Flustered, Rlinda looked at Sarein, wishing the young daughter had said nothing. “Please don’t be hasty. I sincerely apologize if an ill-spoken comment gave you a bad impression of me. Could we discuss the matter further tomorrow? I’ll give you specific examples of items I’d like to carry aboard my merchant ship.” She backed away, trying to dismiss herself before Father Idriss denied her completely.

Alexa answered with a condescending, though beautiful, smile. “We will listen, because that is the basis of communication. But we will not be swayed. Green priests are valuable to us.”

“I agree fully, as you will see,” Rlinda said, with a final deep bow. She wished Sarein had never made the suggestion; it had never crossed Rlinda’s mind. “I look forward to another discussion at a later time.”

With Sarein frowning about the meeting, Rlinda walked with her out of the meeting chamber. She had to rethink her approach and make a different sales pitch. Next time, perhaps, without Sarein’s “help.”

29: ARCAS

29ARCAS

The deserts of Rheindic Co filled his eyes with a geography unlike anything he had ever seen on Theroc. Typically, a green priest would find such bleakness disturbing, but Arcas felt the desert calling to him. He had never expected to feel so alive. The quality of light, the sharp shadows, the dry air… and the silence. It awakened an unexpected delight in his heart. He reveled in the warm sunlight on the rocks, the layered strata of red iron ore, green copper oxide, white bands of limestone. At last, a task he could enjoy.

While Margaret and Louis Colicos began their work in the main Klikiss city, the compy DD maintained the camp with meticulous care. When Arcas had finished his early-morning tending of the treelings, he longed to follow his heart and explore places that interested him.

He went to the larger tent where the two xeno-archaeologists lived. The old man had already gone with the three Klikiss robots to the cliffside ruins, and Margaret was packing up her notes for the morning. She looked up expectantly. “Yes, Arcas? Do you intend to go with us to the ruins today, or will you stay in camp with your treelings?”

“Actually, neither,” he said, embarrassed. “I’d like to explore the nearby canyons. The geology is very interesting to me.” Arcas did not need her permission, because green priests followed no leader except the worldforest. In fact, Margaret never seemed to know what to do with him.

“Take whatever equipment you require. Do you need DD along?”

The suggestion startled him. “No … I would rather be by myself.”

Margaret was intent on hurrying to follow her husband out to the excavation. “See if you can make measurements and record your data. We are on a scientific mission, and geological analyses can be useful, too.”