Shadith set the flit down in the paved patio on the south side of Aleytys’ house. She left her gearsac in it and moved along the path that led round to the front door. Flowers bloomed everywhere in the frantic exuberance of the brief summer of these latitudes and the vines were overgrowing the windows again. Aside from the chirping of the hoard of meuttertiks moving in and out of their mud nests plastered on the wall up by the roof and the whisper of a half-hearted breeze through the conifers, a deep and peaceful silence spread like a quilted comforter over the place.
She palmed the door’s latch sensor, raised her brows when it didn’t open, just triggered a recording. “Shadow, come round to the stables. Lilai’s having a riding lesson.”
Aleytys was leaning on the fence, watching her daughter’s lesson. Lilai was a red-haired eight-yearold, a thin and wiry girl with eyes too big for her face. She was perched on the back of a black gelding moving at a walk, her face intent as she listened to the old man who stood in the center of the ring.
“Lee.”
Aleytys turned her head, smiled at Shadith and waved her over. “You made good time,” she said, keeping her voice low so she wouldn’t distract horse and rider. “Look at that little flea. Like she was born in the saddle. I was remembering my first ride. I can’t believe how ignorant I was. Good thing I had the mind touch or that poor beast would have shucked me in three steps and gone home to his herd.”
… watch your shoulders. That’s better. Soften the wrists… (Chuff chuff from the gelding, dull clop of his hooves, tink-clink of the bridle)
“One way or another we’ve had our fling with horses, Lee. Me, I remember the ride across half of Ibex. Lilai is looking good. How long has she been having lessons?”
canter, right lead…
“Two years now. She’s been crazy about horses since she started walking. I’d look up from something I was trying to get done and there she’d be, heading for the pasture or plowing through snow to the barn. So I found Maestre Vassil, hired him to teach her, and gave her a-new god.” Aleytys chuckled, then shook her head. “I don’t know what I’m going to do when she gets a few years older.”
Shadith smiled at the poorly concealed pride in Aleytys’ voice. “Considering who her mother is…”
… head up… not so much leg… better… yes, yes… keep your mind on what you’re doing… better… keep going…
Aleytys sighed. “I keep hoping Grey’s part in her is strong enough to give her a little common sense.”
Walk… wrong lead… that’s better… shoulders…
“Is he out on a Hunt?”
“He’s more or less given up on Hunting… Canyli Heldeen is thinking seriously of retiring as Head and Grey wants the job. I complicate his maneuvers.” She moved her shoulders. “So I stay as far away from the Council and politics as I can manage, which means he’s gone a lot.”
“Lee, if my being here makes problems…”
“I don’t think so. And even if it did, I wouldn’t care, Shadow. You and Swarda and Harskari are my family, and not going to let that bunch of pinch noses erase you from my life.”
… once more… yes yes… watch your wrists… good.
That’s enough for today. Take him in.
There was a whispered violence in Aleytys’ words and Shadith sensed a darkness in her that she hadn’t seen before. Was there trouble between her and Grey? Or maybe a crisis in the uncertain peace between her and the other Wolfflans?
Mouth twisted into a wry half-smile, Aleytys patted her arm. “Not to worry, Shadow.”
Shadith snorted. “Put two empaths together and conversation can get more complicated that a Menaviddan web maze.”
Aleytys’ smile broadened. “We might as well go in. Lilai’s going to be busy a while polishing tack and cleaning out stalls.” She shook her head, “Don’t have to get after her to do it. She loves it. Loves everything that smells of horse.”
3
The screens were engaged and the windows open, the evening breeze blowing along the living room. Lilai was in her room working with the Tutor Circuit. Shadith and Aleytys sat drinking tea and watching the setting sun color the shrunken snow pack on the mountain peaks.
Aleytys set down her cup with a sharp click. “All right, Shadow, stop wallowing in guilt and tell me what this is about.”
“Have you ever heard of a world called Bol Mutiar?”
“No. That’s in the Callidara? I’ve never been there.”
“It gets a bit iffy here. If you were anyone else, I don’t think… well, you’re not, so here it is.” She sketched her line of investigation and what she’d discovered, the mistakes she’d made, the talk she had with the Drummer, the final conversation with Lylunda.
“She’s desperate.” Shadith ran the heels of her hands back and forth along the leather chair arms, needing a way to vent the pressure that had built up in her. “I got to know her rather well while I was tracking her, Lee. She was smart, tenacious, independent. It hurt seeing what’d happened to her. As if the Lylunda she’d been was being eaten away and someone else was being poured into empty places.” She slapped her hands on the leather. “She’s watching it happen, Lee, fighting it
– and losing and losing and losing. Gods! Whatever else happens, I want to break her free of that world.”
“And you want me to purge her of that tung akar and whatever else that’s got its claws in her.”
“That’s it, Lee.” Shadith passed her hand over her hair, then looked at the palm. “I suspect there’s something in the air. A virus maybe, an organism of some kind. And the tung akar keeps it benign as long as there’s some kind of balance. The longer you stay, the more delicate the balance. And sometimes the organism hits a reproductive high that’s triggered by who knows what, and it consumes the person. A collective intelligence? There was something there, I could feel it pressing at me, not liking me much. I was very glad to get away. And I spent a good while in the ottodoc, trying to make sure I wasn’t bringing any of it with me. It reads me as clean, but with the story the Drummer told me…” She shrugged, grimaced.
“How do you feel?”
“Ready to wallow in the glooms, otherwise healthy enough.”
“Hm. I’m not picking up anything peculiar, but in a moment I want you to let me check you over. What’s the other thing that’s worrying you?” Aleytys clicked her tongue when Shadith raised her brows. “A rather obvious deduction, Shadow. You didn’t need to tell me all that just to persuade me to help get the woman off Bol Mutiar.”
“It’s the Taalav array. My job is to find out where they are and give the location to Digby to pass on, but if I do, they’ll be destroyed. I can’t let that happen, Lee.”
“Him It’s possible they’ve already died, you know. Intelligent or not, transferring a complex species to a new environment is apt to be chancy. You have to think about that.”
– “I hope not. It’d make things a lot easier for me, but I really don’t want them to be dead. I’ve quit this job, Lee; I just haven’t told Digby yet.”
“Talking with him wouldn’t work? Maybe you could come to an arrangement.”
“Would you really expect Digby to kiss his fee good-bye just because one of his shovels has a qualm or two?”
“Shovel? Hmp. I’d get bored with that the second time I heard it.” Aleytys inspected her cup, refilled it from the samovar. “Right. I know that. Must have been sheltered here too long,-growing illusions like weeds. The sooner we see about Lylunda, the better, so we’ll take my ship. You can leave the company ship in the tie-down upstairs. Harskari called last week; she and Loguisse have been ambling about…” she chuckled, “looking for trouble, if you ask me. She’s coming by here next week. If you don’t mind, once we’ve left, I’ll call her back and tell her to meet us at Bol Mutiar.” She got to her feet. “I’d better go tell Lilai she can’t come with me this time. I don’t want her anywhere near that virus or whatever it is.” She smiled, shook her head. “I won’t get an argument this time. Mothers are way down on the list of important beings. Vassil has the place of honor.”