Star Wars_ Children of the Jedi - Barbara Hambly [114]
“Back here,” the boy repeated calmly. “You aren’t going anywhere.”
“Artoo, go!” Leia shifted sideways, forcepike raised, keeping a wary eye on Elegin and the man called Garonnin—surely not a member of the House Garonnin?
“Oh, really, Leia,” said the boy impertinently. “If I could make him almost blow up the house you were sleeping in, you don’t think he’s going to disobey me now?” He sniggered again, his face twisting in an unpleasant grin. “I’ll make him run into the water and short himself out.”
He turned those glass-cold eyes on the droid. “Come on. Open all your repair ports and back this way, one point five meters left and parallel to your original course.”
“Artoo!” She couldn’t look, keeping an eye on the men.
The astromech droid rocked on his base and emitted a desperate whistle.
“Come on,” ordered the boy.
“Irek, just send the kretch away and Garonnin will—”
“No!” said the boy furiously. The black wings of his brows plunged together over an ivory curve of nose. “I told him to come back and he won’t. Back here. One point five meters left and parallel course—”
“Artoo, get out of here!”
Artoo ran a pace back, a pace left, kretch twisting like a net of filth over him and crunching stickily under his treads.
“Come back here!” ordered the boy, all calm suddenly gone from his voice. “One point five meters …”
Artoo wheeled in a tight circle and headed for the door into the tunnels.
“Send away the kretch, Lord!” Garonnin made a feint toward the bridge, Leia stepping to block, vibroblade raised. “Once he gets into the tunnels we won’t be able to track him!”
“Obey me!” yelled Irek, pale face twisting, ignoring the older man completely. “Come back!”
“Picture the schematic …,” began Roganda evenly, and Irek turned upon her like a wildcat.
“I know what I’m supposed to do! It worked before …”
Artoo vanished into the tunnels in a brown smear of mashed kretch. Irek stared after him, panting with rage and disbelief, and Leia felt the vicious fury, the concentration of the Force, flung after him …
And remembered, vividly, Chewbacca amid a tangle of wire and solder on the terrace, patching the droid back together.
“Send the kretch—”
“Don’t bother me!” screamed Irek, and strode toward the bridge, shoving Garonnin aside.
Leia stepped in front of him, vibroblade raised in her hand. The boy stopped, staring at her in astonishment that anyone would thwart his will. Leia felt the tug and jerk of the Force against her grip on the pike haft and tightened her grip, bringing all her mind, all her concentration, to bear on keeping him back.
The blue eyes widened in stark fury and he whipped a black-hilted lightsaber from his side. At the same moment Leia felt her breath choke off, had to fight with all her strength to draw past it … She could see he didn’t handle the laser weapon properly, using instead the stance and grip of formal blade-dueling, totally inappropriate for the two-handed weapon’s balance. In a duel Luke would make strip steak of him …
The blade slashed at the forcepike and Leia feinted upward with it, ducked aside, and nearly took off his feet at the ankles. Battling for even a thread of air, she faced him off, and with a yell of fury he came at her …
“Irek!” shouted Roganda.
The kretch had begun to swarm across the bridge.
Leia felt the bitter grip on her windpipe relax, saw the swarming anthropods halt in the middle of the planks and begin to mill, as if an invisible barrier prevented them from coming further. Closer to the door, there was a turmoil among them as they devoured the bodies of those Artoo had crushed.
“Mother, she’s doing something!” cried Irek angrily. “It isn’t working. That droid should come back. That doddering old scumbag said—”
“Irek, be silent!”
Leia saw the look Roganda gave her son, and saw, too, the concubine’s swift wary glance at Garonnin and Elegin.
She’s keeping something from them …
“Lord Garonnin, Lord Elegin,” said Roganda in her sweet, reasonable voice—that same sweet voice, with just