Orphans - Kevin Killiany [31]
The riders appeared in due course, rounding a curve in the trail ahead, and paused. They appeared to sort themselves out, no doubt changing from travel formation to formal greeting formation, Kairn thought. The people of this ship were too fond of formality for his tastes.
When at last the riders came on, they were spread as far to either side of the trail as the terrain allowed.
“That looks like a skirmish line,” Tev observed.
Kairn loosened the d’k tahg at his belt. He noted Lauoc had already disappeared into the underbrush.
The rider in the ceremonial robes rode in the center of the trail, the totem bearer at his elbow. He came to a stop a dozen paces before them and made a show of raising both his hands in apparent greeting. Yet even as he did so, the outriders on either flank continued on, past Kairn’s boarding party to take up positions on the trail behind them.
Kairn raised his own hand in greeting.
“Tactical assessment?” he said, looking at the rider before him.
“We are well and thoroughly caught,” Stevens replied.
“Agreed,” said Tev.
“Their insignia match the messenger we met at Nazent’s,” Abramowitz added. “For what it’s worth, these are the people we came to see.”
Kairn nodded. Whether or not this was the baron they’d learned of before the translators had lost power he had no way of knowing. But whoever the individual was, he represented the source of the high-tech artifacts the natives were using as decorations.
Going with these natives would bring them closer to their goal. The trick would be doing it freely and not as prisoners.
That thought had barely formed when the robed figure suddenly dropped both his arms. The ring of mounted soldiers charged.
Kairn roared and launched himself at the nearest rider, d’k tahg upraised. Startled, the mount shied. Kairn’s slashing blade caught the rider’s thigh in passing. Part of his brain registered that the rider had not tried to kill him.
Gaining a bit of high ground, he paused for a moment to assess the situation. The riders were clearly trying to capture them alive.
Abramowitz and Soloman were both already slung across the saddles of riders. Tev was wielding the quarterstaff he had fashioned earlier, but with his back against a cleft of rock, it was only a matter of minutes before he would be taken. Stevens had secured a position on a small mound and was holding three riders at bay by hurling fist-sized rocks with remarkable speed and accuracy.
The scent of native gave Kairn a heartbeat’s warning. He leapt just as a massive hand dropped on his shoulder. A native on foot had snuck up on him. Twisting free, Kairn bolted down the hill away from the trail.
Or would have, but a second grab by the native snagged his backpack.
Kairn’s legs churned air as the giant lifted him free of the ground. He hooked his d’k tahg under a strap and cut free of the pack, stumbling slightly as he hit the ground running.
The native grunted, a deep, bell-like tone, and started after him.
Kairn cut right toward what looked like a narrow ravine. The larger being could overtake him on open ground, his only chance was to find a bolt-hole too small for the native to follow.
There was a sudden shriek behind him, and the native bellowed in pain. Kairn swung about, d’k tahg ready, to see Lauoc and the native soldier on the ground. Apparently the Bajoran had attacked from low cover, tripping the giant.
They were out of sight of the others. There was a chance….
Before Kairn was halfway back to the struggle, the native rose, Lauoc held easily in one hand.
“Run!” Lauoc shouted. “Get reinforcements.”
Seeing Kairn so close, the giant raised Lauoc up over his head, then slammed the Bajoran to the ground. He stood for a moment, making sure his first captive was too stunned to get away, then started after Kairn.
Kairn hefted the d’k tahg, his engineer’s habits double-checking what he knew. The weapon was balanced to rotate at fourteen meters, half a rotation at seven, and his opponent was twelve meters away.