“And has this happened?” Ambalasei asked, regaining some of her control, positive that she knew the answer in advance.
“No. Far! has been injured, but will not return. Some stay with her, the rest have come back.”
“Put these disobedient creatures to work at once butchering/cleaning/preserving eel until I give permission for their labors to end. Which, if I have my way, they never will. I go to the Sorogetso.”
“There is danger now.”
“I fear nothing!”
“But I wish to tell you of our successes.”
“Only when this appalling matter is concluded. Order Setessei to join me, bringing the healing-container with her. Instantly.”
One of the young boats had grown large enough now to carry two passengers. This would have made the journey easier, except for the fact that the boat’s training had barely begun. It thrashed its tentacles and spurted water, rolled its eyes back toward Setessei who was thumping the creature’s nerve endings mercilessly. They made their way erratically down the isthmus and past the protective wall. Ambalasei’s anger slowly faded and she was appreciative of this interval that would permit her to restore her composure. Cold thinking was needed now, not hot anger. Yet she held the hesotsan so tightly that the creature writhed in her grip. This was protection against marauding animals — but how she longed to use it on Far!. Disobedience of strict orders, disruption of scientific observations. The creature had really gone too far this time. And she was injured, that is what Enge had said. Mortally, Ambalasei hoped. Perhaps a little toxin injected into the bloodstream instead of painkiller, just to help the process along.
There was ominous silence in the forest. After securing the still-disturbed boat to the bank, Setessei led the way along the track, weapon ready. Before they reached the floating tree that gave access to the Sorogetso, on a bit of shaded beach by the lake, they came upon a small group of Yilane. Three of them were bent over something on the ground and reacted with fear when Ambalasei called loudly for attention to speaking. They looked at her, shivering, eyes wide with fright.
“You deserve death, destruction, dismemberment for disobeying my orders and coming here. You are creatures of wicked stupidity and you will now tell me where the wickedest and stupidest of you is, she known as Far! but who should be known as Ninperedapsa, the great disobeyer/destroyer.”
They trembled as they moved aside to disclose Far!’s body on the ground beside them. There was a soiled nefmakel about one arm and her eyes were closed. Ambalasei felt a great burst of pleasure in the thought that perhaps she was dead.
It was not to be. Far! stirred and her large eyes quivered and opened, stared up at Ambalasei. Who bent close and spoke with the most venomous overtones she could manage.
“I was hoping that you were dead.”
“You speak as an eistaa would speak. In the name of Ugunenapsa I reject you as I do all other eistaa.”
“Is that why you disobeyed my orders?
“Only the spirit of Ugunenapsa orders my life.”
Ambalasei pulled off the nefmakel slowly and painfully and took pleasure from Far!’s uncontrollable moan. “And for what reason did Ugunenapsa send you here to the Sorogetso?”
“To speak of her truths to these simple creatures. To lead them to Ugunenapsa and to ensure the future. For when their young fargi come from the water they will learn of Ugunenapsa as well and thus it will be.”
“Will it? Some creature with dirty teeth has bitten you and the wound is infected. So you intend to talk to them of Ugunenapsa. That means you speak their language?”
“A few words. I will learn more.”
“Not if I have any say in the matter. What bit you?”
At this question Far! turned away, hesitated before she spoke. “It was the male, whose name I think is Asiwassi—”
“Easassiwi, you Daughter of Dumbness!” Ambalasei roared, greatly enjoying herself. “You cannot even get his name right — and you are going to preach to him of Ugunenapsa. Stringknife, nefmakel, antiseptic,” she ordered Setessei. “And I see by this reaction that he was not too impressed by your preaching. Sensible creature: my estimation of their intelligence has risen. I will heal and bandage this wound, treat you with antibiotics — then remove you from this place before you cause irreversible damage.”
“I will remain. You can not force me…”
“Can’t I?” Ambalasei bent so close that her angry breath washed over Far!’s face. “Watch. Your followers are going to pick you up and carry you back to the city. If they refuse I will take my hesotsan and kill them. Then I will kill you. Do you have any slightest doubt that I will do that?”
If Far! had any doubts her companions certainly did not. They gave her no time to answer but seized her up as gently as they could and carried her, protesting feebly, back down the path and out of sight.
“This is turning out to be a very good day after all,” Ambalasei said happily, holding out her hands so that the admiring Setessei could clean them with a large nefmakel.
The boat was a bit more obedient when they returned to the city so Setessei fed it some fish as a reward. As before, Enge was awaiting their arrival.
“Far! has returned and has spoken to me of your threat of violence. Would you really have killed her?” Enge was upset by the incident and Ambalasei mistook her concern.
“You put survival of your dismal Daughters ahead of racial survival of the Sorogetso?”
“That is not my concern, neither they nor Far!. I am just concerned that a scientist of note, a Yilane of great accomplishments, should consider murder of an inferior.”
“My anger was so great I might very well have bitten her head off. But as anger wanes good sense returns. Science instead of violence. Perhaps I would not have injured any of them. But prospect of death was very close. Now permit me to forget that Daughter of Destruction and listen now to item of importance and happiness you were to tell me.”
“Mine is the pleasure to disclose. You must first understand Ugunenapsa’s Eight Principles…”
“Must I?”
“Of course. You would not attempt to understand the science of the body before you had understanding of the science of the cells?”
“Reprimand accepted,” Ambalasei sighed, settling back onto her tail and sniffing the breeze from the river. “I listen/learn.”
“The first principle derives from Ugunenapsa’s insight and understanding of a truth that has always existed. This truth is that we exist between the thumbs of the spirit of life, Efeneleiaa.”
“Ugunenapsa’s eyes must have been superior to mine. In all my biological research I have never seen this Efeneleiaa.”
“That is because you searched in the wrong places,” Enge said with great enthusiasm. “The spirit of life is within you, for you are alive. Within all Yilane as well. Most creatures do not have the capacity to comprehend the reality of their own existence. But once the truth of Efeneleiaa has been grasped all else follows. Thus the second principle…”
“Just stay with the first one now. I still have no idea of what you are talking about. Definition required of new concept introduced, new term never heard before. Spirit?”
“Ugunenapsa created the term spirit to describe something inherent to Yilane, describable yet unseen. She gives the example of twenty fargi, ten yiliebe and unable to speak, ten yilane. If they do not attempt to communicate they are indistinguishable. If they were all dead no amount of physical dissection could tell one group from the other. Therefore all-understanding Ugunenapsa used the new term spirit to describe the difference, in this case the spirit gf communication. In the case of life she used Efeneleiaa, life-eternity-in-dwelling. Is this clear now?”
“Yes and no. Yes, I hear what you are saying and follow your arguments. And no, I reject the concept of spirit as being artificial, nonexistent and deleterious to clear thinking. But I put that aside for the moment and go back to the yes. Though rejecting the basic concept I will now allow it for discussion’s sake in order to see what follows from the concept.”
“Your reservations are noted and perhaps some other time I might attempt to clarify the concept of spirit. I admit that it is difficult…”
