“Can you tell me what happened to you?” she said, partly to keep Ere from dwelling too long on the Vitae behind them, and partly to keep herself from doing the same.
She listened, all the while trying to bury her horror in anger. What right? What right do these people have? If they were the Nameless Powers with the Servant at their side, they would still have no right!
“… but the air was gone and he fell and Sha and Dene were already down and Ri was screaming and the Vitae were gone and … and …”
“Shhh, all right. It’s all right,” Arla wished she could touch her. She didn’t even know if the Shessel could tolerate the touch of human beings, but she still wished it. “Are they still back there?”
“Yes.”
“All right. Try to rest. We’re on our way to safety.”
As fast as I can get us there, she lengthened her stride.
The walkway crossed into one of the wild areas. The trees, too tall and too straight, swallowed the light and the weeds ate up the city sounds. Arla strained her ears. Traffic noise faded farther away with each step, except for the slow, steady hum from the Vitae’s transport. Arla risked a glance at the little patch of wilderness, wondering how much shelter it would afford if she had to run.
Maybe it won’t come to that. Maybe word will reach the Shessel and they’ll come looking for the children. Maybe …
Bracken rustled. The children whimpered, and Arla’s arm tightened around the capsule. She threw her gaze in every direction, trying to find the source of the new noise. The rustling increased. Arla forced herself to keep moving. About a half mile ahead, another inhabited stretch glowed like a beacon.
Behind and to the left, weeds and scrub parted and a sedan chair, one of the few private vehicles authorized for off-road travel, climbed gingerly out of the underbrush and with high-legged steps started angling toward Arla and her charges.
Arla watched the insectlike vehicle out of the corner of her eye, but kept on walking. It had its windscreen up and its weather hood down, so there was no telling who was in there. She tried to think what to do. The drone of the Vitae car wasn’t getting nearer, but the chair was. Fatigue clouded the edges of her mind and fear did nothing to clear it.
Abruptly, the chair halted and folded its legs. A human head and torso stuck out the side door.
“Arla!” shouted Perivar.
Relief sent Arla sprinting across the field before she remembered she was risking a huge fine for disturbance of a wilderness zone.
She skidded to a stop beside the chair, gouging the soil with her heels and doubling her fine. Iyal leaned out the driver’s side window and stared along with Perivar.
“What are you doing …” she began, but Perivar had seen the capsule and the Shessel children huddled inside.
“Murderer!” squeaked Ri.
What color he had drained out of Perivar’s face. “Where’s Kiv? The other kids?”
Arla glanced toward the road. The Vitae had stopped their vehicle, too, and one of them had poked a bald head out the window to get a clearer view of the field.
“No …” breathed Perivar.
“They’re dead,” said Arla. “The children say the Vitae are responsible. I see no reason to say otherwise.”
Perivar hit the door key, scrambling to get out before the door was even halfway open. Iyal touched the override control on her panel and it slid shut again.
“Perivar,” Iyal laid a big hand on his arm. “Don’t even think about it.”
Perivar pressed the key again, and again. “They killed … they took … they …”
“We’re in public, Perivar,” said Iyal.
“And we need to get these children to their people,” said Arla.
“Yeah, yeah.” He shook himself. “You’re right,” he looked at the children. “Gods, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know this would happen.”
“I know,” said Ere. “I don’t know about Ri, though.”
Perivar insisted on putting himself and the capsule on the luggage rack on the back of the chair. Arla, her arms aching, did not object, and neither did the children.
As soon as Arla strapped herself into the passenger’s seat, Iyal touched a series of controls. The chair stood up again. She steered it into the street. The speed of its stride rocked them back and forth. Arla looked behind them. The Vitae transport was still standing in the middle of the street.
“I guess they did not feel ready to explain themselves to the Shessel after all,” she murmured to Iyal.
“Well, they’d better be ready to explain themselves to the Diet. A lot of people are not happy.” Iyal spoke with a kind of quiet satisfaction and Arla wondered what had been happening to her since she had left the lab, what, four hours ago? Five?