"They're still back there."
"Of course they are," said Aria. "And as long as they stay back there, we're fine. It means they haven't been told what else to do." I hope.
"Can you tell me what happened to you?" she said, partly to keep Ere from dwelling too long on the Vitae behind them, and partly to keep herself from doing the same.
She listened, all the while trying to bury her horror in anger. What right? What right do these people have? If they were the Nameless Powers with the Servant at their side, they would still have no right!
"…but the air was gone and he fell and Sha and Dene were already down and Ri was screaming and the Vitae were gone and…and…"
"Shhh, all right. It's all right," Aria wished she could touch her. She didn't even know if the Shessel could tolerate the touch of human beings, but she still wished it. "Are they still back there?"
"Yes."
"All right. Try to rest. We're on our way to safety."
As fast as I can get us there, she lengthened her stride.
The walkway crossed into one of the wild areas. The trees, too tall and too straight, swallowed the light and the weeds ate up the city sounds. Aria strained her ears. Traffic noise faded farther away with each step, except for the slow, steady hum from the Vitae's transport. Aria risked a glance at the little patch of wilderness, wondering how much shelter it would afford if she had to run.
Maybe it won't come to that. Maybe word will reach the Shessel and they'll come looking for the children. Maybe…
Bracken rustled. The children whimpered, and Aria's arm tightened around the capsule. She threw her gaze in every direction, trying to find the source of the new noise. The rustling increased. Aria forced herself to keep moving. About a half mile ahead, another inhabited stretch glowed like a beacon.
Behind and to the left, weeds and scrub parted and a sedan chair, one of the few private vehicles authorized for off-road travel, climbed gingerly out of the underbrush and with high-legged steps started angling toward Aria and her charges.
Aria watched the insectlike vehicle out of the comer of her eye, but kept on walking. It had its windscreen up and its weather hood down, so there was no telling who was in there. She tried to think what to do. The drone of the Vitae car wasn't getting nearer, but the chair was. Fatigue clouded the edges of her mind and fear did nothing to clear it.
Abruptly, the chair halted and folded its legs. A human head and torso stuck out the side door.
"Aria!" shouted Perivar.
Relief sent Aria sprinting across the field before she remembered she was risking a huge fine for disturbance of a wilderness zone.
She skidded to a stop beside the chair, gouging the soil with her heels and doubling her fine. Iyal leaned out the driver's side window and stared along with Perivar.
"What are you doing…" she began, but Perivar had seen the capsule and the Shessel children huddled inside.
"Murderer!" squeaked Ri.
What color he had drained out of Perivar's face. "Where's Kiv? The other kids?"
Aria glanced toward the road. The Vitae had stopped their vehicle, too, and one of them had poked a bald head out the window to get a clearer view of the field.
"No…" breathed Perivar.
"They're dead," said Aria. "The children say the Vitae are responsible. I see no reason to say otherwise."
Perivar hit the door key, scrambling to get out before the door was even halfway open. Iyal touched the override control on her panel and it slid shut again.
"Perivar," Iyal laid a big hand on his arm. "Don't even think about it."
Perivar pressed the key again, and again. "They killed…they took…they…"
"We're in public, Perivar," said Iyal.
"And we need to get these children to their people," said Aria.
"Yeah, yeah." He shook himself. "You're right," he looked at the children. "Gods, I'm so sorry. I didn't know this would happen."
"I know," said Ere. "I don't know about Ri, though."
Perivar insisted on putting himself and the capsule on the luggage rack on the back of the chair. Aria, her arms aching, did not object, and neither did the children.
As soon as Aria strapped herself into the passenger's seat, Iyal touched a series of controls. The chair stood up again. She steered it into the street. The speed of its stride rocked them back and forth. Aria looked behind them. The Vitae transport was still standing in the middle of the street.
"I guess they did not feel ready to explain themselves to the Shessel after all," she murmured to Iyal.
"Well, they'd better be ready to explain themselves to the Diet. A lot of people are not happy." Iyal spoke with a kind of quiet satisfaction and Aria wondered what had been happening to her since she had left the lab, what, four hours ago? Five?
Iyal must have seen the puzzled expression on her face. "Electronic communications, Aria, are wonderful things."
In response to Iyal's prodding, Aria related what had happened since she'd left the labs. In return, Iyal told her how she had woken up the Diet members who knew her family and had gotten enough votes together to call a counterdebate on the Vitae resolution. Then, when Perivar had called her from the docks where the U-Kenai was coming in with still more news, she had gone to meet him.
"Then Eric Born is here," said Aria.
"No, he isn't." Iyal stared out the windscreen. "The Vitae got him."
Aria felt like the ground had dropped away from her. All she could do was hang on to the door handle and listen to her own harsh breathing.
At last, Iyal walked them through the arched gates of the Shessel Embassy. She explained their reason for petitioning entry to the automated security system in a few shockingly blunt words. The gates opened to let them into the inner courtyard and white lines lit up along the pavement to guide them to the squared-off doors reserved for human entrance.
Perivar, his arms wrapped possessively around the capsule led them into the reception chamber and showed Aria and Iyal how how to put on the oxygen tanks. Then he led them through the shimmering membrane that was the real entrance to the Embassy.
As soon as they crossed the threshold, Ere opened the capsule and lifted herself halfway out, sucking great long breaths of air. An inner door folded back and three Shessel flowed into the room, ringing the humans. Perivar set the capsule on the floor. Ri shoved past her sister and swarmed up into the arms of the smooth-skinned, earth-toned Shessel and clung there, shivering and keening.
"Can you help her?" pleaded Ere, climbing all the way out of the capsule.
"We'll sedate her," said the Shessel. "That's all we can do for now."
Ere shivered along the entire length of her body. "I need to talk to somebody. The Emissary Voice. I need…"
"We're here." Three more Shessel entered from one of the corridors and Ere made a beeline for the earth-toned one. He embraced her with all his arms.
"Kiv is with the Sky Fathers now and your sisters are waiting to be reborn," he said. "I feel them. They wait and say how brave their sister is to go on. She will live for us until we can live again."
"I know, I know." Ere burrowed under the crook of his neck.
"Emissary," said Perivar. "Ere says that it was murder, done by the Rhudolant Vitae."
"There are two of their Ambassadors here," said the squat, greenish Shessel. "They will answer." He looked toward the Shessel who held Ri.
"Are you ready to speak with the voice of your family, Ere?" he asked. "The Vitae are already here."
Ere nodded and let herself be put on the floor. She extended her neck to stretch herself as tall as possible.
The greenish one extended his neck toward the cluster of humans. "The Vitae claim property rights over Aria Stone. She will come with us so we can determine the legalities involved here."