“I’ve been gone less than a week, not long at all.”
A week? Stars, was that all the time it had taken her to fall head over heels?
“Will you stay?”
“No, I’ve—ah—still got business to take care of on the planet. And actually, I’d like a little privacy now.”
He took the hint almost like the old model, before Martha had tampered with him, though he did display a good deal of disappointment on leaving. She was going to have to have another talk with Martha about changing him back to her original specifications, but she had too many other things to think about right now.
After giving orders to her robocleaner, she stepped into the solaray bath—what heaven! But Martha was back, her voice still reaching her.
“You’re having those rags you were wearing cleaned? What’s wrong with changing into something of your own as long as you’re here, complete with utility belt and homing signal?”
“Because Challen wouldn’t like it, and for now, I’m just a challenge loser, forced to accede to his wishes.”
“So I’m to lose track of you again?”
“You should have considered that before you refused to send down Corth so I wouldn’t have had to challenge the barbarian in the first place.”
“And you could have tried a little harder to win that challenge.”
“Goaway,Martha.”
Chapter Thirty-six
They were Transferred back to the mine entrance, though Tedra had asked Martha to put Challen down in a different spot, away from the one soaked with his blood. With any luck, Challen wouldn’t even know he’d left his planet—except all his warriors were still there, awaiting his return, and looking as amazed as barbarians could look upon seeing something materialize out of the air.
“Could you talk to them, Tamiron, and ask them not to mention to anyone what they’ve seen here today?”
She wasn’t sure Tamiron had heard her. He was staring with some amazement himself at Challen’s unmarked chest, this being the first he’d seen him since Transferring to the ship. There was no trace of a scar, nothing to show Challen had received a wound that would have killed him if not for the wonders of another world, one so far advanced, it still boggled Tamiron’s mind.
“What of his bones?”
“What?” Tedra frowned. “What bones?”
“Those that were crushed.”
“Everything has been fixed, Tamiron. I told you, he’s as good as new, and will be waking up any minute to prove it. Now didn’t you hear what I said about his warriors?”
“Certainly, but the matter should be decided by theshodan,”he replied.
“Actually, the one I didn’t want toldwasChallen. Does he really have to know he was injured? Couldn’t he just think he’d been knocked out for a little while?”
“Why?”
“I don’t want him thinking I saved his life.”
“But you did.”
“I didn’t. I just had the means available that could.”
“We do not keep secrets from theshodan,woman.”
She was learning fast what was a say-no-more-on-the-subject expression and what was not. “Well, how about letting me tell him, then? I’d like one more chance of getting him to believe me on my own, without you or your buddies backing me up.”
“Does he ask-”
“For Stars’ sake, just give me the rest of the day,” she said in exasperation. “You guys could leave, go on back to town. You won’t have to lie to him if you’re not here to be questioned, and that’s not keeping secrets.”
