Star Wars_ Fate of the Jedi 06_ Vortex - Denning Troy [106]
Sanar’s thin brows arched in concern. “Master Skywalker, will you be needing me any longer?” He let out a wet-sounding cough—the first Luke had heard from him—then added, “I’m not feeling very well.”
“You’ve done enough, Sanar. Thanks for your help.”
“No—thank you, Master Skywalker.” Even as he spoke, Sanar was already retreating toward his landspeeder. “If you have trouble recovering your wife’s ship, call me for a ride. You have my comm codes.”
The Pydyrian was inside the X-40 and closing the door before Luke could reply. The quick departure was not as alarming as it might have been. When they had first arrived and stood gazing out toward the distant island, an unexpected atmosphere of disguiet had fallen over the clifftop and slowly built into a tangible sense of peril. It was probably no more than a Fallanassi illusion designed to keep intruders away from their temple refuge. But Luke had felt Ben reaching out to him earlier with a sense of wariness and unease, and he was well aware that Sanar’s eagerness to be gone might also be the first sign of a betrayal.
Luke took a moment to still himself in the Force and let it flow through him. He could feel a nebulous cloud of animal life in the windswept field atop the cliff, and in the sea behind him. He could even sense the waves of foreboding and mystery radiating from the distant island—no doubt the Fallanassi’s refuge and home. But his danger sense remained quiet, and he did not sense anything at all in the cavern directly below.
Luke began to rappel down the chalky face of the cliff, taking his time and remaining alert to danger. He could think of a dozen reasons Abeloth might have come to Pydyr, and none was good. She might have come intending to recruit an army of protectors. Or she might have known of Luke’s old romance with the Fallanassi leader Akanah, and come hoping to exploit the relationship—or take vengeance against Luke by killing an old suitor. Either way, the followers of the White Current were in terrible danger, and they needed to be warned.
As he drew near the cave, seabirds began to whirl about his head, diving and shrieking in an effort to drive him away from their nesting area. The cavern entrance was about twenty meters high and shaped like a lopsided O, with a slightly flattened bottom. He could just make out the Shadow, sitting on her struts about seventy meters in, a nebulous silver object only partially visible through a cloud of swirling, shrieking birds.
Before entering, Luke extended his Force awareness deep into the cavern—and felt nothing. Despite the thousands of birds, despite the cacophony and the air they stirred wheeling past to inspect him, he still felt no living presences anywhere ahead. He quickly pulled his blaster and lightsaber, then pushed off the cliff and descended in a free rappel, using the Force to pull himself deep inside the mouth.
After bumping aside half a dozen startled birds, Luke landed in a deep crouch about twenty meters in. He immediately dived for the cover of a nearby boulder and lay motionless, calling on his more mundane senses to locate the being responsible for deadening the Force inside the cavern. For a hundred heartbeats, he heard nothing but the birds and smelled nothing except their guano.
Then suddenly he could feel their presences, filling the cavern and spilling out over the sea. They were fierce little birds, frightened by his intrusion and on the verge of attacking. Luke poured thoughts of friendship and safety into his presence, and the birds began to quiet, both in the Force and in the cavern. He disentangled himself from the rappelling line and spun to his knees, taking care to keep his emotions calm as he peered around the boulder.
Walking toward him, Luke saw a tall, brown-eyed woman with tresses of curly brown hair hanging down her shoulders. Dressed in a simple white toga belted at