The Children of the Sky

“Yes—” Ravna took one more look around. The sunlight had put everything into sharp contrast. The shallow rain pool she had noticed earlier was further away than she’d thought. And it wasn’t shallow. “Hei, Jefri. We’re only about forty meters from one of the cuttlefish ponds.”

She started walking toward it, and after a moment Jefri followed. The gunpack made a spiky sound of surprise. He trotted around and ahead of them as if to turn them back—but he kept his gun muzzles down and seemed more irritated than imperative.

As they reached the pool, Jefri commented, “A wagon just left the palace. Want to bet that’s Tycoon?”

She looked up. The wagon hardly seemed to be moving at all. Ah, it was headed here, not across to the hangars. Yes, one last confrontation. She wasn’t afraid to argue with Tycoon, but she was very afraid of the consequences of losing the argument. This time, things could not end in a draw.

She knelt by the pool, hoping she looked unconcerned to whomever might be watching. Despite the open water, the swarms of bloodsucking insects were no thicker here than anywhere else. Maybe they didn’t have a water larval stage. Or maybe … Here and there across the water, there were flickers of motion, tentacles snapping up through the water’s surface. So in addition to their other virtues, the cuttlefish liked to eat insects.

She leaned over the edge of the pool, looking straight down. The concrete wall was steep; even here, the bottom looked to be a meter or two under water. There was one of the squidlike critters. And another. After a few seconds they seemed to swarming below her.

“We seem to be attracting them,” said Jefri.

“Yeah.” She reached her hand into the warm water.

“Hei, careful!” Jef grabbed her arm, holding her back.

“It’s okay. They get along well enough with the Tines.” Besides, she had a theory she wanted to test.

“But you don’t know what else is in the pond.”

The tiny bodies tumbled around her hand, the huge glossy eyes peering curiously up through the water at her. She felt tendrils tugging gently on her fingers. She waggled her hand, lifting the creature up for a better view. It was a small thing to be intelligent, but—

“Hei, hei, hei!” piped a small voice. All around it other voices chimed. “Hei human. Hei humans!” The one who had touched her let go. The crowd darted off, then a moment later was back in even greater numbers. Dozens of little voices were shouting simple Samnorsk greetings.

Jefri’s grip on her arm loosened and he dropped to his knees beside her. “So they really do talk! I wonder how they compare to singletons.”

“Oh, I think they’re considerably smarter.” It was still a theory, but—she glanced across the airfield. The approaching wagon was much nearer, trailed by another gunpack. She recognized the elaborate ornamentation on the wagon; this was Tycoon. Maybe it was time to try to use her little theory.

She and Jefri stood, but remained near the pool. Tycoon’s wagon slowed and came to a stop by the other wagon. When Ravna and Jefri did not move, there was some irritated gobbling. After a moment, Tycoon’s driver brought him over to the cuttlefish pool.

The eightsome came streaming out of the wagon, followed by a radio singleton—hei, it looked like Zek! Behind him was a more expected companion, Ritl. She was in her usual fine form, bitching loudly about something or everything. When Tycoon sent a be quiet in her direction, Ritl shifted to sporadic muttering. She walked along with Zek for a few paces—and then seemed to notice the pond. She ran off around it, and for a time the air was free of her complaints.

Tycoon ambled over to them with the air of a great leader slumming around without his entourage. Well, I’m just as glad not to see Vendacious or even Aritarmo, thought Ravna.

“It’s g-going to be a very warm day,” said Tycoon, his Geri voice as incongruous as ever.

“I’m sure it will be, sir,” replied Ravna.

The eight bobbed a smile. “Not that it matters. This afternoon I will be flying away. You know, the air is quite cool even a few hundred meters up. It’s nature’s own air conditioning. I expect I will be quite comfortable.”

“You’re not taking us then?” said Ravna, still trying make it sound like casual chitchat.

“The passenger list and ship assignment isn’t entirely decided,” he said. Two of him were staring pointedly at Jefri.

Ravna continued to play along. “Vendacious is going?”

“Of course. In the second airship.” He waved a snout in the direction of the hangars. “No room for Aritarmo, but we’ll still have the network. I’ll continue to supervise my worldwide operations.”

“And Ritl?” said Jefri, as if just passing the time of day.

Tycoon made an irritated noise. “Not Ritl. In close quarters, that little monster—I mean, that remnant of a loyal employee—is too difficult to deal with.” All his heads turned toward Ravna. “But that’s not the important question as far as you two are concerned.”