The way was lit by little lamps, hanging from a thin boo pipe stapled to the hall. Tiny flames flickered an eerie blue color, leaving wide pools of shadow in between. Dim light also spilled from several side chambers, now mostly empty of workers as it was nighttime outside. One cell, however, seemed to blaze with bulky lanterns. Before tiptoeing past, Rety warily eyed two human occupants — who were luckily turned away, murmuring with low voices. Drawings of the star-gods, their aircraft, and other tools lay tacked on a dozen or so easels. The cube-shaped station — which Rety had never seen unburied — lay revealed in fine detail, more grand than some shattered Buyur site. Yet it seemed minute next to the monstrous tube depicted on the next sketch, floating above the forest.
My starship, she mused, though cowed by the thought of boarding the huge vessel when it returned for the forayers. She must remember to hold her chin up that day and show no fear.
The artists had caught Rann’s distant amused gaze, and Kunn’s sharp hunter’s glare as he adjusted the claw arm of a hovering robot. The pale intensity of Besh balanced Ling’s dusky half-cynical expression. Rety knew they were only drawings, like the ones some old grandpas used to scratch on a cliff overlooking the wintering cave, back in the Gray Hills. Still, the lifelike accuracy seemed spooky and magical. The Slopies are studying the star-men. What could it mean?
Rety almost tripped in her haste to get away. Whatever they’re planning, it won’t come to much. She set her mind back to getting out of this place and making the rendezvous, in time.
The mustiness began to lift and the harsh echoes softened. Soon she heard voices ahead… Lester Cambel trading words with a second human. Rety tiptoed to the next bend and peered around. The human sage could be seen talking to the cave guard, who looked down at yee with a chagrined expression.
“Privacy wasps may stop the tiniest robots,” Cambel said. “But what about something the size of this little fellow?”
“Honestly, sir. I can’t imagine how he got past—”
Cambel waved off the apology. “There was no harm done this time, son. It’s mostly their contempt that protects us — their confidence we have nothing worth spying on. Just be more careful from now on, eh?”
He patted the young man’s arm and turned to follow as yee hurried outside. The path seemed brightly lit by moonshine, piercing through gently waving forest branches. Still clearly perplexed, the guard set his jaw and gripped his weapon — a kind of pole with a sharp-looking knife-thing at one end — standing with legs slightly apart, in the center of the entrance. When the scrape of Cambel’s footsteps faded, Rety counted twenty duras, then made her own move. Faking calm, she sauntered toward the young guard, who swiveled when she was close.
Rety gave a smile and an easygoing wave. “Well, guess I’m all done for the night.” She yawned, sidling past his bulk, sensing his startled indecision. “Boy I’ll tell ya, that science sure is hard work! Well, g’night.”
Now she was outside, gratefully inhaling fresh mountain air and trying not to break into a run. Especially when he shouted — “Hey, stop right there!”
Swiveling around but continuing to walk backward down the path, Rety delayed him a few more seconds by grinning broadly. “Yeah? You need somethin’?”
“What… who are you—?”
“Got something here I figure the sage’d want to be seein’,” she replied with deceptive truthfulness, patting her belt pouch and still backing away.
The guard started toward her.
With a joyful shout, Rety spun about and took off into the forest, knowing pursuit was hopeless at this point. He had lost his chance, the stinker! Still, she was kind of glad that he tried.
yee met her where they had agreed, by the log bridge, halfway to the place where she was to join Rann. On spying her, the little urs yelped and seemed to fly into her arms.
He was less pleased on trying to burrow into his accustomed place, only to find a cold hard object taking up the pouch. Rety tucked him into the folds of her jacket, and after a moment he seemed to find that acceptable.
“yee tell wife, yee see—”
“We did it!” Rety chortled gleefully, unable to contain the rush of an adventure so well closed. The chase had been a perfect way to finish, leaping and laughing as she ran through the forest, leaving the big oaf to flounder in the dark while she circled around, then slinked right past the noisy guard on her way back to the Glade.
“You were great, too,” she told yee, sharing credit. “Would’ve been harder to do it without you.” She hugged his little body till he complained with a series of short grunts. “Did you have any trouble getting away from Cambel?” she asked.
“wiseman human no problem, yee get ’way good, but then—”
“Great, then it’s over. We better go now, though. If Rann has to wait, he may not be in as good a mood as—”
“—but then yee see something on way to meet wife! whole herd of urs… qheuens… hoons… men … all going sneak-sneak in dark, carry big boxes!”
Rety hurried down a side trail leading toward the rendezvous point. “Hm-hm? Do tell? Prob’ly one of those silly pilgrim things, headin’ up to pray to that big rock they think is a god.” She had only contempt for the superstitions of planet-grubbing sooners. To her, all the talk she’d heard about the Slopies’ fabulous “Egg” was just more scare-you-in-the-dark stuff, like those tales of ghosts and huge beasts and spirit glavers that were common campfire fare back in the Gray Hills, especially since Jass and Bom took over. Whenever times were hard, the hunters would argue into the night, seeking some reason why the prey animals might be angry, and ways to appease them.
“herd of sneakers not go holy rock!” yee protested, “head wrong way! no white robes, no sing-songs! just sneak-sneak, I say! sneak with boxes to ’nother cave!”
Rety’s interest was almost piqued, yee sure seemed to think it important…
But just then the trail turned to overlook the little valley where the sky-humans dwelled. Moonlight spilled across pavilions that seemed strangely less well camouflaged now, in the vivid dimness.
A soft hum warbled from the west, and a glint drew her eye as a glistening teardrop shape floated into view, folding away two delicate wings as it descended. Rety felt a tingle, recognizing the small flying boat of the forayers, returning from another mysterious expedition. She watched, transfixed, as the lovely thing settled gracefully to the valley floor. A hole opened, swallowing it into the ground.
Excitement filled Rety’s lungs, and her heart felt light.
“Hush, husband,” she told yee when he complained of being ignored. “We got some tradin’ and dickerin’ to do.
“Now’s when we’ll see if they pay what they promised.”