Clarion

CLARION 173

William Greenleaf

172

The fans shrieked as they chewed through stone, and Paul was nearly thrown from his seat. He had spotted a roadway over there. If they could reach thatThen he hit upon the right combination of keys, and the central screen flickered into life.

"Ah," Frakes said with relief.

"Over there." Paul pointed to the starboard screen. "I saw—"

"I got it spotted," Frakes said. They crashed through heavy vegetation, then shot across the roadway and plowed into a grove of slender trees. Frakes muttered under his breath, then got the fans swiveled around and the car turned back to the road. He brought the car to a stop and hovered, staring at the vidscreens. "Which way?"

"Left," Paul said.

The car jerked forward, shuddering over the low ridge that bordered the road. The fans churned rocks and dust. Then the car swung around and headed down the road, weaving unsteadily from side to side.

Paul got the rest of the vidscreens on at last so the bank above the weapons board gave a full threesixty view. As far as he could see, there was no pursuit. But the stemview screen gave evidence of the cloud of dust boiling up behind them. That would be more than enough to give the deacons and Sons at the temple their general direction.

"What was that all about?" Frakes asked, jerking a thumb back toward the temple. "Quite a free-forall."

"We'll talk about it later," Paul said. Frakes had a few answers to give, too. But for now Paul wanted to concentrate on reaching the building at the river. They slid over the roadway, blasting through the rubble from collapsed domes and vegetation that grew up through the pavement. Twice Frakes had to steer the car off the road and pick his way around sections of tube that blocked it.

The road began sloping downhill a few minutes before they saw the glimmer of water on the forward screen. The car passed over a small stream that had branched off from the river. The road ended abruptly at a solid wall of trees and brush, and the car shuddered to a stop.

"Turn right," Karyn called from the back. "Stay as close to the river as you can."

Frakes turned the car and began easing it through the heavy growth of trees and underbrush. Paul watched the vidscreens, and within a few minutes he saw the broken spire thrusting up above the trees. He pointed it out, and Frakes guided the car toward the building. The fans got bogged down in heavy growth when they were still fifty meters away.

"Close enough," Paul yelled above the roaring engine. "Shut it off."

Frakes experimented briefly with the controls; then the engine wound down abruptly and the car crashed to the ground.

"Oy!" Jacque muttered from the back. Paul let out his breath and turned around in his seat. "Everyone okay?"

Karyn and Sabastian had been thrown together into one corner of the back seat. Sabastian's face was gray, but his eyes were open and clear.

"Where's Olaf?" Karyn asked.

"Dead," Sabastian answered.

She drew a quick breath and started to say

something, then changed her mind. Her eyes went to Erich Frakes. "Is he with the Fringe Alliance?" Paul shook his head. "UNSA."

"Does that mean we can trust him?"

"I doubt it."

Frakes began to make a sound of protest, but William Greenleaf

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