He'd thought of that. "It's too late. They'd know something mental was involved and would call in Gommaf. Could you hold them off?"
Gowru shrugged. Rains thought he probably could, though he might not be aware of it yet. But though they'd be safe from the mental onslaught of Gommaf, there was a catch. Sooner or later they'd have to have food and water, the screen would come down and then they'd be at the mercy of the Indian mentalists.
There had to be another way and he thought he saw it. "How long can you keep this up?"
"For days," sat Gowru. "Once it's in existence I merely have to touch it now and then to keep it up."
"Good. Make a small hole so you can see where you're going and start out across the plain." It was late afternoon and would soon be dark....
"There's an army camp ahead," said Gowru.
"National guard?"
"Multi-national guard. This is India."
Rains sighed. There was no use asking what was on either side and behind them—more troops. Planes droned overhead. Mobile searchlights were trained on them. Fortunately, there were no big guns in this area. Perhaps Gowru could build up the image to withstand even the direct hit of a large caliber shell, but the concussion wouldn't be pleasant. "If there's an army camp there must be a trench," Rains said. "Do you see any?"