Kevin Anderson - The Ashes of Worlds

Beside her, watching Estarra’s wistful expression as she surveyed the thick forest and the people, Sarein said, “It’s time for us to sink our roots deep.” She looked around with an expression of contentment and a hint of awe. “I never imagined I could miss this place so much.”

Idriss and Alexa had welcomed their oldest daughter home after her escape from Basil Wenceslas, not worried about what she had done on Earth or what political entanglements the Hansa had dragged her into. Estarra was proud of her sister, knowing how she and Deputy Cain had worked to bring about the downfall of the Chairman.

Celli ran to her sisters wearing a garland of flowers. A sash made of lavender and peach lichens hung loosely around her narrow waist. “Only a few more hours. All the trees are focused on it — I can tell. You should hear the buzzing across telink.”

“Don’t the trees have anything more important to worry about?” Estarra teased.

“Not right now, and not to me.” Celli turned to her oldest sister. “Come on, Sarein — show some excitement! This is my big day.”

Sarein seemed embarrassed. “I am excited — honestly. I wouldn’t miss it for anything.”

“You’d better not.” Then Celli bounded off.

Estarra glanced at Sarein. “We’d like you to put on your ambassador’s robes for the occasion. It seems appropriate.”

“I’m not sure I should ever wear those again, considering.”

“Yes, you should.” Estarra lifted her chin regally, then broke into a smile. “Your Queen gives you permission to do so.”

She went off to extricate Peter from his political meetings, insisting that he take the time to prepare himself properly. When they were ready, they ascended to the bright sunshine of the canopy where everyone had gathered to watch the wedding of Celli and Solimar.

Estarra carried the baby against her chest in a cocoon-weave net, while Peter reclined next to her in a mesh chair. The purple-and-black butterflies were hatching again, and clouds of them swirled around like winged amethysts in the open breezes.

Celli and Solimar stood together on the interlocked branches, beaming. Their emerald skin was marked with new dye-tattoos to signify their training, their accomplishments, and their betrothal to each other. The couple looked extremely young, Estarra thought, but she realized that Celli was now nineteen, a year older than she herself had been when she’d married King Peter.

“They look so proud to be together,” Peter said, “as if they share one heart and one mind.”

“Through telink, they’ve already joined their thoughts and emotions.”

“We didn’t have that advantage.” He turned to her. “But I still would have chosen you, no doubt about it.”

As green priests, Celli and Solimar had come to their decision and announced it to the other green priests through telink. Their comrades already knew of their deep commitment, and so the two needed to say very little aloud for the marriage ceremony.

Instead, Celli and Solimar did what they had been born to do. Rejoicing in their abilities, glad to be alive and moving, they demonstrated the acrobatic skills they had learned from other master treedancers. Solimar leaped out to grab a high branch, swung himself around, and folded his legs until he dangled upside down, just as Celli jumped behind him. Solimar caught her with his downstretched arms and swung her up to the next branch, where she pirouetted, barely seeming to touch her toes to the wood.

As the audience cheered and applauded, Solimar launched himself after her, and the two continued a spontaneous yet perfectly choreographed chase through the canopy. Their exuberant dancing had once awakened a new spirit in the devastated worldforest. Now the verdani reciprocated, bowing branches, fanning fronds, taking part in the performance.

As she watched the exhilarating spectacle, Estarra basked in the sunshine. Around her, she saw her parents and other Therons sitting comfortably with Roamers, colonists, and even Hansa representatives. The baby in her arms was warm, solid, and alive. Theroc was lush and in bloom again, and Estarra could smell the flowers in the air.

166

Margaret Colicos

Alongside theBlind Faith, theVoracious Curiosity took off from the sprawling Klikiss hive city on Llaro. The fully repairedCuriosity lifted into the air, her engines sounding like a sigh of relief.

Margaret watched the two ships go with a bittersweet feeling, uneasy at being left behind with the Klikiss again, though it was what she had requested. Anton stayed with her, looking somewhat uncertain about his decision, too.

The Klikiss workers, engineers, and scientists had used their technical skills to repair the damagedCuriosity, guided by the Davlin-breedex, who had now established complete and clear control of the remainder of the species. When Captain Kett had brought her two passengers to Llaro, she’d been skeptical at first about letting the bugs do all the repair work, but when it was finished, she was quite pleased to discover that her ship’s systems were as good as new. The two captains flew away to meet their other obligations for the Confederation.

Margaret saw her son looking nervously at the thousands of clattering workers, high-crested warriors, and tiger-striped domates. “Don’t worry, Anton, the Klikiss won’t harm us. Not now.”

“How could I argue with you? You’ve got more experience with the Klikiss than anyone in history.”

“Are you just trying to convince yourself?”

He swallowed hard. “Yes. Yes, I am.”

Margaret and Anton had brought their own supplies, and the breedex provided a hive tower for them to use as a temporary residence. After Rlinda and BeBob departed, she and her son settled in and began their work. They felt awkward at first, mostly about being together, but quickly formed a workable partnership. They grew closer than they had ever been. Margaret told him stories about his father, and Anton described his years of dealing with university politics and how he’d been accepted among the Ildirans to translate theirSaga of Seven Suns. And he also talked a lot about Vao’sh.

“I’ll get used to it,” Anton said. “We’ve got plenty of Klikiss stories to record. That’s the main thing.”

“Then it’s time for us to meet with the breedex again.”

Of all the scattered subhives, the only Klikiss that remained functional were those that had been closest to the One Breedex aboard the swarmships at Earth. The rest of the bugs remained in hibernation, perhaps permanently. The Davlin-breedex had not been able to override the effects of the crippling Klikiss Siren, but Margaret wasn’t sure how hard he had tried. The sudden attrition of so many parts of the hive mind had given Davlin the opening he had needed to take over permanently with his strong and independent personality.

Inside the putrid-smelling main chamber, the great mass of grubs and pieces formed itself into a swirling, seething sculpture of Davlin Lotze’s face, much more concrete now than it had been before. Margaret stepped close to the terrifying visage. “The rest of humanity may not know it, Davlin, but you alone probably saved us all.”

“I’ll make certain to tell that part of the story,” Anton insisted.

“There are other stories you must preserve,”the breedex said.

“Indeed, there are,” Margaret said. “You need to help us understand, Davlin.”

“I will,”he said in his eerie, overlapping voice.“Listen.”

Together, they spent days in the hall of the breedex as the Davlin persona drew upon genetic memories. He told the never-before-heard history songs of the Klikiss, the former swarmings, the One Breedex, the creation of the black robots and their subjugation. and the treachery that had nearly exterminated the race.

Anton recorded and annotated all the tales, even capturing the alien melodies as background, while Margaret interviewed the breedex. Her son was engrossed, awed to know that he was setting down an untold epic to rival even theSaga of Seven Suns. With a sigh, he looked up from his datapad and flexed his sore hand. “I wish with all my heart that Vao’sh could have been here with us.”