Chapter 11

"Why are we doing this?"

Polly regarded Wendy. The surly witch sat on a large rock, eyes on the red glow to the north. Her top, new a year ago but not worn for months, contained her large breasts reasonably well. Until the next button came off, and that most likely would be soon from the looks of the fraying fabric. Luckily, modesty mattered little among the three.

That probably shouldn't be the case. Jack, after all, was a teen male, one attracted to women if his attachment to her sister had been any indication. Yet, he had shown no interest in either of them. Wendy, she could understand. After all, she had enslaved him, and that did tend to put a damper on how you thought about someone (unless you were into that). Polly was a little insulted that he had not come to her, though. Especially after she'd given birth to little Tommy. She ... well, damn it, her love was long dead. She could use some companionship.

The male in question was squatting next to the fire. He, too, was dressed old clothes, worn bluejeans and a shirt. It had been decided, given the possibility of meeting actual people, they should be dressed for the occasion. Walking all day up the beaches and through the grass while not nude was a change Polly, for one, didn't like. The fabric ... well, what had been silky and comforting while new was now rough against her skin. Plus, she had been pregnant when she fit her current dress.

"If nobody has an answer, why are we doing it?"

Polly saw Jack's eyes regard Wendy coldly. There was a lot of coldness from him, of late. Some morning, she knew, they'd wake to find him gone. Wake to find he had left the three of them to struggle on the best they could.

What then?

He stood, blue eyes hard. Walking over to Polly, he reached down to the back of her hand. Slowly, she felt his callused finger trace letters. The sentence wasn't complete, as if it was not worth his time to write his thought out fully for them. Why did he hate her? What had she done? Clearing that thought, she looked at Wendy.

"He says getting eaten by a dragon would be an improvement on present company."

As Wendy's expression darkened, as if her brown skin could get much darker, Polly looked again to the north. They had traveled far that day, as far as could reasonably be expected with a baby. When smoke suddenly erupted on the horizon, they had paused, reconsidering. There had been a sound a moment later, faint yet loud. Thoughts that the strange, wingless thing they had seen had been some sort of dragon returned. Now that night was here, the sky before them had a faint glow over the trees. They were close, very close.

Maybe too close.

The wind shifted. She could almost smell it. Thought she could, in fact, smell burnt wood, and other horrible things. Maybe Wendy was right. To take her baby north, into untold danger ... yet, the oracle had said to go. Oracles were to be followed, even weakly cast ones.

"I think..." Wendy started.

Jack's head snapped to the north. The witch frowned.

"What?"

Polly wondered, too. Jack, eyes wide, took a few steps north. His body almost seemed to ... vibrate. As they watched, his blue eyes widened even more, mouth dropping open in astonishment. His head turned to them, yet Polly knew he wasn't seeing her or Wendy. With a sudden jump, Jack was between them, reaching down for one of the full fresh water canteens. The woven container was barely in his hands before the boy was sprinting to the north. His blond haired, tanned form vanished into the night.

The two women looked at each other.

"What the fuck?"

"Stars of the summer night
Far in yon azure deep,
Hide, hide your golden light
She sleeps my lady sleeps"

Heather fell in love again, as Sam's voice filled the air.

A bonfire roared behind the short haired teen, illuminating the night even as the fire to the west was starved down to coals. They sat before her on the hillside, humans, squirrels, and others, as she sang. It was an old song, one Heather had heard countless times before. Often, in their travels, they had depended on Sam to sing for their supper, her voice bringing appreciative listeners in taverns or fairs. Never had it seemed this lovely. Sam's voice was ... was love. It was love, and friendship, hope and life. She sang loud, her notes clear over their clapping beat. Heather barely noticed her own hands helping, her mind captive to her love. One kiss, that's all she wanted. One kiss...

"Moon of the summer night
Far down yon western steeps
Sink, sink in silver light,
She sleeps my lady sleeps"

Chuck, a few feet away, was on his feet, cheering the instant the song ended. The others of these strange people were only a moment behind, clapping and whistling. She, too, stood. Sam's eyes fell on her. Did she smile wider, on seeing Heather? Grinning, Heather raised her hands over her head and clapped. Cathy, in her metal chair beside her, did the same, yelling.

"More! More!"

The squirrels, too, reacted. They cheered, squealed, and made other noises of approval. Or, most did. Not all...

Hedva reluctantly followed Sarah away from the others. Annot had her guitar out, Oma ready to sing for the humans. Hedva had always liked Oma's voice, and the girl. She really should be there to ease her likely anxiety.

Hedva couldn't say no to Sarah, though.

The two stopped around the corner of one of the wooden human buildings. Just before passing out of sight, Hedva looked back. Chuck was on the hillside, talking to Rinda. Melinda was on his other side, listening intently. Between the two ... the space where Hedva had been sitting. Melinda had not scooted over, erasing the gap. They ... they really were waiting for her to return. Enjoyed her company. As she turned to look at her oldest friend, Hedva blushed.

She was falling in love.

The temple had been a refuge. A refuge from a world too complicated, confusing. Hedva was not like Sarah, who was so smart, so good at school, at life. She needed someone to tell her all was right with the world, that there was a goal that needed her. She Who Saw had provided that. She may have joined the temple with Sarah, but the two had quickly followed different paths. Sarah had proved her worth, been given plumb assignments with higher sisters. Hedva ... was made a receptionist at a small office on an unimportant world. She hadn't minded. She was part of something bigger, part of a world that said she was needed.

When the temple vanished, when Sarah had shown up in that small deserted office and told her she had humans with her, Hedva moved all her loyalties to her.

In the month she had lived with the humans, as they first set up their settlement on this holy world, she had stood back from them. Looked on in awe as Sarah talked to them like a favorite follower. She had gladly become the first disciple of She Who Knows, following Sarah in her quest to gather the rest of the scattered sisters. Sarah Knew, and, Knowing, she told Hedva what to do.

And she followed.

Today ... Chuck had talked to her as an equal.

So had Rinda. And Melinda. They ... Chuck had not ordered her, as they fought the fire. He had suggested, requested. He had asked her opinion, and listened. Told her to take charge of this task, or that.

He had said "thank you", and meant it.

Sarah came to a stop next to a darkened glass window. Her arms crossed before her chest, mouth frowning. Hedva stood nervously before her. Her friend gave a disgusted sigh.

"Have you learned anything useful?"

Many things, to be sure, but what was her friend ... ah. Right. She had been tasked with getting close to Chuck, who Sarah felt was the most ... likely to break away from the others, to have sex with aliens just because he wanted to. The most likely to be the breeding partner they needed.

She Who Knows ... did not, Hedva had that day discovered, Know all.

"No," she said, shaking her head. Sarah gave another disgusted snort.

"This isn't working out. Not working out at all."

"Why?" Hedva honestly didn't understand. Sarah gave her an annoyed look.

"You heard Anthony! They know what we intend! We're not to stay if all we want is to breed with the Daemons! If we stay, it's to be..."

"It's to be friends," Hedva said, softly. "Friends. Companions."

"Yes." Sarah's bushy tail shook agitatedly. "We would be 'friends'. By all that She Who Saw taught, what would be the point?"

"To not end up like She Who Saw."

The words were out of her mouth before she could even consider them. Sarah's eyes widened. Hedva braced herself. Braced herself for the anger that would come, for...

Sarah took a deep breath, slowly releasing it. Her shoulders slumped.

"I know," she said, softy. "I know. It's ... it's just..."

"We knew one thing, before the temple," Hedva told her friend. "We knew another at the temple, and yet a third once the temple was gone. Now ... now, this is the final thing. A choice, based on reality, not fantasy. Leave, or stay."

Sara reached out, her clawed hand gently touching Hedva's bare shoulder.

"You're staying?"

She nodded.

"And you, my oldest friend?"

Sara's eyes closed.

"Tomorrow. I'll decide tomorrow."

Jack knew he had imagined it.

That had to be it. Sound could not, he thought, travel that far. Even on the wind, there was no way he had heard what he thought he had heard.

Yet...

He had heard her voice. Heard the voice of Samantha. Sam. The girl who had given herself to him. Who had cared for him. Who...

Jack ran through the night. There was a moon, half full, providing, along with the stars, some light as he traveled barefoot across sand and rock. A song. She had been singing a song. One he had not heard before, but he had heard her sing. Heard her voice bring forth beauty and joy into the world. Through song, her soul had touched his mind, and heart, long before her lips and hands touched his body.