were here on the Heights. The nearly bare rock was a maze of tents, practically edge to edge, the meager gaps filled by a swarm of sprats and women and strangers. The sea had swallowed the rest of the island.
The only clear spots were on Idiot’s Peak, around the launching cradle, and the wide servicing area that now led all the way down to the water. Keeping those areas clear enough to work in only made the rest of the Heights more crowded.
My tree, like a few others, still reached partway above the waters. We still used the nest and thus avoided some of the crowding; but we had to wade waist deep between nest and Heights.
The sea was tepid and very wet. I was still bristling from the need to push my way between the tents and among the hordes of strangers when I climbed into my nest, my fur dripping. I sank gratefully onto my cot.
“Wives,” I called, “I am ready for a hot brushing. I have had such a day as to try even the greatest of men!”
“Oh, our poor Lant,” they mourned. “Surely even the greatest of tribulations is only child’s play to a man so brave as you —”
“Naturally, but the effort is tiring. Purple wants me to come on the airboat with him; so do Wilville and Orbur —”
“Oh, no, not my brave Lant! Not in the airboat! You might fall!” cried one Missa.
“You mustn’t, my husband! You will never return! What would we do if we lost you?” said the other whose non-name was Kate.
“Of course, you told them that you wouldn’t!” said the first.
“You have your carving to tend to,” said the second. “And there are other things besides. The nestwalls are leaking and must be repaired —”
“Wait a minute,” I cuffed them into silence. “What is this noise you make? You dare to tell me what I should do?”
“Oh, no —” They flung themselves at my feet.
Missa, the second, looked up and said, “It is just that we love you so much, we do not want you to go —”
Missa, the first, said, “It is such a dangerous thing to do — maybe even too dangerous for such a brave man as our Lant.”
I looked down at them, “How dare you even suggest such a thing. I am the Speaker of my village — I have tamed two of the wildest magicians ever known, and, I kept them from killing each other. I have guided the construction of an actual flying machine —”
“Yes, my husband, but that does not mean that you should fly in it!”
“Yes — leave that honor for somebody else —”
“And why should I?” I demanded. “I have as much right as anybody to voyage on the
“Oh, but we are so afraid for you —”
“You think I am afraid of the dangers?”
“Oh, no, my brave Lant — but we are —”
“You think too much, wives — it has addled your brains. I am fully aware of the dangers of such a voyage. You think I am not? Let me tell you this though: if I did not think it was a safe journey, I would not be planning to go.”
“Oh, my husband, my brave, brave husband, you do not need to prove it to us. We know you are the greatest of all husbands. Just stay with us, and we will not even protest your purchase of a third wife —”
“You will not what — What makes you think you have even the right to do so? If I want a third wife, I will buy one. If I want to go flying in a flying machine, I will do that too! And I am going to do both! And neither one of you will say another word about it or I will beat you! Now bring me my supper! And be grateful that I am not yet too angry to do the family-making thing tonight!”
Red sunset, still and quiet, a hot mugginess in the air — the memory of the blistering heat of day.
Trone and four other men were holding a line; Wilville and Orbur were up in the rigging rearranging the position of two of the balloons in the cluster. On their signal, Trone and his crew released the rope and the balloons snapped into position.
Purple had spent this day recharging the tired windbags.
Even now, he was just filling the last from a water pot balanced on the narrow deck slats.
Shoogar and I stood quietly to one side. I was carrying a narrow pack and wondering how I had gotten myself into this position. I kept replaying the conversations of the day over and over in my head, but somehow the why of it still eluded me.
I had been ready enough to change my mind when I left my nest. But, in their zeal to persuade me not to risk my life, my wives had been busily asking the advice of a great many other women. And those women had been telling their men.
… I soon found out that every man, woman and child on the Heights knew that Lant the Speaker would be aboard the
Wilville and Orbur climbed down from the rigging then. Purple made a mark on his checklist. Orbur turned and burrowed under a cloth-covered pile of supplies. “The blankets are under here, Purple.”
“Good,” he replied, “I would not want to leave them. Have we plenty of drinking water this time ?”
“More than enough,” said Wilville; he looked at Shoogar as he said it.
Purple came over to us then. “I am glad you are coming, Lant. It will be a long journey, and I welcome your company.” To Shoogar, he said, “You have brought no fire-making devices, this time, have you?”
Shoogar shook his head dourly.
“You remember what I told you about them, don’t you?”
He nodded.
“Fine.”
He went back to the boys and told them. Wilville and Orbur looked over at us and exchanged a glance. They excused themselves from Purple and climbed out of the boat. “Oh, Shoogar,” they said, “could we speak with you a moment; we have a question about one of the finer points of the spell —”
Shoogar toddled off after them. They disappeared behind a clump of blackbushes.
There was a sharp cry and the sound of a struggle. Another cry and then silence. After a moment, there was a ; sputtering and the sound of water being poured out of a pot, Wilville and Orbur returned then, smiling. A few moments later a soaked Shoogar followed them. He was glaring angrily.
He came up to me, “If they weren’t your sons —”
“And if they also weren’t necessary to the success of the journey home,” I said calmly, “you would do what?”
“Never mind,” he grumbled. “I’m just glad that you decided to come along, after all. I am going to take a revenge on Purple such as no one has ever dreamed of!”
Despite the hour there was a considerable crowd gathered on the slope. Many of them were from the other villages, people who had heard of our wondrous machine, and had , come to witness our ascent. Still, there were quite a few people from our own village as well, proudly pointing out what part of the machine they had worked on. Again, there were mongers selling sweetdrops and spicy meats. I had eaten some the last time, and had been sick for hours afterward. This time I had resolved not to eat anything; if I was going to be sick, I didn’t want to be so in an airship.
“All right, Lant,” said Purple. “You can get in now.” He gestured. “Shoogar?”
We went. Purple directed us where to sit, far forward in the boat, one on each side of a cloth-lined bench. Purple took up his position at the rear. He peered about him anxiously, as if he had forgotten something.
I was petrified. My heart was pounding — I could not believe it — I was actually
A voice was calling, “Lant! Lant!” I looked over the side. There was Pilg the Crier.
“Pilg!” I cried. “Where have you been?”
“I have been coming back,” he called. “Lant, are you really going flying with Purple the Magician?”
