Shards of Honor (Vorkosigan Saga) Read Free

they informed you of their escape?"
    "I told them to use their initiative," she murmured vaguely, groping for inspiration in a throbbing fog.
    He snorted. "A safe order to give a Betan. At least you're sure to be obeyed."
    Oh, no. My turn. "Hey, I know why my people left me behind—why did yours leave you? Isn't one's commanding officer, even a Barrayaran one, too important to mislay?" She sat up straighter. "If Reg couldn't hit the side of a house, who shot you?"
    That's fetched him , she thought, as the stunner with which he had been absently gesturing was swiveled back to aim on her. But he said only, "That is not your concern. Have you another comlink?"
    Oh, ho—was this stern Barrayaran commander dealing with a mutiny? Well, confusion to the enemy! "No. Your soldiers trashed everything."
    "No matter," muttered Vorkosigan. "I know where to get another. Are you able to walk yet?"
    "I'm not sure." She pushed herself to her feet, then pressed her hand to her head to contain the shooting pains.
    "It's only a concussion," Vorkosigan said unsympathetically. "A walk will do you good."
    "How far?" she gasped.
    "About two hundred kilometers."
    She fell back to her knees. "Have a nice trip."
    "By myself, two days. I suppose you will take longer, being a geologist, or whatever."
    "Astrocartographer."
    "Get up, please." He unbent so far as to help her with a hand under her elbow. He seemed curiously reluctant to touch her. She was chilled and stiff; she could feel the heat from his hand through the heavy cloth of her sleeve. Vorkosigan pushed her determinedly up the side of the ravine.
    "You're stone serious," she said. "What are you going to do with a prisoner on a forced march? Suppose I bash in your head with a rock while you sleep?"
    "I'll take my chances."
    They cleared the top. Cordelia draped herself around one of the little trees, winded. Vorkosigan wasn't even breathing hard, she noticed enviously. "Well, I'm not going anywhere till I've buried my officers."
    He looked irritated. "It's a waste of time and energy."
    "I won't leave them to the scavengers like dead animals. Your Barrayaran thugs may know more about killing, but not one of them could have died a more soldierly death."
    He stared at her a moment, face unreadable, then shrugged. "Very well."
    Cordelia began to make her way along the side of the ravine. "I thought it was here," she said, puzzled. "Did you move him?"
    "No. But he can't have crawled far, in his condition."
    "You said he was dead!"
    "So he is. His body, however, was still animate. The disruptor must have missed his cerebellum."
    Cordelia traced the trail of broken vegetation over a small rise, Vorkosigan following silently.
    "Dubauer!" She ran to the tan-clad figure curled up in the bracken. As she knelt beside him he turned and stretched out stiffly, then began to shake all over in slow waves, his lips drawn back in a strange grin. Cold? she thought wildly, then realized what she was seeing. She yanked her handkerchief from her pocket, folded it, and forced it between his teeth. His mouth was already bloody from a previous convulsion. After about three minutes he sighed and went limp.
    She blew out her breath in distress and examined him anxiously. He opened his eyes, and seemed to focus on her face. He clutched ineffectually at her arm and made noises, all moans and clotted vowels. She tried to soothe his animal agitation by gently stroking his head, and wiping the bloody spittle from his mouth; he quieted.
    She turned to Vorkosigan, tears of fury and pain blurring her vision. "Not dead! Liar! Only injured. He must have medical help."
    "You are being unrealistic, Commander Naismith. One does not recover from disruptor injuries."
    "So? You can't tell the extent of the damage your filthy weapon has done from the outside. He can still see and hear and feel—you can't demote him to the status of a corpse for your convenience!"
    His face seemed a mask. "If you wish," he said carefully. "I can put him