by J. D. Lakey
“It would be nice to get points for the kills, too,” Megan added. “Partial points for a fuzzy gang and a stinging spider nest would put us at the top of the first year pack standings.”
“Never mind that, now. That’s another battle. Let’s start from the beginning,” Tam said, patting the map.
The other children squatted around it and leaned in close to get a better view. Their fingers traced the line of the outward journey, along the East Trail, to the turn up the North Fork Trail, to the spot where they left the trail and cut through open country. They all generally agreed with the time and place referents that Tam guessed at. Megan remembered the place where they saw the fernhen. The tubegrass grove lay just uphill from the place on the map where the blue line marked the stream as it flowed down the mountain. This was all they were certain of.
The path of the return journey brought heated debate. They all agreed on the initial direction away from the spring but none of them could remember the time of day. Cheobawn could not help them. Time seemed to play tricks in her head. What had seemed like hours must surely have only been minutes, what seemed like forever had only been hours.
After much discussion, they used Connor’s estimate. He seemed the most certain. Megan unsealed one of the deep pockets in her shorts and pulled out a tablet. A handful of colored styluses emerged from another. She began writing the map coordinates down the page in a column and putting the rough time estimates next to them. Tam made a small mapper’s ruler appear from one of his many pockets, grabbed a stylus from Megan and began tracing the bits they were sure of on the map, placing the numbered boxes in the spots to mark the things they remembered.
Cheobawn sat back and watched them for a moment, a soft smile on her face. There was a new found confidence in their interactions, as if being a declared Pack made everything right in the world. They were like rocks rolling downhill now. The momentum of their trust that the world would give them what they needed crushed all resistance. Their belief was absolute, almost magical.
Magic. Cheobawn understood magic. Magic was merely the unknown, a wild thing undefined by logic or reason. By that thinking, surely she was not Bad Luck, but Good, undefined.
The ball of pain inside her eased a bit more.
Tam looked up and caught her smiling at him. He grinned back and returned to his argument with Connor about the distance of the first leg of their journey. Cheobawn leaned forward to join in.
It took them almost two hours and much disagreement. At last Tam sat back to admire their work. Megan was still writing furiously, content with the tabulation on her paper. Connor ran his finger down the line etched on the map and tisked softly.
“Did you know you were doing this or was this all an accident?” he asked, bemused.
“What do you mean?” Cheobawn asked. Tam looked down, curious as well.
“You crossed the bhotta’s path here and the direction change towards the spiders is here. The whole time we were running we were boxed in between the cliffs and rock slides and the bogs and marshes that make the East Road split off and veer south. The only way out was the way you led us. You were headed towards the South Road, weren’t you?”
“We would have made it, too,” Tam said, “if it weren’t for the fuzzies.”
Cheobawn looked at the map and the vague impressions and blurry images from that day began to make sense. She shrugged.
“I did not have a plan when we left the grove. I never had a plan. It was only towards the end that I realized where we were headed.”
“I don’t care how her Luck works, I’m just glad it does,” Alain said fervently. Tam nodded.
“Wait,” Megan said, “We’re not done. Now that we have figured out the facts, we have to decide what to tell the Elders.”
The Pack grew silent, somber looks on their faces. Cheobawn suddenly felt exhausted. Discovering the truth had taken all her powers of recall. Covering it up again seemed too daunting.
Tam studied their map and then looked up with a mischievous smile on his face.
“You know what I am thinking?” mused Tam, running his fingers over the map. “I’m thinking we tell them the truth.”
“What? You mean turn this in as our foray report?” Megan asked aghast, as she waved her tablet in the air.
“It’s too crazy,” Alain said. “Nobody will believe it.”
“Exactly,” crowed Tam. “Give them a report they don’t expect. It will take them weeks and weeks to decide if it is true or not and then weeks more to decide what to do about it.”
A handful of weeks seemed like forever. Too far away to worry about. They all grinned in delight at Tam’s brilliant plan.
Cheobawn laughed at Tam’s logic but admitted, in the end, that it was faultless.
Chapter Thirteen
Hayrald was waiting for her at the end of the school day. Cheobawn paused on the top step when she saw him, uncertain of his mood and the reasons for him standing there with all the other waiting Elders. He was First Prime. He usually delegated his waiting time to his lieutenants. His presence surely could not have been out of concern. She had not needed an escort home from school since she was a little kid.
“Father,” Cheobawn greeted him solemnly.
“Little Mother,” said Hayrald, matching her formal address. He held out his hand and, after a moment’s hesitation, she took it. They turned and walked down the promenade. She wondered where he might be taking her. It was certain her teachers had carried the tale of her miraculous recovery of language. Perhaps it was her turn to sit in front of the panel of inquisitors and suffer their questions. But no. He turned the corner and led her towards home.
“I understand Tam brought his Pack to see you today.”
Cheobawn listened to the ambient, trying to tell if he was angry. It was as if Hayrald did not exist there. His control was impeccable. Her mother had chosen him as her Prime for a reason, after all. She would have to hunt out his feelings the hard way.
“Do not punish him for disobedience. It was needful,” she said.
“Was it?” he said, his tone betraying nothing.
She considered many responses, struggling against the unfamiliar silence between them. This was Da, the holder of her deepest, darkest secrets. Had one simple foray outside changed all that? She retreated inside herself to think about that for a moment, trying to stay calm. It was in that calm place that she found her answer. There were things so indelibly etched into the ambient that even if all else turned to dust and blew away, these things would remain. The feelings between her and her Da were one such thing.
With a new sense of confidence she dared probe at something that was bothering her.
“Mother’s job is very difficult, isn’t it?” she said.
“Why do you think so?” Hayrald asked, undeterred by the sudden change of subject.
“No one yells at her when she makes a mistake.”
“And you think this is bad?”
“I used to think it was a very good thing.”
“But not anymore?” asked Hayrald.
“No. I think it makes her lonely.”
Hayrald inhaled sharply, just like when he moved too fast and the old injury made his knee freeze up. Cheobawn caressed the back of his hand with her thumb, trying to comfort him.
“She has her Coven and me and the rest of her husbands,” Hayrald said when he found his breath again. It was not a true answer to her question. She left it alone. Grownups could be very cagey when it came to certain subjects.
“Tam turned in our foray report today.” she said, turning the conversation back to its beginning.
“I read it.” Da said.
“Did you?” That was quick, she thought. “What did you think?”
“It was a very, um, interesting read.” Hayrald said diplomatically. “The parts left out were more interesting than the parts left in. When did you learn to channel chi to enhance your strength? It is only taught in Temple. To twelve-year-olds. Have you been spying on the training session
s there as well?”
“What is chi?” Cheobawn asked, surprised that stealing life from Bear Under the Mountain was taught at all. Could other people see Bear? Why had no one ever told her?
“Ah,” Hayrald breathed. “I thought as much. Yes, yes, a very informative read, that report.”
“Do you think so? It seemed a little confusing. I thought we could have done better,” she said, but she did not know if she meant the report or the experience it was based on. Perhaps it was both.
“We all learn from our mistakes. Next time you will remember your mistakes and not repeat them,” her Da said sagely.
Next time. The words seemed like a promise. Da was not going to stop her if she wanted to go outside again.
Cheobawn smiled and pressed the back of his hand to her cheek. Da never made promises he could not keep.
Glossary
Alpha: A First. The dominant male or female in a group. The leader.
ambient: The communal psychic cloud surrounding all things.
Battle Trail: A sophisticated game of Dancing Molly, done in silence using fingersign. Used by the foray Packs and patrols.
Bear Under the Mountain: The synergistic sentience of all life north of the Escarpment.
bennelk: The smaller mountain cousin to the fenelk, these horned and tusked antelopes are the domes’ riding animals for patrols and battles.
bhotta: Large, wingless lizard, dominant predator of the High Reaches.
Black Bead: A failed Ear whose psi is suspect and whose gift is not to be trusted. They are forced to wear a black stone in their omeh to mark their status. Most are killed outright on their third birthday.
blackoak: Wet-loving tree with black bark and large, serrated and lobed leaves.
bloodstone: A gemstone prized by the domes for its range of colors, its hard crystalline structure, and its use as a psychic enhancer.
blue tag: Permission tag given to Packs to foray outside the dome.
buzzer: Large winged insect.
cedar: Ancient old growth tree with shredded bark and primitive leaves similar in form to Terran cedars.
Central Plaza: The plaza under the apex of the dome.
Choosingday: The day three year old girls must prove their psi abilities. Presented with two boxes, one containing something deadly, one containing a toy, the child must pick the correct one.
click: The distance a human man can walk in an hour.
Coven: The First Mother and all her wives.
croakers: Tiny, ground dwelling lizards.
Dancing Molly: Child’s game of follow the leader.
demi-Pack: Provisional Packs. Experimental and sometimes temporary arrangements, they are the first packs formed by children over the age of eight.
dubeh leopard: Large black cat-like predator.
Ear: Female member of a Pack. A psi adept.
East Trail: The road leading out the East Gate.
Elder: Tribal member over the age of sixteen.
Escarpment: The southern boundary of all tribal land.
fenelk: The larger cousin of the bennelk, these horned and tusked antelope are from the southern forests and are largest herbivore north of the Escarpment. They are used as beasts of burden for the caravans that travel between domes.
fernhen: Large ground nesting bird prized for its eggs. A seed eater.
First Mother: The dominant Mother in the Dome hierarchy, ultimately responsible for all life in and around the Dome.
First Prime: First Husband of the First Mother and her Coven. Dominant Father in the Dome hierarchy.
flutterflies: Tiny, winged lizards.
foray form: A detailed topographic map of the area around the dome updated daily by the Elders to include current threats. The Packs use them to plot out their intended routes and missions.
fuzzy gang: Small, communal-minded predator as large as a child’s fist.
gaiters: Leather thorn guards. Part of what is considered light armor.
glasslizard: Glider lizard with transparent skin. Not a true flier.
gorgeberry: Small fruit bush with golden berries.
grunter: Herbivore about the size and weight of a man that lives in the needletree forests. Sharp tusks are used for digging up fungus balls and bulbs.
High Mother: The leader of all the domes in the High Reaches, voted into office by the First Mothers of each dome.
hopper: Small, ground-dwelling marsupial.
Little Father: Formal title of boys who have not reached their majority.
Little Mother: Formal title of girls who have not reached their majority.
longpine: Giant needletree with extremely long needles.
Maker of the Living Thread: Master Geneticist and Healer. Amabel, Mora’s Second wife, is the Maker for Windfall Dome.
Natalmother: Mother who is impregnated by the Maker of the Living Thread and who bears the risk of gestating a child to full term.
needletree: Dry-loving tree that grows on the lower slopes of the mountains.
Nestmother: The Mother in charge of rearing a group of children between the ages of three and seven (if male), and three and eight (if female). After the age of seven boys are traded, and after the age of eight girls join Packs.
North Fork Trail: Northern branch of the trail that splits from East Trail to run along the top of the cliffs and scree slopes above the bogs.
oldma: A female who has retired from the politics of running the dome.
oldpa: A male too old to ride patrol.
omeh: The plasteel and bloodstone necklace containing the genetic map of the wearer worn by every human north of the Escarpment. A collar woven whole around the necks of every child not long after their birth, the pattern of which is unique to each dome.
Orchard Road: North road leading past the orchards into the north paddocks.
Orchard Trail: Road leading out the North Gate.
Pack Hall: Residence where the declared Packs live in their dorm rooms.
Pack: A group formed by children. It is a requirement of any who want to leave the dome. To Pack is enter into a formal binding contract with a chosen few. Upon reaching majority, these ties become permanent, the members then considered Husbands and Wives.
Pantry: The dome’s communal food storage.
piper: Small, ground nesting bird that eats mostly insects.
plasteel: A generic term used to refer to any form of extruded plastic. Made from plant material, it has the tensile strength of tungsten-enhanced steel.
psi: Short for psionic. The genetically bred abilities of dome women to perceive the world using super-psychic means.
red tag: Foray tag that grants permission for outside travel. Used to track all dome dwellers who have gone outside.
Son of the Flesh: Boys born of the dome in which they reside.
Son of the Heart: Boys traded in Trade Fairs as future Husbands to the Mothers of the recipient domes.
South Road: The road that splits from the North Fork Trail and goes south and then east, to run along the southern edges of the bogs.
spidersilk: This refers to the thread made from the silk of a small, golden spider and also to the fabric woven from this thread. Twice as strong as plasteel, weight for weight.
squeaker: Small forest frog.
sugarsip: Parasitic tree plant with sweet nectar in their flowers.
treebear: Giant, clawed marsupial standing man-tall at the shoulder. An opportunistic feeder, it can digest bone and most plant fibers.
Truemother: A term of deep respect and honor given to the Mother whose egg is used to conceive a child. Even after minor genetic manipulation, she is still considered the Truemother.
treehoppers: Large, arboreal marsupial.
tubegrass: Tall bamboo-like tree.
underager: Children under the age of eight.
watercup: Parasitic tree fungus.
Waterfall Trail: Road leading out the South Gate.
wayfaring boots: Sturdy hiking boots, not worn inside the do
me.
Weapons Locker: Building on the south side of the Central Plaza where the weapons and tools are stored.
Weapons Master: Elder in charge of Weapons Locker, this is a post taken in shifts by the more dominant males.
West Road: Road leading out the West Gate.
woolsey: Spidersilk and wool fabric.
Rank & Dome Affiliation
Cheobawn: Female born in Windfall Dome, Mora is her Truemother, Nestmother, and natalmother. Black Bead in Tam’s demi-Pack holding no rank. An Omega Ear.
Megan: Female born in Windfall Dome. Amabel is her Truemother. Alpha Ear in Tam’s demi-Pack.
Tam: Male born in Waterwall Dome. Alpha male.
Alain: Male born in Firewalker Dome. Tam’s Second.
Connor: Male born in Waterwall Dome, Tam’s Third, Tam’s Truebrother.
Phillius: Hayrald’s Third. Husband to the Coven.
Sigrid: Alpha male to Ramhorn Pack.
Hayrald: First Prime. Mora’s Fist Husband. Husband to the Coven, titular head of the Fathers of Windfall Dome.