right.” Lia pointed toward the river as Jake leaped over the wall and disappeared down the path.
“We're fucked.” Roj hunched his shoulders.
“Everyone, back to the huts.” Tillis pushed away from the table he was sitting at, a SAL pointed at Iver. “Now. Quick.”
Bret's people got to their feet reluctantly, and then Kyle made a sudden move, leaping toward Tillis.
Tillis shot him and the big guard went down hard.
Everyone stared at him.
Tillis motioned with his SAL. “I've taken out your biggest threat, and I'll do it to anyone else who even looks at me wrong. You got it?”
Bret crouched beside Kyle and carefully rolled him onto his back. “We got it.”
Grimms took his feet and Baxter took Kyle's other side, and they lifted him, moving back to the huts.
“You, too, Sugotti.”
Tillis was including her in that, too, Hana had no doubt.
They followed Bret and his team into the hut and Brynja shut the door behind them.
Luki was lying on the floor against the far wall, his eyes closed. It shocked Hana. She'd thought he was in the medbay. Another man, one she thought she recognized as having been supported over the river by Jeera the day before, lay beside him, although he was awake. Vras, the medic who'd treated her, walked over and crouched between both men, checking them.
No one said anything, and in the silence, they all heard Jake shouting, the words indistinct.
“Well, at least they destroyed their own runner.” Grimms leaned against the wall and then slid down it to sit with her knees bent.
“That's true.” Bret nodded. “They aren't going anywhere for now.”
“They could take the lander.” Baxter sounded defeated.
Everyone thought about that for a moment, and then slowly sat down as well.
“Maybe they'll send for another runner.” Fraen rummaged in a bag and pulled out some water, took a sip.
“That was a Dynastra. There aren't that many of them, and I don't think you can easily get one. Isn't that so, Sugotti?”
Bret looked over at Iver.
“No. I can only guess Lancaster helped them get that one.”
“Fucking Lancaster.” Jeera turned narrowed eyes on Bret. “He was playing both sides.”
“Three sides,” Iver reminded them. “I thought he was a friend and a colleague.”
Outside, there was the sound of running, more shouting.
“How many of them are out there?” Bret asked suddenly.
“Jake, Craven, Tillis, Barre, Roj, Lia and Brynja.” Fraen counted them off on his fingers.
“There's another woman,” Hana said. “She was with Craven when they ambushed your lander.”
Fraen nodded slowly. “Yes. I haven't seen her here in the camp.”
“I never saw Roj in the valley when they ambushed you. But he's here now. Makes you wonder how many of them there really are.” Like Hana, Iver was still on his feet, leaning against the wall beside the door.
“Is he right?” Bret asked Fraen.
The driver nodded. “Yes. Impossible to say how many there are. My guess is not too much more than what we've seen, though. They were trapping for food out there, so they didn't have the supplies to sustain a lot of people.”
Bret nodded. “Right, so beware, people. There could be a cordon around the camp, or at least someone watching where we go if we manage to get out of here.”
“We can hardly run.” Jeera nodded toward Kyle, Luki and the third man lying on the ground.
“We can take the lander and get out,” Bret said.
Before anyone could comment, there was an argument near the ruin.
Hana could hear raised voices, and knew if her upgrade was working, she'd have been able to make out the actual conversation.
The shouting stopped, and for a long while no one spoke and they heard nothing from outside.
Eventually, she slid down the wall herself, and Iver followed her, looping an arm over her shoulder.
She was half dozing against his side when it felt as if her skin caught on fire.
She convulsed, twisting away from Iver to retch to the side, her whole body shaking.
“What's wrong with her?”
She put her hands out, bowing her head between them as she struggled to get control. She felt Iver's hands on her, holding her up, and gritted her teeth against the waves of nausea.
Slowly the fire in her blood abated and she slid back onto her heels.
She rose up, Iver rising with her, keeping an arm around her for support. When she was steady on her feet, she walked to the small bathroom to one side to rinse out her mouth and splash some water on her face.
When she came out, Iver was looking at her, and