Earthseed

weren’t part of its plan.”
    “Maybe they lied. Maybe Ship knew.”
    “I have to take the chance. At least Ship can help the others—it won’t let Ho starve them.”
    “Ho.” Bonnie pursed her lips as though she had tasted something sour. “He’d sure be mad if he knew about the old people. He always wanted to control everybody, to make them do what he wanted. He couldn’t stand it when someone tried to push him around, and that’s what they’ll do if they find him. He’ll bust a gut when he knows.”
    “I’ll go to …” Zoheret was silent. Bonnie was stepping backward, her hands up. Zoheret turned.
    The woman had come through the woods silently, without rustling a leaf or cracking a twig. Her pale face shone in the fading light; her lips were curved in an oddly threatening smile.
    “Petra,” Bonnie said weakly.
    “So this is what you’ve been doing,” the woman said, and Zoheret recognized the voice she had heard the night before. The stranger stood several paces away, but Zoheret could hear the resonant voice as clearly as if Petra had been standing next to her. “You’re helping that other band I heard about.” She pointed at Zoheret. “That’s who you’re with, isn’t it?” She did not wait for an answer. “We’ve got you now, and you’re going to tell us where the rest are. We want you all together with us.”
    Bonnie stood up very straight. Then, abruptly, she spun around and slid down the bank, throwing herself in the water. The woman cried out; Zoheret saw her hand moving toward the weapon at her belt. Bonnie’s arms were scimitars cutting through the black water.
    The realization came to her slowly. Petra’s fingers were closing around her gun as Zoheret understood what she had to do; Bonnie had shown her. She ran down the bank and threw herself in the river, splashing out until the undertow caught her; the current would carry her away more quickly than she could run.
    She saw a beam shoot out toward Bonnie as she bobbed in the water. The girl was splashing fiercely, trying to stay afloat and draw fire away from Zoheret. Petra was screaming for aid; then she ran along the bank, firing again. A beam hit Bonnie. Zoheret saw her sink.
    The current submerged Zoheret. She came up, choking; Petra was already distant. Zoheret’s boots were heavy weights dragging her down. She managed to pull them off and let them sink. The river spun her around and pulled at her. She unbelted her pants, then rose for more air.
    The sound of the rushing water was deafening, a roar muted only when she was pulled under into a silent watery world. She rose and fell, gulping as much air as she could before sinking again. She had shed her pants at last; her legs could kick freely. She did not fight the current, but let it carry her; she tried to float, but the river washed over her. She swallowed water and coughed it up painfully.
    The river bore her through the chasm. One foot hit a rock and she moaned, taking in more water. Flapping about with her hands, she clutched a large piece of wood. She clung to it as the river sang. There was now a rhythm to her journey; her gasps for air seemed to come at regular intervals and her legs kicked in time to the river’s song.
    Gradually she realized that the current was weakening. She kicked toward land and waded out of the water, unsure of where she had alighted. Her legs gave way and she fell, hugging the ground.

    The light awoke her. She rolled over onto her back and looked up at the bright glow. Bonnie, she thought, and then: They might be searching for me. She stumbled to her feet.

14
    Zoheret turned the boat over, then pushed it toward the water. She had managed to walk this far down the river in her socks, and her feet already hurt, bruised by hard pebbles; getting to an entrance would be impossible. She knew she should have gone to Ship instead of waiting at the settlement, but she had been unable to make that decision. Her friends would suffer no matter what she did now, but she could share their punishment. Perhaps Ho would take care of them quickly instead of letting them suffer.
    She climbed into the boat and rowed toward the lake. Ho was going to be surprised to see her in a shirt and underwear; he might even find it amusing.
    The smooth lake made her think again of Bonnie sinking beneath a more turbulent surface. Bonnie had been speaking of Ho before the woman found them; Zoheret tried to remember what she had said.
    She pulled up the oars.