“You have nothing to worry about,” Rishmun said.
“What game do you want us to play with you?” one of the other children asked. “Does it involve running?”
That started a flurry of questions.
“Do we need to be stealthy or loud?”
“Can humans run?”
“Should we go slower if she can’t keep up?”
Kolsum stepped closer to speak, but Han held up her hands and the children quieted.
“I want to play a game called, um, hunters. We divide everyone into two groups. Everyone in one group hides, then the other group needs to find them. Once you find one person, you are done for the game. The last one to be found wins!”
“But the finders don’t have a chance to win,” one of the kids objected.
“We switch sides and do it again,” she explained. “There are always at least two rounds in hunters.”
“The three of us will count as one,” Rishmun reminded everyone.
They all agreed, and Han was quick to divide the kids into two groups. One group huddled together and closed their eyes as she counted down. The other one ran off in all different directions.
“Ready or not, here we come!” she called out when she finished counting. No one moved, so she looked at the children. “Go find someone!”
They all scrambled off, except for Rishmun and Lirsum. The two stuck to her side as if they’d be attacked by vicious beasts at any moment.
Han set off at a sedate pace.
“It’s okay if you can’t go any faster,” Rishmun said.
“No one expects you to win,” Lirsum assured her.
Han almost laughed at the children's attempts to reassure her. “Thank you. I feel very confident with the two of you here. Could we maybe hold hands?”
She held out a hand to each of them. The children looked at each other as if silently debating and then seemed to come to a conclusion.
Han was about to drop her hands when Lirsum took her left hand and Rishmun took her right one. Then they started purring, and Han absolutely fell in love with them.
They strolled as kids sprinted around them. Some were rattling and rumbling loudly, all the earlier staunch decorum gone. It made Han ecstatic to see.
The moment they were out of sight of Kolsum, Han stopped and drew the children nearer to her. It was risky to bring them into her confidence so soon, but she had a strong sense that these two were trustworthy.
“I have something very important to tell the two of you,” she said. “With your help, we can save a baby.”
Chapter 17
Zephrum
Despite there being no room to pace, Zeph still managed it by walking in a tight little circle near the ship’s hatch. He held his Ident in a grip that might damage his hand eventually, but he couldn’t make himself loosen his hold.
They hadn’t heard anything from Rensom or Han. It had been a full mark, and Zeph couldn’t stop imagining all the worst scenarios.
“Han is very smart, and Rensom is with her,” Tumoro said. “He is big and can keep her safe against anything she can’t think her way out of.”
Sandar sounded a rumble of amusement, although Zeph could tell it was forced. “My husband is intelligent also.”
“I’m sure he is,” Tumoro said. “But he can’t be as smart as Han. She once talked a Tulk into walking into the broker’s office. That species is notorious for their tempers. Instead of trying to subdue him, she convinced him to turn her in as a bountybecause she was too afraid to go alone. He walked in and she jolted him from behind, making it easy for Broker Kilso to drag him into a cell. Broker Kilso said it was the strangest thing he’d ever seen.”
