She gave the fountains a sideways defiant look now, took a deep breath, and looked back at the view as if it was, after all, quite usual and nothing to get excited about. Sumpter grinned approvingly, but behind his hand, and with his head turned the other way.

As Ma-ah regained her composure, Oversoul Seven’s consciousness came back to itself. He recognized the pyramids, but what else was there that eluded him? What knowledge had he forgotten? A great yearning possessed him. Ma-ah suddenly ran forward, with obvious eagerness, straight brown hair flying, robe in disarray. She wasn’t used to running with cloth whipping about her ankles. Several times the robe caught between her thighs, so that she lost her footing, but she regained it and went running on. Bewildered by her contradictory reactions, Sumpter followed. He mused, somewhat disgruntled, that he didn’t have to worry about introducing her to new surroundings—she was leading him.

Ma-ah’s and Seven’s consciousnesses were separate, yet bleed-throughs constantly occurred. Now Ma-ah picked up Seven’s surprising sense of familiarity with the people and the pyramids (which she suddenly understood were pyramids) and his excited urge to inspect them.

She accepted these emotions unquestioningly as her own for the moment—they were so clear and unmistakable. Only later would she question. So she kept running, scattering the people who gathered in various groups around the assorted stone buildings. They looked at her curiously, her small size and darker skin instantly setting her apart. Then they went on with their activities as they saw Sumpter, his violet robe marking him as a prominent Speaker.

And Oversoul Seven felt an exhilaration and joy in Ma-ah’s body rhythm as she ran. He was acutely and pleasurably aware of the free integrity of her motion, the smoothly functioning nerves and muscles cooperating in the swift stride. For an instant he and Ma-ah almost knew each other as separate while one, united as they were by that imperative purpose to reach the middle pyramid.

Ma-ah paused, then flew up the steps. They were giant-sized to her, yet she leapt them easily. Sumpter followed, growing more serious and perplexed. They had ascended nearly a hundred stairs when Ma-ah paused to get her breath, and turned, looking out over the city. Now the different areas were clearly visible; the residential sections in a large exterior circle surrounded by foliage and tiled paths; the interconnecting roads, and in the center the pyramids, temples, and public buildings. The impenetrable cliffs surrounded all.

When had she stood there before? Ma-ah wondered. Why was it so familiar? She leaned against the smooth shining wall for support.