Nomad by William Alexander Page A

that you will make productive use of our academy, lacking one as your world does. And while in the academy you should hold conference with that other strayambassador we found, the very pale one. When first I saw her I feared that volcanoes had covered up the old world’s skies with ash, and that the only people to thrive below the ashes had become as pale as cave fish, desperate to absorb nutrients from whatever weak sunlight could still find them.”
    â€œThe other ambassador?” Gabe asked. “What other ambassador?”
    â€œThat little mouth who names herself Nadia.”

PART TWO
WITNESSES

7
    Nadia Antonovna Kollontai went walking blindfolded through the streets of Night.
    Rem the pilot and Dromidan the doctor went with her, though only Rem actually walked. Dr. Dromidan sat perched on Nadia’s shoulder. The doctor tugged on her earlobe to warn her about bumping into things, and tried to convince her to take off the blindfold. Small, clawed hands reached out and tugged on the knot that kept the cloth in place.
    Nadia stopped moving and shoved Dr. Dromidan off her shoulder. She heard wings flap around her head. The doctor landed on Nadia’s other shoulder and punched her in the ear.
    â€œOw,” Nadia said.
    â€œAre you in pain?” Rem asked.
    â€œOnly from my doctor’s care.” Nadia rubbed her ear.Dr. Dromidan untied the blindfold knot. Nadia didn’t try to stop her this time. “Are there lots of people around?”
    â€œA few dozen at least,” said Rem.
    â€œAnd we’re near a translation node?” Nadia asked.
    Of course we are , she thought an instant later, but she was nervous.
    Rem added cheerful scorn to his voice. “No. We’re nowhere near a public translator. You can’t understand me at all. I’m free to point out just how silly you look with a piece of cloth wrapped around your face.” Sarcasm usually translated poorly, but Rem understood it well. He could employ near-Muscovite levels of derisive mockery when he wanted to.
    â€œDr. Dromidan, would you go perch on his shoulder and punch the side of his head?”
    â€œNo,” the doctor said, and continued to untie Nadia’s blindfold.
    She closed her eyes and tried to breathe in a calm and steady sort of way.
    The blindfold came off.
    â€œLook,” the doctor said.
    â€œJust a moment.” Nadia stood and breathed.
    â€œLook,” the doctor said again.
    Nadia opened her eyes.
    She saw movement. She saw pale lights that sheknew were probably streetlamps. She saw the distant and reflected glow of Day above them. But nothing that she saw made any sense to her—especially not the other people out walking through the streets of Night. Translation tried to give everyone a familiar, humanlike appearance that Nadia could understand, but Nadia no longer understood any visual information. Her eyes worked fine, but they refused to communicate with her brain. She scrunched them shut. Then she took the blindfold back from the doctor and tied it in place.
    â€œNo improvement,” she reported.
    She used to be an ambassador. She used to hold conversations across hundreds of thousands of light-years. She used to understand every gesture and expression that her colleagues made. But now visual translation gave her dizzying headaches.
    Dr. Dromidan made a clicking sound of consternation. She patted Nadia’s ear.
    â€œI’m hungry,” Nadia said. “Back to the big pyramid we go.”
    â€œI should return to Barnacle ,” Rem told her. “She’s mostly recovered from the accident.”
    That’s not quite the right word , Nadia thought. Experiment would be closer than accident.
    â€œBut she still gets fidgety if docked for too long,” Remwent on. “We need to fly a few laps around this little ice cave.”
    Nadia nodded and immediately wished that she hadn’t. She still felt dizzy. She also felt like Barnacle : docked