Part 12 (1/2)
”My word! It is the next day?” Marmion exclaimed. She turned to Seamus, who grinned, a smile that had little to do with the day or anything else immediately obvious to Marmion.
”Sure is, missus.”
”But we weren't in there long . . .” Sally began, glancing down at the digital on her wrist. Her eyes widened. ”Good heavens.”
”The next day?” Ivan grabbed her wrist to peer at her digital before checking his own. The other four men apprehensively conferred over this unexpected loss of time. ”But we'll be behind in our work . . .” Ivan wheeled accusingly on Seamus. ”You had no right to take us away from our work for a whole day.”
”This cave is a mere hour's flight from s.p.a.ceBase,” Hans said, his expression decidedly aggressive and his anger focused on Seamus Rourke, because he didn't dare accuse Marmion.
”How could we have lost so much time . . . sitting in mist?” That aggravated him even more.
”Why, I found it-” Marmion stopped, c.o.c.ked her head, and then regarded Sally and Millard. ”You know, I'm not sure I found anything.”
Seamus let out a mighty guffaw. Mischief, as well as satisfaction, twinkled in his eyes.
”You got 'found' anyway, missus. Now, let's not lose more time.” He made a whoos.h.i.+ng gesture at Rick to start back to the copter.
'How could I get 'found,' Mr. Rourke, when I haven't been lost?” Marmion asked, a quaver in her voice as she allowed Rick and Millard to take her arms as they made their way across the uneven terrain.
”Oh, I 'spect it'll come to you, missus.” Seamus chuckled again.
”Mr. Rourke, nothing at all of the nature described by Dr. Metaxos, his son, or even Major Maddock and Dr. Fiske occurred to us,” Sally said in an even voice that held just a hint of carefully controlled surprise and disappointment.
Seamus eyed her, his lips curving slightly: she was a very attractive young woman, and he could still appreciate looking.
”Sure hope you wouldn't now the planet's calmed down with no one gouging and blasting holes in it. But you were spoken to,” he a.s.sured her.
”That's utter nonsense,” Hans said. Rick made a noise that sounded like a patronizing rebuke, and Hans whipped around. ”I experienced nothing once the mist rose to obscure everything. And then it cleared. You'd have us believe that this-this show took nearly thirty hours?”
”Seems to have done,” Seamus replied affably, helping Marmion up onto the copter's high pa.s.senger level. ”Think on it awhile. It'll come to you.”
”Outrageous,” George said, his face contorted into a sneer. ”Waste of valuable time.”
”I'm not sure how we'll explain our defection to Dr. Luzon,” Marcel said dismally, the first sentence Marmion had heard him speak.
”Ah, but you don't have to, my dears,” she said, buckling her seat belt. ”I shall a.s.sume all responsibility for this expedition, and I'm sure such industrious young men as yourselves will be able to complete your a.s.signed tasks well before Dr. Luzon returns.”
”Do you mean to imply, ma'am,” Hans said, eyeing her suspiciously, ”that we should conceal our dereliction of duty from Dr. Luzon?”
”Heavens no, Hans dear,” Marmion said soothingly, laying a gentle hand on his arm. ”I wouldn't conceal a thing from Matthew Luzon,” she added drolly. ”It just isn't done! But I shall a.s.sure him that I dragooned you, as necessary escorts, on a personal, and possibly dangerous, inspection of the so-called remarkable cave where everyone else seems to have had most incredible experiences.” She made a move of disappointment and turned to Seamus. ”Really,” she said, and she stretched out the next two words to express her disillusion, ”nothing happened.”
”We lost thirty hours,” Hans said in an implacable and unforgiving tone. ”It'll be dark by the time we get back to s.p.a.ceBase.”
”Well, there'll be a little time before you have to have dinner,” Marmion said.
”We'll work tonight,” Hans said, making eye contact with his a.s.sociates. ”We'll catch up that way.”
”Oddly enough,” Millard remarked, ”I feel totally refreshed, with an unusual sense of well-being. Anyone else?”
Sally made a small ”oh” of surprise. ”I do, too. And I don't think I was asleep . . .”
Marmion did not remark on the fact that she, too, felt unusually alert and energetic: as if she could dance all night long and still put in a full day's work tomorrow.
It occurred to her that maybe the planet had a totally unexpected and exploitable facet-for rest cure facilities. However, she intended to go very slowly on that one, since this party seemed to be the only one to have enjoyed that aspect. Had they just been lucky? Had the planet, as Seamus had suggested, settled down after its aberrant behavior? Even so, she felt almost . . . almost effervescent. And she hadn't experienced that buoyancy in a long, long time.
As soon as Yana saw the little curraghs nearing the wharf, she raced as fast as she dared down the steps to tell Sean the news. Ardis Sounik had confirmed that much of what Johnny Greene had off-loaded was the fuel they would need and Sean's special supplies for his journey. And that Johnny had gone on to Bogota with Luzon, who was up to no good at all. Johnny had hinted broadly that Luzon was bad news. Nanook, who had vanished from the village for some time, suddenly reappeared, fur full of mud and burrs, to bound alongside her. He seemed about to explode with news, too. He licked her hand at one point while she watched the curraghs approach, rubbed his handsome face against her shoulder, and looked deeply into her eyes. She sensed he was trying to talk to her, but she just didn't know how to listen. But, as they descended, all the other cats of the settlement started hurrying in the opposite direction.
”What on earth?” Yana began.
Bunny, something said quite clearly in her head.
”Did you speak, Nanook?” He gave her a resigned look and a sort of growly purr. ”I don't mean to be difficult to communicate with, Nanook. Nod your head if Bunny's safe and coming?” Nanook solemnly inclined his head.
”That is such a relief.'' Yana stroked his fine pelt in appreciation. ”Maybe one day, we'll hold a meaningful conversation,” she added, emboldened by her relief.
Soon.
”Oh!”
Just then Sean appeared over the edge of the high harbor wall and she ran into his arms, burbling to tell him that Johnny had managed to leave off fuel here in the Fjord. Even with Sean smelling to high heaven of fish oils and brine, it was good to have his arms about her and see his smile of delight at her enthusiastic welcome. Then Nanook, who had sat in dignified patience, obviously spoke to Sean, who smiled broadly and fondled the track-cat's ears.
”Bunny and Diego are on their way here, and Shush, the one cat who survived at McGee's Pa.s.s, is just a ways behind them. Nanook rendezvoused with her to rea.s.sure her and protect her most of the way, but he left to return to us so we wouldn't worry about the kids anymore. He says the village must be good to Shush. She needs to be safe again.”
”She's not the only one. When does he expect them all to arrive, Sean? I've been getting quite worried.”
Sean shrugged. ”Probably by nightfall.” His arm tightened about her. ”No point in wasting energy backtracking. Nanook says they're okay.”
”Run that past me again, Sean, about one cat, surviving at McGee's Pa.s.s? Only one? What happened to the others? I thought the cats were cared for in all the villages, the way Clodagh looks after the ones in Kilcoole-”
And they look after her. Yes, that's very serious news to me. too. A village with only one surviving cat is a village in very serious trouble.”
”Sean, what did we let those children in for?”
”We'll know soon enough,” he said, putting an arm around her shoulders in comfort and rea.s.surance. ”The fact that Nanook has stayed here means they're okay, no matter what else. See what I brought you for your dinner, love?” And he held up the pair of rainbow-scaled fish as long as his forearm and considerably thicker.
”Oh, good, Ardis has some potatoes left, and we thawed carrots and onions. Bunny and Diego'll be hungry when they get here.”
”Yes, and we, too, for their news.”
When Bunny and Diego, who was carefully supporting the wounded Dinah in his arms, arrived at dusk, the evening meal was ready but remained uneaten while more important matters were attended to.
Bunny nodded once at the six place settings at the table. ”How did you know we were coming?” she asked. ”Oh, I know. Nanook, of course. He started to run past us, stopped long enough for a sniff, and ran away. We didn't see him return though.”
”He saw you, though,” Sean replied. ”He was going to the aid of an orange cat from McGee's Pa.s.s. I don't suppose you saw her on the way?”
But Bunny didn't answer; shook her head, preoccupied. Her attention had been captured by watching the movements of Ardis's gentle hand sewing up Dinah's wounds, setting the five broken ribs and the hind leg bone. She splinted the tail, too, but feared that all nerve connections might have been severed. Dinah had managed to convey to Diego that after the man had clubbed her with his staff, he'd caught her by the tail and slammed her against the nearest tree.
Diego had been a thundercloud ready to burst until Ardis had rea.s.sured him that, except for the possible damage to her tail, the lead dog would completely recover from her mistreatment. While this was going on, Bunny gave a quick resume of the situation of the cowed and subjugated folks at McGee's Pa.s.s, Satok's activities, and the unthinkable sealing of the cave.
”What Bunny doesn't say,” Diego began, as Fingaard gently transferred Dinah to a thick blanket near the hearth, ”was what that Satok d.a.m.ned near did to her.”