“The river has many tributaries, two at least almost as large as the main stream. It obviously drains a major part of this continent. I intend to go as far upstream as it is navigable, taking water samples at measured daily intervals…”
The sounds of attention-to-speaking drowned out the small voice. Ukhereb turned one eye towards the entrance to see her assistant, Anatempe, standing there.
“What is it?” Ukhereb asked.
“Pain at interrupting meeting of scientific importance, but a fargi with message of singular gravity has arrived. The Eistaa wishes your/both presence.”
“Tell the creature to return with the communication that we attend.”
Anatempe left, but the two scientists did not follow her until they had silenced the ugunkshaa and placed it, and the recording creature, safely away.
“These discoveries — wonderful! Ambalasei is the greatest of the great,” Akotolp said, waddling towards the doorway. Ukhereb signed agreement.
“Even though she says it herself, often enough, I agree. There is none like her alive today. Should we paint our arms out of respect for the Eistaa?”
“Note of urgency obvious in message. Opinion that immediate presence takes priority over decoration.”
Lanefenuu was locked in silent thought when the two scientists entered the ambesed. She turned an eye in their direction, so she was well aware of their presence, but it was some while before she spoke.
“Intelligence/aid desired from Yilane of science.”
“Command, we obey Eistaa.”
“I do not enjoy the new, do not like the inexplicable. Now there is a new event that displeases me greatly. Yesterday a working party was sent to bring hesotsan from the growing pit. They did not return. This morning I have sent others to the pit, and among them was Intepelei who has some skill as a hunter. She is here. Listen to what she says.”
Intepelei, a grim and muscular Yilane, her skin mud-streaked and covered with many small, bloody bite marks, stood close by with two wrapped bundles at her feet. She spoke in a crude but concise manner.
“There were signs of walking around the hesotsan pit, bent grass, scuffed ground, clear prints of Yilane feet in mud. Made yesterday. I searched and found nothing. Then I saw that many of the hesotsan were feeding in the water and not at the spot where meat is left for them. I entered the water, drove them off, and found this. There are two others.”
She bent and picked up the smaller bundle and shook out a Yilane skull. The scientists signed dismay and shock.
It grew worse. She unwrapped the other bundle to reveal an even more gruesome mass of flesh and bone.
“It is a Yilane rib cage,” Akotolp said. “Flesh still adheres, tendons and muscle attachments are there.” She poked it with her thumb. “Recently dead, not an ancient body.”
“Could she have been alive yesterday?” Lanefenuu asked.
“Yes, certainly,” she said with modifiers of horror of discovery.
“I feel as you do. Horror and curiosity of reason as well. What happened? Did they fall in? Were they alive or dead when they entered the water? And when I thought of this I remembered the number three. And three hunters who left this city once and never returned. They were searched for but never found. Three and three — and one. The one is the Yilane who came to this city and seized a male from the sea and who died. Three and three and one. Now I speak to you, Akotolp, and you, Ukhereb, Yilane of science. Three strange things have happened, three things without explanation and I am not pleased. Now I want you to tell me — are they related? Is there a common factor with three and three and one?”
Ukhereb hesitated, trying to make an evaluation. Akotolp shook the fat wattles of her neck and spoke with feeling. “Common factor. Death of three and one, possibility of death of three. Perhaps certainty, or three would have returned. Death outside our city, coming into our city. Not death from the inside. Facts needed. Birds to fly again.”
“The birds that were used to watch the fleeing ustuzou?”
“Those, Eistaa. They have not been used for a long time. There was boredom of looking at pictures of trees and beach.”
Lanefenuu snapped her jaw with anger. “End of boredom! Something out there is causing death in my city. I want you to find out what is happening. End of mystery — then end of deaths.”
“It shall be as you order. Suggestion of increase in armed guards at all times. More plants of poison to be sown about the walls.”
“Do that. And report daily what you see on all sides.”
The scientists signed obedience and loyalty and left. They walked slowly, deep in thought.
“There has been peace since we returned to the city,” Ukhereb said. “Has killing started again? Have we not had enough? Is it possible that ustuzou of death caused this?”
“They will be searched for. If they are close they will be seen and watched. We would know better if Vainte were here. She was the greatest killer of ustuzou.”
Ukhereb signed acceptance/rejection. “You served her, I know. She saved your life, you have told me. But death was her only eistaa and that was whom she served. Enough new death now, favor requested, name of Vainte to be put aside from thoughts.”
For Vainte all days were identical. They blended together and could not be told apart. The sun in the sky, the fish in the sea, the approach of night. Nothing ever changed.
Now there was a change and she did not like it. The fargi were upset. They came out of the ocean, looked back at the waves, came higher up on the beach and hurried past her. She queried them, she was disturbed herself now, but of course received no reply. Velikrei who was somewhat Yilane was too distant to hear her, was moving with the others up the beach and under the trees into the swamp. This had never happened before. Vainte turned from them to the ocean, looked out across the breaking waves to the dark object on the horizon.
Was there something there? Impossible. Nothing, other than the fish and other sea creatures, was ever in the sea. Larger fish, long-toothed and beaked predators came some times, but there was nothing so large that it could be seen emerging high above the water. She felt the fear the others felt now, turned and looked back to the refuge of the trees.
Felt a sudden spasm of anger. She was not one to be afraid. This was a disturbing thought, mostly disturbing in that it made her think again. Something that she was not used to doing. She was upset, hissed with anger and raked the claws of her feet into the sand. Angry at the sea, at the thing in the sea. She looked for it and found that it was closer to the beach now.
And it was familiar. She knew what it was. That was why she felt the surge of sudden hatred, for its presence brought back the anger she had last felt here on this beach.
Deserted.
Cast out.
Left for dead.
An uruketo.
Now she could stand and look at it coldly for the brief spasm of anger was finished. It had really been the memory of an anger long gone. What was there to fear in an uruketo?
She studied it calmly, seeing the black height of its fin, noting the heads of Yilane who were standing there on its summit. A splash in the sea close by, then another. The enteesenat of course. Lifetime companions of the great living craft. Accompanying it, feeding it, always there.
The uruketo was so close to the shore now that waves were breaking over it, rolling off in sheets of foam. A Yilane was climbing down to the fin, standing on the creature’s back, water surging about her legs. Something, Vainte could not tell what, was passed down to her. When the next wave washed about her she dipped the object into the water. That was all she did before climbing back up the fin.
What had she been doing? What was the uruketo itself doing here? The unaccustomed thoughts made Vainte shake her head in anger. Why was she thinking about these things? Why was she angry?
The uruketo was standing out to sea now, getting smaller. No, it was not heading out to sea but was moving
