Authors: Gillian Andrews
Ledin stiffened. “You’re hardly the one to speak,” he whispered fiercely.
“Yes, I know, and you have good reason not to be concentrating, but this sounds really important.”
Ledin scratched his neck, then turned his attention to the orthogel entity, who was speaking to the canths.
“—Which is why I am very worried about the Ammonites on Enara.”
Ledin frowned. “What has happened?”
Six gave him a pitying look and an ‘I-told-you-so’ hunch of his shoulders. “The visitor says that there was a Dessite ship in orbit above Enara. He went over there and heard the Dessite traveler proposing some sort of alliance to the Ammonites, against all of us.”
“But why would the Ammonites do that?” Ledin was puzzled. “We saved their lives.”
Arcan heard, and scintillated. “They are still determined to make the lost animas of Xiantha join their ranks. The visitor says he heard them talking as if they thought they needed the lost animas in order to truly complete the astrand. He said they have a word for it, but he didn’t completely understand. They called it
the sumand. Apparently they need the lost animas to attain that, whatever it is. They seem to think that they can’t attain this sumand without them, because only three of the five groups of the initial Ammonite animas survived. And they consider the trimorphs and myself threats, because we are immune to their ability to manipulate and read minds. They think that, if they get rid of us, the lost animas will join them, and they will finally be able to form this mythical shape they call the sumand.”
Ledin gave a soft whistle. “Then they must know by now that both you and the visitor are susceptible to the Dessites. Even so, I can hardly believe they would form an alliance with the sea-dwellers.”
“I know it seems unlikely, but they may feel that we are a threat to them. You know how they spoke to us when we took them to Enara. They might not care how far the Dessite hinterworlds extend, as long as Enara is not on the list. They might think it worthwhile. In their eyes, I am the enemy.” Arcan shone, and the morphics twisted in the air, light catching them and bouncing off in all directions as they spun angrily.
“Do we know definitely that the Dessites have accepted the alliance?” asked Six.
Arcan shadowed. “No. The visitor says that the Enaran Ammonites were not showing much interest, but he was only able to stay a short time. Remember that he is anything but immune to the presence of the Dessites. He had to withdraw straight away. The trimorphs, who
can
defend themselves against the Dessites, went back, but they had to be circumspect, because
they are
vulnerable to the Ammonites. They did manage to get to the surface of the planet, and they confirmed that there is still a traveler in orbit, but there seemed to be no conversations going on when they went over there.”
There was a long humming from the canths present and conversation stopped for a brief moment. Then Diva looked around at them all.
“Well? What are we going to do about it?”
The answer came from the canths themselves. The familiar diamond shape began to form in front of them, and those standing under the Eletheian tree found themselves gradually tugged inside its aura, until they were all present.
Ledin looked around for the familiar pearly touch of Grace, relieved to feel her soft opalescence close beside him. At once, he drifted over towards her, letting the very edges of his own aura mingle with hers. Where they touched there was a band of flecked emerald green and translucence. They smiled at each other, which translated into small ripples that traveled out from their auras.
Six and Diva were also allowing their auras to meet too, just at the edges. Ledin could see Six’s sunlit gold patterning on Diva’s cobalt blue. Quick, leaping flames seemed to travel outwards from the merge.
Once they had all joined in the mindmerge, the thoughts of the canths were plain for all to hear. “We will never join the Ammonite animas on Enara. We have decided to stay on Xiantha, with the canths. We will protect the morphics and the orthogel entity. Our future is with Arcan, not with the Ammonites.”
Arcan’s kaleidoscope colours glistened. “If the Dessites attack me again, they could mentally find their way here, into the binary system. Then we would all be vulnerable. Are you sure that you wish to stay with us? It may cause you much trouble.”
The canths’ diamond seemed to blink in and out of existence momentarily. “We are sure. The Ammonites do not attract us. We believe that the way forwards for us is through the links we have, through the orthogel entity. We will do our best to protect you from the Dessites.”
“
Then we must consider how—” The Arcan aura was forced to break off, because everybody in the mindmerge had become aware of a new element amongst them. They stared.
Grace’s aura was shimmering, and specks were appearing all through it. The pearly luminescence that represented her was showing dots of smoky peat, and there was a tinge of soil, and a sensation of high mountains. The whole of her aura in the mindmerge was suffused with this strange new essence; her entire being was swirling with confusion.
The canth keeper was the first to drop out of the mindmerge.
“Are you all right, Grace? Your face has gone white and is glistening.”
Ledin, as he too came back to his normal self, turned quickly. Grace tried to reassure him, but all that came out was a very wan smile. She clutched both hands to her stomach, and doubled over.
Ledin put out a steadying hand quickly, and raised one querying eyebrow.
Her face contorted with pain, stopping her from speaking for several seconds. She grabbed Ledin’s arm with her own, and squeezed as tightly as she could with the few fingers she had been left with after the long, long fall from the Xianthe.
Ledin paled. “Is it time?”
She nodded. “I believe so. Do you think you can ask my mother to come over?”
Ledin took a hurried step to the left, and then to the right, and then to the left again. “I … I … err …” Then he stood still, looking quite helpless.
The canth keeper took pity on him. “I can contact Kwaide by tridi, if you would like.”
Ledin’s face cleared. “Yes, please. Tell them to get Vion and Cimma … and Arcan, would you transport them from the orbital station, when they get there? Tell them the baby is coming.” He looked around, blindly. “Is there anywhere I can take her?”
“Of course. My house. You are most welcome there. It will bring me much colour.” The man who spoke to canths scuttled in front of them both as Ledin began to help Grace across the open area, and then paused as Grace gave a cry.
“NO!” She clutched at her stomach, and doubled over, unable to walk any further. “Here! Leave me here!”
Ledin stared. “Here?” He looked around. “You are out in the open, Grace. Let me carry you inside.”
She shook her head, determined. “I c-can’t,” she gasped, as another fierce pain took over her body. “I would never make it. T-take me there …” she pointed to the shade of a nearby temaris tree, close to the Eletheian tree they had been standing under, “… I will be better off there.”
Ledin look back at the others, hoping that Diva might be able to override Grace’s wishes. He himself didn’t want to make things worse. In any case, on Kwaide it was considered more in harmony with the land to give birth outside, in the open air. When he saw that Diva was not about to intercede, he carried Grace into the shade of the smaller and lower tree, laying her gently down on the ground. Taking her hands in his, he bent over her, concerned.
“I … err … I will go to contact Kwaide,” said the man who spoke to canths. He bustled away, as fast as his legs could carry him. Ledin could hear the murmurs of worry coming back on the light breeze. The Xianthan was unaccustomed to dealing with emergencies quite like this.
Arcan was still hovering under the Eletheian tree. “What about our meeting?” He sounded put out.
Grace and Ledin exchanged amused glances. “Go ahead, Arcan,” said Grace. “Don’t mind me. I—” She broke off as a spasm shook the whole of her body.
Arcan shimmered. “Well, it
is
a bit inconvenient if you are just going to lie there and take no part. I really needed you to be …. but I suppose, if you like this tree more, we could move the meeting here. Then you wouldn’t have to get up.” His shape flickered doubtfully. “Although there is less room under this tree.”
Grace nodded solemnly. “Thank you.” She put out one hand to clutch at Ledin’s fingers, and squeezed very hard. He gave a wince, and treated her to a baleful look.
“What?”
Grace continued with the meaningful stare.
“Oh. Right! Err … Arcan?”
“I am still here.”
“Err… I think the rest of you should stay under the Eletheian tree, you know. Grace needs to be on her own.”
Arcan darkened. “Why? What is about to happen is the greatest of your achievements as transients, is it not? Is it not a moment to be shared with everyone?” The morphics flitted above his head, buzzing in agreement.
“We-e-ll, she … err … it is more customary to leave the women alone at such times.”
The morphics and Arcan appeared to be exchanging commentaries. From their colour Ledin could see that they found such a custom most strange. Finally Arcan turned back to Ledin. “I suppose we
could
stay under the Eletheian tree, if Grace needs more space. We can go on with the meeting there, once I come back from the Kwaide Orbital Platform with Vion and Cimma.”
Diva glared around at them all. “Of course we are not going to continue with the meeting!” she said, severely. “In any case, it seems obvious to me that somebody will have to go over to Enara and try to persuade the Ammonite animas out of an alliance with the Dessites. At least, they should if we think there is a chance they are considering one. The visitor should monitor the situation.” Then she hurried over to the temaris tree, folding her long legs underneath her as she sank down to her knees and wiped Grace’s brow. “How are you, Gracie?”
Grace reached up with relief to touch Diva’s arm. “Better, now. Keep them away, will you? —Them too!” This last remark was made while jerking her head in the direction of her husband and Six, who had been following Diva but had stopped rather indecisively between the two trees. Ledin saw the gesture, shifted uncertainly and seemed about to speak, but Diva stared him down quite easily. “It is what Grace wants,” she told him, “and that is what is important now.”
He looked down at his wife, who was making urgent movements with her hands, batting him away and staring at him as if he were the last person in the world that she wanted to see at that moment.
Arcan darkened. “Yes, come over here, you two. I suppose we can ask the visitor to go over regularly to Enara and monitor the situation. There is little point in our taking action if the Enarans reject the Dessite overture, after all.” He gave a cross shimmer in Diva’s direction and swelled up in indignation. “—Though I don’t see why we can’t continue with the meeting when I get back with Cimma and Vion.”
Ledin sighed. “Of course,” he said. “After all, nothing much else going on, is there?”
Arcan seemed pleased. “Exactly. That is what I thought, too.” Then he saw the strange look Ledin was giving him. “Have I said something wrong?”
Ledin gave a little disbelieving shake of his head. It seemed to him that brain size didn’t always correlate with intelligence. But Arcan was no longer there to notice. His diaphanous shape had already vanished into the hot, sunlit air.
Ledin and Six retreated to the Eletheian tree, about ten metres away, where they went into a huddle with the man who spoke to canths, who had returned after making his call.
Nobody seemed to want to discuss anything much at all. There was a long, tense wait, and then a flurry of movement as Arcan deposited Vion and Cimma half-way between the trees.
Both the Sellites hurried towards the girl who was lying on the ground, but Arcan hovered uncertainly in the middle looking from one group to the other.
“Why are you all still standing under that tree?” he boomed. “Why aren’t you helping Grace?”
Diva looked back over her shoulder. “Shut up, Arcan! Don’t make so much noise!”
Arcan turned three shades darker, and scintillated for a moment. Six grinned; the orthogel entity wasn’t used to being ticked off like that. Arcan hovered uncertainly for a moment or two, and then decided that discretion was the better part of valour, and shimmered over to join the men under the cramped Eletheian tree. “Diva sounds rather … upset,” he hazarded, still in an offended bluish tone. “I am surprised she didn’t accept my help.”
Six shook his head. There were, he felt, still many things for the orthogel entity to learn.
“It’s a female sort of thing,” he tried to explain.
Arcan was not convinced. “Vion is over there under the temaris tree,” he pointed out.
“Yes. But then, he is a doctor.”
“But I am much wiser than a mortal doctor!”
Ledin interrupted. “Look!”
The men all turned. Standing back, at a discreet distance, were the canths. They stood, heads bowed respectfully, waiting.
“They look as if they know what is happening,” whispered Ledin. “Do you think they sense that Grace is about to have … you know?”
The canth keeper felt he should make allowances for the natural worry of a man about to become a father, but he couldn’t allow that to pass. “Of course they know,” he said shortly. “The canths feel everything we feel.”
“It just seems strange that—” began Ledin, only to turn white as a loud strangled cry came from Grace. He turned unconsciously to his fellow Kwaidian, and his fingers pincered down on Six’s shoulder.
“Ouch! Mind what you’re doing, will you?” Six winced. “Go grab the tree if you are that worried, will you?”
Ledin seemed surprised to find his fingers pressing into Six’s shoulders. “Oh! Sorry!” He dropped his hand guiltily, but jumped again as another cry came from the group beneath the temaris tree.
Arcan shadowed. “Is somebody hurting her?”
The man who spoke to canths inclined his head deferentially in Arcan’s direction. “The baby’s head is trying to push through.”
Arcan went white, like Ledin had. “Then her skeleton has started to reposition itself? No wonder she is screaming.”
“We aren’t quantum,” said Six. “You know that.”