Shadowkill

##

Aghilo looked through the door.

Shadith touched her arm. “The Matja says the world could burn down, but she’s going to finish this first. What is it? The Arring?”

“P’murr’s on the com, he wants the Matja.”

“Tell him she’s in the infirmary, it’ll be at least another half hour before she’s finished. Is it urgent?”

“I don’t think so. He said they’ve taken the base.”

“Good. We can do without more of this.”

Aghilo mimed wing-flutters with her hands, her sudden brief grin lighting her face. “And you won’t be flying your bed again.”

Shadith grinned back. “Right, it’s a dead loss as a glider.”

P’murr had a bandage on one arm and a new scar on his face; he looked exhausted, but he was smiling. “Flat,” he said. “Razed to bedrock. Tumaks are dead or scattered with Brushie hunters after them. It was the fires did it, Matja. Bad enough when lightning starts the SummerBrush burning. They tell me this lot had the habit of riding out and tossing incendiaries for the fun of it. With the winds they have out here, nothing could outrun those fires and there were families caught. I wouldn’t want to be a tumak in those hunters’ hands. The result for us is good. We won’t be bothered by tumaks. Not any more. When news gets back about what happened, danger pay won’t do it.”

“What did it cost us?”

“Five dead. The wounded? Every man’s got a nick here or there, most of them not serious. Ten bad, but they’ll live. Brushie healwomen are tending them. I suggest we leave them at the Mirp until they’re fit to ride. We made a pyre for the dead and spread their ashes over the base site.”

“Brushie dead?”

“I’m not sure, about twenty, I think. Most of their wounded are in good shape. If they didn’t get killed, they just got a few scrapes, a broken bone or two. We owe this to the Brushies, Matja. They raided the base arsenal before the tumaks tightened security, they got grenades and guns and cussives. When we hit the base, they blew out the gun-posts before the tumaks knew what was happening. We’d have had a lot more dead, if it weren’t for that.”

“Good work, P’murr. One thing. Before you come home, would you see the healwomen and ask what they do for burns? And see about the Bloodprice for their dead. I want that cleared as quickly as possible. We’ve a lot of rebuilding to do.”

“Right. Don’t relax the watch yet, Matja Allina. The bands that were outbase when we attacked are still around. Either the Brushies will get them or we will, but it’ll take a while.”

“I hear. Amurra bless, P’murr.”

“Amur bless, Matja Allina.”

Matja Allina touched the com off, slumped down in the chair. One hand absently patting Paji in his sling, she stared for a long time at the study wall. “Kizra,” she said finally, “get the chapa Tinoopa, please.”