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and Aine was roughly deposited on the platform. She looked around at
the workers in alarm, but he quickly helped her down, explaining to
them with a smile:
"My... ah... helper. She was down in the cold place with me, looking
over all the ... ah ... cold things."
"That's a marvelous explanation," she murmured scornfully. "That'll
fool them."
Again the door swung aside, this time to allow Gilla to be ejected from
the opening to land sprawling beside them. The scullery workers looked
at him, then back to Lugh and Aine. This time she ventured an
explanation:
"Another helper. He goes with us when we... when we ... ah ... look
around at cold things."
"Oh, that's much better," he told her mockingly.
112
THE RIDERS OF THE SIDHE
THE MISSION
113
Gilla was on his feet now, and by unspoken agreement the three began to
move. There was only a single door, at the opposite end of the long
room, past the workers. They headed slowly toward it.
"Well, we've got to be getting on now," Lugh said casually he hoped.
"You can get right on with your work!"
"Happy to have met you," Gilla added warmly. "Sorry it couldn't have
been longer."
The eyes followed them as they approached and began to edge down one
side of the long table. They were nearly halfway when a very broad and
very dark man who had been carving at a joint of mutton with a very
long knife suddenly came to life. He turned to block them.
"Say hold on! What madness are you speaking? You're not from the tower.
You..." he poked the knife toward Lugh, "you look an Eirelander."
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"Is that a rat gnawing at your foot?" Gilla inquired politely.
The startled man bent forward to look. Gilla grabbed up the joint of
mutton and swept it down on the back of his head. The worker dropped.
Gilla was over him before he hit the floor, Aine and Lugh right behind.
They shouldered aside two others and sprinted for the doorway, getting
through it before the workers could recover from their surprise.
Now the trio faced another corridor, white-walled and empty and
stretching far away into the distance.
"We've got to hide!" Aine said, quite unnecessarily.
The only likely place for that seemed to be one of the many doors
spaced evenly down the corridor's sides. Gilla pulled the others to the
first one, yanked it open and shoved them through.
They found themselves meeting the gaze of two hundred pairs of eyes.
Grey uniformed men and women filled an immense room, sitting over
plates of food at row after row of tables. All had ceased eating when
the trio appeared to stare blankly at them.
"Not again!" Lugh groaned.
It was Gilla who made the excuses this time.
"Oh, sorry! Very sorry for interrupting your meal," he said, apparently
quite unruffled. "Go right ahead." And he ushered
the other two back out, slamming the door on the beginnings of a
commotion.
They reentered the corridor just in time to see several ot the scullery
workers, now mobilized and armed with various lethal utensils, begin a
charge upon them. Gilla led a retreat the other way.
The three raced to the end of the corridor and disappeared around a
corner. When their pursuers, now joined by some sword-wielding soldiers
from the dining hall, rounded it after them, they found their quarry
had disappeared.
The corridor had opened into a square, barren chamber. On each of the
other sides another corridor entered it, and in each corner a broad
stairway went upward.
The pursuers, many quite bewildered about the whole affair, stopped as
they entered the room, peering around, at a
loss.
"Where'd they get to?" asked one of the scullery workers.
"Could be anywhere from here," a warrior replied. "Who were they,
anyway?"
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"Said they was lookin' around," another worker growled. "Popped out of
the freezer calm as you please. But they're not of our lot, I can tell
you that!"
"They could be Eirelanders who got lost," a young warrior suggested.
"No, Captain," the worker told him definitely. "One was in the clothes
of an Eirelander, but he looked normal enough. All of'em did. Even that
strange, gawky one. In fact, the girl wasn't near bad-lookin'."
"They could be de Dananns then." The young captain's tones grew more
worried. "What can they be doing here?"
"We'll have to find them in any case, Captain," a warrior said. "Shall
we alert the Commander?"
"No!" the other said quickly. "He'll be angry if he knows they've
penetrated the Tower so easily. Better to catch them first. There are
only three, and they don't seem dangerous. Organize search parties for
the lower levels. Put guards on the main stairs and the lifts. And be
certain the perimeter guards are alerted. But, for all our sakes, keep
it quiet!" A tinge of fear gave an added bite to his words. "Remember,
the Commander dislikes this kind of mistake!"
The party moved back the way they'd come. Their voices faded.
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