And within…
Within were animals.
All dead. Some had decayed completely to dust, others were just piles of bones, others still retained their skin intact.
Toroca recognized some of them. Sort of, that is. Turtles and lizards and snakes looked just like, or very similar to, the ones he knew. But others were, well, wrong. Here, in one of the biggest chambers, was a shovelmouth, lying on its side, its head crest unlike any Toroca had ever seen before, with a large blade-like front part and a short spike pointing to the rear.
And here, a hornface with down-turned horns, like melted wax, unlike any hornface Toroca had ever heard of.
And here, the bones of another hornface, but this one with the frill of bone over the neck simply outlined, with huge hollow spaces in the middle.
And here, an armorback. A — it came to him, staggering him back on his tail — an armorback like one of those whose fossils are found only in the oldest rocks.
But most of the specimens were birds.
Birds!
Known only from the fossil record, and even there, only exceedingly rarely. Indeed, Toroca had to stare at the gaudily colored specimens for what seemed an eternity before he realized what they were. Some of the fossils of them showed a frayed body covering, and these specimens were wrapped in things that looked a bit like fern leaves, densely packed with branches.
Some of the birds had long toothy beaks, like those of many wingfingers, and some had thick beaks with no teeth at all, and some had rounded bodies and wide, flat prows, like the prows of shovelmouths.
But they were all birds.
Completely unknown in the world today.
Birds.
At last, Wab-Babnol returned to join the Geological Survey team in Fra’toolar. She had come via boat — one not nearly as large or famous as the Dasheter, though. Toroca ordered the same boat loaded up with bird specimens to be taken back to Novato in the Capital.
As soon as he got close enough to Babnol to smell her pheromones, Toroca knew it was over. Her mating time had passed; barring unusual circumstances, she would be free of the urge until another full year had elapsed, another eighteen kilodays, another quarter of her lifetime.
"Welcome back," said Toroca, both sad and glad at the same time.
Babnol bowed deeply. "Thank you."
"How are you feeling?" he asked.
"Better," she said, and, a moment later, again: "Better."
Toroca nodded. "It’s good to see you again." He wanted to close the distance between them, to reach out, to…
And then Babnol did the incredible. She stepped toward him, closing the gap, and, with what was clearly a great deal of effort, reached up with her left hand and clasped his arm. "Thank you," she said, still squeezing warmly, "thank you very much."
Toroca’s heart soared. "It’s wonderful to have you back, my friend," he said.
"And it’s wonderful to be back with you," she said.
She held the position for five whole beats more, then stepped back three paces.
Toroca beamed.
*42*
Capital City
The room was dark. A leather curtain undulated gently like a wingfinger’s flapping wing in the cool breeze from the half-open window. It was odd-night, the night on which most adults slept, but Afsan had always been out of synch with the mainstream.
The hinges of the door were well-oiled, and Afsan’s entrance had done nothing to disturb the apartment’s sleeping occupant. Afsan had only been here once or twice, but he knew the room’s layout well enough and had no trouble making his way across the living area and into the sleep chamber. As he entered the latter, he placed his leather carrying case in the open doorway.
Afsan knew there would be a candle holder on a small stand next to the part of the floor upon which the occupant was sleeping. He could hear the gentle hissing of open-mouth breathing. Afsan bent down and, after a moment, found the holder and picked it up.
Then he crossed the room, found the stool he’d been looking for, swung his leg and tail over it, and made himself comfortable. At last he spoke, not loudly, but with a firm tone. "Drawtood."
There was no response. Afsan tried again. "Drawtood."
This time he heard the sound of a body stirring on the floor, followed by a sharp intake of breath as Drawtood apparently suddenly woke and realized he was not alone.
"Who’s there?" Drawtood said, his voice thick and dry. Afsan heard sounds of exertion as Drawtood pushed himself up off the floor.
"It’s me, Afsan."
Suddenly there was a note of concern in the voice. "Afsan? Are you all right? What’s happened?"
"Easy, my son. Easy. Lie back down. I just want to talk."
"What time is it?"
"It’s the middle of the night. The eighth daytenth."
There was a sound of rummaging. "I can’t seem to find my candle," said Drawtood.
"I have it. You won’t need it. Lie down and talk to your father."
"What’s wrong?" said Drawtood.
"That’s what I’m hoping to learn from you."
"What do you mean?" The voice was wary. Afsan could tell that the speaker was still standing.
"Things are not going well, are they, Drawtood?"
"I want my candle."
"No," said Afsan softly. "We’ll talk on an even footing, both in darkness. Tell me your problems, son."
"I don’t have any problems."
Afsan was silent, waiting to see if Drawtood would volunteer anything further. A great length of time passed in silence, save for the whispering breeze. At last, Drawtood did speak again. "Why don’t you go, now?"
"I know about Haldan. And Yabool."
"Their deaths have upset us all, I’m sure."
"I know that you killed them, Drawtood."
"You’re distraught, Afsan." The voice had risen slightly in pitch. "Please, let me take you back to your home."
"You killed them."
Claw-ticks across the bare part of the floor.
"I wouldn’t try to leave if I were you," said Afsan. "Pal-Cadool and five imperial guards are waiting outside your front door."
Claw-ticks going in the opposite direction. "And other guards are waiting outside your windows, of course." Afsan said it calmly, as if an offhand comment about the weather.
"Let me leave."
"No. You have to talk to me."
"I — I don’t want to."
"You have no choice. Why did you kill them?"
"I admit nothing."
"I am blind, Drawtood. My testimony would never stand. Admitting it to me is no confession, for I could never assert that your muzzle didn’t change color when you said it." Afsan paused to let that sink in. Then: "Tell me why you killed them."
"I didn’t kill them."
"We both know that you did. A scientist should never make assumptions, Drawtood. I did — I assumed none of my children could be responsible. I was wrong."
"Wrong," repeated Drawtood softly.
"You killed your sister Haldan and your brother Yabool."
"You don’t know what it’s like to have siblings," said Drawtood.
"No, I don’t," said Afsan. "Tell me."
"It’s like having to face yourself every day. Except it’s not you. It’s someone who looks like you and thinks like you, but not exactly like you."
Afsan nodded in the darkness. "Broken mirrors. Of course. I understand the choice of implement now."
"Implement?"
"The device used for the murders."
"I did not commit the murders, Afsan."
"I can’t see your muzzle, Drawtood, but others will ask you that same question, and they will be able to see it. Do you wish to lie to me?"