Winter in Eden

happened than the commander, who had been in her uruketo the entire time. Lanefenuu shifted on her seat and signed for attention. Muruspe, the aide who never left her side, moved quickly forward, ready for instruction.
    "Muruspe, I wish to see the newcomer called Vaintè who arrived on the uruketo this day. Bring her to me."
    Winter in Eden - Harry Harrison
    Muruspe signed instant obedience and hurried to the attendant fargi and repeated Lanefenuu's message precisely. When she asked them to speak it back to her some of them fumbled, bad memory or weakness in speech, it did not matter. She sent these away, shame-of-failure hurrying them from sight, then made the rest repeat the Eistaa's command until they all had it right.
    Out of the ambesed they went in all directions, hurrying with pride as they bore their Eistaa's message.
    Each one they asked spread the word even further through the city until, within a very short length of time, one of Ukhereb's assistants hurried into her presence signing information-of-great-importance.
    "The Eistaa has sent word through the city. The presence of your guest Vaintè is required."
    "I go," Vaintè said, standing. "Lead me there."
    Ukhereb waved her assistant away. "I will take you Vaintè. It is more appropriate. The Eistaa and I labor together for the cause of Ikhalmenets—and I fear I know what she wishes to discuss with you. My place is there at her side."
    The ambesed was as empty as though it were night, not clouded day. The milling fargi had been driven away and now minor officials and their assistants stood at all the entrances to prevent their return. Facing outward to assure the Eistaa's privacy. Lanefenuu's rule was firm, this was her city, and if she preferred the privacy of the entire ambesed rather than that of a small chamber, why then that was what she had.
    Vaintè admired the erect strength of the tall, stern figure sitting against the painted carvings, felt at once that she was with an equal.
    Vaintè's feelings were in the firmness of her pace as she came forward, not following but walking beside Ukhereb, and Lanefenuu found great interest in this, for none had approached her as an equal since the egg of time.
    "You are Vaintè from Alpèasak just arrived. Tell me of your city."
    "It has been destroyed." Movements of pain and death. "By ustuzou." Qualifiers that multiplied the earlier statements manifold.
    "Tell me everything you know, in greatest detail, starting from the beginning, and leave nothing out for I want to know why and how this came about."
    Vaintè stood legs widespread and straight and was long in the telling. Lanefenuu did not stir or react all of that time, although Ukhereb was moved to pained motions and small cries more than once. If Vaintè was less than frank about some of her relationships with the ustuzou captive, particularly in the matter of the new thing called lies, this was only an error of omission and the story was a long one. She also left out all references to the Daughters of Death as not being relevant, to be discussed at some future time. Now she Winter in Eden - Harry Harrison
    told simply and straightforwardly how she had built the city, how the ustuzou had killed the males on the birth-beaches, how she had defended the city against the enemy from without and had been forced into peaceful aggression in that defense. If she stressed the creatures' implacable hatred of Yilanè that was merely a fact. When she reached the end she controlled all of her feelings as she described the final destructions and death, the flight of the few survivors. Then she was finished, but the position of her arms suggested that there was more to be spoken of.
    "What more can be added to these terrors?" Lanefenuu asked, speaking for the first time.
    "Two things. It is important that I tell you in private of others who left the city, are even now on the shores of Entoban*. This is a most serious yet completely separate matter."
    "And the second item of importance?"
    "Relevant!" She spoke this loudly with modifiers of great urgency, strength and utmost certainty.
    "Relevant to all that I have told you. Now I know how to defend a city against the fire. Now I know how to destroy ustuzou in great numbers. Now I know what was done wrong by those who died that we could have that knowledge. Now I know that Yilanè are destined for Gendasi, the empty lands across the sea.
    This is a thing that must happen. Not since the egg of time have such cold winds