t on to camp, as fast as you can
run."

The firing abruptly ceased as he spoke. There was an ominous silence.
Alonzo came running, his tone almost a yelp in its urgency:

"They are awrmost where they can see us! We got to get her out of here,
Rootenant--awrfur quick!"

* * * * *

"_Lyla!_"

It was the voice of Val, sharp with concern for her. He came running out
of the ghost trees, all his cold impassiveness gone. "Are you hurt,
Honey--are you hurt?"

"_You came for me!_" She whispered the words, her face radiant. Then she
ran to meet him, her arms outstretched, crying, "_Val ... oh, Val...._"

Their arms went around each other.

Then the woods erupted as ten blasters laid down a barrage to block any
escape to camp.

"I'll try to give you a chance to get through," Hunter said quickly.
"Be ready for it when it comes."

He ran toward the firing line, taking advantage of the concealment
afforded by the first fringe of ghost trees. They should be almost
within range of his own weapon, now--

Again, the firing abruptly ceased, as though by some signal. There came
the furious raving of Narf:

"_It's that Boran she wants! Kill him, too!_"

Sonig cursed with bitter rage. "_Jardeen is lost to Verdam if any
witness escapes--and we'll all hang, besides._"

There was a second of silence, and then Narf's command:

"_Kill the woman, too!_"

There was a roar like thunder as the firing began. The ground trembled
and debris filled the air with flying fragments. Hunter, still running
toward the enemy under cover of the trees, saw Val trying to get Lyla to
safety and saw them both hurled to the ground as a tree exploded in
front of them. They would never live to rise and run again--

* * * * *

He saw Rockford's plan, at last, and what his own duty would now have to
be. He knew why Rockford had said of this day, "_If you can live through
it, you will have it made._"

And he had a cold feeling inside him that he was not going to have it
made.

He took a deep breath and ran toward the enemy, out of the concealment
of the ghost trees and in the open where they could not fail to see him,
his blaster firing a continuous beam that fell only a little short of
the enemy, that showed them he would be close enough to kill them within
seconds if he was not stopped.

The fire concentrated upon him, giving Lyla and Val their chance for
escape. He ran through an