Chapter 26

Both turned in surprise. The mother had advanced behind them somewhat and was staring directly at MacPherson.

"You say that you have been afraid of us, Angus," she said. "Was it so when you came here to the nest, were you afraid then?"

"Aye," he said, then corrected it. "Yes."

"Then why did you come?"

"T'face me— my fear," he answered slowly. "To find out if my fear was real or only in my head, in my mind. I did not want to fear a shadow, something that wasn't real. And I found that it was so, I was afraid of something that was not real. You're not fearsome, you're a lot like us. Different too, yes, very different in many ways, but not a kind of difference to fear, just ... a difference."

There was a long silence. Nobody moved. Then at last the mother spoke again. "You humans have taught us very much in many ways. You teach us again now." She turned to Meiers­dottir. "We will go with you, Amanda. You say one hundred may go?"

Meiersdottir's jaw had literally dropped. She swallowed to dispel a sudden lump in her throat. "About that," she answered in a husky voice. "Perhaps a few more."

"One hundred and ten?" the alien asked. Meiersdottir nodded wordlessly. "They will be ready and will come to you where your lander stands in two days' time. We need this time for ... you have no words, it is a thing of the mind. You can wait so long more?"

Tears were coursing down the woman's cheeks. "We will wait, Gagugakhing. Two days. And thank you, thank you so much!" She turned quickly to MacPherson. "Time to go, Angus," she said. "You go first, they can lift me up and you can reach down to me." She motioned him forward.

They walked back up the incline in silence. Twice MacPherson made as if to speak, and twice she silenced him with a gesture. The final surface bottleneck was negotiated in the same way, and they finally emerged alone from the house that sheltered the nest entrance. Only when the door closed behind them did she at last give vent to her feelings.

"Yahoo!" she cried loudly. Beside her MacPherson simply grinned at her sudden display of exuberance. She turned to him and threw her arms around him. "Angus, Angus, Angus, my very dear friend. If I weren't so old I'd marry you!"

He burst into laughter. "If ye werrena sae auld I'd ha'e ye, too," he responded. "I' makes me hearr' sing t'see ye sae joyful."

"And you did it," she told him. "It was you who got through when I couldn't. Oh, Angus, there's no way I can thank you."

"Yer happiness is thanks enough," he said, smiling.

Her face turned serious. "You're not sorry, are you?" she asked with sudden trepidation. "I mean, this is exactly what you were trying to prevent, isn't it?"

"Nae, I'm no' sorry," he answered. "I mean' wha' I said doon therre. Ye canna lie in sae grran' a place, i' crries oo' for trruth. I'm no' afearr' o' 'em any mair. Min' ye, I do no' like 'em, bu' i' isna needed tha' I like 'em."

"You said that in the nest," she remembered. "And you said it in ordinary Standard, too. Why? I mean, if you can speak regular Standard when you want, why the brogue? Is it just an affectation?"

"Nae, 'tis merrely easierr. T'speak rregular, as ye call i', means I mus' gi'e close heed t'me worrds. 'Tis no' na'urral t'me. Mos'ly itherrs un'errstan' me jus' fine. When they do no', I can speak rrigh' if I think aboo' i'. Tha' seem' a time forr doin' sae, for I wish' 'em t'un'errstan' me."

"Oh, they did," she assured him. "All except— What's minga?"

"Och," he said, shifting awkwardly. "I prrob'ly shouldna ha'e said tha'."

"You should have said every single word you did. I mean, that's what turned them around, what you said. But what does it mean?"

"Weel... ," he mumbled. "I' means ugly. Bu' no' jus' ugly, ye ken, fearrsome ugly, ugly as a mud fence. Sae ugly ye don' wan' t'look a' i', ye don' e'en carre t'know i' exis's, tha' kin' o' ugly."

"Really?" she said. "I've always thought they were kind of cute in a bit of a weird way."

"'Cu'e?'" he repeated incredulously. "Missus, back home I've stepp' on things prre'ier'n tha'. Smallerr, o'courrse, bu' in this case size doesna help."

She giggled giddily. "Well, get used to them, they'll be with us for a while," she said. "Oh, and how good it is to say that! Come on, we're just standing here, we have to get back and tell Carlie and Alicia and everybody the good news."

"Why did ye leave sae quick afterr th' mitherr tol' ye she' change' herr min'?" he asked as they walked along. "Orr is i' theirr min'? I do no' ken how t'say i'."