Dumarest 33 - Child of Earth Read Online Free PDF Page B

confident of his strength and agility, the support of his own kind.
    Dumarest met his rush. As a fist lunged towards his face he backed and stepped to one side. His left hand rose, the fingers and palm bent at a right angle to the arm, the heel of the hand smashing like a hammer upwards against Gorin’s nose. He felt cartilage yield, bone shatter to be driven upwards along the nasal passages into the sinus and the brain. Even as blood spouted his right hand was moving towards the throat, fingers folded, the knuckles forming a blunted spear that hit and crushed the larynx.
    Gorin fell. Chagal knelt beside him then rose, shaking his head.
    A man said, incredulously, “He’s dead?”
    “That’s right.”
    “Dead from a punch?”
    “From a loose mouth,” snapped the doctor. “For refusing to accept discipline. For insulting a decent woman. For taking on more than he could handle. As we all are.”
    “Nadine wasn’t a harlot,” said a man. “I knew and liked her. Gorin shouldn’t have called her that.”
    Another said, “What did you mean when you said we are all taking on more than we can handle?”
    “It’s time for us to make plans,” said Chagal. “To decide on what to do and how to do it. Where to go and when. We’ve sat here too long as it is.”
    “There will be rescue,” said a woman. “Others are following us. We sent them the coordinates of Earth. They will find and rescue us.”
    “When?” Dumarest stared at the assembly. “Can any answer? Are you certain they are following? Even if they are why should they search for us? To share the loot?”
    “There is no loot.”
    “Not here and if they were in a ship with working scanners they would know that. So why should they land? Why should they even look?” Anger hardened his voice.“Damn it! Act what you are! Don’t waste time hoping for rescue! Who the hell cares if we live or die?”
    A man said, “We need time to think.”
    “About rescue? You’ve had that. Now forget it. Start thinking about survival.” Dumarest paused, searching faces, his own hard, determined. “I’ve been watching the sun. It’s closer to the horizon now than when we landed. Which means winter is closing in. It will grow colder, bleaker, soon we won’t be able to move outside. We’ll freeze in here. If we hope to survive we have to move south. In order to do that we need sleds and active people to load and pull them.” Pausing he added, “I’m giving you until tomorrow morning. Then I’m leaving with whoever wants to accompany me.” To Chagal he said, “It’s time to visit your patients.”
    They lay on their beds, men and women, broken, crippled, in pain but still alive. The doctor had done what he could but the medications that would have met his needs had been lost in the fury of the landing. A woman with a broken spine could do little more than move her head and lift her arms. A man could do less than that, his partner having to feed, wash and care for him in every way. She reared to her feet as Dumarest approached.
    “Don’t touch him! I won’t have him killed!”
    “No one is going to kill anyone,” soothed Chagal. To the man he said, “How are you feeling Chen? A little easier?”
    “Just a little. Will it be long before I’m on my feet again?”
    “Not too long. It just takes a little more time.”
    Time and the magic of antibiotics and genetic compounds which would have healed and repaired and restored his normal mobility. Things they didn’t have. Soothing lies were a poor substitute.
    The woman with the broken spine said, “Come closer, doctor. You too, Earl.” Then, in a whisper, added, “Did Tazimameet them? She told me she could hear them and was certain they would come in the night. The Shining Ones,” she said irritably as they made no response. “The Guardians of Earth. They will help us when they get here. Tazima could hear them. She told me so.”
    “She heard the wind,” said Chagal.
    “No! It was more than