'If we're going, we'll meet you there after breakfast tomorrow.'
'We won't wait long.'
'Okay.'
Lilith turned and walked back to camp. How many Oankali had heard the exchange? One? A few? All of them? No matter. Nikanj would know in minutes. So it would have time to send for Ahajas and Dichaan. It would not have to sit and go catatonic like the others.
In fact, she still wondered why the others had not done it. Surely they had known that their chosen humans were leaving. Kahguyaht would know. What would it do?
Something occurred to her suddenly-a memory of tribal people sending their sons out to live for a while alone in the forest or desert or whatever as a test of manhood.
Boys of a certain age who had been taught how to live in the environment were sent out to prove what they had learned.
Was that it? Train the humans in the basics, then let them go out on their own when they were ready?
Then why the catatonic ooloi?
'Lilith?'
She jumped, then stopped and let Joseph catch up with her. They walked together to the fire where people were sharing baked yams and Brazil nuts from a tree someone had stumbled upon.
'Did you talk to Tate?' he asked. She nodded.
'What did you tell her?' 'That I'd talk to you.' Silence.
'What do you want to do?' she asked.
'Go.'
She stopped, turned to look at him, but his face told her nothing.
'Would you leave me?' she whispered.
'Why would you stay? To be with Nikanj?'
'Would you leave me?'
'Why would you stay?' The whispered words had the impact of a shout.
'Because this is a ship. Because there's nowhere to run.'
He looked up at the bright half moon and at the first scattering of stars. 'I've got to see for myself,' he said softly. 'This feels like home. Even though I've never been in a tropical forest before in my life, but this smells and tastes and looks like home.'
' . . . I know.' 'I've got to see!' 'Yes.'
'Don't make me leave you.'
She seized his hand as though it were an animal about to escape.
'Come with us!' he whispered.
She closed her eyes, shutting out the forest and the sky, the people talking quietly around the fire, the Oankali, several physically joined in silent conversation. How many of the Oankali had heard what she and Joseph were saying? None of them behaved as though they had heard.
'All right,' she said softly. 'I'll go.'
4
Joseph and Lilith found no one waiting at the breadnut tree after breakfast the next morning. Lilith had seen Gabriel leave camp, carrying a large basket, his ax, and his machete as though intending to chop wood. People did that as they saw need just as Lilith took her own machete, ax, and baskets and went to gather forest foods when she saw need. She took people with her when she wanted to teach and went alone when she wanted to think.
This morning only Joseph was with her. Tate had left camp before breakfast. Lilith suspected that she might have gone to one of the gardens Lilith and Nikanj's family had planted. There she could dig cassava or yams or cut papayas, bananas, or pineapple. It would not help much. They would soon have to live on what they found in the forest.
Lilith carried roasted breadnuts both because she liked them and because they were a good source of protein. She also carried yams, beans, and cassava. At the bottom of her basket she carried extra clothing, a hammock of light, strong Oankali cloth, and a few sticks of dry tinder.
'We won't wait much longer,' Joseph said. 'They should be here. Maybe they've come and gone.'
'More likely they'll be here as soon as they decide we weren't followed. They'll want to be sure 1 haven't sold them out, told the Oankali.'
Joseph looked at her, frowned. 'Tate and Gabe?'
'Yes.'
'I don't think so.'
She shrugged.
'Gabe said you should get out for your own good. He said he'd heard people beginning to talk against you again- now that they can think for themselves again.'
'I'll be going toward the dangerous ones, Joe, not away from them. So will you.'
He stared at the river for a while, then put his arm around her. 'Do you want to go back?'
