The baby was now a little boy.
CHAPTER 8
“I cannot claim to be an expert,” said Deevee, “but I believe this rate of growth is impossible for human children.”
“A little while ago he was about a year old,” Zak said. “Now he looks like he could be three.”
“Eppon!” the little boy squeaked.
“No time to worry about it,” the commando named Meex said. “I’ll carry him.” He scooped the boy up’ easily and the small party started off.
In order to put distance between them and the Imperials, they doubled back until they reached the field of stones. There, they turned left, and started to pick a new trail back over the tough, rocky terrain of Kiva. The commandos thought they could still reach the ships in an hour or two.
Tash and Zak looked back a few times as they hurried away from the battlefield. The Imperials must have broken through the avalanche, because blaster fire had started up again.
“I hope they’re all right,” Tash whispered.
“I’m sure they will be,” Hoole said. “As for us, we’ve done what we came here to do. Gog’s headquarters are abandoned. Now we must get off this planet as soon as possible.”
“You don’t suppose we’re in any more danger, do you, Master Hoole?” Deevee worried. “After all, I assume it was the Imperials who were responsible for the disappearance of that first commando.”
“Perhaps,” Hoole said. “But there are other dangers.”
The Shi’ido pointed to a large gully on their right. At first Tash didn’t see anything. Then she realized that the gully was full of shadows. And the shadows were moving.
“Wraiths,” she whispered.
“Indeed,” Hoole said coldly. “They have been following us since we left the abandoned laboratory.”
Tash was surprised. “And you didn’t say anything?” Hoole didn’t answer.
The Rebel commandos had spotted the strange shadows, too. They picked up the pace. “Our landing point is only a few more kilometers from here,” said Meex. “If we hurry, we can-“
“They’re attacking!” one of the other commandos cried.
The shadows closed in. They did so slowly and steadily, moving just like a shadow growing longer in the afternoon.
The small group tried to look for a way to escape, but every path was blocked by darkness.
The shadows began to wail.
Murderer!
Mammon!
Killer!
Mammon!
KillerkillerkillerkillerkillerkillerKILLER!
One of the shadows seemed to rise off the ground. It reared up like a figure made of solid darkness, and lunged forward.
The commandos fired their weapons, and the blaster bolts shrieked into the dark curtain. The whispering turned to angry snarls, but nothing else happened.
“Blasters are useless,” said Meex. “Try thermal detonators.
Another commando pulled a fist-sized metal ball from his belt and tossed it into the darkness. “Everybody down!”
They all crouched and shielded their eyes as the grenade exploded. Brilliant white light flashed around them for a moment, driving the shadows away. But the shadows came back as the light faded, and came toward them again.
The Rebel commandos made a small circle with Hoole, Deevee, Zak, and Tash squeezed into the middle. Only a few meters of light separated them from the wraiths. Tash could see the wraiths in their own darkness, angry figures writhing about, gathering themselves to attack. And she could feel them, too. They were angry. She sensed that anger was all they had left. It was the only part of them that was still alive.
Murderer! Murderer!
The commandos fired several more shots into the shadows, but it was no use.
“Uncle Hoole, what should we do?” Zak asked.
Hoole didn’t answer. He stood stone still, staring into the darkness. His eyes seemed very far away. He seemed to be waiting.
Tash turned to Meex. “What should we do?”
The commando shook his head. “Blasters don’t work. Grenades don’t work. I sure don’t want to fight these things hand to hand, whatever they are.”
“Do you have any ion weapons?” Zak asked.
Meex raised an eyebrow. “Well, yeah, we’ve got a portable ion gun. It’s used to fight off attacking airships. But ion weapons don’t do any good against living creatures.”
Zak nodded. “It will against these. Hurry!”
“Bergan!” Meex snapped. “Tino! Assemble the ion gun. On the double!”
The two commandos pulled open their packs and dumped out several large pieces of equipment. In a few seconds, they had snapped the pieces together to form a small cannon mounted on legs.
“Seems like a waste of time,” Meex said. “But here goes. Fire!”