Read Online Destiny's Road by Larry Niven - Free Book Online
Authors: Larry Niven
Tags: SF, Speculative Fiction
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enough. She was going to fall into the swamp!
He lunged for the seat of the bike, brushed her where she sat, tried again and had it. Pulled back, leaning into it, and stopped her short of the edge. His fingertips burned. "I f-forgot to talk about b-brakes," he said.
Loria listened, looked where he pointed, nodded, and tried again. A few false starts and she wobbled in among the houses, laughing, faster than he could follow.
One of the girls said, "I'm Tarzana. That's Gl-"
"Glind Bednacourt. We're all Bednacourt-"
"The Bednacourt sisters." Narrow noses, narrow chins, wide dancing eyes. Tarzana took his arm, Glind took his other arm, and they walked him between the houses.
The houses were two deep, with truck gardens between. The mudflat beyond grew black Destiny sandweed that thinned out near the ocean. Fifty or sixty people were milling around braziers set on the bare mud. Others were down by the water.
Jemmy felt the blood freezing in his arteries. They were all St rangers. He'd never seen so many strangers together. He hadn't guessed what that would do to him.
But the girls were urging him forward.
A few were examining Thonny's bike while Loria turned the pedals and the handlebars. Brenda- There! He'd found his sister.
Half a dozen men were out on the water, riding floating slabs. "Glind, what are those?"
"Boards."
Brenda was with other girls at the shore, and a couple of men too, watching them. Some of those had boards, and two of the men on the water were women. It was confusing, an optical illusion. He'd seen them as all men because they were together, all wearing sleeveless shirts.
Curdis was in a group around one of the braziers. He waved enthusiastically and called, "Timtimtimmy!"
Thanks for the reminder. "Curdis! There's a thousand kinds of trees and a thousand kinds of snakes, and Destiny vines you could build a city on." And that gives Timtimtimmy a reason for going in there.
"Typical. You dive into a jungle and ignore the people. Drew, you really surprised us. We had no idea you were here. Tim, this is Drew Bednacourt."
"Pleased," Drew Bednacourt said, smiling. He was white-haired and muscular, Dad's age, and a white scar ran down his dark chest into his short pants. "You surprised us too." His handshake was hard, horny.
Curdis said, "You're not that surprised."
Jemmy saw what he meant. Most of the locals weren't talking to the Spirals. They were fishing or cooking or floating on boards in the water.
Drew said, "We've seen merchants all our lives. The caravan went through two weeks ago. They'll be back in a week with whatever Haven and the Spirals leave."
Tarzana looked Jemmy over. "He's already wet, Dad. Tim, want to go for a swim? Do you know how to ride?"
Jemmy asked, "Ride?" Then he saw two men stand up on their boards while a wave hurled them forward.
He had to try that.
They sat in a circle on the sand, eating in near darkness. The red of sunset had faded. The only light was Quicksilver, a brilliant spark at the ocean's rim.
Jemmy was exhausted. The long day might have worn him out, but the surfing lesson was the finishing stroke. In the morning he was going to hurt.
He listened, half-dozing, while Curdis and Brenda talked to the Bednacourt girls and Cloochi boys. The girls were sisters born a year apart, Tarzana nineteen, Loria eighteen, Glind seventeen. Drew, their father, was cooking over the brazier with their mother, Wend, who had been surfing. Harl and Susie Cloochi were older, Wend Bednacourt's parents.
The girls began passing out food. Jemmy didn't guess how hungry he was until he bit into a chicken leg. Then he ate like a starving wolf, whatever the girls brought him, chicken and corn and Earthlife fruit, Destiny crab and Destiny seaweed.
Quicksilver disappeared in a blink. Now the only light was stars, and a funny blue glow in the rolling waves.
Harl Cloochi said, "I'm an old man, Curdis. Is Quicksilver brighter
than it used to be? I can never he sure. It's like
He lunged for the seat of the bike, brushed her where she sat, tried again and had it. Pulled back, leaning into it, and stopped her short of the edge. His fingertips burned. "I f-forgot to talk about b-brakes," he said.
Loria listened, looked where he pointed, nodded, and tried again. A few false starts and she wobbled in among the houses, laughing, faster than he could follow.
One of the girls said, "I'm Tarzana. That's Gl-"
"Glind Bednacourt. We're all Bednacourt-"
"The Bednacourt sisters." Narrow noses, narrow chins, wide dancing eyes. Tarzana took his arm, Glind took his other arm, and they walked him between the houses.
The houses were two deep, with truck gardens between. The mudflat beyond grew black Destiny sandweed that thinned out near the ocean. Fifty or sixty people were milling around braziers set on the bare mud. Others were down by the water.
Jemmy felt the blood freezing in his arteries. They were all St rangers. He'd never seen so many strangers together. He hadn't guessed what that would do to him.
But the girls were urging him forward.
A few were examining Thonny's bike while Loria turned the pedals and the handlebars. Brenda- There! He'd found his sister.
Half a dozen men were out on the water, riding floating slabs. "Glind, what are those?"
"Boards."
Brenda was with other girls at the shore, and a couple of men too, watching them. Some of those had boards, and two of the men on the water were women. It was confusing, an optical illusion. He'd seen them as all men because they were together, all wearing sleeveless shirts.
Curdis was in a group around one of the braziers. He waved enthusiastically and called, "Timtimtimmy!"
Thanks for the reminder. "Curdis! There's a thousand kinds of trees and a thousand kinds of snakes, and Destiny vines you could build a city on." And that gives Timtimtimmy a reason for going in there.
"Typical. You dive into a jungle and ignore the people. Drew, you really surprised us. We had no idea you were here. Tim, this is Drew Bednacourt."
"Pleased," Drew Bednacourt said, smiling. He was white-haired and muscular, Dad's age, and a white scar ran down his dark chest into his short pants. "You surprised us too." His handshake was hard, horny.
Curdis said, "You're not that surprised."
Jemmy saw what he meant. Most of the locals weren't talking to the Spirals. They were fishing or cooking or floating on boards in the water.
Drew said, "We've seen merchants all our lives. The caravan went through two weeks ago. They'll be back in a week with whatever Haven and the Spirals leave."
Tarzana looked Jemmy over. "He's already wet, Dad. Tim, want to go for a swim? Do you know how to ride?"
Jemmy asked, "Ride?" Then he saw two men stand up on their boards while a wave hurled them forward.
He had to try that.
They sat in a circle on the sand, eating in near darkness. The red of sunset had faded. The only light was Quicksilver, a brilliant spark at the ocean's rim.
Jemmy was exhausted. The long day might have worn him out, but the surfing lesson was the finishing stroke. In the morning he was going to hurt.
He listened, half-dozing, while Curdis and Brenda talked to the Bednacourt girls and Cloochi boys. The girls were sisters born a year apart, Tarzana nineteen, Loria eighteen, Glind seventeen. Drew, their father, was cooking over the brazier with their mother, Wend, who had been surfing. Harl and Susie Cloochi were older, Wend Bednacourt's parents.
The girls began passing out food. Jemmy didn't guess how hungry he was until he bit into a chicken leg. Then he ate like a starving wolf, whatever the girls brought him, chicken and corn and Earthlife fruit, Destiny crab and Destiny seaweed.
Quicksilver disappeared in a blink. Now the only light was stars, and a funny blue glow in the rolling waves.
Harl Cloochi said, "I'm an old man, Curdis. Is Quicksilver brighter
than it used to be? I can never he sure. It's like
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