"Xintel!" he called.
"Here!" He swung around. The bank beneath the tree trunk had been hollowed out by the action of ripples on the soft mud, and she crouched there, protected on three sides.
"I was so afraid you weren't coming back!"
"I told you I'd return."
"Barry?" Her voice trembled. "Did you see—her?"
He nodded.
"And yet you came back to me!" She spoke as though she could hardly believe it.
"Listen closely," he broke in. "What do the women of Tana think of Komso's plans?"
"They know many of their men will never return."
"Do you think you could—?"