«No doubt you brought it on yourself,” he said eventually, gruffly. «Get dressed and I’ll find a slice of meat for you.» He turned away abruptly.
She smiled like the sun itself. «Thanks, Haleka.»
When they got back to the tump, Axil was there. «I see you’ve caught her,” he called. «That’s good. Now we can deal with her. One thing I know — she won’t pull a trick like this again.» He held a tumpstick with which he took a practice swing, making the air whistle.
«She didn’t do it, Axil.»
«Tell that to the howler monkeys!»
«I said she didn’t do it.» He faced the man squarely. «She told me so, and I believe her.»
Now Axil got his first good look at Karina. The cat-girl met his gaze and for a long moment held it, and during that moment two minds met: the mind of a girl whose race had been created thirty thousand years ago in a laboratory, and the mind of a man whose race went back to the Paragonic Years, which had lived for millennia on remote islands before undertaking a duty which took it around the world and deprived it forever of a permanent home. The two minds met and recognized each other as human. And a third mind was there too — an alien mind, a catalyst.
«No, Karina didn’t do it,” said Axil.
He walked away slowly, as though sleep-walking.
Moving camp
Saba said, «I wish Karina was here. She was good at this. The vampiro liked her.»
All over the hillside the vampiros were rising into the afternoon sky like leaves in an autumn wind, trailing thongs. There was excitement in the air and the felinos were singing as they set off northwards, an old felino song:
«My house is like a warm cocoon,
And shelters me from fear.
But when the Festival draws near,
My house is like the Moon.»
And the vampiros soared on membranous wings, filling the air with their shrill piping.
«You fed it too much,” Runa accused Teressa.
«I never fed it.»
«Well then, you starved it. It’s too weak to fly.»
«What about you? What about you? Why blame me?»
All around them the vampiros were taking off, the felinas gripping the ends of the thongs and hurrying away. Teressa was tugging at the giant bat’s claws which remained obstinately fixed into the ground, like the roots of a very old tree. The vampiro watched her with baleful eyes. It had folded its wings so that the grupo’s furniture was uncovered, but some unknown grudge caused it to remain sulkily earthbound.
«Get moving, girls!» called El Tigre, passing by.
«Mordecai!» swore Teressa. «All the best sites will be taken!» She jumped up and seized the vampiro around its scrawny neck. «Help me!» she shouted to her sisters.
«What are you trying to do, strangle it?»
«I’m trying to knock it over, you fool!» The vampiro had straightened its back, lifting Teressa’s feet from the ground. She hung there kicking. «If we can get the weight off its legs, we stand a better chance of unhooking its claws from the ground!»
The vampiro, a creature of great stoicism, ignored her. When crouched with spread wings to form the traditional shelter, vampiros are bell-shaped and not much taller than a man. In the standing position, though, they are of impressive height, and Teressa’s feet were a good meter from the ground. The vampiro gazed stolidly at the distant ocean, as though reflecting on the timelessness of it all. Its face was small and mouselike with a curious harelip but its neck was comparatively long, and bald. This gave the whole creature the appearance of a giant and dignified condor.
Runa flung herself bodily at the animal.
It absorbed her momentum like a leathery pillow.
«Oh, God!» shouted Saba in mortification, glancing frantically at the grinning faces which were beginning to turn their way, then taking a short run and hurling her own slight frame against the resilient vampiro.
Dull Torpe drew near, blinking. «I may be stupid,” he said, «But I can’t understand what you girls are trying to do.» His mouth dropped open again, his face resuming its characteristic expression of doltish surprise.
Teressa dropped to the ground, turned, and in her frustration attacked Runa. «It’s all your fault! It’s all your fault! I hate you!» They rolled to the ground in furious combat while Saba backed off hastily.
Now the cynical Dozo appeared, smiling enigmatically as Teressa and Runa hammered each other and the gathering crowd hooted encouragement.
«This would never have happened if Karina had been here,” said Saba by way of an excuse, as Dozo cocked an eye at her.
«Grupos always fight,” he replied. «It’s in the nature of things. It strengthens the bond, although God knows how. Karina would make no difference … or would she? She certainly has a presence, that girl.»
«We hardly ever fought when she was around. Oh!» cried Saba in sudden despair, as Teressa straddled Runa, got a handful of her hair and began to pound her head into the dust, «I wish she was back!»
«I’ll have to speak to El Tigre,” said Dozo. «For what it’s worth. We can’t have our top grupo falling apart. Have you seen much of Torch lately?» he asked unexpectedly.
«Not since Karina left.… Anyway, it’s no use talking to father. Teressa’s the one who doesn’t want Karina around. She still blames her for running out on us.»
«I do. With good reason.» Teressa stood before them, panting, the tunic ripped from her breasts and hanging in rags around her waist. «A grupo is no grupo if one goes off alone. We’re supposed to share adventures — and Mordecai knows, adventures are hard enough to come by.» Runa lay in the dirt, shaking her head dazedly. There were a few delighted catcalls from the bachelors concerning Teressa’s state of dress, but the crowd was beginning to disperse, the fun over. «You’ll never see that traitor back in this grupo,” Teressa said.
The vampiro still stood there with folded wings, like a huge and dignified patriarch watching the squabblings of children.
«I wonder,” said Dozo.
«Ah, get out of here, you old faggot,” said Teressa in disgust. She dragged Runa to her feet. «Go and get a rope, Runa. We’ll lasso this stupid bat. Then we can pull him over with a couple of shrugleggers.»
«She wishes Karina was back, really,” said Saba to Dozo, but very quietly, so that Teressa couldn’t hear.
It was dark by the time the El Tigre grupo arrived at Rangua North camp. The other vampiros were all in position, replete with food, snoring softly while the grupos chattered under the domes of their wings. After a change of campsite the vampiros were always fed well — otherwise a grupo might awaken to find open sky above, and the giant bat winging across the rain forest, never to return.
Karina, hiding nearby, heard the creaking of cart wheels and the familiar, loved voices. She waited behind the curve of a tent for her chance.
Then, «Saba,” she whispered.
«Who’s that? Is that you, Karina? Oh …!»
Saba rushed into her arms and they hugged, pummelling each other in affection, stepping apart, then wrestling with soft growlings.
At last Karina asked, «Where have you all been? All the other felinas are here. I got worried.»
Saba explained the problem.
Karina laughed, then clapped her hand over her mouth.
«Saba? Saba, is that you, for God’s sake? For the love of Mordecai, where is that girl?» Teressa’s voice was tight with frustration. «Come and help hold this bastard down, Saba, otherwise he’ll take off for the hills the moment we untie him!»
«Maybe we shouldn’t untie him, Tess,” they heard Runa say. «Maybe we should leave him there until morning.»
«And let him meditate on the error of his ways, I suppose. God damn it, Runa, he’s just a dumb vampiro. A good whipping is what he needs!»