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the Chandavasi triumph, they will be harvesting Eolt on Banikoëh also. Do you
think this is likely?
Once this is a sealed world, yes. There will be no place for Eolt or any
other Béluchar to hide from them?
And there will be no help from outside. They take what they want.
There will be protests from University, but yes. Without witnesses to raise
their voices in protest and start a campaign against the Chandavasi,
essentially no help.
And you?
The Chave are not likely to leave witnesses from outside, especially those
who know how to make their stories heard. This is a world visited by smugglers
and free traders. There would always be a chance one of us might escape.
I see. So your fate depends on our deeds.
To some extent, yes.
And still you re unwilling to do more than advise.
To be a credible witness which will be of greater use to you than my own
inadequate fighting skills, I can do no more.
There is no chance of talking with the Chandavasi?
I would never say don t talk. I would also say that their history as I know
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it doesn t indicate a willingness to listen.
I see. Would you use your communicators to speak to the Goës for us, should
we decide that is what we will do?
Yes. You must do your own bargaining, however.
That is understood. Daizil smiled at her. We know traders, Scholar. We have
many of our own.
3
The sound shook the building, a great deep note that resonated in
Aslan s bones. She d been stretched out on the bed, eyes closed to
facilitate memory, sub-vocalizing a report to herself, getting down
impres-sions, questions she needed to ask and anything else that occurred to
her. She sat up, startled, removed the throatmike and went outside to see
what was happening.
The sky was thick with Eolt, swirling in a wide golden vortex, singing as they
circled higher and higher to join the streams heading east. The flow seemed
endless, more Eolt arriving every moment, coming from all directions.
Scholar. Daizil joined her and stood looking up, xe s mouth set, a sad droop
to his eyes.
Voice. What s this about?
The Eolt have decided. There will be no bar-gaining. Whatever the cost to
them, the Chave must be destroyed.
4
You d best keep a close watch on him. He s tried to kill himself, twice.
The Goës smiled grimly, his mouth open to show the tearing canines. I thank
you for the warning, Harper. We have some potions that will take his mind off
his troubles. He contemplated her a moment, eyes like chocolate ice, then he
smiled again, this time the closed-mouth pleasure smile. Bringing the
Scholar and her team was one of my better ideas, he murmured. Will you join
me for a glass of cha or something stronger, Shadowsong?
Of course, Goës Koraka. I would like to be kept posted on Aide Ola s
progress, though. He is a man to be valued. She glanced at the procession
leading the spy away, met his eyes and felt a chill lance through her. Even
the creepy Ginny Seyirshi had never treated her to so intensely personal a
hatred.
The Goës noted that. Yes. We ll make very sure he s kept chemically
restrained, Shadowsong.
He poured the cha from an elegant white pot into a small drinking bowl. Will
you have citra or glemm? And I believe there is some toz in that pot.
Nothing, please. What cha is it?
Smoky sill from the highlands of Molot.
Ah. A favorite of mine. She smiled. I see we share the same smuggler.
He chuckled. An odd little man with interesting connections, by name Arel.
Mm. She sipped at the cha, relishing the clean tang of the liquid and the
silky texture of the bowl.
The she sighed and set the bowl on its saucer with a small decisive click.
Reluctant as I am to disturb the peace of the moment, how far have you got on
the repairs to the splitcom?
We captured one of the Chave sats, Dulman be blessed that the shuttle was not
linked into the system when it went down, and we re attempting to cobble up
something with those parts that we can use to hook into another of the sats
and go from there. Chave thought patterns are not all that complex and we ve
managed to work out the codes. With a bit of luck and some hard work we ll get
word out within the next tenday. Which should take some of the .... He looked
up, frowning as a phora came in without knocking. What?
Something you have to see, Goës Koraka. We don t know what it means.
The sky was filled with golden bells blowing east on the high airstreams first
a scattering, one, two, half a dozen, the sun shining through their
translucent veils, then rank upon rank of Eolt, turning the western
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sky bright amber with their numbers.
You don t think about there being so many of them, Shadith said. A world s
a big place and they get lost among the clouds.
They stood in the middle of the Enclave, looking, caught by the beauty of
this strange migration.
Shadith heard the scrape of a foot behind her, looked around to see Marrin
standing there, his face filled with won-der as he stared up at the Eolt.
The Goës shook himself free from his astonishment. What are they doing? This
against us? Where are they going?
If I had to guess, I d say they re going to attack the ... what do they call
it ... the Kushayt.
Yes. Marrin s voice vibrated with conviction. And they re going to die at
it. So much glory lost....
He turned to the Goës. You ve got to do something. You ve got to help them.
The Goës contemplated him a moment. We ll dis-cuss this inside. He turned
his head. Thofor, inform me immediately of any alteration in their progress.
Koraka laced his long fingers together, stared at them a moment, then lifted
his head and smiled wea-rily at Marrin, his threat teeth hidden. If you
mean, Aide, that we should provide weapons to the locals, you should think
again.
Of course I don t mean that. Marrin leaned for-ward in his chair, his dark
eyes intense. Send guards with them. Send me, if there s no one else you
can spare. A flier and the strongest firepower you have. At least it would be
something.
Koraka s ears came forward. You, Aide? Aren t you forbidden armed assault by
University bylaws or something like that?
I don t consider this assault, but self-defense. When the Chave put a price
on my head, they gave me that right.
Yes, that s an argument that has a good chance of floating. Now
explain to me why a pacific
Scholar from University would be a help rather than a hindrance.
I was fifth male heir to the Baron Ineca of Picabral and I survived past
puberty.
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