The hwalon lifted Kyla. Swinging forward, heedless of the other Q-rays that now appeared close about him, the blue man caught her and dragged her up beside him.
Already, the hwalon was backing and pivoting with the amazing agility of its kind.
Again and again, Haral triggered the light-lance, clearing a path for them. They raced back up the valley in the same direction from which they'd come.
The two coleoptera of the rear guard, close in now, made one futile effort to cut them down. But the furious rush of the blue man and his dragon was too much for them. They broke, scrambling desperately for safety.
Then Haral, girl and hwalon were out of the narrow part of the valley. The broad expanse where travel was easier and faster lay before them.
But instead of taking it, the blue man turned the dragon back into the bleak, craggy hills. Grimly, he urged his mount on deeper and deeper into the wild mountains, all ups and downs and steep rock ledges. He still had not spoken to the slim young Shamon priestess.
He wondered if it were because he was afraid to put into words the thoughts that gnawed within him.
But now she turned to him. "Where do we go, Haral?"
He shrugged and gave her a twisted smile. "Where is there to go, Priestess Kyla? To the city, the spaceport. It's our only hope."