"Still doesn't do anything for us. What else? Disease? Is there something that builds nests? Or the tree bugs could chew just in one place-"

"Sure, a honey pod could hit a tree, and the bugs would chew a huge hole . . . give me a breath, Debby." Stupid again: thinking. "We can do it. Twenty days to reach the Market. Okay. We need a fisher jungle that's got termites, and we need to look like we've been through a disaster, but we've got that already. I never thought I'd come home with a pod for Logbearer's cabin!"

"What do you need from us?" Clave asked.

"Stay here, talk to Jefifer. The rest of us will fly up the trunk. This is nice. If Wheeler wonders why we're still hovering around the Wart, he'll see us hiding it!"

Rather swallowed his protest, because Clave was saying, "You don't need Rather. I want him."

"Stet." Booce had his wings on. "Come, children."

Chapter Thirteen

The Termite Nest

CUMULATED MATTER BECOMES THICK ENOUGH TO BLOCK SUNLIGHT. TIDE-STABILIZED PLANTS DON'T THRIVE HERE. WE'VE FOUND FAMILIAR LIFE FORMS- TRIUNES AND COTTON-CANDY JUNGLES-BUT ALSO SOME SPECIALIZED LIFE FORMS NOT SEEN ELSEWHERE.

DEEP RADAR INDICATES SOLID MASSES WITHIN THE DARK INNER REGION. NONE ARE LARGE.

WE HAVE WONDERED WHY THE CLUMPS NEVER CONDENSED INTO ONE LARGE BODY. PERHAPS LIFE ITSELF ACTS TO REMOVE MATTER FROM THE INNER REGIONS. THE FISHER JUNGLES' ROOTS DISRUPT LARGE PONDS. SAPROPHYTES PEED IN THE DENSE CORE, THEN FIRE SPORE PACKAGES AWAY INTO THE SMOKE RING. BIRDS ARE FORCED OUT BY FAMINE OR POPULATION PRESSURE . . .

From the Citizens Tree cassettes, year 5 SM:

THE LAGRANGE POINTS

MATTER TENDS TO COLLECT IN THE FOURTH AND FIFTH LAGRANGE POINTS (L4 AND L5) OF GOLDBLATT'S WORLD. THESE REGIONS APPEAR LESS TURBULENT THAN THE STORMS AROUND GOLDBLATT'S WORLD ITSELF, BUT WE HAVE POSTPONED EXPLORING THEM IN DEPTH.

WE INSPECTED ONLY L4. THE MORE OR LESS STABLE REGION IS 600 KM ACROSS. MAPPING THE EQUIPOTENTIAL TIDE CURVES GETS US NESTED CRESCENTS. WHAT SHOWS TO THE EYE IS A MISSHAPEN WHORL DWINDLING EAST AND WEST INTO THE ARC OF THE SMOKE RING PROPER.

THE WHORL IS GREEN AROUND THE PERIPHERY, DARKER AND BROWNER NEAR THE CENTER, WHERE AC170

IT MADE HIS HEAD HURT.

Jeffer ate as he read. When he reached the end he doggedly scrolled back to the beginning. His students had found it bewildering. So did Jeffer, but he had an advantage over his students. He had Kendy.

If Kendy would call!

Today he had hunted the sky. He'd returned to the dead fisher jungle trailing a sizable shieldbird. A small fire near the CARM had cooked his catch. He was getting good at it. Sandwiching the meat between two of the shieldbirds' bone plates cooked it tender without scorching it.

He almost choked when the CARM suddenly spoke. "Jeffer? This is Clave. Jeffer, can you hear me?"

Jeffer swallowed hard and said, "Prikazyvat Send to pressure suit. And about treefeeding time too! Are you alive?"