She could round up her fellow rebels, hide alone in a village somewhere, or anything in between.
And Merrick meanwhile was exactly where he’d started this mission: working with Anya to eliminate the Troft threat. “Fine,” he said, nodding toward a pair of backpacks leaning against the wall. “Anya, is one of those packs yours? If so, get it and let’s go.”
“One is indeed hers,” Hanna confirmed, crossing to the backpacks. “Come, Anya Winghunter.”
Merrick watched as they settled the packs over their shoulders, frowning as a sudden thought struck him. Anya had told him it usually took two to three men to move the stone that blocked the entrance, and even then it usually required bersarkis to give them the necessary strength. Certainly that fit with Merrick’s own assessment of the stone’s weight.
So how had Hanna and Anya handled it by themselves? “Once we’re all out, we’ll need to put the stone back in place,” he said, focusing on Hanna. “I’m surprised you two were able to manage it by yourselves.”
“We didn’t use that entrance,” Hanna said as she buckled her pack’s straps across her waist. With her back to him her face was hidden, but her voice showed no indication of lying. “There’s a tunnel entrance which is easier to use, though it’s in a more dangerous part of the forest.” She turned back around, frowning at him. “Yet you came in that way alone?”
“The masters gave me special bersarkis patches in Svipall,” Merrick said, holding up his arm. “They’re not pleasant to use, but they do the trick.”
“I see,” Hanna said, peering across the room as if by concentrating she could see through the material of his sleeve. “Do you have one you could give me? My people would wish to study it.”
“Sorry,” Merrick said. “I only have one left, and I’ll need it to move the rock back.”
“There’s no need,” Hanna said, gesturing toward a tunnel that led out of the north end of the room. “As I said, there’s another way. You can leave with me.”
“Leaving the shaft completely open to view?”
“We won’t need this place again.”
“Not a good idea,” Merrick warned. “In my experience, resources shouldn’t be abandoned unless absolutely necessary. Anyway, I already told you I can seal it.”
Hanna’s lips compressed, her facial pattern changing. “Very well,” she said reluctantly. “Travel safely, Merrick Hopekeeper. Protect my daughter. Find my husband.”
“I’ll do my best,” Merrick said. “You watch yourself, Hanna Herbseeker. We’ll see you in four days.”
“I’ll be there.”
Merrick paused at the top of the shaft and gave the forest a careful visual sweep. Everything looked just like he’d left it. He climbed the rest of the way out, waited for Anya to join him, then returned the stone to its place. “Where’s the other entrance?” he asked, looking into the forest.
“There,” Anya said pointing. “Back in the forest. Why do you ask?”
“I was thinking we might want to follow her for a ways,” he said. “At least get her to a road or decent path.”
“No,” Anya said. “She must go her own way. We must go ours.”
“There isn’t any secret army of rebels, is there?” he asked gently. “She and your father are all that’s left.”
Anya’s shoulders hunched. “I don’t know,” she said quietly. “She tells me there is an army. You tell me there isn’t. I know no truth anymore.”
Merrick winced. Anya had experienced a lot of jolts and disappointments since arriving back on her home world. But even after being sent into slavery by her parents, there was clearly a part of her that still wanted to believe in them.
