had. I’d better tell you what kind of a mess you are in.”
Chagal drew in his breath as he listened. “Trapped by the Cyclan! I know of them, of course, but all this about cranial symbiotes which enable you to have instant communication with anyone anywhere as long as they have the same. And the proscription? That makes sense, I guess, no one wants contamination. But if all the others had been killed because they were not children of Earth then why wasn’t I one of them?”
“For insurance. You are a physician. Shandaha wanted to keep me alive.”
“And now?”
Dumarest said, “We have a functional raft. We have supplies. We can fly away from here and do what we need to do.”
“To do what, Earl?”
“There have to be others out there. Maybe some are rebels. Most must resent being treated as cattle. Others will be greedy for wealth and power. All will be potential allies.”
And he had the means to make them so. The affinity twin nestled in the hollow hilt of his knife, the empty space in the buckle of his belt. Dumarest smiled, feeling good. He was a child of Earth and he was home.
