Shadowkill

3

Autumn Rose frowned at the screen. “Well, I’ll give you this, the location fits. That star is just off the line we were on when you lost the trace.”

Kikun frowned. “In the Cluster?”

“No. There’s a rift, then this system.” She touched in a code and a system schematic appeared, along with a short addendum.

STAR: IKSALGUN: gal. cat. MLG372-199-34

PLANETS:

inhabited: YONG’M (8)

ARUMDA’M (9)

KOCHIL’M (10)

other: seven burnt-to-bedrock spheres (1-7) kept that way by frequent sunflares, three gas giants (11-13), four large iceballs (14-17)

“The world called Arumda’m has the best climate, the biggest population,” she said slowly. “I imagine it’s the one we want.” She yawned, sipped at the tea she had left from the supper she’d dialed when she finished the purging. “There’s this, too, Kuna. Record shows Lak Dar’s been there several times.” Her mouth twisted. “He seems to be a type who needs to know every crack before he steps on it, so he’s got enough stuff in file to write an encyclopedia about the place. Clutter, most of it. Well, going through it will be something to do while we’re splitting there.”

Kikun inspected the schematic, then the index window. “I see.” He brooded a moment, ears twitching restlessly. “You said you were going to call Digby.”

“I put the call out.” There were shadows under her eyes like smudges of ink and the bones of her face seemed about to come through the skin. “He should be clicking in within the hour.”

“What are you going to say?”

“What is there to say?”

“If he calls you home?”

“I go. What do you expect, Kuna? What can I do on my own? Look, I’m sorry, but that’s it.”

He gazed at her until she twitched her shoulders and turned away, angry at herself and at him, then he went to the backwall and sat on the silken carpet, waiting for the call.

Digby’s face filled the center cell, broad and brown with black eyes in nests of smile lines. “Nice to know you’re alive, Autumn Rose.”

“Li’l Liz there,” she swung away from the screen, waved her hand at Kikun who was still squatting by the backwall, swung back, “he’s the one that did it. Listen, Dig. This is where we are now…” She sketched out everything that had happened since the debacle at Koulsnakko’s Hole, ended with the star system Kikun had dredged up. “So. We have the ship, it’s clean, plenty of fuel, we’ve got a thread we can pull on… or not. Up to you, Dig. Do I go with it?”

“Hmm.” For several minutes he communed with his ties, his face a lumpy mask, the life that informed the flesh gone, then he blinked and looked at her with grave approval. “How’s your rat supply?”

“Ten racked, two gone.”

“Should be enough. You’re on a roll, Rose. No point in wasting the impetus. Hmm. While you’re splitting, get down every detail you can remember and rat it to me. So Lissorn’s dead.”

“Ash. Saw it.”

“Too bad, another blow to Miralys. And you think the Ciocan’s alive?”

“I don’t know. Kikun says he’s one of the prisoners taken from the Hole.”

“Hmm. From what I’ve heard, his record’s good on that kind of thing.”

“Uh-hmm.”

“Omphalos.”

“Kikun again. I can’t confirm.”

“Right. Leave that to me and go with what you’ve got. Use the rats to keep me up on what you’re finding.”

“Will do. Anything else?”

“Not at the moment. Except… discretion, Rose. If you find the lode, don’t spook the guards. You can get a bit brisk, luv.”

“I hear you, Dig. Better watch the Dyslaera if you don’t want brisk.”

“I’ll deal with that when it comes up. Take care, Rose.” The screen went dark.

Autumn Rose pushed at her hair and sighed. “Brisk, huh!” She twisted her head around, gave him a tight smile. “There you have it, Kuna. Ticket to ride. You know, you’re a useful being to have about, Li’l Liz. We’d be nowhere without you.” She straightened, cleared the screen and began entering flight data. “While I’m doing this, why don’t you pick out a stateroom and get settled. It’s not a long way from here to Arumda’m, but we’ll be moving slower than usual because of the traffic in the Cluster.”

He got to his feet, went to stand at her shoulder. “How long?”

“Anything from two weeks to a month, depending, I’ll let you know later. Right?”

“Right.”