rabbit and tried to feed the baby some of its meat, but she choked and refused to swallow. She needed milk. He gave her water from a brook; it was not enough.
On the third day of his travels, he found a female goat with a kid; they had wandered from their herd. He managed to subdue the goat with his mind while the baby nursed at one udder.
By the fourth day, the baby was feverish and did not cry at all. He walked with her, holding her to his chest, willing himself on. The Minds had not answered him. He would lose his life, and his soul would be swallowed by eternal separateness. He tried to strengthen the child with his mind, but though he could shield her, she could not sense his thoughts and could draw no energy from him.
On the fifth day, she died.
Rulek carried the tiny body throughout the day and into the night, hardly aware of where he was until he came to the slope of a broad, barren hill. There, he buried his sister. He had wanted to save her and she had only suffered more than she would have if his father had taken her life; death had claimed her anyway. He refused to weep.
He began to climb the hill before him, moving toward the slopes beyond. Wyke was with him now, her straight hair as black as he remembered; her soul had returned, and she seemed to be guiding him. He glimpsed her out of the sides of his eyes, but whenever he looked directly at her, she would vanish among the rocks, hiding as she used to when they were children. Perhaps she was leading him to the Merged One, and he would be forgiven.
Rulek suddenly withdrew from Anra's mind. She blinked, trying to focus. The sun was only a little higher in the sky, yet she felt as though hours had passed.
"I wandered in those hills," Rulek said. "I don't know-how long I wandered—I didn't count the days. I drank from a spring under the rocks. I killed when I needed food, but I don't know what I ate. I told myself that I'd done an evil thing, that I wouldn't do the same thing again, that if Wyke had been alive to be my partner I wouldn't have tried to save my little sister. That was when I understood why Wyke had appeared to me. The Merged One had taken her from me, but I would be reunited with her in death if I repented. I knew that I had to leave the hills and enter the desert, where I would be purged and the sun would burn my sins out of me." He took a deep breath. "I went deep into the desert so that the hills would be far behind me and I would be too tired to turn back. Twice, my determination failed me, and I found water inside the prickly plants of the desert, but I knew I couldn't escape. When I saw these mountains in the distance, and the black birds circling overhead, I knew that I'd succeeded—I would die and be cleansed." He sighed. "Then you found me."
Rulek was stretched out in the cave, resting again. Anra sat on the ledge outside, thinking of what he had shown her.
The Minds had not reached out to help him. The boy believed that he had needed the strength of his village's Net to touch Them, but Anra knew that wasn't so and had hidden that fact from him. The Minds might have summoned Lydee; she could have reached him in her shuttle from any part of Earth. A Net added strength to one's mind, but someone alone could also communicate with the Minds.
Once, Earth's villages could speak to one another only through a village Net, one community's Merging Selves reaching out to another settlement. The Minds had slept in those days, but still their power had flowed out to the world that had forgotten Them.
But the Minds were awake now and could touch all minds not closed to Them. They should have heard Rulek's plea. Maybe They had chosen not to help him; perhaps They had also sensed his ambivalence, his longing for death. Perhaps his plea had been drowned out by others more urgent.
There was another possibility; the Minds might not have heard him at all until he was near the mountains. Rulek had sensed nothing in response to his call. She now
On the third day of his travels, he found a female goat with a kid; they had wandered from their herd. He managed to subdue the goat with his mind while the baby nursed at one udder.
By the fourth day, the baby was feverish and did not cry at all. He walked with her, holding her to his chest, willing himself on. The Minds had not answered him. He would lose his life, and his soul would be swallowed by eternal separateness. He tried to strengthen the child with his mind, but though he could shield her, she could not sense his thoughts and could draw no energy from him.
On the fifth day, she died.
Rulek carried the tiny body throughout the day and into the night, hardly aware of where he was until he came to the slope of a broad, barren hill. There, he buried his sister. He had wanted to save her and she had only suffered more than she would have if his father had taken her life; death had claimed her anyway. He refused to weep.
He began to climb the hill before him, moving toward the slopes beyond. Wyke was with him now, her straight hair as black as he remembered; her soul had returned, and she seemed to be guiding him. He glimpsed her out of the sides of his eyes, but whenever he looked directly at her, she would vanish among the rocks, hiding as she used to when they were children. Perhaps she was leading him to the Merged One, and he would be forgiven.
Rulek suddenly withdrew from Anra's mind. She blinked, trying to focus. The sun was only a little higher in the sky, yet she felt as though hours had passed.
"I wandered in those hills," Rulek said. "I don't know-how long I wandered—I didn't count the days. I drank from a spring under the rocks. I killed when I needed food, but I don't know what I ate. I told myself that I'd done an evil thing, that I wouldn't do the same thing again, that if Wyke had been alive to be my partner I wouldn't have tried to save my little sister. That was when I understood why Wyke had appeared to me. The Merged One had taken her from me, but I would be reunited with her in death if I repented. I knew that I had to leave the hills and enter the desert, where I would be purged and the sun would burn my sins out of me." He took a deep breath. "I went deep into the desert so that the hills would be far behind me and I would be too tired to turn back. Twice, my determination failed me, and I found water inside the prickly plants of the desert, but I knew I couldn't escape. When I saw these mountains in the distance, and the black birds circling overhead, I knew that I'd succeeded—I would die and be cleansed." He sighed. "Then you found me."
Rulek was stretched out in the cave, resting again. Anra sat on the ledge outside, thinking of what he had shown her.
The Minds had not reached out to help him. The boy believed that he had needed the strength of his village's Net to touch Them, but Anra knew that wasn't so and had hidden that fact from him. The Minds might have summoned Lydee; she could have reached him in her shuttle from any part of Earth. A Net added strength to one's mind, but someone alone could also communicate with the Minds.
Once, Earth's villages could speak to one another only through a village Net, one community's Merging Selves reaching out to another settlement. The Minds had slept in those days, but still their power had flowed out to the world that had forgotten Them.
But the Minds were awake now and could touch all minds not closed to Them. They should have heard Rulek's plea. Maybe They had chosen not to help him; perhaps They had also sensed his ambivalence, his longing for death. Perhaps his plea had been drowned out by others more urgent.
There was another possibility; the Minds might not have heard him at all until he was near the mountains. Rulek had sensed nothing in response to his call. She now
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