“Lieutenant,” she said, giving a dip of her head.
She had never warmed to Crin—she was too inclined to place blame and admonish anyone lower in rank than she was—but she wasn’t surprised to see her. The lieutenant had wanted to be in the thick of the action since she’d met her. If Natta had been allowed on the rescue team, Crin would have made sure she was included.
“Fiona.” Crin smiled, although Fiona didn’t think it reached her eyes. “This is Vunia and Hardy. How did you escape?”
“It’s a long story for another time.” Fee shook her head, aware of Vunia and Hardy’s curious gazes.
That was the usual reaction to any Grih who met her for the first time. The similarities, except for the ears and the height, seemed to cause them all to react with surprise, and while she’d been taken off Larga Ways wearing her Grihan disguise, she’d set it aside when she’d showered in her cell, and hadn’t bothered to put it back on.
“Fair enough. Are you ready to go?” Crin was already half turning back to the runner.
Fee lifted her hand to stop her. “Sorry, we can’t. Baruke is here, unconscious in the med bay. We need to fetch him and take him with us.”
The surprise on everyone’s faces was instant.
“Here?” Trayla lifted a hand and wiped sweat off her upper lip with the back of her sleeve. “HQ thinks he’s being held somewhere in Distani.”
Fee shook her head. “Nope, he’s here. The whole base is getting ready for the Garmman to lift the frame. We’ll never get a better window than now to grab him.”
“Let’s go, then.” Crin stepped forward and Fee backed up to let her into the passageway.
“Something stinks,” Natta said as he followed his boss in.
“A dead frien,” Fee said. “And let’s hope that’s the only kind in here.”
She led the way, and was impressed with the silent and efficient movement of the Grihan soldiers behind her.
They reached the top of the stairs without incident, although Fee felt very nervous as they passed the door to the storage level.
While she could hear a lot of shouting and movement, no one came through into the stairwell.
When they got to the main level, everyone breathed a sigh of relief at the cool air. Fee thought she caught a furtive movement near the ceiling that disappeared around the corner, and relief fluttered through her.
She’d started getting worried she hadn’t seen the grahudi for a while.
“This way. We have to pass the main entrance to get to the med bay.”
“What’s in this direction?” Crin pointed to the left.
“Theoretically, this is a full circle, so it should get us to where we need to go without passing the main entrance, but I’ve never been that way, and I don’t want to take the chance of discovery.” Fee started right.
Crin hesitated, looking like she was going to argue, and then she fell in with the others.
There was once again no one in the passage, and Fee pressed up against the wall just before the foyer, listening, and then jogged through the waiting room.
Baruke was in the med bay, just as she’d left him.
“I wonder what’s wrong with him.” Trayla whispered.
The soldier Crin had introduced as Vunia started peeling off the tubes that were stuck to Baruke’s skin, and from the way she did it, Fee guessed she was the medic on the team.
“He’s in a coma, but his vitals are strong. We can move him.” Vunia worked with quick efficiency.
“Why is no one here?” Natta asked softly as he bent with Hardy to set up a portable stretcher that Hardy had pulled out of his backpack.
“There were injuries when the cables dropped, so I was expecting this place to be packed, but it’s so small, and Baruke being here is so secret, I think they’ve set up a medical site in the amphitheater. I’m guessing all the medical staff are there,” Fee said.
“Cables were dropped?” Crin asked.
