uplift4.brightnessreef-第22节

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　　Now　she　had　the　river's　current　behind　her　as　she　swam；　and　soon　Sara　glimpsed　the　Hauph…woa　downstream。　The　crew　had　the　boat　turned　and　were　stroking　to　stay　in　place；　now　that　they　had　reached　a　safe　distance　from　Bing　Village。　Still；　it　was　a　hard　pull　to　reach　the　hull　at　last　and　start　up　the　rope　ladder。　She　only　made　it　halfway　before　her　muscles　started　to　cramp；　and　the　helpful　sailors　had　to　haul　it　in　the　rest　of　the　way　by　hand。
　　I've　got　to　get　stronger；　if　I'm　going　to　make　a　habit　of　having　adventures；　she　thought　as　someone　wrapped　a　blanket　around　her。
　　Yet；　Sara　felt　strangely　fine　while　Pzora　tended　her　wound　and　the　cook　made　her　some　of　his　special　tea。　Sara's　hand　ached；　and　her　body　throbbed；　yet　she　felt　also　something　akin　to　a　glow。
　　I　made　decisions；　and　they　were　right　ones。　A　year　ago；　it　seemed　every　choice　I　made　was　wrong。　Now；　maybe　things　have　changed。
　　Clutching　her　blanket；　Sara　watched　as　the　Hauph…woa　labored　back　upstream　along　the　west　bank；　to　a　point　where　they　could　take　aboard　the　stranded　caravan；　ferrying　the　urs　and　their　beasts　far　enough　to　have　no　worries　about　local　fanatics。　The　calm　teamwork　of　passengers　and　crew　was　such　an　encouraging　sight；　it　boosted　her　morale　about　〃big〃　issues；　almost　as　much　as　the　brief　fight　had　lifted　something　else　inside　her。
　　My　faith　in　my　own　self；　she　thought。　I　didn't　think　I　was　up　to　any　of　this。　But　maybe　Father's　right；　after　all。
　　I　stayed　in　that　damn　treehouse　long　enough。
　　
　　Asx
　　SHORTLY　AFTER　VUBBEN　SPOKE；　THE　PORTAL　reopened　and　there　emerged　from　the　ship　several　more　floating　machines；　growling　disconcertingly。　Each　hesitated　on　reaching　the　onlookers　lining　the　valley　rim。　For　several　duras；　the　folk　of　the　mons　held　their　ground；　though　trembling　in　foot；　wheel；　and　ring。　Then　the　robots　turned　and　swept　away；　toward　every　point　of　the　pass；　leaving　cyclones　of　broken　grass　in　their　wake。
　　〃Survey　probes…these　shall　mence　their　duties；〃　the　first　messenger　explained；　buzzing　and　clicking　primly　in　a　formal　version　of　Galactic　Two。
　　〃（Preliminary）　analyses…these　surrogates　shall　provide。
　　〃Meanwhile；　toward　a　goal　of　both　profit　and　rescue…let　us；　face…to…face　discussions；　mence。〃
　　This　caused　a　stir。　Did　we　understand　correctly？　Our　dialects　have　drifted　since　our　devolution。　Did　the　phrase　〃face…to…face〃　mean　what　it　seemed？
　　Below；　the　ship's　doorway　began　reopening　once　more。
　　〃Bad　news；〃　Lester　Cambel　mented　gruffly。　〃If　they're　willing　to　let　us　see　them　in　person；　it　means…〃
　　〃…that　they　are　not　worried　anyone　will　be　left　after　they　depart；　to　tell　whose　face　was　seen；〃　finished　Knife…Bright　Insight。
　　Our　hoon　brother；　Phwhoon…dau；　shared　the　gloomy　diagnosis。　His　aged　throat　sac　darkened　from　somber　thought。　〃Their　confidence　is　blatant；　unnerving。　Hrrrhrm。　As　is　their　haste。〃
　　Vubben　turned　an　eyestalk　toward　my/our　sensor　ring　and　winked　the　lid…an　efficient；　human…derived　gesture　conveying　irony。　Among　the　Six；　we　traeki　and　g'Keks　hobble　like　cripples　on　this　heavy　world；　while　hoon　stride　with　graceful　power。　Yet　those　dour；　pale　giants　claim　to　find　the　rest　of　us　equally　frantic　and　wild。
　　Something；　or　rather　two　somethings；　stirred　within　the　shadowy　airlock。　A　pair　of　bipedal　forms　stepped　forward…walkers…slim；　stick…jointed；　and　somewhat　tall。　Clothed　in　loosely　draped　garments　that　concealed　all　but　their　bare　hands　and　heads；　they　emerged　into　the　afternoon　light　to　peer　upward　at　us。
　　From　the　mons　there　erupted　a　low　collective　sigh　of　shock　and　recognition。
　　Was　this　a　hopeful　sign？　Out　of　all　the　myriad　spacefaring　races　in　the　Civilization　of　the　Five　Galaxies；　what　impossibly　remote　chance　decreed　that　our　discoverers　might　turn　out　to　be　cousins？　That　the　crew　of　this　ship　should　be　cogenetic　with　one　of　our　Six？　Was　this　the　work　of　our　capricious　goddess；　whose　luck　favors　the　anomalous　and　strange？
　　〃Hyoo…mans…s…s。。。〃　Ur…Jah；　our　eldest　sage；　aspirated　in　Anglic；　the　native　tongue　of　our　youngest　sept。
　　From　Lester　Cambel；　there　escaped　a　sound　i　had　never　heard　before；　which　these　rings　could　not　decipher　at　the　time。　Only　later　did　we　prehend；　and　learn　its　name。
　　It　was　despair。
　　
　　Dwer
　　RETY　LED　SINGLE　FILE　ALONG　A　TRACK　THAT　NOW　ran　atop　a　broad　shelf　of　bedrock；　too　hard　for　great…boo　to　take　root。　The　slanting；　upthrust　granite　ledge　separated　two　broad　fingers　of　cane　forest；　which　Dwer　knew　stretched　for　hundreds　of　arrowflights　in　all　directions。　Although　the　rocky　trail　followed　a　ridgetop；　the　boo　on　either　side　grew　so　tall　that　only　the　highest　peaks　could　be　seen　above　the　swaying　ocean　of　giant　stems。
　　The　girl　kept　peering；　left　and　right；　as　if　in　search　of　something。　As　if　she　wanted　something；　rather　urgently；　and　did　not　want　to　walk　past　it　by　mistake。　But　when　Dwer　tried　to　inquire；　all　she　gave　back　was　silence。
　　You'll　have　to　watch　it　with　this　one；　he　thought。　She's　been　bun　all　her　life；　till　she's　prickly　as　a　dartback　bare。　People　weren't　his　specialty；　but　a　forester　uses　empathy　to　grasp　the　simple　needs　and　savage　thoughts　of　wild　things。
　　Wild　things　can　know　pain。
　　Well；　in　another　day　or　so　she　won't　be　my　problem。　The　sages　have　experts；　healers。　If　I　meddle；　I　may　just　make　things　worse。
　　The　stone　shelf　gradually　narrowed　until　the　footpath　traced　a　slender　aisle　between　crowded　ranks　of　towering　adult　boo；　each　stem　now　over　twenty　meters　tall　and　as　thick　as　several　men。　The　giant　green　stalks　grew　so　close　that　even　Mudfoot　would　have　trouble　getting　far　into　the　thicket　without　squeezing　between　mighty　boles。　The　strip　of　sky　above　pinched　gradually　tighter　being　a　mere　ribbon　of　blue　as　the　trail　constricted。　At　some　points；　Dwer　could　spread　his　arms　and　touch　mighty　cylinders　on　both　sides　at　the　same　time。
　　The　pressed　site　played　tricks　with　perspective　as　he　pictured　two　vast　walls；　primed　to　press　together　at　any　instant；　grinding　their　tiny　group　like　scraps　of　cloth　under　Nelo's　pulping　hammer。
　　Funny　thing。　This　stretch　of　trail　hadn't　felt　nearly　so　spooky　on　his　way　uphill；　two　days　ago。　Then；　the　slender　avenue　had　felt　like　a　funnel；　channeling　him　briskly　toward　his　quarry。　Now　it　was　a　cramped　furrow；　a　pit。　Dwer　felt　a　growing　tightness　in　his　chest。　What　if　something's　happened　up　ahead。　A　landslide　blocking　the　way。　Or　a　fire？　What　a　trap　this　could　be！
　　He　sniffed　suspiciously；　picking　up　only　a　gummy　reek　of　greenness　given　off　by　the　boo。　Of　course；　anything　at　all　could　be　going　on　downwind；　and　he　wouldn't　know　of　it　until…
　　Stop　this！　Snap　out　of　it。　What's　gotten　into　you？
　　It's　her；　he　realized。　You're　feeling　bad　because　she　thinks　you're　a　bastard。
　　Dwer　shook　his　head。
　　Well；　ain't　it　so？　You　let　Rety　go　on　thinking　she　might　be　hanged；　when　it　would　have　been　easy　enough　to　say…
　　To　say　what？　A　lie？　I　can't　promise　it　won't　happen。　The　law　is　fierce　because　it　has　to　be。　The　sages　can　show　mercy。　It's　allowed。　But　who　am　I　to　promise　in　their　name？
　　He　recalled　his　former　master　describing　the　last　time　a　large　band　of　sooners　was　discovered；　back　when　old　Fallen　had　been　an　apprentice。　The　transgressors　were　found　living　on　a　distant　archipelago；　far　to　the　north。　One　of　the　hoon　boat…wanderers…whose　job　it　was　to　patrol　at　sea　the　same　way　human　hunters　roamed　the　forests　and　urrish　plainsmen　ranged　the　steppes…came　upon　a　thronging　cluster　of　her　kind；　dwelling　amid　ice　floes；　surviving　by　seeking　the　caves　of　hibernating　rouol　shamblers　and　spearing　the　rotund　beasts　as　they　slept。　Each　summer；　the　renegade　tribe　would　e　ashore　and　set　fires　across　the　tundra　plains；　panicking　herds　of　shaggy；　long…toed　gallaiters；　sending　the　frightened　ungulates　tumbling　over　cliffs　by　the　hundreds；　so　that　a　few　might　be　butchered。
　　Ghahen；　the　boat…wanderer；　had　been　drawn　by　the　smoke　of　one　mass　killing　and　soon　began　dealing　with　the　crime　in　the　manner　of　her　folk。　Patient　beyond　human　fathoming；　gentle　in　a　way　that　gave　Dwer　nightmares　to　hear　of　it；　she　had　taken　an　entire　year　to　winnow　the　band；　one　by　one；　painlessly　confiscating　from　each　member　its　precious　life　bone；　until　all　that　remained　was　a　solitary　male　elder；　whom　she　seized　and　brought　home　to　testify；　ferrying　the　dejected　captive　in　a　boat　piled　high　with　the　fifth　vertebra　of　all　his　kin。　After　reciting　his　tale…a　crooning　lament　lasting　fourteen　days…that　final　seagoing　sooner　was　executed　by　the　hoon　themselves；　expiating　their　shame。　All　the　impounded　vertebrae　were　ground　to　dust　and　scattered　in　a　desert；　far　from　any　standing　water。
　　The　forbidding　memory　of　that　story　filled　Dwer's　heart　with　leaden　worry。
　　Spare　me；　please；　from　being　asked　to　do　as　Ghahen　did。　I　couldn't。　Not　if　all　the　sages　ordered　it。　Not　if　Lark　said　the　fate　of　all　Jijo　hung　in　the　balance。　There's　got　to　be　a　better　way。
　　Just　where　the　rocky　shelf　seemed　about　to　narrow　down　to　nothing；　letting　the　divided　tracts　of　boo　converge　and　obliterate　the　trail；　a　clearing　abruptly　opened　ahead。　A　bowl…shaped　depression；　nearly　a　thousand　meters　across；　with　an　algae…crusted　lake　in　its　center　and　a　narrow　outlet