“And why didn’t he want the commandos to shoot them?” Zak added.
“And why didn’t he explain to the wraiths that they had made some sort of mistake?” Tash finished. “Do you think…” She swallowed. “Do you think Uncle Hoole really could be responsible?”
Zak shook his head. “No way. There’s got to be a mistake.”
Deevee paused. “I may know the answers. But it will take some time to explain.”
“Then it’ll have to wait,” Meex insisted. “We’ll go back and get my men and the kid, then start marching again. You can tell your story when we’re safe.”
As they hurried back to find the others, Tash was filled with a growing sense of fear. It was like a knot tightening in her stomach. She knew what it meant.
“We’ve got to hurry,” she said as they all stumbled through the rocky terrain. “We’re in danger.”
“I-I think I know what you mean,” Zak said. “I’ve got a really bad feeling about this place.”
For a few seconds, the air of Kiva was filled with the sounds of their running feet. Then another sound broke through the silence. It was the sound of terrified human voices calling out in the distance.
“No! Help!” the voices cried.
“That’s Bergan and Tino!” Meex yelled.
A single blaster shot echoed through the air, followed by more cries. “No! Ahhhh!”
Then the silence fell again.
“Come on!”
They found what was left of all three commandos. Bergan’s, Tino’s, and Sikes’s clothes and equipment lay in a pile, as though their bodies had vanished into thin air.
“No sign of struggle, no blood, no nothing,” Meex growled. “What is going on here?”
“Where’s Eppon?” Tash asked, panicked.
“Eppon!” came a small peep.
The little boy had crawled into a dry riverbed near them. He giggled and toddled toward Tash, who picked him up. “I’m glad you’re all right, little one,” she whispered.
“How’d he get in there?” Zak asked. “Not too long ago he could barely crawl.”
“Perhaps one of the soldiers tossed him in there when the wraiths attacked,” Deevee suggested. “That’s how the boy escaped injury.”
“He didn’t totally escape,” Tash noted. “Look at this.”
There was a purple bruise the size of a bird’s egg on Eppon’s forehead. It had already swelled up. “Poor Eppon,” Tash cooed.
“Eppon!” the baby echoed.
“We’ve got to get out of here,” Meex stated.
Tash bristled. “Not without Uncle Hoole.”
Meex was about to reply sharply, when Zak stepped between them. “Tash, with the ship’s onboard sensors, we could scan the entire planet for Hoole. It would be faster.”
Tash wasn’t sure, but replied, “Well, if you say so, Zak.”
Deevee offered to carry Eppon on his back. Using strips of cloth from Sikes’s uniform, they rigged a crude sack, placed Eppon in it, and slung the bag over Deevee’s metallic shoulders.
“Ready?” Tash asked.
“I should think so,” Deevee replied. “I’d like to reach safety before it gets dark.”
Tash looked up at the sky. It was the same dull gray they’d seen when they first arrived. “The light hasn’t changed. I don’t think it’s ever nighttime here. It’s always twilight.”
Meex packed up the ion cannon and prepared to move. “Double time,” Meex ordered. “Let’s go!”
At first Zak and Tash had no trouble keeping up with the pace the commando set. But soon their breath started to come short, and their feet started to feel as heavy as planets. Zak was ready to collapse at any moment. Deevee suddenly let out a cry of alarm and stumbled to his knees with a crash of metal arms and legs. The makeshift sack holding Eppon flew off his shoulders and landed in a heap beside him.
“By the Maker!” said the droid. “I think I’ve dented myself. And so soon after being repaired!”
“You dropped Eppon!” Tash scolded, running over to the pile of rags.
Zak helped the droid get to his feet. “What happened, Deevee?”
“I don’t know, Zak,” the droid replied. “I was hurrying along when suddenly my balance gyros malfunctioned. I can’t imagine why.”
“I can,” Tash said. “Look!”
She had pulled the rags and knots from around little Eppon. Except that he wasn’t very little anymore. He had grown larger, and now looked about four or five years old. He had sleek black hair that reached down to his shoulders and very dark eyes. His skin was smooth and pale, except where the ugly bruise, which had gotten bigger, covered his forehead.