I shiver, because I do not know what is going on, but I love his voice when it is soft.
“Diagnostic complete,” Mardok says a moment later. “All systems running at expected levels.”
“Excellent,” Cap-tan says. “Take us up. External display on the forward monitor, please.”
“Aye, Captain,” Trakan says, and the ship trembles underneath our feet. There is a distant roar, and I am reminded of the earth-shake so many seasons ago. I cling harder to Mardok’s neck, frightened.
He rubs my back silently, and somehow…that makes it better. If he’s not worried, then the noise must not be dangerous.
I lift my head just in time to see the wall ahead of us flash white and then disappear. Or not. It’s like an image of the outdoors—so realistic and lifelike that I can practically smell the snow—appears. I gasp in wonder. It is like we are standing on a very tall hill and looking down. “How is this possible?”
“It’s a visual,” Mardok murmurs. “No need to be afraid.”
I am not afraid; I am full of wonder. You can see everything, right down to distant herds of dvisti. It is fascinating, and the picture makes my world look so…pretty and yet distant. Then the picture changes, replaced by a new picture, this one of green and white smears cut through by delicate blue lines. I like the other view better.
“Can your little girlfriend point out where her tribe’s located so I can set the coordinates?” Trakan asks, voice dry. “Or do we need to break out crayons for her so she can drawit? Or is a smoke signal more her thing?”
“She’s not going to know what a topographical map is,” Mardok growls at him, clearly irritated. “Don’t be an ass.”
“Well, then, how are we going to get there if we don’t have coordinates?” Trakan retorts.
I can feel Mardok stiffen with anger under my leg. I place my hand on his chest to calm him, and speak up. “I can guide you, but I need the picture of the valley again. I can show you which way to go.”
“You’ll have to manually pilot it,” Cap-tan says. “Will this be a problem?”
“No, sir,” Trakan replies, but he sounds unhappy. The picture switches again, and it is the current valley once more. “Okay, where to?”
I get to my feet, crossing the chamber and approaching the wall with the picture on it. “I have never seen from this high up before. Give me a moment to think.” I worry I will tell them the wrong thing and the others will grow upset. I do not wish to get this wrong. I want Mardok to be proud of me.
“Drop lower to the ground,” Cap-tan calls out. “Give her the visual she needs.”
I feel a lift under my boots, as if the floor is puffing with air, and then the picture changes. We are now close to the ground, and I can tell where we are. I know these lands. I scan the landscape, looking for familiar things, and then tap one particular rock. “Between these walls, into the next valley.”
The ship moves, gliding along faster than I could ever run, and I gasp as the world speeds ahead. It is marvelous. Within the space of a breath, we are at the spot I pointed at, and so I give them the next coordinate. On and on, we glide through valley after valley, heading back toward the village at a dizzying pace. What takes me all day to run takes meremoments to swoop past. We will be at the village in a matter of moments, and the thought is incredible. I keep calling instructions out to Trakan, and he guides us along, the ship moving through valleys and past steep cliffs with more skill than the most delicate-winged scythe-beak.
Then my home valley appears. In the distance, I can see the shadow of the gorge. “There,” I say, pointing at it. “We live in the canyon there.”
“In a canyon?” Niri asks, speaking up for the first time. “Really?”
“Yes. We used to live in caves—”
“Of course you did,” Trakan interrupts, smirking.
“Kef off,” Mardok growls at him, surging to his feet.
“Enough,” Cap-tan tells them, and Mardok sits once more. Trakan hunches behind his table. Cap-tan looks at me again. “Go on.”
I hesitate, not understanding their reactions. Why does Mardok get angry to hear we lived in caves? Is that bad? The caves were nice and cozy, and it was easy to get outside. The gorge is quiet and sheltered from the worst of the weather, but taking Chahm-pee out on a regular basis is difficult, and the hunters must do a great deal of hauling to bring things down into the village. The humans love it, though. I am puzzled by their reactions, but I continue slowly. “We moved to the gorge when a great earth-shake destroyed our home.”
Mardok shoots Trakan an angry look, and Trakan just slides lower in his seat. “Your home is fine, Farli,” Mardok tells me. “You and your people are incredibly resilient to be able to make a life here on this planet.”
Resilient? It is my home. It is the only place I know.
“Well, someone want to tell me how I’m supposed to pilot theLadydown into that gorge? Because it’s not happening.”
“We’ll get out and walk,” Cap-tan says. “Set the ship downas close to the lip as possible. Everyone suit up and let us be on our way.”
A short time later,the others are wearing thick suits that cover every inch of their skin, their bodies made bulky. Each one clips a device to their noses and wraps garments around their heads and horns to keep them warm.
