"I doubt if those four ever lived," Don told him. "At least not with
those names. If we have visitors, they'll be more official--and a lot
more dangerous." He paused.
"Wish Dad had come back. I'd like to get you off to the hills. Not so
comfortable, perhaps, but it would be safer." He looked at the ceiling.
"Of course, with all those fliers chasing around right now," he added,
"it might be complicated."
Pete looked at him curiously. "One thing I can't figure, Don," he
remarked. "Why didn't you head right on into the hills from Riandar?"
Don spread his hands. "Intended to, hang it," he said. "They loused me
up. Remember the dipsy-doodle I turned in that box canyon?"
"Think I'd forget?" Pete grinned. "Nearly got a busted head out of that
one."
"Yeah. Well, I'd planned to jump the ridge and go on over to a clan
village I know. We nearly caught it right there."
"We did?"
"Uh, huh. Some border patrol ship had a ripper. Lucky he got
over-anxious. He cut loose out of effective range and shook us up. That
gave me the news and I ducked for cover and streaked for home before he
could get to us for a better shot."
"And now, you think perhaps they are trying to hunt us down as they did
my brother?" Jasu Waern shook his head. "But this--it would be
impossible to represent us as...."
Don tilted his head. "Nothing impossible about it--if they know where
we are." He looked around the room.
"And it looks as though they do. Someone probably spotted my flier when
I landed in your courtyard."
Pete looked at him unhappily. "Maybe we moved right into his hands.
Maybe we're better targets here than we were in the city."
* * * * *
Don moved his head from side to side decisively. "Never happen. This
mythical Wells gang could have been holed up in the city, too, you
know. And there, you'd have no warning. You'd have no defense and
nowhere to go. This isn't some little summer cottage, you know. We can
give them a bad time."
Jasu Waern shook his head sadly. "Yes," he admitted, "we can, as you
say, give them a bad time. But a flash or two from one of their
inductors will destroy this house just as surely as it did my brother's
cottage."
"Maybe." Don smiled. "I've got some ideas on that, too. But there's
more to this house than you see from outside. This place was built
during the border wars, you know. We've got a place to duck to."