communicate while he was being invisible. Erde had been sending him a stream of images just in case, ever since following Endoch into the cave. Now that they were in a more dragon-sized room, Earth could join them if only she could send him a good image of it, for he was able to transport himself to any place he could picture clearly in his mind.
Just as she was pondering what to do next, there he was, winking into existence beside Water in the middle of the room. Erde ran to him joyfully.
—
Dragon! How did you get here?
—
My sister! She showed me and I came
.
Like an excited child returned from a great adventure, he began filling her head with views of the mob milling and shouting while he’d been hiding in plain view on the beach.
—
Water can be with you even when you’re invisible?
Assent. A proud dragon nod inside her head.
—
How wonderful
.
—
Yes, she is wonderful. She is my sister
.
—I know, I know.
Then Erde felt ashamed, for she knew she’d sounded snappish. He was still so caught up in the wonder of acquiring a sibling. She didn’t blame him, particularly since the sibling’s gifts seemed to dovetail so conveniently with his own. But she worried now that she, not he, might be the jealous one. She would just try to think of it as having two dragons instead of one. She was eager to question Water about who she thought the Caller was, and about what else she might know that Earth did not. But first, there was the question of Endoch.
—
Dragon, is Water sure this dark man is her dragon guide?
Assent, query, puzzlement.
—
Well, I mean, he . . . I don’t think he knows very much about dragons
.
Earth looked at her, then looked across the room at Endoch, who had frozen in mid-stride and stood staring at them with his mouth open.
—
Hmmm. My sister says maybe you are right
.
C HAPTER S EVEN
N ’Doch knows what he’s seen. He’s been watching the silver one since she did her growing taller thing right in front of him, and then—in a moment shorter than an eye blink—the big guy is there beside her. Three-D and substantial. Definitely not a hologram. N’Doch notes that the white girl can actually lean her whole weight against the critter’s scaly brown shoulder.
The problem is, he can’t believe it. He wants to, but he just can’t. He’s always told himself those vid people can do anything. Hire
them
to put men on Mars, he’s always said. They’d get it done soon enough, and make a good show out of it, too.
But here, in the dusty shadow and light of his favorite hiding place, his own secret kingdom, this officers’ gymnasium, his credulity is tempered by the still, sane presence of the space. Here—safe, relaxed, clearheaded—he finally has to admit that he’s been making up most of his explanations for the events of the last half hour, or at least stretching what he’s heard to fit what he’s been seeing. He’s never seen a real cybercritter, only the infoshows about the cutting edge developments in special effects, shows he realizes are no more reliable than your everyday newscast. Because he
wants
them to be true, somehow they become true when he needs them to. But right now, in this calm room, away from the constant hype and hustle of his daily life, those stories are no longer working.
But he’s never been without a story, so what should the new story be? The big guy was on the beach, and now he’s here. Apparently translated through steel and plastic and wood within the space of a breath. Not an easy thing toexplain in the world as N’Doch knows it. In fact, it’s a bigger stretch than cybercritters.
And then there’s the silver one with her head-invading music. The right music.
His
music.
N’Doch finds himself weak at the knees again. He’s dimly aware that his arm is hurting where the short brother slashed him. He knows he should be paying more attention to the wound, getting it cleaned and covered before any one of a billion bugs take up
Just as she was pondering what to do next, there he was, winking into existence beside Water in the middle of the room. Erde ran to him joyfully.
—
Dragon! How did you get here?
—
My sister! She showed me and I came
.
Like an excited child returned from a great adventure, he began filling her head with views of the mob milling and shouting while he’d been hiding in plain view on the beach.
—
Water can be with you even when you’re invisible?
Assent. A proud dragon nod inside her head.
—
How wonderful
.
—
Yes, she is wonderful. She is my sister
.
—I know, I know.
Then Erde felt ashamed, for she knew she’d sounded snappish. He was still so caught up in the wonder of acquiring a sibling. She didn’t blame him, particularly since the sibling’s gifts seemed to dovetail so conveniently with his own. But she worried now that she, not he, might be the jealous one. She would just try to think of it as having two dragons instead of one. She was eager to question Water about who she thought the Caller was, and about what else she might know that Earth did not. But first, there was the question of Endoch.
—
Dragon, is Water sure this dark man is her dragon guide?
Assent, query, puzzlement.
—
Well, I mean, he . . . I don’t think he knows very much about dragons
.
Earth looked at her, then looked across the room at Endoch, who had frozen in mid-stride and stood staring at them with his mouth open.
—
Hmmm. My sister says maybe you are right
.
C HAPTER S EVEN
N ’Doch knows what he’s seen. He’s been watching the silver one since she did her growing taller thing right in front of him, and then—in a moment shorter than an eye blink—the big guy is there beside her. Three-D and substantial. Definitely not a hologram. N’Doch notes that the white girl can actually lean her whole weight against the critter’s scaly brown shoulder.
The problem is, he can’t believe it. He wants to, but he just can’t. He’s always told himself those vid people can do anything. Hire
them
to put men on Mars, he’s always said. They’d get it done soon enough, and make a good show out of it, too.
But here, in the dusty shadow and light of his favorite hiding place, his own secret kingdom, this officers’ gymnasium, his credulity is tempered by the still, sane presence of the space. Here—safe, relaxed, clearheaded—he finally has to admit that he’s been making up most of his explanations for the events of the last half hour, or at least stretching what he’s heard to fit what he’s been seeing. He’s never seen a real cybercritter, only the infoshows about the cutting edge developments in special effects, shows he realizes are no more reliable than your everyday newscast. Because he
wants
them to be true, somehow they become true when he needs them to. But right now, in this calm room, away from the constant hype and hustle of his daily life, those stories are no longer working.
But he’s never been without a story, so what should the new story be? The big guy was on the beach, and now he’s here. Apparently translated through steel and plastic and wood within the space of a breath. Not an easy thing toexplain in the world as N’Doch knows it. In fact, it’s a bigger stretch than cybercritters.
And then there’s the silver one with her head-invading music. The right music.
His
music.
N’Doch finds himself weak at the knees again. He’s dimly aware that his arm is hurting where the short brother slashed him. He knows he should be paying more attention to the wound, getting it cleaned and covered before any one of a billion bugs take up
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