Return to Eden

their far sides, a heavy sea from the storm. The ocean was empty—as it always was. The Yilanè in the city never seemed to venture north along this coast. He wondered if their hunters had gone to Round Lake again. And if so—what had happened to the males there?
    "Can we go for a swim?" Arnwheet asked. In Marbak, Yilanè forgotten already.
    "Too late, almost dark. We can go in the morning—and see if we can catch some fish."
    "Don't want to eat fish."
    "You will—if that is what we are having."
    They had not eaten fish very often since they had left the lake. Perhaps there had been too much of it. The lake, it stayed on his mind and he knew why. What had happened there since they had left? Had the eggs hatched, or whatever they did? And if this had happened was Imehei still alive? The thoughts occupied his mind, as they had increasingly more and more these days. If Imehei were dead then Nadaske would be alone, with no one there to talk to. Both of them liked to speak all of the time—even if no one was listening. But it was better with an audience. What had happened to them?
    They went back to the camp before dark, ate and talked about what they would do the next day. Harl agreed that fishing and swimming would be a good idea. Darras, who rarely spoke, asked to go with them.
    "Take her," Ortnar said. "Armun knows how to use the death-stick, my spear arm is strong. There is nothing to fear in this place now."
    What Ortnar had said decided Kerrick. He knew now what he must do. When he and Armun were alone, ready for sleep, he spoke his thoughts to her in the darkness.
    "Do you know how the Sasku mark the passage of time? They don't count the days at all."
    She made an interested sound, on the border of sleep.
    "Sanone used to do it for me when I asked. It was a secret knowledge of the manduktos he said, but it was easy enough to understand. I can't make the drawings on the ground the way he did. But I can count by the moons. From one full moon to the next full moon is the time you count. It is many days. The moon has been three times full since we left the lake."
    It was not his words but something in his voice, the meaning behind the words that drew her attention. He felt her body stiffen beside him.
    "We are gone from there," she said. "So there is no need to talk about it. It is time for sleep."
    "Since we left—I wonder what has happened at the lake?"
    She was wide awake now and staring into the darkness, her thoughts rushing ahead of his.
    "The lake is of no importance, there may be murgu there. You must forget about those two. You won't see them again."
    "I am concerned about them—can you understand that? To you, I know, they are just two more murgu, better off dead."
    "I am sorry I ever said that. I am trying harder now to understand how you feel about them. I try to think of you living among murgu. I don't know how it would feel, but I think I can understand how you might like some of them, those two."
    Kerrick held her to him. She had never before talked like this. "If you understand—then you know that I have to find out what has happened." He felt her stir in his arms, then push him away.
    "Don't go back there. Don't. I know how you feel about this, but for them I feel nothing. Stay here."
    "We will talk another time."
    "We talk now. You will return to them?"
    "Just to see what has happened. I'll be careful, just a few days away. You'll be safe here."
    Armun turned her back and rolled away from him, ceased to listen. It was a long time before either of them fell asleep.
    She had been right; his mind was made up. There was continued silence next morning as he made up a light pack of smoked meat, added some of the roots that had been parched in the ashes. Ortnar thought it was all a great mistake.
    "The lake is nothing. We are gone, no reason to return. There may be more murgu there now. It is a trap."
    "You know my reasons, Ortnar. I am going. I will only be a few days. Guard the sammad while I am away."
    "I am only half a hunter…"
    "Your spear arm is as good as it ever was, your spearhead just as sharp. Harl is more of a hunter than I am, Armun uses the death-stick as well as I do. You will survive very well in my absence. Will you do this for me?"
    Kerrick took the grunted response as a yes and he tied the strong skins about his feet for the trail ahead.
    Armun spoke to him only when he asked her a direct question, otherwise she was silent. She had been like this ever since he had decided to