Read Online Cuckoo's Egg by C. J. Cherryh - Free Book Online
Authors: C. J. Cherryh
Tags: Fiction
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it—"
"Because I'm sacrosanct?" Duun turned back to him, ears flat. "You promised me anything, Ellud. I'm asking you. No charges. Deed Sheon back to them."
"They tried to kill you!"
"They damn near did. Good for them. They're not bad, for farmers. Do I have to take this on my shoulders too?"
Ellud was silent a moment. His mouth drew down.
59
Cuckoo's Egg
"So you get what ought to make you happy," Duun said. "I'm coming in. I trust you'll find a place."
More long silence. "It's about time. It's about time, Duun. I'll have a copter up here. Lift you out."
"He'll walk down," Duun said. "Day after tomorrow. He'll be fit."
"Past them? Gods, hasn't there been enough trouble?"
"He's hatani, Ellud." Duun met the darkness in Ellud's stare and matched it. "Understand that. He'll walk out on his own."
* * *
Thorn gained his feet after the meds left. Duun thought he would. "Sit down," Duun said, sitting himself, on one of the risers that rimmed the room. The floor sand was trampled, dotted with darkness. Thorn had bled on it, amply. Thorn hung now in the doorway with his arm slung in a cord about his neck; his skin had an ugly waxen color, excepting the arm, where blood-reddened gels plastered an incision. There would be a scar. A long one. It had missed a major nerve: so the meds said. The bone was chipped but not broken. "You've got a lot of plasm in you for blood, boy.
Left most you owned down in that valley. Come sit down."
Thorn came. Duun was polishing his weapons. Thorn sank down on the riser on his knees and sat down carefully, one leg off. There was sweat on his hairless brow. His hair clung to it.
"We're going," Duun said, "to the city. We'll live there now."
"Leave here—"
Duun looked up at him. Sheon was lost. Twice now. There was darkness in his stare; and Thorn stared back at him with alien, clouded eyes, with thoughts going on, and dread. (Why did they shoot, Duun? Is this revenge? Is this against me? Was I wrong, Duun? What did I do, down there?)
60
Cuckoo's Egg
"I don't want to go, Duun."
"They'll come later and gather up the things we'll want. These—" Duun polished the blade. "These we take."
"I don't want to go."
"I know that." Duun looked at him. Tears shimmered in Thorn's eyes.
"The countryfolk get the land. It'll belong to them now. It'll pay, maybe, for what I had to do. Do you understand me, Thorn? Haras? Do you hear?"
"Yes, Duun-hatani."
"We'll fly out of here. We'll go to a place where the wind stinks and you won't understand a thing you see. You'll ask me your questions in private.
There'll be people around us. Always. No more hunting. No more woods.
Just steel. Just thousands and thousands of people. A lot of shonun like that life. You'll learn to."
Thorn bowed his head onto his arm, against his knee. Duun was aware of him. Duun looked only at the blade, gently polished the razor steel in small strokes of an oiled cloth. Oilsmell and steel. Steel and oil. His half-hand held the cloth, the whole left hand held the blade.
"Give it away, Thorn. You're hatani. Hatani own nothing. Only the weapons, the cloak on your back. This time it's only a place you lose.
When you're what you will be, you'll own nothing at all. I only used this place. You and I. It was a stage. It's gone now."
Thorn's face lifted. He had smeared his face with wiping it. His lashes were wet. "I'm sorry, Duun."
Duun's hands stopped in a long silence. Then he took up the motion again.
"You lost a year, perhaps. A year here. Maybe two. Then we'd have gone, all the same. It's not much, two years. Your eyes are running. Do that tomorrow and I'll beat you. Do you hear?"
"Yes," Thorn said.
* * *
61
Cuckoo's Egg
They started in the dawn: they walked slowly on the winding track and there was no anger evident in Duun. "joiit," Duun said once, naming a birdsong. Thorn thought then that in the people-teeming place Duun described to him there could be no birds; and the sound from the woods made his heart
"Because I'm sacrosanct?" Duun turned back to him, ears flat. "You promised me anything, Ellud. I'm asking you. No charges. Deed Sheon back to them."
"They tried to kill you!"
"They damn near did. Good for them. They're not bad, for farmers. Do I have to take this on my shoulders too?"
Ellud was silent a moment. His mouth drew down.
59
Cuckoo's Egg
"So you get what ought to make you happy," Duun said. "I'm coming in. I trust you'll find a place."
More long silence. "It's about time. It's about time, Duun. I'll have a copter up here. Lift you out."
"He'll walk down," Duun said. "Day after tomorrow. He'll be fit."
"Past them? Gods, hasn't there been enough trouble?"
"He's hatani, Ellud." Duun met the darkness in Ellud's stare and matched it. "Understand that. He'll walk out on his own."
* * *
Thorn gained his feet after the meds left. Duun thought he would. "Sit down," Duun said, sitting himself, on one of the risers that rimmed the room. The floor sand was trampled, dotted with darkness. Thorn had bled on it, amply. Thorn hung now in the doorway with his arm slung in a cord about his neck; his skin had an ugly waxen color, excepting the arm, where blood-reddened gels plastered an incision. There would be a scar. A long one. It had missed a major nerve: so the meds said. The bone was chipped but not broken. "You've got a lot of plasm in you for blood, boy.
Left most you owned down in that valley. Come sit down."
Thorn came. Duun was polishing his weapons. Thorn sank down on the riser on his knees and sat down carefully, one leg off. There was sweat on his hairless brow. His hair clung to it.
"We're going," Duun said, "to the city. We'll live there now."
"Leave here—"
Duun looked up at him. Sheon was lost. Twice now. There was darkness in his stare; and Thorn stared back at him with alien, clouded eyes, with thoughts going on, and dread. (Why did they shoot, Duun? Is this revenge? Is this against me? Was I wrong, Duun? What did I do, down there?)
60
Cuckoo's Egg
"I don't want to go, Duun."
"They'll come later and gather up the things we'll want. These—" Duun polished the blade. "These we take."
"I don't want to go."
"I know that." Duun looked at him. Tears shimmered in Thorn's eyes.
"The countryfolk get the land. It'll belong to them now. It'll pay, maybe, for what I had to do. Do you understand me, Thorn? Haras? Do you hear?"
"Yes, Duun-hatani."
"We'll fly out of here. We'll go to a place where the wind stinks and you won't understand a thing you see. You'll ask me your questions in private.
There'll be people around us. Always. No more hunting. No more woods.
Just steel. Just thousands and thousands of people. A lot of shonun like that life. You'll learn to."
Thorn bowed his head onto his arm, against his knee. Duun was aware of him. Duun looked only at the blade, gently polished the razor steel in small strokes of an oiled cloth. Oilsmell and steel. Steel and oil. His half-hand held the cloth, the whole left hand held the blade.
"Give it away, Thorn. You're hatani. Hatani own nothing. Only the weapons, the cloak on your back. This time it's only a place you lose.
When you're what you will be, you'll own nothing at all. I only used this place. You and I. It was a stage. It's gone now."
Thorn's face lifted. He had smeared his face with wiping it. His lashes were wet. "I'm sorry, Duun."
Duun's hands stopped in a long silence. Then he took up the motion again.
"You lost a year, perhaps. A year here. Maybe two. Then we'd have gone, all the same. It's not much, two years. Your eyes are running. Do that tomorrow and I'll beat you. Do you hear?"
"Yes," Thorn said.
* * *
61
Cuckoo's Egg
They started in the dawn: they walked slowly on the winding track and there was no anger evident in Duun. "joiit," Duun said once, naming a birdsong. Thorn thought then that in the people-teeming place Duun described to him there could be no birds; and the sound from the woods made his heart
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