"Yes! Stay in here. Lock the door, so they'll still think they've got me."
"No! You can't leave me!" Her voice rose. She was sobbing. "Please, Jarl! Take me with you—"
Jarl gripped her smooth shoulders fiercely; shook her. "Sais! Listen!" And then, as she quieted: "Sais, once before, I came down on Womar. I've seen the primitives." Involuntarily, he shuddered. "Believe me, Sais, no matter what the crew does to you, it can't match the work of those creatures."
"No, Jarl—"
A dim roar filled the room—the roar of a ramping. Walls and floor vibrated.
"Jarl, I'm going with you!"
The vibration stopped. The cabin echoed with sudden stillness as the great ship came to rest.
"Jarl...."
For the fraction of a second, Jarl hesitated. From afar, he could hear orders shouted. Once again, a knot drew tight in his belly.
"Please, Jarl...."