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groped. From spirit stuff, the spirit stuff of storms, and commanded to find
us. To hunt us down and kill us.
Baver stared alarmed that Nils had said such a patently foolish thing. He
missed entirely that it was no more outrageous than his question.
Nils went on. But such a being, if it has enough intelligence to hunt and
find, need not do as commanded. Thus I met him within the cloud. We mingled in
the spirit, and he swerved, sparing us.
You told the hail to miss us and it did?
Baver couldn t keep the disbelief from his voice.
I told it nothing. To mingle in the spirit creates a -- together-feeling that
is stronger than commands. If it had refused, or if it hadn t been
strong-willed enough to reject the command its shaper had given it . . . But
we were fortunate; we live.
Nils turned his face away then, and bit off another mouthful of dried marmot.
When they d eaten, they sat around on their haunches, letting their things dry
further. Meanwhile Nils s statement stayed on Baver s mind. That and his own
question; he could hardly believe he d asked it.
Storms, he rationalized, are unpredictable. It could have changed course for
probably several reasons. Being in shock, I
couldn t think clearly: I asked what I did only by default. But Nils . . . He
made claims!
If he believes what he said, he s not entirely sane. I ve never heard any of
his people mention spirits or spirit stuff --
the spirit stuff of storms! -- so the belief can t be cultural. It s
idiosyncratic with him. Or was he lying to me, seeing if I d believe?
He didn t know which possibility was the most unsettling.
They d made good progress since the storm, considering they d taken time to
spread things to dry at every break. They d traveled till after sundown.
Hans lay on his back, staring at the stars. At an intellectual level he knew
that the star man, Baver, had come from one of them, but at an emotional level
it was hard to accept. Star Folk should be --
wonderful: wise, handsome, fearless, in all ways impressive. Baver couldn t
even start a fire, not even with dry weeds, and hadn t tried to learn. He let
others do for him.
Actually none of the star folk had impressed him. The things they had
impressed him, but not the people. But the others, Matts and Nikko, were at
least not foolish and bumbling. He supposed they were able enough at Star Folk
things.
His sharp young ears listened now for breathing. Only Nils was near enough,
less than an armspan away.
Nils! he whispered.
Ja-ha?
Hans spoke in their own language. You said the storm-being was formed from
spirit stuff. And commanded. Who formed and commanded it?
Nils s chuckle was hardly a breath. I met them once, at the end of spring.
They were looking at me through a -- The spirit world is beside ours but
separate. These others are in our world, far east of here. That much I am sure
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of. They know how to look through the spirit world to see places where they
are not. Though perhaps not clearly, and seemingly without knowing where they
look. That s as much as I know of them.
It is they I go to find.
Hans shivered in his robe. Sending the storm as they did, they are not
friendly.
True.
Do they know where we are right now? Hans was thinking that something else
might come upon them while they slept.
It seems improbable. The storm-being had been searching for days.
Why do you go to find them?
I ll know when I get there.
Will you fight them?
Perhaps.
Then I will fight them with you!
I ll be glad to have you with me.
Do you suppose Achikh will fight too? He does well at drill. I can think of
warriors who d be hard pressed to beat him.
I agree. And if he is still with us, he might.
Hans said nothing more for a minute or longer.
Then: What do you think about before you fall asleep?
Often I fall asleep at once. Other times I
lie still and leave.
Leave? Hans felt alarm at that.
My body is still here, but I leave. I cease to be in this world. I enter
another,
There was another minute s lapse. What is it like?
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