The Namura Stone

by Andrews, Gillian

“I shall come back in six months,” promised Arcan. Then he disappeared.

  “Here, Arcan—” began Six, who was not looking forward to staying in this village. Then he realized he was talking to thin air and raised his eyes towards the sky.

  The sibyla smiled. “The voice in the wind tells me that you can make your own way back to Mesteta. He has gone to find another space trader, he says.”

  “Oh, right.” Six shuffled his feet restlessly. He wanted to get back to the canth farm, wanted to see Diva’s canth. Surely she would have made the transition by now?

  Grace sensed what he was thinking. “We can’t be sure she will transform, you know,” she warned.

  “Of course she will transform!” Six was shocked. “She would never leave me here all alone. And if she doesn’t get a move on, I shall take a trip over to Kwaide, to see some of my old friends there, like Kaileen. That’ll bring her over fast enough, if I know Diva!”

  Grace wasn’t convinced. Six seemed to have no doubts at all that Diva would come back as a trimorph, but she wasn’t so sure.

  THEY MET UP with Bennel again at the crossroads to Mount Palestron. The Coriolan companion was standing there, accompanied by a motherly looking woman, and two thin children. As Six approached, the woman dropped into a deep curtsey.

  “Valhai Six, thank you for considering me for the position.”

  Six opened his mouth. “Wha—”

  Grace interrupted. “You’re more than welcome. In fact, he wouldn’t be able to cope without you.”

  “Well, I shall make sure he doesn’t have to worry about anything domestic. And he needn’t be concerned about the children getting in the way.” The woman beamed and waved a dismissive hand to encompass both her children. “They won’t bother him at all!”

  Her daughter made a small squeak, looking intimidated, and Six took Grace’s arm, leading her apart.

  “Something you forgot to tell me, Grace?”

  She brushed his hand away. “You needed somebody to look after Raven, and Bennel’s wife was available. It is the ideal solution; her children will help to keep Raven company. And, in any case, you should have looked into Bennel’s situation yourself. Did you know that he was expelled from the order of the companions for going to find Diva off-world, under his own steam? He hasn’t been paid since then!” She and Six fell behind, as she filled him in with all the details. His face got longer and longer as she told him about Lannie.

  Finally he blew out air. “Fine! You are obviously right; let’s just leave it at that.” He walked faster, to catch Lannie and the two children up.

  “I am glad you were able to come. We will talk about salary later.”

  Lannie was shocked. “We want no salary, thank you very much. We have not sunk as low as that!”

  Six’s eyes slid to Grace, who shrugged, and then Bennel.

  Bennel grinned. “We are not used to such things, Valhai Six. We are used to working in exchange for food and a dwelling.”

  “You shall have both,” he promised. “And an education for the children.”

  “An education? What is that?” Lannie asked.

  “We will teach them things.”

  Lannie’s mouth formed a straight line, and she put both hands on her hips. “And I can’t, I suppose?”

  Grace found herself grinning. Lannie would keep them all on their toes, she thought to herself. She hoped the plain-spoken woman would help Six to find some sort of transition from life with Diva to life without her. Because Grace was not at all sure that her friend would come back as a morphic. And even if she did, how would Six feel?

  Bennel held out his arms for Raven to clamber up them. “This is my family, Raven,” he explained. “You met them before, remember? When we were here that time with your mother. They are going to come to live with us.”

  Raven examined the three people in front of her dubiously.

  “Family?”

  “That’s right, family. They are going to be your family too, from now on. This is my wife, Lannie, who is going to look after you …” Lannie dipped in a small curtsey, which made Raven giggle, “… and this is my son, Sanjai, who is ten, and my daughter, Quenna, who is just eight now.” Sanjai grinned at Raven, who chortled, and Quenna bobbed a smaller version of her mother’s curtsey.

  “’Enna?”

  “That’s right. Quenna, and Sanjai.”

  “S…s…” But the little girl wasn’t able to get her tongue around the first syllable. She gave up. “’Jai,” she baptised him. “’Jai!”

  Sanjai, trying not to be intimidated by his first meeting with the heir to the meritocracy, gave a cheeky wave. From that moment on, Raven adopted him as her brother.

  She waved her thin arms in the air. “’Jai! ’Enna!”

  Bennel and Lannie smiled. Grace felt relieved. It seemed her idea was going to work out. She was glad.

  Tallen glared around at them. “We have to make our way to the landing area,” he pointed out. “It will be nightfall in a few hours.”

  ARCAN WAS SPEAKING to Aracely, Vion’s sister, back on Valhai.

  “—So you see, I’m afraid I need another space trader.”

  Aracely’s eyes widened. “Arcan! You have only had the last one for eighteen months. You have to be joking!”

  Arcan shimmered, but didn’t answer.

  “You aren’t? What happened? Was that how Diva …?” Aracely looked down at the floor. “I’m sorry. I know I shouldn’t ask.”

  “There is no reason why you should not ask, but I am afraid that I cannot tell you. The trader exploded, and I need a new one.”

  Aracely gave a business-like nod. “Then we will have to speak to Mandalon again. I suppose he will be able to sell you another one.”

  “Are there funds for it, without affecting the projects we already have underway for the foundation?”

  “I think so, though it may mean cutting back on the new plans we had to found a quantum physics department at the New Kwaide university.”

  “That is unfortunate, but I am afraid that I must have a trader.”

  Aracely was about to ask him something, then thought better of it.

  It was none of her business; she was not one to pry. If Arcan thought she should know about his travels, he would tell her. Her teeth pressed against her lower lip. Sometimes it was hard to be so close, yet so far away.

  She and Arcan transported across to Mandalon’s skyrise and found the young head of Sell trying to reason with his new Namuri guards.

  “I tell you, I am your emptor, and I will go exactly where I want to!”

  The sturdy guards were looking mulish. One, the largest, was speaking. “It is not our place to tell you where you can and can’t go, but it would be impossible to protect you adequately while on the Xianthes.”

  Mandalon had raised his head. “I don’t care what you say; I am going.”

  “Then we must all come with you.”

  “You couldn’t all fit into the same cage on the dark Xianthe!”

  When the leader of Sell saw Arcan appear, he hurried over to him.

  “Arcan! Tell these squareheads that I would be quite safe to visit Xiantha! They seem to think I would be risking my life to go up the Xianthes! I am not a child! I want to travel away from Valhai! Tell them!”

  Arcan rather liked Mandalon. He had a sneaking admiration for the young boy who, at only ten, had stepped forwards so resolutely to take charge of his world. He softened. “I can take you, if you like.”

  “You!” Mandalon’s face brightened. “Would you? Really?”

  “If you wish. I presume your guards would have no problem with that?” The orthogel entity darkened and looked around at the staring Namuri guards.

  Their spokesman cleared his throat hastily. “No problem
. If the voice in the wind is to accompany the emptor, then there could be no objection at all.”

  “Where do you want to go?”

  “Xiantha, Cesis, maybe New Kwaide. I would like … what is it called?” —he appeared to be racking his brains— “Oh yes, I have it … a ‘holiday’.”

  “All right, but that brings me to the reason for this visit. I need to acquire a new trader.”

  Mandalon looked in surprise at Aracely, who spread her hands and gave an expressive shrug. “Already?”

  “I’m afraid so.”

  Mandalon was obviously wondering if the loss of the trader had anything to do with Diva’s death, but, unlike Aracely, decided to keep his speculations to himself. He frowned and thought for a moment.

  “It doesn’t seem fair to ask you to transport me half-way around the binary system and back and then charge you full price for a trader. And I know you take my Namuri guards back and forth to Coriolis. In fact, you have done a huge amount for us, Arcan, and I think that perhaps it is time we did something for you. I will give you the trader at cost, this time.”

  Aracely looked surprised. This was a huge concession from a Sellite, although for one glorious second she had thought that he was actually going to make Arcan a present of the whole thing. Even so, at cost price she might even be able to go ahead with the plans the foundation already had.

  Arcan flashed with sudden colour. He realized that the leader of Sell had just made an important concession, though he personally couldn’t see why the race was fixated on material things and so found it difficult to value the gesture. “Thank you, Mandalon of Sell. I appreciate that.”

  Mandalon went to the nearest tridiscreen and began to push buttons quickly. “You can have one of the new Hadron class traders. We have developed them for resale to Coriolis and Kwaide. There is likely to be a growing demand for personal traders in the future, our planners suggest. The Hadron class vessels are smaller, quicker and lighter than the normal traders, and incorporate a variation of the new propulsion engine that has been successful in the freighters. I have one already built which I can let you have.”

  Arcan seemed pleased. “That will be acceptable. Can I leave Aracely to draw up the contract with you?”

  Mandalon smiled at Aracely. “Of course. By the way, I hear congratulations are in store. You are about to enter into a life partnership, I believe?”

  Aracely went slightly red. “Yes, with Amoton 49, heir to the 12th skyrise.”

  “Ah yes, the exochemist skyrise. Well, congratulations.”

  Aracely went even pinker. “Thank you.”

  “Let me know when the ceremony is to be. I would like to attend.”

  That was unexpected. Aracely, normally a quiet and unpresuming girl, felt a shameful shaft of triumph run right through her. That would show her father that the work she was doing was not just a ‘girlish hobby’ that might ‘keep her busy until she married’. Her father wouldn’t be able to get the head of Sell to his ceremonies! Then she felt mortified. She shouldn’t be thinking such unworthy thoughts.

  She stammered her thanks, then the two Sellites got down to business. Arcan soon had his new trader, and the foundation would be able to continue with the commitments already made. It was a good contract.

  BACK ON XIANTHA, after they had christened the new trader, which was inevitably called ‘the New Independence’ after the old New Independence, Six turned his back on all of them and headed down to the corral on the canth farm, leaving Grace and Ledin to take the others to the house on the Emerald Lake. Grace encouraged him to go this time. She knew that he was in a better state than he had been and that this was something he needed to do.

  It was blisteringly hot when he finally got there, and, as he opened the gate, he hardly knew what he was hoping to find. All he knew is that he and Diva’s seal brown canth had to be together; he couldn’t leave it to whatever its fate was alone.

  He stumbled as he opened the gate, and let himself through into the corral which was shaped like a segment of a circle, bounded by another, smaller segment at the top where the gate was.

  At first he could see no sign of Diva’s canth; then he spotted a lump, spread out under one of the trees. He ran down the rest of the slope to get to it.

  It was Diva’s canth, and it was lying on its side in the dust, its beautiful coat slick with sweat, its legs sticking straight out.

  Six saw that the man who spoke to canths was sitting by it, stroking its head gently. He skidded to a stop, and the dying canth rolled the whites of its eyes at the disturbance.

  “Sorry.” He bent down to touch the white line of sweat along its neck. Sorry. I didn’t mean to disturb it.”

  The canth keeper got rather unsteadily to his knees. “I am glad you are here. I shall take the opportunity to see to the other canths, if you don’t mind. I have been here since last night.”

  Six looked up at the canth keeper. “Is it … is it time?”

  The Xianthan nodded. “It is.”

  “Do you get the impression … I mean … Do you think it is happy? Happy to go? Do you think it knows it will become a morphic?”

  “I have not been able to tell. I know what you are hoping for, Six, but I can’t be of any help. Doesn’t Arcan know?”

  Six shook his head. “The part of Arcan that got out of the trap doesn’t know what happened to the part that was left. He only got a vague sensation of what their last seconds were like, and then he says there was simply a white-out, a total blankness. He says he has no idea whether the conditions were met for a trimorph to form. We still don’t really know for sure what those conditions are.”

  The Xianthan patted him on the shoulder. “You will be able to smooth its transition, in any case. You were so close to Diva that there is a bond between this canth and you. At the very least, your presence will reassure it. That is important, too.”

  “I will do that gladly.” Six slipped down to a sitting position and took the large head onto his lap. The canth gave a long sigh. Six began to stroke it along its neck, back and forth just under the mane. He didn’t care how long it took; he would take care of this last link he had with Diva.

  The sun powered down onto the paddock and then began to slide towards the horizon. Neither Six nor the canth noticed. They were each living the last moments of its life in their own way.

  Six was remembering the mad journey with this canth and his own dapple grey when they were trying to save the trimorphs on Kintara, in the centre of the galaxy. He and Diva had huddled under a foil sheet spread over the legs of this beautiful animal. He remembered that he had said he wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else in the universe that night, and she had agreed. It had been a memorable moment then but was bitterly painful now. His fingers traced out one of the many scars the canth had brought back from that adventure, and he sighed.

  The canth grunted, which brought him out of his reverie. “You are right.” He stroked the whorls along its damp neck. “I have to remember those times with a smile, not with pain. I was lucky to have them. I should not make them bad memories now. They must still shine in my mind, just like they did then; anything else would be unfair to them.”

  The seal brown gave the tiniest of grunts and then began to tremble all over. Six pressed down on its neck, trying to keep it steady, but the convulsions were becoming unstoppable now.

  He whispered fiercely to the exquisite animal as it breathed its last breath. “Go with Sacras,” he told it. “Find her for me, please, if you can. I miss her so much.”

  Six sat holding the head of the dead canth as the night passed, and dawn slowly came. The canth-keeper found him there shortly after first light; a figure frozen into place against the rising rays of sunlight.

  The Xianthan lifted him to his feet and helped him up the hill, towards the sunlight. Six’s face was grey w
ith fatigue. He seemed drained. The man who spoke to canths put him onto one of the spare beds he had for visitors and covered him with a light blanket. Six closed his eyes, and, for the first time in over a week, fell into a fitful sleep.

  Chapter 15

  WHEN SIX GOT back to the Emerald Lake, the following day, he found everything organized. The house was spotless, Bennel had been dispatched to get more food and the children were playing quietly together by the lakeside. Sanjai was watching Raven’s every move, immensely proud to have been allotted such responsibility. He seemed to have grown at least two inches overnight.

  Raven was happily making little castles out of the sand beside the lake, but shouted out gleefully when she saw her father. She stretched out her hands, running towards him as fast as her small legs would take her.

  Six swung her up above his head and smiled. There was so much of Diva in this little girl’s face. She had Diva’s eyebrows, mouth and nose, and her eyes seemed to examine you in exactly the same way, although the little girl’s were a wonderful light glowing tawny brown which seemed to hold the sun inside them. Diva’s had been bluer, sharper.

  Six felt his heart miss a beat. He shouldn’t think of Diva. He should think only of this small being, his daughter. He hugged her tight, before setting her down again and smiling towards Sanjai and Quenna, both staring up at him in awe.

  “Good job, Sanjai. I see you are going to have your work cut out with these two on your hands!”

  The thin boy flushed and looked at the sand.

  Six put Raven down again. “Be good, poppet. Don’t go too far into the water, and don’t start any fights!”

  He heard himself speak and felt a small twinge for a past life, one in which he himself had started fights, leapt fearlessly into water and looked forward to new adventures. That boy had vanished forever.

  He gave a sigh and walked slowly back through the trees to the house. He didn’t notice the wonderful vegetation, or the blue sky, or the hot sun which was shining down. He trudged through the long grass, walked into the house, made his way to the room which was to become his office, shut the door and picked up some papers.