'Through the tunnels, mostly,' Astri said. 'They were built about a century ago, during a war with a neighboring planet. It's the fastest way to get from the kitchens to the ward areas. They built the domes over the old entrances in the gardens, just for that reason.'
'When is the next meal?' Qui-Gon asked. Astri checked her timepiece.
'Cholly should be preparing the trays right now.'
'Good,' Qui-Gon said. 'Obi-Wan, Siri, I want you to go with Astri to the kitchens. Compare the number of food trays with the number of sick children. If there are more trays than children, follow Uta S'orn. Make sure she does not see you! Note where she delivers the trays. If Ona Nobis and Zan Arbor are on the grounds, they have to eat.'
Qui-Gon fixed Obi-Wan and Siri with his most serious glare. 'If you see, or even sense, that Ona Nobis is near, do not engage with her. Come back for Adi and myself.'
Obi-Wan and Siri agreed and followed Astri to the palace kitchen. It was an enormous room filled with food stations and storage. Obi-Wan and Siri waited in the dim hallway while Astri went inside.
Cholly was busy setting up trays with bowls of stew, bread, and a fruit tart. Other workers milled about, dishing up the stew and pushing the trays forward in a line to be loaded onto carts.
Swiftly, Astri ran her eyes down the rows of trays, counting. She slipped outside to the hall.
'There are sixty-four trays,' she said. 'Two extra. Qui-Gon was right. Now we have to wait for Uta S'orn.'
Moments later, the other workers began to fill the kitchen. They each took a cart and slid trays inside the warming element. Uta S'orn arrived and quickly worked to fill her own cart.
'I'll take Ward Five, as usual,' she said.
She rolled the cart out into the hallway and headed for the tunnel.
Obi-Wan and Siri pressed back against the wall. They moved silently behind Uta S'orn, keeping as close as they dared through the twisting maze.
Uta S'orn delivered the meals to Ward Five first. They watched as she ascended the ramp into the ward. When she returned, she still had two trays on her cart. She made a sudden turn and came straight toward them.
Obi-Wan and Siri threw themselves back into a side tunnel. They flattened themselves against a wall and tried not to breathe. If Uta S'orn came down this way, they would be discovered.
They were lucky. She turned down an opposite tunnel. After a moment, they followed cautiously. The tunnel narrowed as it turned sharply to the left. Obi-Wan had been careful to keep track of how they were moving. He knew that they had turned away from the main wing of the palace and the wards and were heading toward Uta S'orn's private quarters.
Suddenly, they heard the cart stop. Obi-Wan crept forward. He peered around the corner long enough to see Uta S'orn place the trays on the floor. Then she turned toward him.
He ducked back and motioned to Siri. The two ran lightly down the tunnel, hearing S'orn behind them. She could not move as fast due to the cart. They reached the main tunnel and Obi-Wan headed left, guessing she was on her way back to the palace kitchens.
After a few moments Uta S'orn emerged and took the route Obi-Wan had predicted. Obi-Wan and Siri headed back the way they had come. They waited at the curve of the tunnel.
'What if Ona Nobis comes from behind us?' Siri whispered.
'We run,' Obi-Wan whispered back.
To Obi-Wan's surprise, a small vent in the ceiling over the food trays opened. Ona Nobis slithered through, her Sorrusian skeletal system compressing to allow her to fit through the tiny space.
Siri's hand went to her lightsaber. She began to draw it out. In a swift move, Obi-Wan put his hand on her wrist to stop her. She glared at him, but he did not let go.
Ona Nobis picked up the sweet fruit tart from one tray and popped it in her mouth. Quickly, she gobbled up the second tart, then wiped her fingers delicately on her tunic.
'Sneak,' Siri whispered in Obi-Wan's ear.
Ona Nobis pushed the food trays through the vent overhead. Then she hoisted herself up and through.
'We should have attacked,' Siri whispered fiercely after Nobis disappeared.
'Siri, Qui-Gon told us not to,' Obi-Wan said irritably.
'But we were so close! And she didn't have her whip,' Siri argued.
Her blue eyes glinted a challenge in the darkness of the tunnel, and she thrust her chin at Obi-Wan. 'Or were you afraid to meet her again?'
Chapter 19
Adi and Qui-Gon listened to Siri and Obi-Wan's story. Adi gave a satisfied nod.
'They're here. That means that Noor is here as well.' Adi glanced at Qui-Gon. 'We have enough to speak to the Leader. We must take the risk.'
'I agree,' Qui-Gon said. 'If we are lucky, we will avoid a battle.
Whether Uta S'orn is being forced to hide Zan Arbor or not, he must be told.'
