At some distance from the Island, hylighter tendrils had plucked the two of them from the sea and brought them to this place where only the sea prevailed.
In the grasp of the hylighter tendrils, Vata had found her true awakening.
How marvelous ... all of the stored human lives ... the voices ... what a wonderful thing. Strange that some of the voices objected to their preservation in the kelp. She had heard the exchange between Avata and one called Keel.
"You're editing me!" That was what Keel had said. "My voice had flaws and I could always hear them. They were part of me!"
"You live in Avata now." How all-encompassing, how calming that beautiful voice.
"You've given me an unflawed voice! Stop it!"
And true enough, when next she heard Keel's voice it had a different tone, something of hoarseness in it, throat clearings and coughs.
"You think you speak the language of my people," Keel accused. "What nonsense!"
"Avata speaks all languages."
That was telling him, Vata thought. But Duque, sharing her awareness of this internalized conversation, had grinned agreement with Keel.
"Every planet has its own language," Keel said. "It has its own secret ways of communication."
"Do you not understand Avata?"
"Oh, you have the words down well enough. And you know the language of actions. But you've not penetrated my heart or you wouldn't have tried to edit me and improve me."
"Then what would you have of Avata?"
"Keep your hands off me!"
"You do not wish to be preserved?"
"Oh, I have enough curiosity to accept that. You've showed us your Lazarus trick and I'm thankful I no longer have that old body's pains."
"Is that not an improvement, then?"
"You can't improve me! I can only improve myself. You and Ship can stuff your miracles! That's one of the real secrets of my language."
"A bit uncouth but understandable."
"That language was born on the planet where Lazarus lived and died and lived. My kind first learned to speak there! The original Lazarus knew my meaning. By all the gods, he knew!"
When Vata awakened Duque and expressed her puzzlement to him, Duque laughed. "You see?" he shouted. "We care who forces our dreams onto us!"