“ You, Enri? You? That story — it’s almost a legend. One of the great sailway songs. You’re the humble minstrel from Jai’a!»
«That’s me,” He grinned in embarrassment.
«Mordecai!» Things began to fit together; old stories, odd remarks from Enri, carrera songs.…
«And now.… Here she is, in this valley. Those times I’ve heard you talk about the handmaiden, I never thought.…»
Uncertainly, Karina stood. Suddenly her vendetta was beginning to look small against the sweep of Time and events. All the same, it was getting dark, and the familiar restlessness stirred in her veins; the blood of carnivores from long ago.
«Well.… Let’s go and get that bastard Tonio anyway,” she said.
Astrud saw Tonio in the moonlight, face‑down in the stream, and she thought he was dead. With a small scream of desolation she stepped into the water and knelt beside him. He lay very still, the water flowing past his hair and down his pale, naked body. His heels broke the surface, his arms lay along his sides.
Then she saw his fingers were fluttering.
She thought it was the flow of the water. She seized his left hand and held it to her. The fingers twitched swiftly.
Then the body squirmed.
She took hold of him. He was cold. He struggled, squirming sideways, feet kicking. She tried to drag him onto the bank but he was too heavy. He didn’t try to push her away, yet she sensed he was resisting her.
«Tonio!» she cried, dragging at him, sobbing. She thought he was trying to drown himself. The guilt had been too much for him. All those felino people dead. And she hadn’t exactly helped.
His mouth opened and she thought he was going to speak, but it closed again. Water dripped from his lips.
His mouth opened again, and closed.
He gaped, and gaped, just like a big fish.
She couldn’t hold him up much longer.
She felt the ground move under her, and the moonlight was blotted out. She looked up.
She screamed.
She backed away, staring, screaming her lungs out, not standing, just crawling slowly backwards while her gaze remained transfixed by the glowing eyes of the most terrible creature she’d ever seen.
The Pegman and Karina watched from the undergrowth.
«Oh, my God.…» Enri was mumbling. «Oh, my God.…» Quietly, as though the sound of his own voice was a comfort he couldn’t do without, even though it might reach the ears of the monster.
Karina was silent while the Little Friends raged through her body, urging her to run.
.… It was the way the creature had scooped Tonio out of the water with one paw, as though he was a medium-sized fish. And the next part had been quite simple, too. Tonio hadn’t screamed. He’d made no sound at all, just opening and shutting his mouth. He’d squirmed quietly until the creature had cuffed him and broken his neck. Then he was gone, eaten. There was very little blood. The monster wheeled around, and left.
Astrud lay panting and trembling like a terrified deer. «So sorry, Tonio,” she whispered. «Sorry, sorry, sorry.…»
Karina’s breath rattled in her throat, like a snarl. She’d dropped to a crouch and her eyes were wide and luminous. The Little Friends were quieter now, but the human part of her was scared sick. At last the dull footsteps of the monster died away and she crept forward and laid a hand on Astrud’s shoulder. The woman started, stared at her and whimpered. Her eyes were empty of all intelligence.
The Pegman was talking. «There are worse things on Earth than True Humans, Karina.»
She glanced at him, took a deep breath, and stood.
«Help me with Astrud,” she said. «We’re going to find that damned Dedo!»
Death of the Dedo
A bar of light showed under the cottage door and Karina hesitated. They had found the place quite easily, but now.… Only fungus and slimy things — and of course the Wrath of Agni — glowed at night. It was unnatural, that light. She shivered, swallowed heavily, and threw open the door.
Two women were there.
The handmaiden — Corriente — stood on the far side of the room, the ravines of her face like dancing shadows. The whole room glowed, not only because of the Wrath of Agni which was consuming a pile of sticks in a rock alcove.
Sitting before this alcove, showing no fear, was the Dedo. She was a lot younger than Karina had expected, and much more beautiful. Her eyes glowed with the firelight and a little more of Karina’s resolve ebbed away.
«So you’re the Dedo,” she said, and the Little Friends helped keep her voice steady. «You’re not so much. Your neck’s kind of skinny and I’ll bet your belly’s soft.»
«Yes, I am in human form,” said Leitha.
Karina strode across the room and stood above her, braving the heat and menace of the fire. «Is everything going according to your plan?» she asked. «Are we all dancing along your precious happentrack like puppets? Can you tell us who else is going to die along the way?» Her fingers were hooked and ready.
«It’s becoming unimportant, now. The nearby Ifalong is decided. Certain humans have served their purpose, and there is still a slight imbalance in the valley. Those are considerations.» The Dedo treated the question on its merits.
«By Agni!» Karina’s temper snapped. «I’m going to kill you!»
«No,” said the Dedo. «Raoul will kill me.»
The certainty in the beautiful woman’s tone stopped Karina as her fingers were reaching for the slender throat. «You know that? Then why don’t you save yourself?»
«Because my life is of little importance when considered against the Purpose, the Duty, and the sweep of the Ifalong.»
Unexpectedly, Astrud spoke. «You took Tonio away from me!» Her gaze darted around the cottage as though seeking her husband in some dark niche. «He’s here somewhere, I know it!»
Karina shivered. The Pegman backed away. Astrud was completely mad; they could almost see the emptiness of her mind.
«Where are you, Tonio?» cooed Astrud in tones of terrifying sweetness. Then her gaze returned to the Dedo. «You’ve hidden him. He’s your lover, isn’t he?» Now she blinked, and for an instant there was a glimmer of intelligence like a cunning dog. «And Raoul’s your child! You’re the girl he met in the forest, all those years ago! You’re a witch, a bruja! ” Then, as though the effort had been too great, she turned away with a little whimper and began to stroke the fur of a strange animal which hung on the wall.…
«Raoul is not my son,” said the Dedo. «He has a far greater significance.»
The light in the cottage had no source. The fire glowed at one end and the Rock at the other; but there was something else, a suffused glow which seemed to be in the air. As though Agni himself is riding the next happentrack, thought the Pegman.
«Where did the handmaiden come from?» he asked with studied casualness.
«That matters nothing to the flow of events,” said the Dedo. «Her work is finished now, anyway.»
«It matters to me.»
The Dedo’s glance rested on him for a moment. «The handmaiden? She came to me many years ago, sick and badly burned, talking of a sailcar accident. She was of no significance and I might have healed her and sent her on her way, or simply eliminated her, but then my study of the Ifalong revealed she could be useful in guiding events. So I used her. I didn’t heal her, of course. Her burns were useful in keeping the superstitious coastal humans from approaching her.»
Enri walked up to the handmaiden and took her hand. «Do you remember me, Corriente?»
But the woman stood silent, her eyes vacant, her hand cold and unresponsive.
«What have you been doing around here?» Karina asked the Dedo. «Have you driven her mad, too? Do you sacrifice everything to this stupid Purpose? Doesn’t it occur to you that ordinary humans have their own Purposes which are just as important to them? Let me tell you why Starquin’s Purpose seems more important to you than a human’s Purpose. It’s because Starquin is bigger and stronger, that’s why. That’s the only reason! That’s the trouble with every god humans ever dreamed up! They’re always made out to be important, but the real truth is they’re bigger and stronger, and they can stomp on you! They’re rotten big bullies!»