/No/ a voice said inside her. /But We did. We can show kindness, you see/ She wondered if it was kindness after all; Marellon might have come only to say another farewell to her.
Luret put up her wall, then led Wiland a short distance down the hill, leaving Marellon alone with Lydee.
“I thought you might have found a partner by now,” she said as the boy sat down.
“No. I want no partner. Whenever I went to another, I saw you, and she would sense that, and I would touch a body without touching a mind. That is worse than no love at all.” He paused. — Do we need that clumsy talk —
— No — She reached for his hand. There were hollows in his cheeks; his face was leaner, more like a man’s. — I may give you sorrow, Marellon. I have been thinking of leaving again —
— But this time I see that you’re fighting against it —
— You wouldn’t have children with me. I know Earthfolk set great store by that —
— I do not want them with another. There are enough on Earth who will have them —
— I would have to watch you age —
— You can always see me as you want to see me with your thoughts. My mind will be the same. And even when I’m gone, my image can speak to you, for I believe the Minds under the mountains preserve the souls of the dead —
He was wrong. The Minds held only their memories, as Homesmind did, not actual patterns of those who had once lived; she was sure of that. It could not be anything more; she wished that she could believe it were.
— Call it what you will — Marellon thought. — We have always believed that the dead live on, and it’s possible that the Minds gather their souls. I’ve felt the warmth of human thoughts mingled with the cold flames of those Minds. We don’t yet know all that the Minds can do. I’ve spoken to Them often, and through Them to your Homesmind. I have seen distant stars and other worlds. I have viewed the past and have seen what we have lost, and also how small we are — Marellon’s mind seemed lonelier than she remembered, but the bitterness and anger she had once sensed in him were gone.
— I’m happy you’re here — she said, though he had sensed that. — But there is nothing for me to do. I seem to be useless wherever I go —
— But you could come with us when we leave again. Would you be willing to do that? —
She drew back. — Then you aren’t staying here, in the village? —
— We came to see if you would journey with us, Lydee. It isn’t wise to wait until others come to us. We must reach out more, perhaps to villages in other parts of Earth. We want to travel from village to village and mindspeak with those who still shrink from what has happened. It’s hard for some to speak with the Minds, and many fear the power those Minds can give them. If they see you, they may stop fearing you and your ways, and with us as your companions, they’ll know that friendship with you and other skydwellers is possible. That is something you could do —
— It could be dangerous —
— Of course. Some may chase us away or strike out. Others may wall themselves in. We can’t force ourselves on anyone, but some may learn to accept us. And we should try to save those who still die, the separate selves —
— But I can’t live as you do. I’ll need supplies —
— You’ll have your vessel. That would be easier than traveling on foot or on horseback. With the vessel, we’ll also be able to offer them gifts, and that may help us —
— But when they see the tools I have — she objected, — they might only feel primitive and inferior —
Marellon laughed. — When they see that you require such things, they’ll feel superior to you. It’s just as well. That way, they’ll keep their pride —
That sort of life, she saw, would be something they could share, though to have it they would have to give up the lives they might have had. She would lose her old world, but Marellon would also be a wanderer without his own hut and village. She sighed. Love, apparently, required such sacrifices.
He looked down. — Will you come — he asked, — or are you trying to find another objection? —
— I’ll go with you, Marellon — Her link glowed inside her for a moment; Homesmind was content.
— Look — He gestured at the village. Flowers suddenly blossomed around the huts, which were abruptly transformed, becoming crystal structures with twinkling facets. The streets, now wider, were alive with people, some clothed in robes or tunics, others wearing silver lifesuits. Shuttles sat at the edges of the fields and near a tree-lined park; overhead, the comet appeared, lighting the sky. A beam of light shot up from the village, pointing to the heavens as the people below called out to the universe, seeking other intelligences. Marellon, with the power of the Minds, was showing her his vision of how Earth was to be.
The images faded; the shabby village reappeared.
— Perhaps — she said, hoping.
Eye of the Comet Page 20
