Silent Songs (20 page)

Suddenly Sunrise leaped upon the flyer and turned it west. "I will
gladly
never speak of that human again. I only wish that I might never have to see her again, either." Touching the controls, the Simiu sped away along the winding animal trail.

Lightning watched her leave, his heart sickened. He was supposed to stay with her.' He should have anticipated that her bizarre behavior might lead to something like this. What would he tell Good Eyes?

"What will you tell Good Eyes now?" Frost Moon signed worriedly, as if he could read his mind like a Spirit Singer.

"He will tell her the truth," None-So-Pretty announced. "The Simiu has gone crazy from staying in the Land of Confusion. Good Eyes will not be surprised."

Lightning peered up through the canopy with one eye, searching the trees'

upper reaches. Spying Thunder, he bleated an alarm call, and in answer the raptor launched herself from the high perch. Flying in the dense canopy would be hard for her as well, but she could climb out of the forest and hover above the highest trees much more easily than Lightning could. From that lofty elevation she would be able to follow the Simiu's progress. At least one of them would still be with Sunrise.

"It'll be dark soon," Scorched announced to the group, as if none of them could tell the time in the dense wood.

"Go back to the camp," Lightning told the youngsters. NoneSoPretty hesitated for a moment, as if she would argue, but he towered over her, and she lowered her head. "Tell Good Eyes what happened. Tell her ... that I'll stay in the forest until Sunrise returns, and bring her out myself. Tell her not to worry."

The cohort hesitated only a moment before obeying, stepping smartly down the path. Since the Simiu would no doubt return along this same route, Lightning went down the path, looking for the sweet briar. He might as well eat while he was waiting for her to come back. But as he pondered what he'd have to say to Good Eyes if Sunrise took too long to return, he found his appetite waning.

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Arvis blinked slowly, trying hard to understand what his mother was telling him.

So much had changed since they'd found this new planet. He, his mother, and his sister had been sent to live
here
without his father, and that upset Arvis. Who was taking care of his father, cleaning his clothes, giving him his massage? And they were living in a house that was barely a shell. His old house had been huge with lots of pretty things in it, but this small one only had bare floors and empty walls. At least the back wall was transparent, like their old house, and he could see the beautiful scenery of the marsh they were calling "New Home."

But now .. . that female was here again, the one named ... ? "Lene," his mother sang softly. "Remember Lene?" "I remember," he answered, looking at the floor. He always remembered
her,
it was her name he had trouble recalling. "She wants to take you swimming. Would you like that?" Arvis'

mind swirled in confusion. He loved swimming, but except for his mother, he'd never swum with a Chosen female. Something about it made him uneasy. Lene made him uneasy. "Are you afraid of the river?" his mother asked. "Oh, no. I'm not afraid ... of the river.. .." His mother looked at him oddly. "Are you afraid of Lene?" "No. She's very nice." He remembered the food she'd brought yesterday when they'd first met--eggs marinated in sweet broth. His favorite. But she'd insisted on serving him herself, and that had made him so nervous he'd only eaten a few. "Arvis," his mother asked, "do you like Lene?" The question took him by surprise and he blushed deeply.

"Oh, yes. She's ... she's ... beautiful!" Her beauty was the only thing he could think of when he was with her.

"But is she
always
nice to you, even when I'm not there?" Arvis wasn't sure what to say. He could tell there was something about Lene his mother didn't like. Did she want him to

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dislike Lene, too? He didn't know if he could do that. But he had to tell his mother the truth. "She's always nice, but she .. . makes me feel.. . funny inside."

His mother relaxed. "Well, lovely females make most males feel funny inside." She patted him lovingly. "Have fun, then."

"By ourselves?" he asked, blushing harder.

"Lene won't let anything happen to you, of that, I'm sure!"

"But I haven't finished my work. I still have to . . ."

"You can do that later, Arvis. Lene's waiting." His mother gently ushered him from the tiny servants' quarters onto the outside porch where Lene stood, looking out across the lush, beautiful marsh.

His new house was built right over the river that cut through the grasses in a meandering green ribbon of water, contrasting sharply with the russet hue of the grass itself. Clumps of taller golden reeds dotted the river's edge.

Massive, dark forests ringed the river and their settlement, but the wide shoreline, the "floodplain" his mother called it, was open, and the short bluish ground covers were soft under his feet.

"Good evening, dear Arvis," Lene sang in a voice so musical that Arvis could barely stand to hear it curl around his name.

"Where wil you be going, Lene?" his mother asked bluntly.

"There's a secluded place I've found on the riverbank. There don't seem to be any animals, and it's not far, but it's private. Arvis gets nervous when too many people are around."

He certainly did. Any Chosen could make demands of him once he was away from his parents, and some were mean. Sometimes they said awful things to Lene, and Arvis hated that.

His mother seemed to understand. "Once our pool's installed you won't need to use the river, Lene. You and Arvis can spend time together in the privacy of our home."

"I'll look forward to that," Lene agreed, "but to be somewhere where no one else has been has its own attraction."

Arvis noticed his mother's eyes soften, then. "That's true. I still haven't adjusted to being on a
new
world. For you young people, it must be quite an adventure. Have fun swimming."

As his mother went back inside their small prefab home, Arvis was surprised by Lene's hand on his arm. She was always touching him, and he was always being surprised by it.

"Come on, Arvis, I've found the most beautiful place." She tugged him gently and he walked beside her, down the short walkway onto the soil of the new world. He looked back longingly at his house. The colorful house sat up on short stilts, with

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its self-contained solar-powered energy units cleverly disguised. Dozens of these small buildings had sprung up like rampant plant growth along this stretch of the river. His mother said that in a few months they would have a city here.

Of course, it was nothing like the cities he was used to, any more than their new house was like their old. That one had been huge, perched on tall, thick stilts. Its numerous slat walks, designed to cause minimal impact on the delicate marshes, stretched out in all directions over the vast expanse that was the First's own property, given to him for his glorious service. Arvis had been told about the honor that came with that house over and over again, but he didn't regret leaving it behind. After all, the new, small one had much less to clean.

Lene led him onto a beaten trail that entered the forest where the dense growth came right up to the river's edge. "It's our own private beach, my love," Lene whispered. It made him nervous when she sang that way.

After walking for a long time, the path suddenly ended as the wide river meandered into a bend. The water had carved a small, gentle pool against the shore. Arvis blinked. As Lene had said, it was beautiful. The water was clear and inviting, and the current not very strong. He started to tell Lene how nice he thought it was, then realized what she was doing.

She had taken off her garment, and wore nothing underneath. Her back was to him, her lovely slim back, and all he could do was stare helplessly.

Something told him this wasn't a good idea, that he should leave, but she was so beautiful, he couldn't move or speak. His chest hurt so much, he could barely breathe.

"What's wrong, Arvis?" she sang sweetly, looking over her shoulder at him.

"You're not wearing anything." He answered so softly, he wondered if she'd even heard him.

"Of course not! We're going swimming in our own private part of the river.

Why would I want to wear anything?"

The question baffled him. "I'm wearing something! I always wear something to swim in. My mother reminded me to put it on under my garment. Didn't your mother remind you?"

Lene turned and approached him, putting her hands on the fastenings of his over-garment, the one that matched his skin pattern. "Arvis, haven't you ever seen your parents swim?"

"Of course, when they swim with me and my sister."

Now Lene seemed confused. "I thought all the Industrious assisted their Chosen during breeding. ... It's true, then, what

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they say about your father, that he refused to go through any more cycles, because he doesn't want to make more Industrious."

Arvis had no idea what she was talking about. "When my parents swim with us, we
all
wear something. You should, too!"

She gently aided him out of his clothes, eyeing the suit beneath it. "That's a nice suit, but when ... people who like each other in a special way ... go swimming in a private place .. . things are different then. You
do
like me, don't you, Arvis?"

Arvis felt his vocal cords freeze up as he tried to fathom what Lene was talking about. How many ways could you like someone, and what way was special? The way he liked his father? Or did she mean the way she made him feel when she came close like this? Arvis wasn't even sure he even
liked
this feeling, he'd never had it before. It hurt deep inside, and now, looking at Lene's beautiful body, her lovely skin, it hurt terribly. He wondered if this was what his mother meant when she asked if Lene was nice to him.

The whole thing scared him.

"You're shaking," Lene sang. "Here, squat down in the water. I've got something to help you relax."

Used to the commands of the Chosen, Arvis did as he was told, and sat in the pool, wishing someone would explain to him why Lene did such strange things. Her long fingers rubbed something oily into his skin and he twitched.

"What's that?" he asked. He shouldn't ask questions of the Chosen, but his parents had always indulged his curiosity.

"It's a special oil my mother made," Lene sang. "It'll make you feel good!"

Arvis doubted that. He never really felt good until Lene left him alone. Then he would remember all the things she'd said and done, filter them through his limited intelligence, and alter them so he could understand them.
Then
he'd feel good. His skin felt warm where she rubbed the oil, and to his surprise, his muscles relaxed. Lene began to remove his swimsuit. Realizing he could not refuse her, Arvis squeezed his eyes shut as she undressed him, while stroking more oil onto his back and tail.

"It's going to rain soon, dear Arvis," Lene sang, almost to herself, he thought.

"I can smell it, I can feel it. You've got to be ready for the rain, my sweet, because it's going to change your life. And mine. Most importantly, dear Arvis, it's going to change mine." She pulled him deeper into the warm pool, and as the soothing wetness surrounded them, he opened his eyes and watched as she rubbed the strange oil over his skin.

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* * *

K'heera couldn't believe how exhilarating it felt to fly through the forest, free for the first time since she'd landed on this lonely world. She traveled west, just for the joy of flying, of being alone. If she couldn't enjoy the company of her own people, the least she could do was have a few hours without being forced to endure
humans.

As the distance grew between herself and the camp, she began to feel bad about the harsh words she'd exchanged with Lightning. She'd have to apologize to him. His loyalty to the Interrelator was an honorable thing. But she was so tired of everything, so sick of this place . . . she supposed she'd have to apologize to everyone when she finally returned.

Well, she could put that off. She'd been pushing the sled fast, so she could still go a little farther before she'd have to return. The sled could find its way back in total darkness.

K'heera slowed the flyer and stepped off it, telling it to follow her. Here, the river lapped right up to the forest itself. She followed the beaten path, looking for an opening to the river" s edge so she could get a drink. Then she heard it.

She stopped, standing perfectly still. There it was again. Over the constant hum of insects, something was splashing nearby. Splashing, and . . . trilling some odd song. But nothing like the mental music of the Singers.

Silently K'heera advanced, following the noise. She didn't expect to find any animals in the Land of Confusion. What creature had been courageous enough to brave the mind tricks of the River Spirits? The trilling and playful splashing continued. She heard two distinct voices, one high and tremulous, the other lower. She hunkered down beside the brush that edged a tiny clearing bordering the river's edge.

Two brilliantly colored creatures were submerged in shallow water, playing, swimming, splashing--and communicating. K'heera thought they might be male and female, perhaps a pair performing a pre-mating ritual. She slowed her breathing. She'd never seen anything like them in anything she'd studied, but Trinity was crawling with so many species of animals, it would be years before they could all be documented. These two had such a small brain casing, they might not be susceptible to the Singers' telepathy. If she couldn't make a First Contact, it would still be enjoyable to give these creatures their scientific name. It would be a small honor, but a Harkk'ett could not be fussy.

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Suddenly one of the creatures stood, revealing its form. K'heera was stunned to realize it was bipedal, with four-fingered hands and opposing thumbs. The being, whose hairless skin was colored a stunning red and blue, sang something to its partner, but the submerged being seemed strangely unresponsive. The one standing, the smaller, sleeker of the two--