didn’t recognize. He dug in and scooped up mouthfuls until not a speck of sauce remained.
The off-worlder waded to shore and shook water from his hair. He’d dressed before he appeared to notice that his meal was missing. “Where the…?” Eyes narrowed, his mouth thinning to a furious slash, he peered into the woods as he turned in a full circle. “Who’s there?”
Eriff scampered away, leaping from tree to tree. The captain followed, surprisingly soundless, but Eriff evaded him, knowing every hiding place, every twist of branch of the ancient trees. His blood sang with the thrill of the game. It was like Sech, only real.
Gulping air, Eriff paused above an obvious path where he lifted his bow and arrow. He’d show this intruder what Sandreemers were made of.
He waited until the captain passed under an ebbe tree laden with large fist-size fruit before he let the arrow fly. It snipped the stems of several ebbes. The falling fruit bounced off the captain’s head.
Eriff expected the off-worlder to be furious, but he threw back his head and laughed, shoulders rocking. “To my impressive and invisible adversary,” he said, lifting an ebbe in a toast to the trees where Eriff crouched unseen.
Silently, Eriff drew back the bowstring. Before the captain had a chance to take a bite from the ebbe, Eriff loosed the arrow.
The fruit exploded in the captain’s hand.
His face darkened, and his narrowed eyes turned frighteningly cold. “That was close, rimmer. A little too close, in fact. Are you tiring of your game, then, and wish to make it real? We can make it so, if you wish.” He drew his pistol, sighting through the scanner. “We can make this as real as you want.”
Eriff pressed flat against the tree trunk as the muzzle tracked past him. And stopped. He sees you!
Eriff’s knees shook. Pure terror gripped his chest.
The captain lowered the pistol. “Goddess be, it’s only a child. Come down from that tree! Are you hungry, little rimmer? I have more food.” The off-worlder made a show of rooting around in his pocket. “But you’ll have to come down and get it.”
He thinks you’re as stupid as he thought Papa was. Something in Eriff just had to prove the off-worlder wrong.
Sweat trickled down Eriff’s jaw. He raised the bow one last time. As steady as he could, he brought the arrow around to his target and fired. It caught the captain’s right epaulet and sheared it off. Thwack! The captain’s Coalition rank and a large piece of his uniform shirt was now pinned to the tree.
Thwack! The captain’s left epaulet joined the right. Eriff caught the briefest glimpse of the captain standing there, his shirt in shreds, before he took advantage of the captain’s distraction and fled.
Tree to tree he leaped until he was far enough away to descend safely to the paths. And then he ran like the wind in the direction of home—
Something slammed him in the face. It felt like a stone wall made of light and heat.
He landed hard on his back, his head swimming. Run! He scrambled to his feet and charged forward. Again, lightning flashed behind his eyes, and he was thrown to the ground.
Whatever was there, he couldn’t see it, but it was as impenetrable as any wall.
The captain’s footsteps were getting closer. Run!
Eriff’s skin tingled and stung. He managed to get his knees under him, using his bow as a crutch. Hurry. Twigs snapped and crunched behind him much closer now. The captain was almost there.
Fear flared, sharp and hot, driving him to his feet.
Something slammed into his back with the force of a mighty kick. He was thrown face-first into the dirt.
An explosion of pain stole his ability to move. A second later, it took his consciousness.
Eriff woke to nausea and the sight of the ground careening back and forth below him. Someone held him by the waist-belt like a sack of grain, swinging him as he walked.
Nausea surged. Sweat needled his body. His stomach balled up, spilling its contents on the forest floor.
He heard groans and laughter through the sounds of his retching. Male voices. “So you steal my food, little rimmer,” one said, “and have the nerve to vomit it up on my boots.”
It was the off-worlder captain. Eriff had shot arrows at him. He’d be furious. He peddled his legs, trying to free himself.
The captain gave him a hard shake. “Be still. You’re in enough trouble as it is. Read the charges against him, Major Atir.”
The