Mandalorian Lost

Chapter 25

I breathe out a sigh of relief when we finally catch up with Greef and Cara. We round the corner and the two of them are on the other side staring at us with their weapons raised. The minute they realize who we are, Cara rushes toward us. She shoves the child into IG-11's arms and grabs Din, mistakenly thinking that I was supporting him, and he quickly shrugs her off.

"I'm fine, she needs the help," he says, gently guiding me toward Cara. She takes my arm from his shoulders and slings it around hers, offering Din a respite from supporting me.

"Are you guys okay?" She asks, glancing down at my weak figure. I'm panting, winded just from the short, flat walk through the sewers. Din shakes his head.

"She's already wounded and she healed me with her powers," he explains. "I think it took too much out of her."

"I'll be fine," I say shallowly. The longer we stand around talking, the longer it'll take to get me somewhere I can safely pass out. Cara tightens her hold on me and nods down at me.

"I got you," she says gently. We start walking again, and each step seems harder than the last.

It feels like an endless maze down here, and in my exhausted state, I find it even easier to blame the Mandalorians. Stupid secret coverts with so many tunnels. We come through our latest narrow, dark tunnel into a larger, more well-lit corridor. Greef turns around, holding his arms out as he stares expectantly at Din.

"Do you know which way to go?" He asks impatiently.

Din shrugs, examining each direction. "No, I don't know these tunnels. I've only entered from the bazaar." Walking was difficult, but I quickly realize coming to a stop is worse. At least when I was walking, I could focus on each step. Now, as we stand still and assess our options, I can only think about how heavy my legs are. I start to drop.

"Well," Greef grunts, swooping in to support my other side. "If we get the smell of sulfur and we follow it, it'll lead us up to the plains where the river flows."

"And the Imps will catch us before we make it to the ship," Din says flatly. I groan as we hobble along.

"Don't say that," I whine sarcastically. "I was just starting to feel optimistic."

"We need the Mandalorians to escort us to safety," he says, ignoring my jab. I let out a reluctant scoff at that and he tilts his helmet at me. "We don't have another choice," he adds softly. I know he's right, and I hate it.

We keep walking further through the Mandalorian maze and with each passing moment, my irritation grows. They could've put signs on the walls. Literally anything would've been helpful.

"This place is a maze," Cara groans, pulling me along. A small surge of energy blooms from my wounded side and spreads through me so I stop, holding my hand out to stop her as well.

"I can walk," I say as I take a cautious step forward on my own. Din walks backward in front of me with his hands hovering at my sides as I take a few more steps. I manage a weak smile up at him. "I'm alright."

"The bacta infusion is working," IG informs us. I nod, brushing a few fingers against the healing wound. With that on the mend, I can manage to walk on my own. If we have to start running or shooting our way out, that'll be a different story.

"I'll try to find tracks," Din announces, assuming a position ahead of us. We all follow slowly as he scans the ground with his helmet for footprints and directs us where to go. "Turn here." He rounds a corner and stops dead in his tracks. I nearly ram into his back before looking up just in time, glaring at his back as I slowly hobble around him to see what all the fuss is about.