Read Online Orion in the Dying Time by Ben Bova - Free Book Online
Authors: Ben Bova
Tags: Fiction, General, Science-Fiction, Time travel, High Tech, Good and Evil, Orion (Fictitious Character)
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before, and Kraal was not the type to agree easily to any innovation.
We feasted that night together on the rocky canyon floor, our whole band plus Kraal's dozen men clustered around a roaring fire while we roasted rabbits, possums, raccoons, and smaller rodents on sticks. The women provided bread, something Kraal and his men had never seen before, as well as mounds of nuts, carrots, berries, and an overpowering root that would one day be called horseradish.
Earlier, I had spoken at length to Anya about my idea, and she had actually laughed with the delight of it.
"Are you sure you can do it?" I had asked.
"Yes. Of course. Never fear."
It was wonderful to see her smile, to see the delight and hope lighting her gray eyes.
After our eating was finished the women went back to the caves and the men sat around the dying embers of our big fire, belching and telling tales.
Finally I asked Kraal, "Have you thought about merging our two groups?"
He shook his head, as if disappointed. "It can't be done, Orion."
"Why not?"
All the other men stopped their talk and watched us. Kraal answered unhappily, "You have your tribe and I have my tribe. We have no people in common: no brothers or brides or even cousins. There are no bonds between the two tribes, Orion."
"We could create such bonds," I suggested. "Several of our women have no husbands. I'm sure many of your men have no wives."
I saw nods among his men. But Kraal shook his head once more. "It's never been done, Orion. It's not possible."
I pulled myself to my feet. "Let's see what the god has to say."
He looked up at me. "The god will repeat whatever you say."
"Maybe. Maybe not."
Raising my hands above my head, I called into the night, "O god who speaks, tell us what we should do!"
My voice echoed off the bowl of rock, ". . . tell us what we should do!"
For several heartbeats there was nothing to hear except the chirping of crickets in the grass. Then a low guttural whisper floated through the darkness; "I am the god who speaks. Ask and you shall receive wisdom."
All the men, mine included, jumped as if a live electrical wire had touched their bare flesh. Kraal's eyes went so wide that even in the dying firelight I could see white all around the pupils. None of them recognized Anya's voice; none of them could even tell that the rasping whisper they heard came from a woman.
I turned to Kraal. "Ask the god."
His mouth opened, but no sound came out. Most of the other men had gotten to their feet, staring toward the looming shadow of the hollowed rock. I felt some shame, tricking them this way. I realized that an unscrupulous person could easily make the "god" say whatever he or she wanted it to say. One day oracles and seers would use such tricks to sway their believers. I would have much to answer for.
But at this particular instant in time I needed Kraal to accept the idea of merging our two tribes.
To my surprise, it was Noch who spoke up. His voice quavering slightly with nervousness, he shouted toward the rock wall, "O god who speaks, would it be a good thing for our tribe to merge with Kraal's tribe?"
". . . merge with Kraal's tribe?"
Again silence. Not even the wind stirred. The crickets had gone quiet.
Then the whispered answer: "Are two men stronger than one? Are twenty men stronger than ten? It is wise to make yourselves stronger."
"Then we should merge our two bands together?" Noch wanted a definite answer, not godly metaphors.
"Yesss." A long drawn-out single syllable.
Kraal found his voice. "Under whose leadership?"
". . . whose leadership?"
"The leader of the larger of your two tribes should be the leader of the whole. Kraal the Hunter shall be known from this night onward as Kraal the Leader."
The man's chest visibly swelled. He broke into a broad, gap-toothed grin and turned toward the other men, nodding approval at the wisdom the god displayed.
"But what about Orion?" Noch insisted.
". . . Orion?" the echo repeated.
"Orion will remain
We feasted that night together on the rocky canyon floor, our whole band plus Kraal's dozen men clustered around a roaring fire while we roasted rabbits, possums, raccoons, and smaller rodents on sticks. The women provided bread, something Kraal and his men had never seen before, as well as mounds of nuts, carrots, berries, and an overpowering root that would one day be called horseradish.
Earlier, I had spoken at length to Anya about my idea, and she had actually laughed with the delight of it.
"Are you sure you can do it?" I had asked.
"Yes. Of course. Never fear."
It was wonderful to see her smile, to see the delight and hope lighting her gray eyes.
After our eating was finished the women went back to the caves and the men sat around the dying embers of our big fire, belching and telling tales.
Finally I asked Kraal, "Have you thought about merging our two groups?"
He shook his head, as if disappointed. "It can't be done, Orion."
"Why not?"
All the other men stopped their talk and watched us. Kraal answered unhappily, "You have your tribe and I have my tribe. We have no people in common: no brothers or brides or even cousins. There are no bonds between the two tribes, Orion."
"We could create such bonds," I suggested. "Several of our women have no husbands. I'm sure many of your men have no wives."
I saw nods among his men. But Kraal shook his head once more. "It's never been done, Orion. It's not possible."
I pulled myself to my feet. "Let's see what the god has to say."
He looked up at me. "The god will repeat whatever you say."
"Maybe. Maybe not."
Raising my hands above my head, I called into the night, "O god who speaks, tell us what we should do!"
My voice echoed off the bowl of rock, ". . . tell us what we should do!"
For several heartbeats there was nothing to hear except the chirping of crickets in the grass. Then a low guttural whisper floated through the darkness; "I am the god who speaks. Ask and you shall receive wisdom."
All the men, mine included, jumped as if a live electrical wire had touched their bare flesh. Kraal's eyes went so wide that even in the dying firelight I could see white all around the pupils. None of them recognized Anya's voice; none of them could even tell that the rasping whisper they heard came from a woman.
I turned to Kraal. "Ask the god."
His mouth opened, but no sound came out. Most of the other men had gotten to their feet, staring toward the looming shadow of the hollowed rock. I felt some shame, tricking them this way. I realized that an unscrupulous person could easily make the "god" say whatever he or she wanted it to say. One day oracles and seers would use such tricks to sway their believers. I would have much to answer for.
But at this particular instant in time I needed Kraal to accept the idea of merging our two tribes.
To my surprise, it was Noch who spoke up. His voice quavering slightly with nervousness, he shouted toward the rock wall, "O god who speaks, would it be a good thing for our tribe to merge with Kraal's tribe?"
". . . merge with Kraal's tribe?"
Again silence. Not even the wind stirred. The crickets had gone quiet.
Then the whispered answer: "Are two men stronger than one? Are twenty men stronger than ten? It is wise to make yourselves stronger."
"Then we should merge our two bands together?" Noch wanted a definite answer, not godly metaphors.
"Yesss." A long drawn-out single syllable.
Kraal found his voice. "Under whose leadership?"
". . . whose leadership?"
"The leader of the larger of your two tribes should be the leader of the whole. Kraal the Hunter shall be known from this night onward as Kraal the Leader."
The man's chest visibly swelled. He broke into a broad, gap-toothed grin and turned toward the other men, nodding approval at the wisdom the god displayed.
"But what about Orion?" Noch insisted.
". . . Orion?" the echo repeated.
"Orion will remain
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