"Red flag! Red flag!" a voice from the tree was suddenly yelling. "Red flag! Looks live Kiv! Red flag!"

The activity level of the already busy place increased fivefold. Everyone began running, lifting heavy objects and carrying equipment down into the pit. Jarel dove into the river and began swimming across to the other side. Jossander, who'd been explaining the plan to me in greater detail, left my side and began scurrying around with the rest of them. I just watched, understanding that this was some type of emergency but not comprehending what was wrong.

"A red flag means a Baron boat's coming," Jossander managed to explain to me between rushing from one task to another. "We've got runners stationed at two points between here and their nearest harbor. A runner comes waving a blue flag, there's some non-urgent problem. A red flag means we gotta pack up and hid in the pits."

"But how..." I faltered as he rushed off.

An exhausted runner, still dragging the red flag, reached the site and began to help loading small tools into a crate to be taken down.

"Kivalen, stop!" Jossander exclaimed. "Cool yourself down a few minutes. We can take care of it."

The runner shook his head. "No...time!" he managed to gasp, but couldn't say more.

Jossander asked no further questions but told them all to speed it up. He even yelled across the river to Jarel, who was clearing the other bank. There was far less equipment on the other side, I noticed, but as only one person was over there working it was taking just as long. I was sure a solid half-hour had passed before everything was down in the pits under the ground, including the people. Then Bo and Rolan lowered over the enormous hole a cover made of crossed wooden beams and topped with soil and grass so as to appear perfectly natural when the ship passed.

With one enormous log, lots of equipment, and eight people in the pit, it was very cramped. Only Ashlar remained outside. He'd gone back up his tree to keep watch. A tiny bell hung on a thin cord strung from the treetop, through the cover, into the pit. Ashlar would ring it to signal when the boat was within sight, and again when it was past. It would probably take about forty-five minutes, I was told.

Kivalen had been right when he said there was no extra time. Not five minutes after we were secured the bell rang. Everyone looked startled. "I think that's the closest we've ever cut it," Rolan mumbled.

Everyone settled into a kind of rough circle. Jarel began pulling on dry clothing, and Kivalen started stretching his tired muscles. The others explained who I was when he noticed me there. Bo and Chalia, making efficient use of every minute, began tinkering with some of their smaller mechanical parts by the light of the pit's many lamps. I shouldn't have been surprised at the bright light; with four crafters the lamps were probably no trouble at all to put up. I couldn't help thinking as I watched the diligently working crafters what an unlikely pair they made: the tiny woman the huge, heavily muscled man. Crafters were categorically large due to all the time they spent carrying bulky equipment and swinging heavy tools, a trait perfectly exhibited by Midrot and Rolan as well as Bo. I was given to understanding that Chalia was more involved in designing than in the actual construction.

Jossander took advantage of the hiding time to explain the plan to me in full, and everyone joined in.

"We chose this site," Jossander began, "because it's the river's narrowest point."

"And also because the forest reaches nearly to the shore," Rolan added.

"Then we dug these pits and reinforced the fronts so they'd stand against the river." Midrot gestured to the hideout's one thick wooden wall.

"We dug two round holes," Jossander continued, reaching over an oblivious Chalia to point out the one through the reinforced wall in this pit, "and covered each with a metal lid easily pushed open from this side, by, say, a log, but not so from the other side, by the river. That was the hardest part, wasn't it, Jare?" Jarel grinned and I wondered what kind of trouble the swimmer had had installing the covers.

"Then we attach these amazing," Rolan glanced at the two working crafters, "devices to the ends of the logs." He held up one of the claw-like configurations that Chalia had shown me earlier. It resembled an umbrella, without the covering. "You see, it wants to spread out," Rolan continued, "but presses together to penetrate. Then after it's through it spreads out and we retract. Beautiful design."

"I think this machine is the most amazing of all." Midrot pointed to what resembled a giant screw with a crank attached to its end. Which, as he explained, was basically all it was. "We turn this crank, and the screw pushes the log out with incredible speed and strength. Enough to go right through the hull of a ship." He smiled with satisfaction.

"When we're all set and we see a bright yellow flag coming," Jossander took up the explanation again, "we'll have Ash and Jarel up in the trees on either side. We've worked out bell codes for every situation, so we'll know exactly when to thrust the logs. Once that's complete, we'll all climb out of the pits," he gestured to the stairway, a rude collection of boxes and crates, "and shoot flaming arrows into the ship."

"What good will that do?" I wondered. Flaming arrows wouldn't stop a military carrier of the size they were aiming to take down.

"Surely you know the Barons have taken to carrying stores of explosive powder with all their groups of soldiers," Jossander answered. "We fire up a barrel, it'll take the whole ship down. Prevent evidence from getting back. If anyone escapes, we'll have men on both sides. We aim to be able to take down four or five ships before we're discovered."

I was stunned. The shock of seeing that initial exploded ship had not worn off. Yet, this is war, I told myself. You can't make any difference at all in a war if you get sentimental about it.

"You don't approve?" Jossander asked gently.

"No," I said slowly, "I approve." I swallowed and added, "And I'm pretty good with a bow and arrow, too."

Jossander just smiled, while Jarel pumped a fist in the air and Rolan shouted, "We got a new partner!" Even Midrot looked pleased. "Well, now that that's settled," Jossander changed the subject briskly, "And now that Kiv's had a chance to get his breath back, let's hear the story of today's dire emergency."

Kivalen cleared his throat several times, and Jarel tossed his canteen over. "Thanks, Waterboy," the runner grinned, drawing a laugh out of everyone in the circle. He took a long swig from the water flask and began the story.

"Bosney sprained an ankle. Less than halfway to the second point. Fell in a hole in the ground. Stupid, careless...anyway, he came all the way, but it took him three times as long as it should have. And made an awful mess of that ankle, too, running on it all that distance. Medic's with him now at the second point. Probably drugged him up till he can't even move, he was in such pain!"

"He got the warning to us in time," Jossander sighed. "Five more minutes..."

"It probably wouldn't have come to that," Rolan pointed out reasonably. "Ashlar can see them long before they can see us."

"Don't be too sure," Midrot warned. "They'll have lookouts atop their masts, too, not much lower than our tree posts."

"Kiv," Jossander asked thoughtfully, "how many runners do we have left?"

"Three, myself included."

"What?" The Captain jumped up in shock, his head nearly hitting the ceiling, his expression more or less reflected by everyone around the circle, except for Midrot who looked as if he'd expected it.

"Didn't we start out with seven?" Jossander spat.

"No," Midrot answered grimly. "You asked for seven. That snotty executive only gave us six."

"And that cheap overseer took one of those away when he found out Kiv was already on your team," Rolan added.

"And then we traded one away for Jarel," Midrot finished.

"Traded one away," Kiv scoffed, but he was more amused than offended. "Then we put one up in a tree at the first station. Saves a lot of time; it's much more efficient than trying to outrun the boats. Saved us today, that's for sure. Bosney going down leaves three, and I'm out for the night."

Jossander looked annoyed. "You should be out for tomorrow, too, but I don't have anyone else to send back. How are you positioned now?"

"Arlen's at point two and Sturge is at point one, with Lundy up the tree."

"So what if another boat comes along? All you'd have left is a lookout at point one," Jossander pointed out angrily. "Then what?"

"Then we're screwed," Kiv answered, leaning back.

"That's helpful!"

"How can those executives expect us to get anything done when they won't give us what we need to do it?" Rolan complained, his face flushed. I had a feeling he was talking about materials as well as humans.

"There's a shortage of runners lately," Kiv commented. "Almost as bad as the shortage of medics."

"And that's another thing!" Jossander railed. "One medic for a mission with twelve people and who knows how many kilometers to cover! It's only luck Bosney got hurt going to the middle, where we stationed him."

"Take it easy Joss. We've been lucky so far," Rolan pointed out pacifically.

"Yeah, well, luck might sink one ship, but not four," Jossander said icily. "We need something more dependable than luck or this whole mission'll blow up in our faces!" He started pacing in frustration, letting that analogy sink in. I thought of Mina, probably still working at the Baron prison, during a time when the Cols desperately needed medics. Sure, it was mostly Cols she was doctoring, but she was working for the Barons. That heresy was still sickening to me.

"How much longer will you guys need?" the Captain finally asked.

"Just a few days," Midrot promised, looking to the far end of the hideout for support. "Bo? Chalia?"

"Huh? What? Me?" Bo asked, looking up and around.

"We can hold out that long," Kiv declared, nodding his head. When I go back tomorrow I'll send Arlen back to point one and we'll be fine."

"Kiv, you cannot go back tomorrow," Jossander sighed. "I'm not taking the risk of you hurting yourself, too, running tired. That's the last thing we need."

"I can do it," Kiv argued, though he looked relieved. I was still amazed that a distance it had taken Tuck and me almost a week to march was run by two men in under a day.

"Shouldn't someone go back and tell the runners we're through it, though?" Rolan asked worriedly.

"We're not through it yet," Midrot muttered darkly.

"If we don't," Kiv warned, "Arlen'll go back on his own and report that something's wrong."

"He can't do that!" Jossander protested. "That leaves no one at the midpoint. What if another boat's sighted?"

"Sturge'd probably make it all the way," Kiv said, unworried. "He's the best of all of us."

"What if he sprains an ankle?" the Captain asked sarcastically.

"Well, then we're � "

"Forget it!" Jossander snapped.

"Kiv, it was a rhetorical question," Midrot sounded amused.

"Well, that was a pretty rhetorical answer," Jarel pointed out mildly, speaking for the first time.

"Maybe I could send Jarel down," Jossander sounded like he was thinking out loud.

"No!" came the instantaneous chorus from all four crafters.

"Not at this point!" Bo refused.

"We're just ready to move the parts over now." Chalia argued further.

"Why don't you build a bridge?" I heard myself speak up.

Everyone looked at me. "We tried," Rolan explained. "It didn't work out. We couldn't secure it to the ground because it would take too long to pull it out every time we had to hide."

"We spent a whole day on that blasted bridge," Midrot continued. "We tried leaving it loose, and the whole thing collapsed. We lost some good wood, not to mention having to fish Bo and Rolan out of the river." He sounded annoyed, but everyone else exchanged amused glances for the incident.

"How about if I go, then?" Jossander suggested.

"No!" everyone shouted, just as vehemently.

"We need you here!" Bo pointed at the floor for emphasis.

"Well, it's nice to feel needed, but we've got a mission to complete and we're short a man," Jossander again began pacing in the limited space.

The solution was so patently obvious I don't know how I stopped myself from laughing out loud.

"I'll do it," I said with a smile.

I saw hope flicker in several faces around the circle, but Midrot instantly shouted, "No!" and Jossander just smiled kind of wistfully.

"I'm sorry, Brytani, but you know I can't do that," he gently said.

I stared at him for a moment, not comprehending, and then I did and I groaned.

"My Captain's Shahan Quent," I tried. "Do you know him?" Jossander looked about Shay's age, or just slightly younger. It was possible.

"I wish that I did," the Captain shook his head.

"It would be perfect," Jarel mused. "With her along, Kiv'd have to take it slow."

"I'd thought of that," Jossander cut him off curtly.

"Absolutely not," Midrot said, rising and crossing his burly crafter's arms across his chest. "You're not usually a na�ve man, Jossander; you ought to see plainly that you can't trust here, not in this situation."

Slowly, regretfully, Jossander nodded. "Kiv, get a good meal and a good rest tonight, and tomorrow morning start back at an easy pace. Arlen'll have to give you till evening at least before he starts off on a mission of his own."

Suddenly the little bell rang, announcing that the time of danger had passed.

"And that's that," Jarel muttered. Being empathically trained I didn't miss the edge to his voice, though I'm sure the others did. I was perceiving a slight tension between the young swimmer and the oldest crafter.

The sun had set by the time we stepped outside, and only moonlight allowed us to see. Chalia went back down to bring up some lamps.

A black-haired, tired-looking young man swung down from the lowest branch of the tree next to us. "Look, can someone else take the night watch, or we all sleep in the pit!"

"I'll do it," Jarel said, laughing. "I need the practice." He began to climb the tree, and the rest began arranging blankets and sleeping bags around a circle at which Bo used a lamp to start a fire. I looked around at this mission team, and for the first time realized how glad I was that I'd left Pathic Training, even if I didn't have much of a purpose where I was now. Content for the moment, I joined the circle.