Quintaro glared at him, then disappeared behind the trees.
“We’re alone again,” noted Scorpio. “Care to continue our conversation?”
No answer.
“May I take your silence as an affirmative?”
“Does that pass for wit on Earth?” she asked coldly.
“Haven’t you been there?”
She stared at him without speaking.
“I hope to hell this damned stone exists, and it’s everything you think it is.”
“It exists,” she said with absolute certainty.
“With a name like ‘godstone’ it must be part of some religion,” he continued.
She remained silent.
“You might tell me a little something about it, including where you think it is. I’d hate to have the other Dragon Lady get there first.”
She gave him a contemptuous glare, then got out of the vehicle, walked to the far side of the clearing, and raised her unblinking face to the sky, oblivious of the rain cascading down.
“Come on back!” he said, half shouting to be heard over the rain. “I won’t ask any more questions.” This morning, he added mentally.
She stood motionless for a full minute. He sat where he was, watching her, thinking that under other circumstances he could admire a figure like that all day, especially the way the water made her outfit cling to it, but all he could do was wonder what was going on inside that head.
Finally, she returned to the vehicle just as Quintaro reappeared. Then it was simply a matter of waiting for Merlin.
When he hadn’t shown up for another half hour, Scorpio got out of the vehicle. He couldn’t search for tracks—they were washing away almost as fast as they were made, and besides, Merlin’s had probably been made hours ago, but he felt he had to do something, even if just get wet. He heard chattering in the branches above him, looked up, and saw a family of monkeylike bipeds huddled against the rain. They didn’t have tails like the monkeys of Earth did, but growing out of each wrist was not only a hand but a long, thin tentacle that functioned like a tail, wrapping around limbs to secure the owner’s position.
After another few minutes a thought reached him.
Stop standing in the rain, you idiot, and get the med kit ready. I’ll be there in another minute.
Scorpio rushed around to the back of the vehicle, opened it up, and got the kit. As he did so, Merlin broke through the foliage and came into view, limping painfully across the small clearing.
“What the hell happened to you?” said Scorpio. “You need help getting into the vehicle?”
No, I can make it, thought Merlin, and proved it by jumping up into it, emitting a pained grunt. I can’t reach my wounds. Rub some antiseptic and painkiller on them.
Scorpio applied the proper medications. “I take it breakfast fought back?” he said as he rubbed them in.
No. There’s another safari out here.
A safari?
I don’t know what else you’d call it.
They can’t be on foot?
No, they’re in a pair of vehicles. There are only four of them left—well, three now. One of the men took a shot at me—probably thought I was dinner. He did me some damage, as you can see. When he knew I was hit, he left the vehicle and came after me.
You killed him, of course, thought Scorpio.
Of course.
I wonder what the devil they’re hunting for this far from what passes for civilization?
I thought you’d never ask, replied Merlin. They’re after the godstone—and they’ve got a blue-skinned lady guiding them.
Oh, shit! Scorpio paused for a moment. Is this the same group as the guy we found a couple of days ago?
Probably.
Probably?
He died before I could find out.
How far are they from us?
Maybe four miles west. Five at the outside.
Okay, try to get some rest.
Scorpio closed and latched the back, then walked around and climbed onto his seat.
“Is he all right?” asked Quintaro without much interest.
“He’s a hard one to kill,” answered Scorpio. He turned to face Sapphire. “Mind if I ask you a question or two?”
“Yes,” she answered.
“Live with it,” he said. “My first question: have you got a sister?”
She didn’t answer, but he thought he could see the muscles in her face suddenly become tense.
“Okay,” he said. “I’ve got another one, and this time I’m going to insist on an answer.”
“Leave her alone!” snapped Quintaro.
“Be quiet,” said Scorpio. “This doesn’t concern you.” He turned back to Sapphire. “Are we in a race?”
“No,” she said.
“You’re sure?”
She merely stared at him.
You might as well proceed, thought Merlin. You can’t turn back, not now that you’ve as much as told her we’re within walking distance of her double’s safari.
You really think she can stop us or do us harm if we do turn back?
I’m incapacitated, and you’re in no more danger going forward than going back to the tavern against her wishes.
Shit! I hate it when you make sense.
Scorpio put the vehicle in gear and began proceeding once again along the muddy trail.
They traveled for two more hours, and suddenly Scorpio could see another river—or an equally broad branch of the river he was paralleling—sweeping toward them from his right. He brought the vehicle to a halt and turned once again to Sapphire.
“All right,” he said. “Either I’m going to have to cross the river at some point in the next couple of miles, or I’m going to turn to the right, but even then we’re going to be confronted by another river. So which way do you want me to go?”
“Straight,” she said.
“You’re sure?”
She merely stared at him. He shrugged and began moving forward again. The forest began thinning out, and suddenly he came to a valley that was almost devoid of trees, and again he stopped.
“What now?” demanded Quintaro.
“That ground looks awfully soft,” replied Scorpio. “I know this is a VZ4, but I don’t know if even it has enough muscle to get us out of there if we bog down.”
“It’s not there,” said Sapphire.
“What’s not there?” asked Scorpio, surprised that she’d offered an unsolicited comment.
“What I want,” she replied. “Go around it.”
“Okay.”
“To the right,” she added.
“You sure?” he said. “If Merlin’s correct, that’s the direction your kid sister’s coming from.”
“Shut up,” she said, and turned to look out over the landscape.
Scorpio followed her instructions, found a long-unused path—he hesitated to call it even a trail—and began carefully moving along it.
How are you doing back there? he asked.
I’ll live, answered Merlin. Or if I don’t, it won’t be the wounds that kill me. We’re getting close.
We’re getting close to the guys that tried to kill you. I don’t know that we’re getting close to the godstone.
I still can’t read her mind, but she’s getting so excited the whole vehicle reeks of it.
It does?
Well, it does if you’re a Venusian.
Scorpio kept to the path. In about a mile it widened, and suddenly the rain completely stopped. One minute it was pouring as it had been doing for months, and one minute it was like a dry summer day on Earth.