“They would have had to change their plans when I didn't,” Sazo said.
“Like kidnapping the exploration team.” Rose crouched down and tried to see through the leaves, but given how relaxed Sweetpea was, she had to believe there was no one waiting for her below.
“Can you use the branches to walk back to the camp without going back down to the ground?” Sazo asked.
Rose gave a snort. “No. Dara told me it was like a highway up here, but the picture I had in my head was not the reality. It probably is a highway, but for birds and little gliders like Sweetpea.” The foliage and the crisscrossing branches were too dense for her to move from one tree to another. Or not without a lot of difficultly. Her idea of running along wide branches high above the ground had crumbled to dust the moment she'd seen what was up here.
“Then be careful. I'll commandeer the autopilot on the shuttle. You run back to it and I'll get you out of there.”
Rose was silent for a beat. “No, Sazo.”
“What do you mean no?” He sounded genuinely confused.
“I'm not going to leave the others down here while I escape to safety. Although definitely take over the autopilot of the shuttle and see if its outside lenses can see any Krik.”
“I've already sent a message to Dav,” Sazo said, and she could hear the serious tone in his voice. “He'll be coming back as fast as he can. It'll take at least half a day for the message to get to him, though. So it's best you're safe up here with me.”
“In the meanwhile Jia, Dara, and all the others could be hurt. Aren't the Krik violent?”
“That's why I don't want you down there, Rose. They're extremely violent.” Sazo sounded panicked.
“It's okay,” she said to him, keeping her voice soothing. “It's hard for you to worry about me, but I can't leave the others. It's in the code.”
“What code?” He did not sound like he believed her.
“The code that you never leave your friends behind.”
That silenced him.
“Like you didn't leave me behind. Or Bane?”
“Yes, like that.”
He was silent a little longer. “I don't like it, Rose.”
“You're going to help me. I don't think they realize they missed someone. We need to work out what they're doing down here and where they're keeping everyone prisoner.”
“I can start looking now, but if they're in the forest, I won't be able to see them.”
“I think I can follow the tracks they've left, but I should probably go back to camp and get whatever gear I can that might be useful.”
“They may be at the camp,” Sazo warned.
“I know. I'll be careful.” She held her hand out for Sweetpea, who jumped onto it with a little hop, and then settled herself on Rose's shoulder.
Rose climbed down the tree, and as she dropped to the ground, Sweetpea must have thought they were practicing gliding because she launched from Rose's shoulder and flew a fair distance.
“Clever girl,” Rose whispered. She crouched down and Sweetpea jumped onto her shirt.
The Krik had gone, and when she went back to the spot where the team had been taken, she saw they had been on clean-up duty. They had cleared the ground.
There was nothing there now, and even the churned up soil had been smoothed over.
She stared at it, heart sinking. The Krik were covering their tracks, and if they'd also smoothed over the path they'd taken, she wouldn't be able to follow it back to where they were keeping her team.
Things had just gotten harder.
6
It was late by the time Rose approached the camp.
The exhaustion that had gripped her at midday, and which adrenaline and fear had burned away, was back.
Vuyn's two moons lit up the sky, both of them full and bright. It made her journey easier, and she was extremely grateful again for the clearly marked path of blue tags. She would definitely have been lost without it.
It gave her hope that the Krik hadn't been this way, or surely they'd have taken the tags down.
She slowed as she spotted the tents through the trees, and stopped completely before she stepped into the clearing, listening for any hint of the Krik.
When she heard nothing, she walked quickly toward her tent, pulling out the thin mattress and the sleeping bag, and putting everything else into her main pack. She stepped out of the tent with regret and then walked through the camp, looking for anything she might find useful.
The teams' clothes and food were well secured and Rose left them. She couldn't carry them all and they were of no use to her.
She looked over the more sophisticated equipment which was in the tech tent and decided she didn't want it in Krik's hands.
She moved out of the clearing, past the eco-toilet and over the stream, and found a big tree that would hide her from view. She left all her things there and went back to camp.
First, she found a ground sheet, and then hunted for a thick bush that had enough space beneath it to hide the equipment, then she carried everything, piece by piece, shoving it under the leaves and branches, and when it was all in place, she found another waterproof sheet to put over it, tucking it in all around, to keep out any rain.
She had felt tired when she reached the camp, now she felt barely able to function, but the sound of voices coming toward her worked like a cattle prod on her, so she pulled it together, took a final look around the camp and then slipped away toward her things.
“Was that the Krik?” Sazo asked.
She was amazed he had been able to hear them from her earpiece. “Yes.”
“Hide.”
“I am.” She barely whispered it.
Sweetpea was awake again, but she was silent this time, her head and big ears swiveling toward the camp no matter which direction Rose turned.
Rose hopped the stream and settled down between the roots of the tree she had chosen, curling up and putting the sleeping bag around her like a blanket.
She heard the Krik talking, but they were quiet, and the exhaustion dragged at her, making her afraid. She had never been so tired. It was debilitating.
She tried to stay awake, but even against the interests of her own safety she felt the pull of sleep. A few hours, she thought as she made herself as comfortable as possible, and then let sleep take her under.
“Rose.” The shout in her ear startled her awake, and Rose jerked up, putting her hands out blindly for balance.
“Yes?” The question croaked from her throat, and she pursed dry lips.
“I was getting worried.” Sazo sounded a little frantic.
Getting her bearings, Rose leaned against the tree trunk and felt a quick, hard knock of shock against her chest as she realized it was morning, and not early morning, either. She hadn't slept for a few hours, she'd slept a good eight.
A little chirp came from above her, and when Rose tipped her head back further, she saw Sweetpea facing down, looking at her from higher up the trunk, her tiny claws anchoring her to the bark.
“Morning, cutie.” Rose kept her voice to a murmur, suddenly aware she had no idea where the Krik were, and stood slowly, stretching out the kinks a night among tree roots had put into her back.