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Authors: Octavia E. Butler
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to pay. Diut spoke again firmly.
“It should be clear to both of you that I’m buying our lives with this promise of sanctuary for the Rohkohn. And the Rohkohn Hao is buying assured survival for her people.”
The two flashed white assent—less grudgingly than Tahneh would have expected. The huntress spoke for the first time.
“Is there a part for us in this, Tehkohn Hao—something you want us to do?”
“There is something,” said Tahneh before Diut could answer. She had decided that her plan would work. These two could play the role she had intended for them. “You and Jeh will prepare the way for my people. You will return to your mountains at once and let the Tehkohn know that we’re coming, that they should prepare to meet us in peace.”
“We are to return home without the Tehkohn Hao?” Cheah asked doubtfully.
“The Tehkohn Hao will stay and guide us to our new home,” answered Tahneh.
Tahneh glanced at Diut and saw that a small amount of yellow had crept into his coloring. Like his huntress and judge, Diut was just learning this part of her plan, just coming to understand that it was his own presence as a hostage among the Rohkohn that would ensure Rohkohn safe passage. Tahneh was worried about her people’s first contact with the Tehkohn. She believed Diut meant his promise, but like Ehreh she worried about the immediate reaction of his people. They had been without a ruling Hao for too long. They might not be as quick to obey as they should be.
Now, Tahneh thought, Diut could either pretend to have been aware of her plan all along and confirm her orders to Jeh and Cheah, or he could contradict her, argue with her in front of them, and inevitably lose the argument. For the moment, Tahneh was in the stronger position, and she meant to use that position to ensure the safety of her people. He spoke to her softly.
“It seems, cousin, that you and your chief judge share similar doubts.”
She turned her head to look at him, but said nothing. The yellow, she noticed, was gone from his coloring.
“In the end, you and your people take the greater risk,” he said.
“So.”
“In the face of that, I’ll accept the most immediate risk.” He spoke to Jeh and Cheah. “You’ll go as the Rohkohn Hao has said. I’ll follow later with the Rohkohn.”
The two flashed white.
Tahneh suppressed an impulse to let her own body whiten with pleasure. He had handled himself well with Ehreh, and well again now. In his youth, he carried his uncertainty closer to the surface than she carried hers. But already he was learning.
Tahneh went to the door again and when she opened it this time, she saw that her chiefs had already cleared away the crowd. In its place waited only the judges who had brought her Jeh and Cheah. She called in two of these and spoke to them.
“The Tehkohn huntress and judge will spend today and tomorrow with us as guests, free of any restraint. Tomorrow night, they will be given whatever provisions they ask for and allowed to return to the mountains.”
Tahneh waited until her judges flashed white, then she looked back at Jeh and Cheah. “Go with them now, back to your apartment. They’ll see that you’re not bothered.”
Jeh and Cheah left silently. When they were gone, Tahneh sat down wearily on one of the weavers’ mats. “Well, little cousin, it begins.”
To her surprise, Diut whitened with apparent amusement. “It sounded more like it was almost over.”
She gave him a sidelong glance. “Do you know how little time it will take Ehreh to call a meeting of the council of judges, and how long it will take the council to argue our tie over and over pointlessly until they finally decide to do as I’ve ordered? And I must be present. The game must be played correctly. Then there will be the preparations, the actual moving … We’re not a nomadic people, Diut. It will be difficult.”
Diut sat down beside her. “I’ll do what I can to help,” he said, “if, from now
“It should be clear to both of you that I’m buying our lives with this promise of sanctuary for the Rohkohn. And the Rohkohn Hao is buying assured survival for her people.”
The two flashed white assent—less grudgingly than Tahneh would have expected. The huntress spoke for the first time.
“Is there a part for us in this, Tehkohn Hao—something you want us to do?”
“There is something,” said Tahneh before Diut could answer. She had decided that her plan would work. These two could play the role she had intended for them. “You and Jeh will prepare the way for my people. You will return to your mountains at once and let the Tehkohn know that we’re coming, that they should prepare to meet us in peace.”
“We are to return home without the Tehkohn Hao?” Cheah asked doubtfully.
“The Tehkohn Hao will stay and guide us to our new home,” answered Tahneh.
Tahneh glanced at Diut and saw that a small amount of yellow had crept into his coloring. Like his huntress and judge, Diut was just learning this part of her plan, just coming to understand that it was his own presence as a hostage among the Rohkohn that would ensure Rohkohn safe passage. Tahneh was worried about her people’s first contact with the Tehkohn. She believed Diut meant his promise, but like Ehreh she worried about the immediate reaction of his people. They had been without a ruling Hao for too long. They might not be as quick to obey as they should be.
Now, Tahneh thought, Diut could either pretend to have been aware of her plan all along and confirm her orders to Jeh and Cheah, or he could contradict her, argue with her in front of them, and inevitably lose the argument. For the moment, Tahneh was in the stronger position, and she meant to use that position to ensure the safety of her people. He spoke to her softly.
“It seems, cousin, that you and your chief judge share similar doubts.”
She turned her head to look at him, but said nothing. The yellow, she noticed, was gone from his coloring.
“In the end, you and your people take the greater risk,” he said.
“So.”
“In the face of that, I’ll accept the most immediate risk.” He spoke to Jeh and Cheah. “You’ll go as the Rohkohn Hao has said. I’ll follow later with the Rohkohn.”
The two flashed white.
Tahneh suppressed an impulse to let her own body whiten with pleasure. He had handled himself well with Ehreh, and well again now. In his youth, he carried his uncertainty closer to the surface than she carried hers. But already he was learning.
Tahneh went to the door again and when she opened it this time, she saw that her chiefs had already cleared away the crowd. In its place waited only the judges who had brought her Jeh and Cheah. She called in two of these and spoke to them.
“The Tehkohn huntress and judge will spend today and tomorrow with us as guests, free of any restraint. Tomorrow night, they will be given whatever provisions they ask for and allowed to return to the mountains.”
Tahneh waited until her judges flashed white, then she looked back at Jeh and Cheah. “Go with them now, back to your apartment. They’ll see that you’re not bothered.”
Jeh and Cheah left silently. When they were gone, Tahneh sat down wearily on one of the weavers’ mats. “Well, little cousin, it begins.”
To her surprise, Diut whitened with apparent amusement. “It sounded more like it was almost over.”
She gave him a sidelong glance. “Do you know how little time it will take Ehreh to call a meeting of the council of judges, and how long it will take the council to argue our tie over and over pointlessly until they finally decide to do as I’ve ordered? And I must be present. The game must be played correctly. Then there will be the preparations, the actual moving … We’re not a nomadic people, Diut. It will be difficult.”
Diut sat down beside her. “I’ll do what I can to help,” he said, “if, from now
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