Jo Clayton - Fire in the Sky

“That will depend upon how soon we can get passage on a barge. I wanted to clear matters with you, Goлs Koraka, before I started making arrangements.” She stood. “If you want my testimony under Verifier, it is yours without condition. I do not like what is being done to these people.”

Marrin drove past the track parked at the beginning of the causeway. “And we hope they’re finally doing their job since their being here makes Shears’ telltales useless.”

“I know. You rank me right up with the Goлs for cluelessness, don’t you.”

“From what I can see, Scholar, you’ve led a singularly sheltered life.” He kept his eyes moving, scanning the silent green front of the Marish as if the flicker of the leaves and the flutter of hanging lichen webs could give him the answers the telltale wouldn’t.

“Tactful. And very like my mother.” She was silent a while. The darkness under the trees, the stagnant water with its reeds and clouds of insects, the gauzy lichen like ancient webs of gigantic spiders, the stillness of the place, all of that seemed to settle over her and give her voice an oddly muffled quality when she finally spoke. “It has always amazed me how most physically competent, practical people have such a low opinion of a Scholar’s imaginative competence even when they are very bright themselves.”

“In my case, if you want a serious answer, Scholar…”

“I would prefer one, yes.”

He frowned at the stretch of causeway left, glanced over his shoulder, reached up and tapped on the telltale. “On Picabral, men whose skills lay only in the mind generally died before puberty. It gives one a viewpoint perhaps a little skewed.”

“I see.”

“A dull and bloody place, Scholar. You wouldn’t find much interesting there. Such a world tends to a deadly uniformity, the more so since anyone with a touch of your imaginative competence… by the way, I rather like that phrase… removes himself at the first possible moment.” He sighed with relief as he started down the ramp. “Though I wouldn’t put you among those who only dream. But you have been sheltered from a great deal that might help you plan right now.”

“Hm.” It was a small and exceedingly skeptical sound almost lost in the hum of lifters. It trailed off into a sigh as she leaned back and let the stunner rest in her lap. “We’ll have to crate the gear and get the Metau and Teseach to give it storage room in the Meeting House. That should be safe enough. You and Dunc start running the analysis of the interviews, get everything encrypted and duplicated into flakes. Just in case. I’ve three more interviews set up for tomorrow. Might as well finish those before we leave. Besides, one of them is a bargeman’s wife. Won’t be direct help, no doubt, but maybe I can pick up some useful information.”

“No more argument?”

“About going after the Chav? I don’t waste my breath.” She wrinkled her longish nose, laughed at him. “Besides, Shadow may already have dealt with him. She can be a very sudden woman when she chooses.”

“I’ve heard rumors. That the truth you told the Goлs?”

“Now, Marrin, I’m surprised at you. You think I’d lie?” She grinned. “When every word I spoke is going through analysis by traders used to listen for nuance?” She sobered. “And I’ll probably have to submit to the Verifier when this business is over. You, too. Remember that.”

“Me?” He blinked, looked startled. “Why? I’m only a student.”

“Because this is a Trade Matter. Which means Helvetia. I’ve been through one of their condemnation trials. They pick nits like no one else. Which means everyone, including you, Dunc, and a sample of the Bйluchar who can speak as direct witnesses to the burnings. Goлs Koraka hoeh Dexios knows all of this, Marrin. It’s why he’s being so very very careful in everything he does. This is life and death for Yaraka and Chandavasi.”

He looked out over the placid fields with the herds and their drowsy keepers, the farmers working in their fields, weeding, irrigating, planting things whose names he didn’t know, whose uses he had even less idea about. The sky was empty of Eolt, but a few clouds stretched in long arcing wisps across a deep blue dome. Such peace was deceptive, he knew, this was no godhome perfection, but filled with stresses and strains and the thousand thousand ways that life can go wrong for people, especially when two such disparate species tried to live together. But they did try, and there had been peace. This wasn’t a stagnant world; things changed, but they had changed at Bйluchad’s own pace and in ways peculiar to this dual species called Bйluchar. And the Eolt were a wonder. The first time he’d seen them, they’d been like jewels carved from amber, and when he heard them singing in that grand chorus… the memory stung a sterner anger out of him and a determination to pull together for himself the Chandavasi files. They were there in the Rekordek, he’d just been too busy to look into them.

Duncan Shears was waiting in the stable the Blai Olegan had cleaned out to house the jit. “Metau and Teseach have been by,” he said. “They want to see you soonest, Scholar.”

“About what?” Aslan swung down from the jit, pushing her hair back from her face. “They give you any idea?”

“Probably Glois and Utelel,” Marrin said. “Finally got around to doing what they should have done yesterday.”

“Hm. Dunc, were they angry or what?”

“Serious but not hostile.”

“Then that’s all right. I’d better get cleaned up first. Marrin will fill you in. Things are going to start changing very quickly.”

“Enclave?”

“You don’t sound happy about it.”

“I’m not.”

“Well, we’re not. We’re going to go inland and hunt for Shadith.”

“I was thinking about that. Away from here to anywhere is a good idea.”

“Ihoi! I’m weak as a rotted rootbulb.” Danor grunted, tried to push himself up.

Shadith rose from the cot where she was drowsing, opened the slide on the nightlight and carried it across to the bed. “So you’re with us again.” She set the nightlight clown, bent down, touched his face. “Good. For a while there I thought you were going to burn this place down around you, that fever had you so hot.”

“Place. Where are we?”

“Blai at Dumel Minach.”

“How long…?”

“Six days. You nearly died from the fever and the allergies, but Tokta Burek got you through.”

“Allergies?”

“There was a point when I had to use things from my medkit on you. They worked enough so we didn’t kill you by moving you but caused some problems later.” She managed a smile. “Might have fried a few nerves, but with some rest you’ll do all right.”

“Rest. We’ve already lost six days.” His voice went shrill on the end, and he tried to push himself up.

Shadith clucked her tongue, bent over him, her hands on his shoulders, not applying pressure yet, just letting him know she could. “And we’ll lose even more if you tear open that wound. Relax. Mer-Eolt Lebesair went on ahead to let the Meruu know what happened. Xe got back yesterday. They’ll wait for us.”

“The dying won’t wait. Leave me and go on.”

“Yes, we could do that, but you’ve seen what we could only report second hand, Ard Da…”

“Don’t call me Ard. My sioll’s dead.” That outburst used the last of his energy; he went limp, turning his head so she wouldn’t see the tears coursing from his eyes.

She touched his hair lightly, straightened, filled a glass from the ewer on the bedtable. “I’ve poured you some water. It’s on the table here, just stretch out your hand when you want it. I’m on the cot by the window, call me if you need anything.”