He let go of the scale he was clinging to with his right hand, and pinched her in a vulnerable spot. She shrieked.
"If I have to keep pinching you," he said, "we'll probably fall. You'd better tell me your name."
She hesitated, then said icily, "Janeejaksin."
"Hm. You seem to be rich girls. You wouldn't be the Paboss's daughters, would you?"
Janee wouldn't answer, but the other girl did, rather cordially. "Yes, and my name's Marisujaksin. Are you going to steal us and make smits of us?"
"They'll never get off this eyestalk," Janee said scornfully.
Alyar motioned Bru higher. The figures around the base grew tiny and the stalk tapered to only half the girth of a man. It swayed a little, and they moved around to what would be the upper side if it bent.
Shouts could be heard now from farther forward; undoubtedly the fighters would arrive soon. Bru looked nervously in that direction. "What are we going to do—bargain with them?"
"No. Listen carefully. You know about people riding a pincer. We're going to get one up here, and when it's close enough, jump onto it and ride it to the ground." Alyar grinned at the protests, put his spear-point between two scales, and jabbed.
In a minute the eyestalk began to bend ponderously downward. Far below they could see the pincer-tentacle starting up to meet it.