He wondered if he would always shine like this—if his house would always light up like this whenever he was inside.

The thought had no sooner come to him than the Oversoul's voice responded. (The cloak responds to your will. If you wish it to go dark, it will. If you wish it to build up a powerful electrical charge, it will—and you can point your finger and send an arc of energy in whatever direction you choose. Nothing can harm you while you wear this, and you can be deeply dangerous to others—yet if you have no wish to harm someone, the cloak will be passive. Your children can sleep in the dark, and you can hold your wife as you always have. Indeed, the more physical contact you have with others, the more your cloak will extend to include them, and even respond, in a small way, to your will.)

So Luet will also wear this cloak?

(Through you, yes. It will protect her; it will give her better access to my memory. But why do you ask me these things? Instead of thinking of questions, why not simply cast your mind back and try to remember, as if you had always known about the cloak. The memories will come to your mind easily and clearly, then. You'll know all there is to know.)

Nafai tried it, and suddenly he had no more questions about the cloak. He understood what it meant to be shipmaster. He even understood exactly what the Oversoul needed him to do to prepare a starship for departure.

"We don't have enough lifetimes among us, including our children, to do all of this," said Nafai.

(I told you that I'd give you the tools to work with. Some aspects of the robots are unsalvageable now, but other parts can be used. The machines themselves are perfectly workable—it's only my program to control them that is defective. Parts of it can be reactivated, and then you and the others can set the robots to doing the meaningless tasks under your direction. You'll see.)

And now Nafai "remembered" exactly what the Oversoul had determined was possible. It would take some serious work for several hours to get the robots working, but he could do it—he remembered how. "I'll get started at once," he said. "Is there anything to eat here?"

No sooner had he asked than he remembered that of course there was no food here. It made him impatient to think of having to leave this place and go hunt for food. "Can't you bring the others here? Have them bring food, and… I don't see why we should have to take a day's journey every time someone comes here. We can rebuild our village here—there's plenty of water in the hills to the south, and plenty of lumber. We can spend a week doing that and save ourselves many days of travel each year until the ships are done."

(I'll pass the word. Or you can tell them yourself.) "Tell them myself?" And then he remembered: Since the Oversoul's memory was now "his" memory, he could speak to the others through the Index. So he did.

"You're not going," said Elemak.

Zdorab and Volemak stood before him in bafflement. "What do you mean?" said Volemak. "Nafai needs food, and we need to mark out the new village. I assumed you'd want to come along."

"And I say you're not going. Nobody's going. We're not moving the village, and nobody is moving from here to go join Nafai. His attempt at seizing power here has failed. Give it up, Father. When Nyef gets hungry enough, he'll come home."

"I'm your father, Elya, not your child. You can decide not to go yourself, but you have no authority to stop me."

Elemak tapped his finger on the table.

"Unless you're threatening to use violence against your father," said Volemak.

"I have told you the law of this place," said Elemak. "Nobody leaves this town without my permission. And you don't have my permission."

"And if I disobey your presumptuous, illegal command?" said Volemak.

"Then you're no longer part of Dostatok," said Elemak. "If you're caught skulking around here, you'll be treated as a thief."

"Do you think the others will consent to this?" asked Volemak. "If you raise a hand against me, you'll earn only the disgust of the others."

"I'll earn their obedience," said Elemak. "I advise you… don't force the issue. No one takes food to Nafai. He comes home, and the charade about starships ends."

Volemak stood in silence, Zdorab beside him. Their faces were inscrutable.

"All right," said Volemak.

Elemak was surprised—could Father be giving in so easily?

"Nafai says he'll come home now. He has the first robots recommissioned and working. He'll be home in an hour."

"In an hour!" said Meb, who was standing nearby. "Well there it is. This Vusadka place was supposed to be a whole day's journey away."

"Nafai only just got the paritkas working. If they function well enough, we won't have to move the village."

"What's a paritka?" asked Meb.

Don't ask, you fool, Elemak said silently. It just plays into Father's hands.

"A flying wagon," said Volemak.

"And I suppose you're talking to Nafai right now?"

"When we don't have the Index with us," said Volemak, "his voice is as hard to distinguish from our normal thoughts as the Oversoul's voice normally is. But he's talking to us, yes. You could hear him yourself, if you only listened."

Elemak couldn't help laughing. "Oh, yes, I'm sure that I'm going to sit here and listen for the voice of my faraway brother, talking in my mind."

"Why not?" asked Zdorab. "He already sees everything that the Oversoul sees. Including what's going on in your mind. For instance, he knows that you and Meb plan to kill him as soon as he gets back here."

Elemak leapt to his feet. "That's a lie!" Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Meb getting a panicked look on his face. Just keep your mouth shut, Meb. Can't you recognize a wild guess when you hear one? Just don't do anything to confirm their guess. "Now get back to your house, Father. You too, Zdorab. The only way Nafai will be in any danger is if he attacks us or tries to mutiny."

"This isn't the desert now," said Volemak. "And you're not in command."

"On the contrary," said Elemak. "Desert law still applies, and I am the leader of this expedition. I have been all along. I only deferred to you, old man, out of courtesy."

"Let's go," said Zdorab, drawing Volemak out of Elemak's house.

"And deprive Elemak of the chance of showing exactly how malicious he really is?"

"Not malicious, Father," said Elemak. "Just fed up. It's you and Nyef, Rasa and Luet and your group who started this. Nobody asked you to start this stupid business about traveling out among the stars. Everything was going fine—you're the ones who decided to change all the rules. Well, the rules have changed, and for once they don't favor you. Now take your medicine like a man."

"I grieve for you," said Volemak. Then Zdorab had him out the door and they were gone.

"They knew," said Mebbekew. "They knew what we were planning."

"Oh, shut up," said Elemak. " They guessed,and you nearly blurted out a confirmation of their guess."

"I didn't," said Meb. "I didn't say a thing."

"Get your bow and arrow. You're a good enough shot for this."

"You mean we aren't going to wait and talk to him first?"

"I think Nafai will talk more reasonably if he has an arrow in him, don't you?"

Meb left the house. Elemak rose to his feet and reached for his bow over the fireplace.

"Don't do it."

He turned and saw Eiadh standing in the doorway to the bedroom, holding the baby on her hip.

"Did I hear you correctly, Edhya?" asked Elemak. "Are you telling me what to do?"

"You tried to kill him once before," said Eiadh. "The Oversoul won't let you. Don't you realize that? And this time you might get hurt."

"I appreciate your concern for me, Edhya, but I know what I'm doing."