Winter in Eden

descend wearily to the base of the fin where she spent the entire night, sleeping at the vacant steering position.
    When the transparent viewing disc above her grew light with dawn Erafnais unwrapped her sleeping cloak and climbed wearily to her feet. The old injury to her back hurt as she climbed slowly up the inside of the fin to the observation post above. The morning air was cool and fresh. All the clouds of the previous day's storm had blown away and the sky was clear and bright. The fin swayed as the uruketo stirred and the ponderous creature moved faster in the growing light. Erafnais glanced down, checking that the crewmember was at her steering station, then looked out at the ocean again. There was a ripple of foam in front of the great beak as the pair of accompanying enteesenat surged ahead. All was as it should be with the voyage.
    Yet nothing was as it should be. The dark thoughts that Erafnais had kept at bay while she slept surged up and overwhelmed her. Her thumbs grasped hard at the uruketo's thick hide; the sharp claws on her toes sinking deep as well. Inegban< had come to Alpèasak at last, she had helped in this, and Alpèasak had grown strong. And had died in a single day. She had watched and not understood; in her lifetime at sea had never even heard of fire. Now she knew all about it, It was hot, hotter than the sun, and cracked and Winter in Eden - Harry Harrison
    roared and stank and choked those who came close, grew bright then black. And had killed the city. The handful of survivors still reeking of the fire's darkness lay below. The rest of the Yilanè and fargi were as dead as the city, dead in the city that lay behind them. She shuddered and stared resolutely ahead, afraid to look behind lest she see that place of sorrow again. If it had been her city she would be as dead as the others, for those whom the fire had not consumed had of course died when the city died.
    But now she had other problems to face. The scientist Akotolp was below, still holding to the arm of the male that she had dragged aboard. But she had not moved since then, had just sat in motionless silence even when addressed. Sat and ignored the pleas and moans of the male to be released. What could be done with her? And what of those others below, the deathless ones? What was to be done? Finally, she must consider—the other. The one whose name no one spoke. Erafnais shuddered and drew back as Vaintè climbed up inside the fin. It was as though in thinking of her Erafnais had summoned her—the last creature she wished to see this sunbright morning.
    Without acknowledging the commander's presence, Vaintè went to the rear of the fin and stared out at their bubbling wake. Erafnais was aware of her actions and, despite her fears, turned as well and also looked out toward the horizon. It was darker there. The remaining shadow of the night, a storm perhaps, surely it could not be the land—and the city. That was too far behind them to be seen. One of Vaintè's eyes rolled back in her direction; Erafnais spoke.
    "You boarded in silence Vaintè and have remained silent since. Are they—dead?"
    "All dead. The city dead as well."
    Even through the terror of the words, Erafnais was aware of Vaintè's strange manner of speaking. Not as superior to inferior or even equal to equal, but instead in a flat and unfeeling manner that was most unusual. As though she were alone with no one else present, speaking her thoughts to herself.
    Erafnais wished to be silent, but spoke despite this, the question coming as though of its own free will.
    "The fire—where did the fire come from?"
    Vaintè's rigid mask vanished in an instant and her entire body shivered in the grip of intense emotion, her jaw gaped so wide in the expression of hatred/death that her meaning was muffled and confused.
    "Ustuzou who came… ustuzou of fire… hatred of those… hatred of him. Death. Death. Death."
    "Death," a voice said harshly, hands moving in the reflexive position of taking-back-upon-self. Erafnais only heard the sound for Enge had climbed up behind her. But Vaintè could see her and understood well enough and there was venom in every motion of her response.
    "Daughter of Death, you and yours should be back in that fire-city. The best of the Yilanè who died deserve to be here in your place."
    Winter in Eden - Harry Harrison
    In her anger she had spoken as one of equal to equal, as efenselè to efenselè. When you grew in the sea with others, emerged