Wide-eyed, Nira stared at the Voracious Curiosity. Not only had she never been away from the forest planet, she had never even set foot aboard a spaceship. The Curiosity had been built with an eye for practicality and engineering necessities rather than aesthetics, studded with weird protrusions, diagnostic arrays, and sensor grids. In the vacuum of space no one could see beautiful lines or shiny hulls anyway.

Otema paid little attention to the vessel or the Theron workers who loaded packages into the hold. Instead, the ambassador drank in the verdant landscape, filing away every detail of the worldforest as if this might be the last time she ever saw it.

Before departure, Sarein appeared, wearing the ambassadorial cloak Otema had given her. Her smile was thin and formal. “I came to bid you good journey, Otema. My brother tells me the crystal city of Mijistra is magnificent.”

Otema’s expression hardened, but her voice was without inflection. “Remember what I told you, Sarein: You are a Theron. Keep our interests foremost in mind. The trees have warned that we must all be vigilant.”

A flicker of annoyance crossed Sarein’s face. “That is my duty as ambassador, Otema. I will not forget it.” Ignoring Nira, she hurried off to where Rlinda Kett directed the operations personally, insisting that everything be properly stowed. Nira looked from Otema to the new ambassador and wondered what had passed between them.

When the cargo bay was sealed, Rlinda stood in the entrance hatch, hands on her broad hips. She motioned toward the two green priests. “Come on and get onboard. The Curiosity doesn’t need a push, you know.”

Nira wanted to hurry, but slowed to keep a sedate pace with Otema. When the hatch closed behind them, she instantly felt enclosed and claustrophobic. A thrill of panic went through her as she smelled metal and unnatural lubricants, synthetic furniture and reprocessed air. How could she tolerate being imprisoned here for the journey to the seven suns of Ildira?

Otema sensed her assistant’s anxiety, and the expression on her lined face softened. “Any time you wish, you can commune with the treelings. It will be as if you are in the worldforest.” They had already loaded their potted treelings, gifts to be presented to the Mage-Imperator. Otema’s dark lips curved in a smile. “I know, Nira, because not only have I ridden on spaceships many times, but I also spent years on Earth far from the worldforest. It is not the same, but good enough for you to keep your sanity.”

Rlinda showed them to their guest cabin. Carefully potted in ornate containers, the selected treelings had been anchored to shelves and in the corners of the cabin.

Rlinda stood at the doorway. “Secure yourselves on the bunks during takeoff. I’ll be sociable after I engage the stardrive.”