She eased over the edge and began the climb down, her concentration focused on where to find her next hand and foothold.
She thought she heard Ethan make a noise below, and risked a quick look down. Found herself staring at two weapons pointed up at her, and Ethan crumpled on the ground.
“Nice and slow.” The man standing beside Ethan’s prone form gestured with his laz. “No need to shoot you, too, if I don’t have to.”
If he did, she would fall, and given she was only half way down, she decided against it.
She carefully climbed the rest of the way, and as soon as her feet touched the ground, she was pushed up against the rock face and her hands secured behind her.
She tried to turn, to see how badly Ethan was injured, but the man pressed harder on her back, so the rock dug into her cheek.
“What have we here?” He hauled her back by her collar, spun her around.
Velda didn’t answer immediately, her gaze fixed on Ethan.
“Eyes here.” The man snapped his fingers at her, and she forced herself to find some inner calm, to lift her gaze.
“We were hiking and heard the engines. Came to look,” Velda said. She tried to move toward Ethan, but the man who’d restrained her jerked her back in a bruising grip. “But why the unfriendly reception?”
“Hikers were bound to happen,” the man said, this time to his companion. “We’re lucky they haven’t before now.”
“Is my partner all right?” Velda didn’t need to act to let the worry come through.
“He’ll be fine. Shot him on a low stun.” The man studied her. “This is an off-the-books operation, and we can’t be having witnesses, as I’m sure you’ve already worked out.”
That was an obvious conclusion for anyone to draw, Velda thought. There were no mining operations allowed in the mountains, they were part of the Aponi Protected Lands, so no one could have come up with any other conclusion.
“We figured. We were going to go report it in Demeter.”
“Good luck with that,” the man said, face smug. “Don’t know there’s much of Demeter left.”
Velda tilted her head. “The flash of light we saw last night?” she asked, pretending cluelessness. “That was Demeter getting hit?”
“You saw that?” the man holding her asked.
“We noticed the sky lighting up to the south,” she said. “We wondered what it meant.”
“It means change is coming,” the man said, way too jovial with Ethan lying unconscious at his feet, and her city burning.
She would like to change his outlook. Forcibly.
She pretended confusion and upset, instead. “Who hit the city? Why?”
“Enough.” The second man spoke for the first time. “You shot him, you carry him, Vang.” He grabbed Velda by her arm and jerked her toward the path that ran along the cliff face.
As they made their way along a well-worn path, she saw the flash of a lens in the trees, and realized mine security must be monitoring the access points.
Behind her, she heard Vang grunt, and then swear.
“Can’t lift him, he’s too solid,” he called from behind them. “Send Nyler to help.”
The man pulling her along flapped his hand in response, and then lifted his wrist to his mouth. “Nyler, get up here and help Vang with an intruder.”
“Who are you people?” Velda asked. She was surprised she hadn’t been recognized by either man. It might mean they were Cores imports, rather than locals.
“Vang might run his mouth, but I don’t,” he said. “Just shut up and maybe you can walk out of here when this is over.”
She wondered what that meant. Were they closing up shop? Moving on? Or did he mean that once Aponi was under the control of whoever had attacked Demeter, there would be nothing she could do about the mine?
