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could have done what Jim did. Yet he did do it. What does it mean?"
Korkal shrugged. "What
"Perhaps we shouldn't question too deeply, Packlord. The Hunzza a the
question?" remain a threat, even though Jim destroyed their fleet laying
siege to set off a train of events we'd have no
Albagens."
true, it might even begin the thing I
"Another miracle," Hith Mun Alter said dryly. "Which is why I tread this
tightrope so carefully. But if it should turn out that Terra is a
Leaper, then you know as well as I that Hunzza will drop their war with us and
make an alliance instead. The Hunzza have better reason klord.
I confess, knowledge of Leaper than most to fear a Leaper."
t. I know little beyond the bogeys all
"Five thousand years ago..."
ads. "Not the most detailed in forma "One out of every ten planets in their
empire destroyed. One out of every two Hunzza on Hunzza Prime dead. Every
member of their gov lem very old, all of them very secret.
I ernment vanished. Five thousand years ago the Hunzza were a great e you
access. But I'm afraid you will empire. Then they probed a
Leaper. It took them almost three thou lent as I have." sand years to reach
greatness again."
Korkal shivered. "I hadn't heard the destruction was so great."
us much. In fact, they may tell us
"It's in the secret archives. And more besides. At any rate, Hunzza lare of
Leapers to become unknowwill take no chances. Mark me, Korkal.
What I ask of you is not
:" entirely treacherous. Better for Jim--and Terra--that you do what you can
to learn the truth. If it turns out there is nothing to worry about, records
a hundred times, then we go on. And if there is something to worry about, we
will know is well into its Leap, it what to do. But if the Hunzza knew of my
fears, they wouldn't wait to ton the outside.
Something like investigate. They would throw everything they have against
Terra.
Call it a social
More, maybe, than even Jim Endicott and his mind arrays could one. But we do
have fairly handle."
of Leaping in the past ten
"I remember the battles, Lord. Perhaps the Hunzza would be sur more, but we
might not have prised."
these three Leaps began
"If that's the case, I need to know it also. One single planet, one boy
We don't know what not yet a fully grown man, able to destroy the gathered
might of one different form before of the two great empires of this galaxy?.
That alone is a dangerous indi entirely. But Terra cat or it."
Korkal leaned back in his chair. Despite the comfort of his seat, barely into
the which cuddled and massaged and supported him, his back ached.
First Delta and his
"I am getting old, Lord," he said. "I feel it."
Hith Mun Alter gave a short bark. "You're just now feeling it, took over the
oper Korkal? I've felt it a long time. The aches. And the coldness."
and single-handedly
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"What if your fears are correct? What if Jim is somehow the center of it?"
I was." 'l'hen you will kill him. As I said, he trusts you."
been impossibie.
"I will kill him," Korkal repeated. His voice was flat r race we know
"Friendship is not a suicide pact, Lord Denai."
does it mean?"
Korkal stared at him. "You forget something, Packlord."
"What's that?"
'3"he truth you speak. It works both ways."
The Packlord stared at him the space of three long breaths before vanishing
abruptly without another word.
I kearos limped as he approached the other members of the Speaking
Nest, who were gathered in the Circle awaiting him. He pulled his
floor-length robes closer about his watt led neck, and when he offered a
smile, his fangs were yellow as dead ivory.
His entrance into the small, stone-lined chamber brought the number of
Hunzza gathered there to twenty-one. As he watched Iskander walk toward him,
he noted that the ancient walls of the chamber were looking more cavelike than
ever--except for the up-to-date data interfaces protruding like glowing
high-tech mushrooms from the ragged stones. The stones should look old.
They'd been there nearly five thousand years.
Iskander, the Nest Watcher, said: "Welcome, Egg Guardian." The sound of his
voice was a soft, windy whisper over a deeper hum, like a breeze caressing a
beehive. Iskander waited until Ikearos had reached the
Circle and, with obvious effort, seated himself cross-legged on the chilly
stone floor.
"How is your hip?" he asked.
"My hip is as well as can be expected, given that it's nearly three hundred
years old," Ikearos replied. He exhaled slowly, his once bright tongue
flickering gray between his dulled fangs. "But I will survive for a while
yet. Long enough to do what needs be. And if I
don't, Iskander, you will succeed me as Egg Guardian and carry on. As we both
know."
The Nest Watcher nodded as he seated himself, bringing the Circle to its full
complement. Ikearos turned his head, allowing his gaze to rest an instant on
each face before passing on.
"I know you all," he said at last. "I have known most of you nearly all my
life. Many of us are even friends. Yet my heart is heavy as I
come to you now, for I have to make a confession. Friends, I have lied to
you. I thought it was necessary, and I am Egg Guardian. Part of my
o what is necessary, no matter what the cost. But the cost ou has been great,
and I am afraid the gain has so far been murmur filled the small room. Eyes
widened and fangs ly. Some robes were tightened and others loosened. Ikeards
done is done. But it's time for you to know what has been ed until the
genteel sounds of surprise had died away and full attention of everyone
gathered around him. "It begins ads ago, a time when, as most of you will
remember, my lad a falling-out, a disagreement we could not resolve, and in
away from our nest, even from
A'Kasha, the Pit of Souls, r nodded. This drew a few startled glances, for
the Nest gesture came close to a demand for the Egg Guardian to quickly. Even
Ikearos noticed, though he only grinned his low grin again. as my first lie,"
he said. understand," Iskander replied. a lie because we did not have a
falling-out. Nor did we disct, we were in full agreement that he should go.
And so he " went into danger, which has turned into a far greater clanither of
us suspected or predicted. I am proud of my son.
h my conscience has plagued me over my lies to you, my most trusted friends,
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it gives me great joy to praise him ast."
pairs of round green eyes glimmered coldly at him. "I did because I
could not tell you; I could not take any chance of eing discovered. Not only
is my son at risk, but so are we-Hunzza." He paused a moment, his own gaze
locked on d so is the rest of the galaxy."
the strained silence, finally Iskander spoke. "Egg Guardian, secret?
And what is the risk?" took a deep breath. 'l'here are signs that a new God
may ssed and clicked their teeth.
re," Ikearos said. "Have any of you heard of a world called ehed them squint
at him and shake their heads. "Well, now Ikearos said.
Outsider had a hard time remembering who he was, and sometimes even what he
was. They were both concepts that didn't have much to do with him anymore.
Who he was didn't matter to anybody, least of all himself, and what he was
changed so rapidly and unpredictably that any real understanding of it was
probably impossible.
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