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eternity: these had healed him.
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Fraina danced no more through his dreams. He could summon a memory for inspection,
and understand how the reality had never come near being as gorgeous as it seemed, and pity
the wanderers and vow to bring them aid when he became able.
When would that be? How? He was an outlaw. As he emerged from his hurt, he saw ever
more clearly how passive he had been. Erannath had rescued him and provided him with this
berth-why? What reason, other than pleasure, had he to go to the river s end? And if he did,
what next?
He drew breath. Time to start actin again, instead of bein acted on. First thing I need is
allies.
Jao s cry brought him back. She pointed to the nigh shore. Her paddle flew. He toiled
after. Their companions saw, left one in charge of the herd, and converged on the same spot.
A floating object lay caught in reeds: a sealed wooden box, arch-lidded, about two meters
in length. Upon its black enamel he identified golden symbols of Sun, Moons, and River.
 Ai-ya, ai-ya, ai-ya, Jao chanted. Suddenly solemn, the rest chimed in. Though ignorant
of the Kuang Shih s primary language, Ivar could recognize a hymn. He held himself aside.
The herders freed the box. Swimmers pushed it out into midstream. Osels under sharp
command kept chuhos away. It drifted on south. They must have seen aboard Jade Gate,
because the flag went to half-mast.  What was that? Ivar then ventured to ask. Jao brushed
the wet locks off her brow and answered, surprised,  Did you not know? That was one
coffin.
 Huh? I- Wait, I beg your pardon, I do seem to remember-
 All our dead go down the river, down the Yun Kow at last-the Linn-to the Tien Hu, what
you call the Sea of Orcus. It is our duty to launch again any we find stranded. In awe:  I
have heard about one seer who walks there now, who will call back the Old Shen from the
stars. Will our dead then rise from the waters?
Tatiana Thane had never supposed she could mind being by herself. She had always had a
worldful of things to do, read, watch, listen to, think about.
Daytimes still weren t altogether bad. Her present work was inherently solitary: study,
meditation, cut-and-try, bit by bit the construction of a semantic model of the language
spoken around Mount Hamilcar on Dido, which would enable humans to converse with the
natives on a more basic level than pidgin allowed. Her dialogues were with a computer, or
occasionally by vid with the man under whom she had studied, who was retired to his estate
in Heraclea and too old to care about politics.
Since she became a research fellow, students had treated her respectfully. Thus she took a
while-when she missed Ivar so jaggedly, when she was so haunted by fear for him-to realize
that this behavior had become an avoidance. Nor was she overtly snubbed at faculty rituals,
meetings, dining commons, chance encounters in corridor or quad. These days, people didn t
often talk animatedly. Thus likewise she took a while to realize that they never did with her
any more, and, except for her parents, had let her drop from their social lives.
Slowly her spirit wore down.
The first real break in her isolation came about 1700 hours on a Marsday. She was
thinking of going to bed, however poorly she would sleep. Outside was a darker night than
ordinary, for a great dustcloud borne along the tropopause had veiled the stars. Lavinia was
a blurred dun crescent above spires and domes. Wind piped. She sprawled in her largest
chair and played with Frumious Bandersnatch. The tadmouse ran up and down her body,
from shins to shoulders and back, trilling. The comfort was as minute as himself.
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The knocker rapped. For a moment she thought she hadn t heard aright. Then her pulse
stumbled, and she nearly threw her pet off in her haste to open the door. He clung to her
sweater and whistled indignation.
A man stepped through, at once closing the door behind him. Though the outside air that
came along was cold as well as ferric-harsh, no one would ordinarily have worn a nightmask.
He doffed his and she saw the bony middle-aged features of Gabriel Stewart. They had last
been together on Dido. His work was to know the Hamilcar region backwards and forwards,
guide scientific parties and see to their well-being.
 Why... why ... hello, she said helplessly.
 Draw your blinds, he ordered.  I d as soon not be glimpsed from beneath.
She stared. Her backbone pringled.  Are you in trouble, Gabe?
 Not officially-yet.
 I d no idea you were on Aeneas. Why didn t you call?
 Calls can be monitored. Now cover those windows, will you?
She obeyed. Stewart removed his outer garments.  It s good to see you again, she
ventured.
 You may not think that after I ve spoken my piece. He unbent a little.  Though maybe
you will. I recall you as bold lass, in your quiet way. And I don t suppose Firstlin of Ilion
made you his girl for nothin .
 Do you have news of Ivar? she cried.   Fraid not. I was hopin you would. . . . Well, let s
talk.
He refused wine but let her brew a pot of tea. Meanwhile he sat, puffed his pipe, exchanged
accounts of everything that had happened since the revolution erupted. He had gone
outsystem, in McCormac s hastily assembled Intelligence corps, and admitted ruefully that
meanwhile the war was lost in his own bailiwick. As far as he could discover, upon being
returned after the defeat, some Terran agent had not only managed to rescue the Admiral s
wife from Snelund-a priceless bargaining counter, no doubt-but while on Dido had hijacked a
patriot vessel whose computer held the latest codes....  I got wonderin about possibility of
organizin Didonians to help fight on, as guerrillas or even as navy personnel. At last I
hitched ride to Aeneas and looked up my friend-m-m, never mind his name; he s of
University too, on a secondary campus. Through him, I soon got involved in resistance
movement.
 There is one?
He regarded her somberly.  You ask that, Ivar Frederiksen s bride to be?
 I was never consulted. She put teapot and cups on a table between them, sank to the
edge of a chair opposite his, and stared at the fingers wrestling in her lap.  He- It was crazy
impulse, what he did. Wasn t it?
 Maybe then. Not any longer. Of course, your dear Commissioner Desai would prefer you
believe that.
Tatiana braced herself and met his look.  Granted, she said,  I ve seen Desai several
times. I ve passed on his remarks to people I know-not endorsin them, simply passin them
on. Is that why I m ostracized? Surely University folk should agree we can t have too much
data input.
 I ve queried around about you, Stewart replied.  It s curious kind of tension. Outsider
like me can maybe identify it better than those who re bein racked. On one hand, you are
Ivar Frederiksen s girl. It could be dangerous gettin near you, because he may return any
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day. That makes cowardly types ride clear of you. Then certain others- Well, you do have
mana. I can t think of better word for it. They sense you re big medicine, because of bein his
chosen, and it makes them vaguely uncomfortable. They aren t used to that sort of thing in [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]