knew there was no escape. Not when the head-to-toe blasts of sweat had begun, not when her body started its old familiar arching upward, navel to the sky, not when she moved like a dutiful slave into her curving backbone as it completed its inexorable rounding and stiffening. Its arch fitted her like an old pair of shoes. This daemon had slept for decades, dreaming of the time when it could again be the companion of her nights and days. She was completely in the arch now, surrendered to its stasis, braced on her shoulders and heels, in full-body paralysis. And there they went, her eyes, backward into her skull, back, back. . .
In her last moment before total darkness and the convulsions that were sure to come, she remembered to tuck her tongue behind her lower teeth.
* * * * * * *
"She's eased," Dicken said. "She'll be okay after some rest."
Oaliu, Trustholder of the Acuai tribespeople, took the damp cloth from Dicken. "Last night, before we began the culture and language transfers, her sleep was very disturbed. Why was that?"
Dicken sat at the end of the pallet, holding Jez's head. "She calls it 'my childhood affliction.' It's been on her for three nights now — just some symptoms. But even our spooning got to be affected. Nothing dangerous, but a little shaky."
"You have not seen such seizures before?"
"No. She's described them, but this one here is the first I ever saw. Wait, she's stirring."
Oaliu laid her lips close to Jez's ear. "You do not have to move. We have healers who will help. I have sent for them."
The eyelids fluttered mightily with the effort to open. Then Jez whispered the Acuai word of agreement.
"Good." Oaliu nodded. "We have gotten you cleaned up and in fresh beddings. You will be able to understand all that the healers tell us." She looked at Dicken.
"I am right here," Dicken told Jez. She wiped the wet brow again with the cloth.
Jez's eyes flew open. She sat bolt upright and tried to get to her feet.
"Lavona," she croaked, "we've got to get to Lavona!" She pushed Oaliu's arms away.
Dicken brought her partner gently down to the pallet again. Oaliu helped her to soothe the wild-eyed Jez. "Jezebel, sweet love," she whispered.
Jez still struggled. "Now, Dicken! We have to go now!"
Dicken held her down, effortlessly. "Jezebel, we cannot be going right away. We could not even raise the spoon, you in this shape. So hush now."
Jez sank back, fighting nausea. "An hour. I'll rest an hour." She was lost again in slumber.
"Lavona?" Oaliu asked.
"An old friend. She's a weekday childkeeper, I think. She lives up in the Alleghenies."
"Nueva Tierra Norte?"
Dicken grinned ruefully. "Yes. West Virginia." She pulled a light blanket over Jez and spoke to the room at large. "I got no notion why we got to go to West Virginia."
* * * * * * *
Two days later, after long legs of hard flying over jungles and high plains, and a rocket hop across the Caribbean, Jez and Dicken spooned due north again. The air whipped by their powerbubble at 100-plus miles per hour, disturbing not at all the two navigation and monitoring systems that were linked in perfect coordination. But things were not peaceful inside the flightpod.
When Dicken suggested a layover in Atlanta, Jez took her hand out of a warm pocket and reached toward her lover. "I'm not tired, Dicken. . ."
"Well I am!" Dicken exploded, flinging Jez's hand away from her. She pushed more sustaining ki toward the edges of their bubble and rubbed her eyes with both hands.
"God's Green Eyeballs, Bella," she said wearily.
"And I am not Bella!" Jez's voice was tense.
In a swift shift, Dicken rolled onto her back, readjusting her monitors so that she flew supine just a few inches below her lover. "Look at me," she challenged, shaking Jez's shoulders. The eyes that stared back at Dicken were surrounded by gray circles. "It's just that you
In her last moment before total darkness and the convulsions that were sure to come, she remembered to tuck her tongue behind her lower teeth.
* * * * * * *
"She's eased," Dicken said. "She'll be okay after some rest."
Oaliu, Trustholder of the Acuai tribespeople, took the damp cloth from Dicken. "Last night, before we began the culture and language transfers, her sleep was very disturbed. Why was that?"
Dicken sat at the end of the pallet, holding Jez's head. "She calls it 'my childhood affliction.' It's been on her for three nights now — just some symptoms. But even our spooning got to be affected. Nothing dangerous, but a little shaky."
"You have not seen such seizures before?"
"No. She's described them, but this one here is the first I ever saw. Wait, she's stirring."
Oaliu laid her lips close to Jez's ear. "You do not have to move. We have healers who will help. I have sent for them."
The eyelids fluttered mightily with the effort to open. Then Jez whispered the Acuai word of agreement.
"Good." Oaliu nodded. "We have gotten you cleaned up and in fresh beddings. You will be able to understand all that the healers tell us." She looked at Dicken.
"I am right here," Dicken told Jez. She wiped the wet brow again with the cloth.
Jez's eyes flew open. She sat bolt upright and tried to get to her feet.
"Lavona," she croaked, "we've got to get to Lavona!" She pushed Oaliu's arms away.
Dicken brought her partner gently down to the pallet again. Oaliu helped her to soothe the wild-eyed Jez. "Jezebel, sweet love," she whispered.
Jez still struggled. "Now, Dicken! We have to go now!"
Dicken held her down, effortlessly. "Jezebel, we cannot be going right away. We could not even raise the spoon, you in this shape. So hush now."
Jez sank back, fighting nausea. "An hour. I'll rest an hour." She was lost again in slumber.
"Lavona?" Oaliu asked.
"An old friend. She's a weekday childkeeper, I think. She lives up in the Alleghenies."
"Nueva Tierra Norte?"
Dicken grinned ruefully. "Yes. West Virginia." She pulled a light blanket over Jez and spoke to the room at large. "I got no notion why we got to go to West Virginia."
* * * * * * *
Two days later, after long legs of hard flying over jungles and high plains, and a rocket hop across the Caribbean, Jez and Dicken spooned due north again. The air whipped by their powerbubble at 100-plus miles per hour, disturbing not at all the two navigation and monitoring systems that were linked in perfect coordination. But things were not peaceful inside the flightpod.
When Dicken suggested a layover in Atlanta, Jez took her hand out of a warm pocket and reached toward her lover. "I'm not tired, Dicken. . ."
"Well I am!" Dicken exploded, flinging Jez's hand away from her. She pushed more sustaining ki toward the edges of their bubble and rubbed her eyes with both hands.
"God's Green Eyeballs, Bella," she said wearily.
"And I am not Bella!" Jez's voice was tense.
In a swift shift, Dicken rolled onto her back, readjusting her monitors so that she flew supine just a few inches below her lover. "Look at me," she challenged, shaking Jez's shoulders. The eyes that stared back at Dicken were surrounded by gray circles. "It's just that you
Similar Books
