, the girl stopped shivering, and he felt a measure of
warmth in his own shaking body. Ross snapped off the torch, and they lay
together in the dark, the half-rotten pile of weed holding them.

He must have slept, Ross guessed, when he stirred, raising his head. His
body was stiff, aching, as he braced himself up on his hands and peered
over the edge of their kelp nest. There was light in the cave, a pale
grayish wash which grew stronger toward the slit opening. It must be
day. And that meant they could move.

Ross groped in the weed, his hand falling on a curve of shoulder.

"Wake up!" His voice was hoarse and held the snap of an order.

There was a startled gasp in answer, and the mound beside him heaved as
the girl stirred.

"Day out--" Ross pointed.

"And the storm--" she stood up, "I think it is over."

It was true that the level of water within the cave had fallen, that
wavelets no longer lapped with the same vigor. Morning ... the storm
over ... and somewhere Ashe!

Ross was about to snap his mask into place when Karara caught at his
arm.

"Be careful! Remember what I saw--last night they were killing
swimmers!"

He shook her off impatiently. "I'm no fool! And with the packs on we do
not have to surface. Listen--" he had another thought, one which would
provide an excellent excuse for keeping her safely out of his company,
reducing his responsibility for her, "you take the dolphins and try to
find the gate. We'll want out as soon as I locate Ashe."

"And if you do not find him soon?"

Ross hesitated. She had not said the rest. What if he could not find
Gordon at all? But he would--he had to!

"I'll be back here"--he checked his watch, no longer an accurate
timekeeper, for Hawaikan days held an hour more than the Terran
twenty-four, but the settlers kept the off-world measurement to check on
work periods--"in, say, two hours. You should know by then about the
gate, and I'll have some idea of the situation along the shore. But
listen--" Ross caught her shoulders in a taut grip, pulled her around to
face him, his eyes hot and almost angry as they held hers, "don't let
yourself be seen--" He repeated the cardinal rule of Agents in new
territory. "We don't dare risk discovery."

Karara nodded and he could see that she understood, was aware of the
importance of that warning. "Do you want Tino-rau or Taua?"

"No, I'm going to search along the shore first. Ashe would have tried
for that last night ...