'What about your father?'
'We don't know where he is.'
Mirah looked worried, as if the worst may have happened to her husband.
'Mother, I know he's alive, with Wynn. I can sense it.'
'Well, what now, have we been followed?'
'I think so. They shot us down somehow, but we never saw them. They have to know our location; it's only a matter of time before they find us. Our best chance is to set out on foot.'
'On foot? In the wilds?'
'Wild animals are the least of our worries now.'
'Could they track us on foot?' asked Emil.
'I don't know, but all the wildlife out here might just mask us enough to keep them guessing.'
The engine compartment continued to smolder more and more, then the whole ship began to burn.
'We'd better get out of here before it explodes,' said Emil.
'Let's go.'
The trio gathered the gear they had available and headed out cautiously into the cover of the dense jungle foliage.
'SIR, we're picking up some burning wreckage approximately ten miles ahead west by southwest.'
'Good, their ship is down, which means they'll be nearby on foot,' said Lucin. 'I want you to scan for any group of three human size life forms traveling away from us; it will be them. Then I want the transport, with our little gift, to swing in front of their heading and drop her one mile ahead in their path.'
'Sir, the ship that the King took from the hangar has not been located yet.'
'Once we have the boy, it won't matter anymore.'
XVIII
GROD could not believe what he was seeing on the display. The image was pulled from one of the skynet satellites by Wynn. He still had access to the data, but the weapons systems were controlled by the symbytes now.
On the display was the site of his home at Nagon-Toth. The entire compound was now nothing more than smoldering rubble and layer upon layer of sand baked to glass. This explained what had happened to the transgate portal back at the detention center. Somehow they had planted a bomb there or sent one through the portal after they left it to rescue Tiet.
His people and his wife were all gone. Only the few of his Horva brothers with him in the ship survived now; and his son, he hoped.
'I'm so sorry, Grod,' said Tiet sitting next to him.
He tried to offer consolation to his friend. Grod could not weep. Instead his grief welled into anger so powerful he found himself almost unable to sit still. He looked at his remaining two warriors, Jael and Merab, still sitting near the front of the transport; he would wait to share the demise of their people; wait until they reached the enemy on the ground. Then they would be free to unleash their fury upon these symbyte creatures without reservation.
Grod looked at Wynn through narrow eyes and he placed his hand upon the Horva general's shoulder.
'Soon my friend, soon you will have vengeance,' he whispered.
They were the only words of comfort that could have been offered. Wynn was truly his friend and had been since the end of the Baruk war when he knew of the Horva rescue of Tiet and his late brother Kale. And he was right; he would take his vengeance soon upon these creatures. He thought of his son Emil and recovering him safely and it quieted his spirit somewhat.
The wilds were before them now. Tiet pressed the engines hard toward a destination only he could sense; toward his son. He knew the boy was alive; there was no doubt within him.
KALE and the others moved as quickly as possible through the dense vegetation. Emil took the point position and whacked away at the large undergrowth with a kemstick while Kale helped his mother along; she was still a little shaky from being stunned by the soldiers. Every so often they thought they heard the faint sound of engines, then it would fade and be gone completely leaving only the sounds of the indigenous wildlife.
All manner of creatures, both deadly and benign, lived in the wilds and the boys knew very well the dangers they might have to face other than the military after them. They thought better than to share those possibilities with Mirah.
Emil was a good twenty feet ahead of them in the foliage which seemed to instantly replace the cut vegetation with more to bar their way.
'Kale! I've found something! Someone!' shouted Emil from up ahead.
They rushed ahead to where Emil was standing. Just beyond, half hidden in the bushes was a little girl of no more than four. She was staring at them with a terrified look on her face as though she might attempt to run at any moment.
'It's alright, Honey,' said Mirah as she knelt to try and coax the child from her hiding place.
'Monsters, trying to get me,' said the little girl through lips that quivered as though she were freezing out here in the hot jungle air.
'I know, Honey. We won't let any monsters get you. Come here, it's alright, you're safe now,' consoled Mirah.
The girl eased herself out of the brush and began to walk toward Mirah. Kale scanned around trying to see if the soldiers were nearby or if he could hear any whining of their engines. The girl reached Mirah and then dodged around her and ran to Kale; jumping into his arms before he knew what was happening.
'Hold me, Mister,' begged the girl as she trembled in his arms.
'Well,' said Mirah with complete surprise and a little hurt motherly pride. 'I guess she prefers you.'
'What should I do?'
'Hold her.'
Kale sensed something unusual about her but he could not place the feeling.
'What's your name?' asked Mirah.
'Monsters, chasing me; they took my father… I ran away from the monsters.'
'But, what's your name?' asked Kale.
'Don't let the monsters get me, Mister,' said the girl trembling as she clung to his clothing.
'I won't let them get you.'
'Kale, we need to keep moving,' advised Emil.
'You're right.'
'I'll take point again,' said Emil as he reignited his kemstick and moved ahead of them into the undergrowth.
They followed with Kale still holding the little girl. Her arms were wrapped tight around his neck and her legs around his waist as they made their way behind Emil.
'SIR, our scans show they have taken the girl. The four of them are moving south of our position.'
'Very good. Bring us ahead of them one mile…at this clearing here,' said Lucin as he punched the info into his display. 'We'll lay out our troops here and wait for them. We'll awaken the girl just before they reach the ambush.'
'Yes, Sir. I'm bringing us to the new coordinates.'
Grod sat down next to Tiet as he piloted the stolen transport. Wynn stood behind him.
'Tiet, I have to speak to you,' said Grod.
'What is it?'
