Star Wars_ Fate of the Jedi 06_ Vortex - Denning Troy [51]
When Khai was not contradicted by his superior, Luke turned to face the wide-shouldered Sith. “I wish I were wasting your time, Gavar. I truly do.” He motioned back down the trail. “But since I’m not, let’s go back to the ships and see if we can think of another way to approach this.”
Khai remained in the middle of the trail, but he flicked his grim eyes past Luke’s shoulder, seeking instructions from Taalon.
“Let’s do as he suggests, Saber Khai,” Taalon said. “It will be more … comfortable to discuss the matter back at the ships.”
The hint of a smile tightened Khai’s thin lips, suggesting that he understood Taalon’s words to mean the same thing Luke did: there was going to be an argument, and if that argument erupted into violence, the Sith’s superior numbers would be more advantageous on the open terrain of the river beach.
“As is your will, High Lord.”
Khai inclined his head to Taalon and shot Luke one last glower, then turned and slipped past Ben and his daughter to the front of the line. Luke had already surrendered all hope of keeping his back clear of Sith, so he exhaled slowly and consciously, silently attuning himself to his danger sense, and started down the path after his son and Vestara.
After the Sith girl’s duplicity during the fight against Abeloth, Ben seemed to be a lot more wary around her, and that was a big relief. But Luke would have been fooling himself to think the attraction had ended there. She was a smart, beautiful young woman with an engaging personality, and Ben was an adolescent male still coming to terms with his hormones. It was going to take more than a few lies and a deadly betrayal to dampen his feelings. That was plain to see in the glances he kept stealing at her, now that he was walking behind Vestara instead of ahead of her, and in the way he stumbled whenever the terrain grew uneven.
Luke extended an arm and held his hand behind Ben’s ear. When Ben did not sense its presence even after half a dozen steps, Luke shook his head in exasperation and swatted his son above the ear.
“Hey!” Ben looked over his shoulder and frowned. “What was that for?”
“Pay attention,” Luke ordered. He shifted his eyes toward his own shoulder, sliding them in Taalon’s direction. “We’re on a death planet here.”
Ben’s eyes lit with understanding, and his scowl grew guilty. “Yeah, okay,” he said, looking forward again. “But you could have just said something.”
“And you’re sure I didn’t?” Luke said.
He could tell by the way Vestara’s head cocked that she was sure, but Ben merely dropped his gaze and began to watch his footing more carefully. Luke knew that he had embarrassed his son by pointing out that he was distracted, and that was fine with him. Embarrassed was better than dead, which was exactly what Ben would be if his mind was still on girls when the fighting started.
After a few minutes of walking, they reached the crimson river that ringed this side of Abeloth’s volcano. On the opposite beach sat their three starships, the Skywalkers’ Shadow and the Sith’s Emiax flanking the veiny red sphere of the recently arrived Ship. With an outer hull pocked by scorch blossoms and blast craters, the ancient meditation sphere continued to show the aftereffects of tangling with an ace Jedi pilot in a StealthX. But the worst damage wasn’t apparent from the exterior. Jaina had put a couple of cannon bolts up the exhaust nozzle, damaging the power plant so badly that Ship had taken days to limp back to the planet.
Khai led the group along the top of the riverbank until they were above their raft,