to go offworld, you might come and visit me for a while on my space station.”
“You mean
now
?” Ronan asked. His eyes were wide open. She had his full attention.
“Yes, well, since you’ve got your things with you already I don’t see why not. I’m sure, as you know from your biology lessons, that the older you get, the harder it will be for you to leave Petaybee for any length of time. And I just had that lovely waterway built at home, so I was so hoping you’d come. I know some other children your age I think you’d enjoy very much, and we have rather a nice school on the station.”
“School!” Murel said. “How long a visit are we talking about, Marmie?”
“Well—”
“The thing is, kids, it may be your only chance to see other places,” Mum said. “And frankly, your Da and I would like you to get some exposure to human culture on a more sophisticated level than we can provide here.”
“Our schools are okay,” Murel said.
“Yes, but Marmie’s are excellent.” Her mother squatted down so that her face was on a level with theirs. “And one day we’re going to need your help with managing things here. I don’t know how aware of it you are, but your father has been keeping tabs on some midsea volcanoes. They’re building up under the sea floor, preparing a new landmass, a warm island, islands, a continent. Lots of people from offworld will want to move here, and perhaps there’ll be room for a great many of them. We may need—
Petaybee
may need—your help sorting through them. You need to know something about the offworld universe to be able to cope.”
“Right,” Ronan said. That sounded good, but if Petaybee needed them to help with something, you’d think it would have let them into the communion cave one last time at least. Mum was just trying to make them feel better. He looked his father full in the face. “This is really about keeping us away from the otter rustlers, isn’t it?”
“Among other things, yes, but your mother’s reasons are very great concerns as well.”
“But we’re still going with you tomorrow to get the otters back, right?”
“Son, it’s just too dangerous. I think I told you that I’m afraid it was really you those men were interested in when they took the otters. I don’t want to give them any more chances to get any closer than they’ve been to you two already. By the time you’re back from Marmie’s, we’ll have them sorted out and galaxies away, possibly in prison. But I promise you, we will get the otters back if at all possible, and I will send word to you when we do.”
Marmie wasn’t really asking us, she was telling us,
Murel told her twin.
It might be fun except I really wanted to stay here and get to know the otters better,
her brother replied.
I don’t think we’re supposed to. If those men went after the otters because of us, then we just brought them trouble. Besides, Petaybee doesn’t want us here anymore. That’s why we couldn’t get into the communion room. Not just because we’re kids.
If Petaybee doesn’t want you, it makes you feel worse than that!
Ronan argued.
It drives the offworlders crazy and turns their hair white and stuff.
But they’re offworlders. And maybe it’s not mad at us, it just wants us to do this now, like Mum and Da and Marmie and Clodagh said.
That’s weird. Planets don’t take sides, do they?
Petaybee does. I don’t think we get to pick this time, Ronan.
“Okay,” Ronan said, “we’ll go. But as soon as those men are gone, you’ll send for us, right? Right?”
Nobody answered, and then Da laid his hands on his son’s shoulders and said, “I can’t promise anything right now, but we will send for you as soon as it’s time for you to return. Meanwhile, you’ll probably be having so much fun with Marmie, you’ll be mad at us for making you come home.”
CHAPTER 9
A FEW HOURS LATER , the twins watched Petaybee diminish into a blue and white ball and then just another
“You mean
now
?” Ronan asked. His eyes were wide open. She had his full attention.
“Yes, well, since you’ve got your things with you already I don’t see why not. I’m sure, as you know from your biology lessons, that the older you get, the harder it will be for you to leave Petaybee for any length of time. And I just had that lovely waterway built at home, so I was so hoping you’d come. I know some other children your age I think you’d enjoy very much, and we have rather a nice school on the station.”
“School!” Murel said. “How long a visit are we talking about, Marmie?”
“Well—”
“The thing is, kids, it may be your only chance to see other places,” Mum said. “And frankly, your Da and I would like you to get some exposure to human culture on a more sophisticated level than we can provide here.”
“Our schools are okay,” Murel said.
“Yes, but Marmie’s are excellent.” Her mother squatted down so that her face was on a level with theirs. “And one day we’re going to need your help with managing things here. I don’t know how aware of it you are, but your father has been keeping tabs on some midsea volcanoes. They’re building up under the sea floor, preparing a new landmass, a warm island, islands, a continent. Lots of people from offworld will want to move here, and perhaps there’ll be room for a great many of them. We may need—
Petaybee
may need—your help sorting through them. You need to know something about the offworld universe to be able to cope.”
“Right,” Ronan said. That sounded good, but if Petaybee needed them to help with something, you’d think it would have let them into the communion cave one last time at least. Mum was just trying to make them feel better. He looked his father full in the face. “This is really about keeping us away from the otter rustlers, isn’t it?”
“Among other things, yes, but your mother’s reasons are very great concerns as well.”
“But we’re still going with you tomorrow to get the otters back, right?”
“Son, it’s just too dangerous. I think I told you that I’m afraid it was really you those men were interested in when they took the otters. I don’t want to give them any more chances to get any closer than they’ve been to you two already. By the time you’re back from Marmie’s, we’ll have them sorted out and galaxies away, possibly in prison. But I promise you, we will get the otters back if at all possible, and I will send word to you when we do.”
Marmie wasn’t really asking us, she was telling us,
Murel told her twin.
It might be fun except I really wanted to stay here and get to know the otters better,
her brother replied.
I don’t think we’re supposed to. If those men went after the otters because of us, then we just brought them trouble. Besides, Petaybee doesn’t want us here anymore. That’s why we couldn’t get into the communion room. Not just because we’re kids.
If Petaybee doesn’t want you, it makes you feel worse than that!
Ronan argued.
It drives the offworlders crazy and turns their hair white and stuff.
But they’re offworlders. And maybe it’s not mad at us, it just wants us to do this now, like Mum and Da and Marmie and Clodagh said.
That’s weird. Planets don’t take sides, do they?
Petaybee does. I don’t think we get to pick this time, Ronan.
“Okay,” Ronan said, “we’ll go. But as soon as those men are gone, you’ll send for us, right? Right?”
Nobody answered, and then Da laid his hands on his son’s shoulders and said, “I can’t promise anything right now, but we will send for you as soon as it’s time for you to return. Meanwhile, you’ll probably be having so much fun with Marmie, you’ll be mad at us for making you come home.”
CHAPTER 9
A FEW HOURS LATER , the twins watched Petaybee diminish into a blue and white ball and then just another
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