The tent flap opened, letting in a shaft of sunlight and the tattooed diploid medicine woman that first came to see Lina—the chief medicine woman, Lina now realized. Together, with her apprentice, they helped Lina to a sitting position. Lina’s hands immediately went to steady the shifting weight of her breasts.
“Not just taller.” The medical apprentice grinned. “Bigger, too.”
All at once, Lina understood. The knowledge of the transformation that occurred within her body, catalyzed by the ingestion of royal wine, came rushing to the forefront of her mind. She was taller, bigger even than most diploids. Her cells had transformed. She had royal markings on her skin. She knew all of this.
Lina wanted to stand up, to take it all in, but as she began to move, the medicine women had hands on her immediately, helping to steady her, but at the same time holding her back. Lina detected a scent of caution drifting her way and sat back down.
“Your new body will take some time to get used to, Lina,” the older medicine woman said. “There is no hurry. You are our guest for as long as you wish.”
Lina nodded.
“Perhaps you should start with some tea. Your friends have brought some, and they are anxious to see you.”
Lina heard a rustling at the tent flap. She knew it was I and Arabel, but she was not at all prepared for what she saw when they came in. I was holding a white cup with a wisp of steam climbing from its center. I was grinning. That was all as she had expected. It was Arabel who was different. Arabel was glowing. A golden aura surrounded her as the sun’s rays intruded on the tent through the open flap and struck her skin.
Arabel came bounding over to clutch Lina firmly in her arms. Thankfully, I was more cautious carrying the hot tea.
Arabel laid her head on Lina’s chest and snuggled in. “Nice,” she said. “These’ll be fun.”
Lina couldn’t help but chuckle and throw her arms around Arabel’s petite little body. As soon as Lina had Arabel squeezed to her chest and laid eyes on Arabel’s back, she understood the source of the golden aura.
“Nice back tats, baby,” Lina said.
“You like it? I heard you’re a queen now, so I had to do something to keep pace.” Arabel smirked.
Arabel stood up and turned so Lina could see. “It’s all my favorite passages from the Book of Origin. Illustrated in actual gold!” She was bouncing on her toes. “I’m carrying the history of our people with me.”
Lina scanned the myriad of complex designs that covered Arabel’s skin. Arabel was not exaggerating. In Lina’s mind she was able to match up the images and symbols to various significant events in the history of humankind—all starting from the Great Tree at the small of Arabel’s back and working ever outward and upward.
“It’s beautiful,” Lina said. “It must have taken some time.”
“You were out for quite a stretch.”
“I worry Lina sleep too long, maybe not wake up,” said I. “Medicine woman say it okay.”
Lina watched as, with a dip of the head, I smiled shyly not at the medicine woman chief, but at her younger, haploid apprentice. The smile was returned, and Lina couldn’t help but get a warm feeling inside. She began to see flashes of I and the young haploid together—not memories, but possibilities—doing great things.
Lina pressed her hands to temples and rubbed. “Why is it that I see things?” she asked the chief medicine woman. “Things that I’ve never noticed before. Visions of things that could be.”
“I can explain some of it, but not all.” The chief medicine woman held out her hand. “My dear, if you’re feeling up to it, I think it is time that we pay a visit to the queen.”
* * * *
It was slow going, but Lina insisted upon walking to the queen’s home rather than being borne on a stretcher. There were no crowded tunnels to navigate, only wide open, green spaces, full of tall grass and flowers, ringed by borders of majestic trees. The ground was cool and damp and felt wonderfully inviting on Lina’s bare feet. Everyone they met scented familial love as Lina passed. This took her by surprise at first, but soon she was scenting in return.
“You’ll get used to it,” Arabel said. “It’s not like back home.”
“No,” Lina smiled and took a deep breath of all the love in the air. “Not at all.”
Lina picked up a few followers along the way—diploids who would come to offer a greeting in the form of a brief touch or a kind word, and then depart with a scenting. But by far the most interesting troupe was the constantly revolving cluster of children who would run up to Arabel, taking a moment to walk hand in hand, and then scampering off into the meadow as another youngster came bounding over.
“You’re very popular here,” Lina remarked.
“You were out for a long time. I had a chance to make many new friends.”
Lina looked over at I, who was walking in step with the medicine woman’s young apprentice. They seemed to be deep in serious conversation. Lina had a flash of them standing on the pier of I’s home island.
“Pay attention as we come over this next rise,” Arabel said.
“Why—?” Lina started, but she stopped talking and let her jaw hang open as soon as the first leaves and branches were visible. By the time the group had crested the hill, Lina managed to get her mouth shut, but she was no less in awe. Standing in the middle of a grassy field, all on its own, was the colony’s Great Tree. Right out in the open, where anyone and everyone could see it, touch it, pick blooms from it. And it was massive, with branches stretching out on all sides, able to cover dozens of people strolling underneath it.
“And that is where the queen
