“Choose you,” she said vehemently. “That’s what you want; or what I was supposed to do—”

“Choose whomever you will,” Sumpter said. “But you must join your stock with ours, or return.”

“Why? I won’t go back,” she shouted.

He smiled, yet she sensed a great impatience beneath his manner. “You’ve been a good pupil,” he said. “You learn quickly. Your race will take centuries to learn what we’ve managed to teach you so far. But we can’t stay here forever, for reasons I won’t go into now. You must pass on what you’re learning to your own people, and the mixtures of our stock is important.”

The sun was hot on the tiled courtyard floor. Ma-ah stared down as Sumpter talked. The shadows of night would soon be falling, and she shivered. He was giving her an ultimatum and she had the sudden feeling that she had to come to a decision before the evening came.

“Some of our knowledge is written in our blood,” Sumpter said. His soberness was upsetting Ma-ah more and more. “It’s become a part of our physical stuff,” he went on, watching her. “It will be passed on, latent, but full of potential. It will emerge, time and time again.”

He didn’t stand up, but she had the impression that he was standing; beneath his words she was dimly aware of other nonverbal meanings. She thrilled to it, and was frightened at the same time.

“Knowledge exists in every form possible,” Sumpter said. “What you’ve learned is written in your soul, which is independent of your body. But it’s also written in the body you inherit from the Earth, in the cells, and that knowledge is passed on, whether or not it’s ever consciously recognized or used.” He paused, and added, “I want you to have a child … with that heritage…. I want you to mix your stock with mine.”

Ma-ah’s eyes flew wide open. Until now he’d always said “our stock” or “your people.” Now he was saying “his stock,” and “I want you to—” Suddenly she thought of the drawing of the strange bird, with all the people emerging from its belly. “You weren’t … born here. You weren’t, were you?”

“No,” he answered, watching her face.

“You came from … that bird in the drawing. I used to think that it was a real bird, but it must be something different—”

“It is something different. But I can’t discuss that particular subject with you yet … not until you take the part that you must take if you stay here.”