Autumn ordered as he grabbed a plump blob. "You'll crush the ograns. I thought I saw a knapsack in the living room; we can find a better way to carry stuff than in your pockets."
"Fine." Veddin watched with both humor and joy as she gathered up the food; she was beautiful, and durable, and spoiled, and he feared he was quite in love.
Disregarding Veddin's offer of help, Autumn whipped the pack to her back. They headed off past the hoverplane, in the general direction of the starship prow Veddin had seen. "How old are you, Autumn?" Veddin asked.
"Almost nineteen. Why?"
"Just curious." Veddin was almost thirty, himself.
"Were you hoping for a respectable old dowager? If so, that's tough. I like me as I am."
"I see. I guess I can live with that."
"Yeah?" She flashed him a smile with the same energy her eyes held when she was angry.
"Yeah." He considered her for a moment. "You know, all through this trip I've been surprised at how much you know about the machines here: the spaceport, the factories, and the fusion reactors."
She shrugged. "I talk to the robots a lot. And I've spent a lot of time working with equipment all over Hydra. Most of the Couples don't like machines. They'd probably get rid of them if they could. But not everybody is a multiply-resonant telekinetic/psikinetic/receptor/broadcaster. Most of them need the machines as much as people from Earth or Kaylanx." She hesitated. "Sometimes I think I have more in common with machines than with people. The robots don't have any touched-ones either." She smiled shyly at him. "At least, I used to think I was like the machines. Until you came."
They trudged silently along for a time. The neatly cut lawn of the city turned wild and ragged as the buildings disappeared in the distance. It started to get cooler, and darker; far darker than Veddin had ever seen it get on a planet. He moaned when he realized why. "Lords of Tarantell! You don't have any moons here!"
It took Autumn a moment to understand his meaning. "No, of course not. Hydra doesn't have any moons. Why?"
"Because we're trapped out here, that's why. In a few minutes it'll be too dark to see." He glanced back the way they'd come. "There's not a building close enough to get to, either."
Autumn laughed. "Don't worry, the wild animals won't hurt you. We don't have any wild animals."
"No, but we'll get damn cold, at this latitude." He considered it for a moment. "Though I was sort of surprised at how warm it was during the day."
Autumn laughed again. "Of course it's warm, silly. The psikinetics control the weather, taking the edge off the . . ." She stopped laughing. "Lords of Tarantell. No."
"Well, let's hope the loss of weather control doesn't catch up with us for a couple of days. I think we'll make it through tonight, and tomorrow we'll be back on the ship."
"Yes, but—" she shook her head. "The main purpose of the weather control is to stop the tornadoes and hurricanes that're constantly starting up around the equator. If we don't stop them, they'll destroy most of the islands. And all the people who live there." She paused. "Including Couple Berrens and the university."
Veddin picked up the pace.
And stopped when Autumn stumbled in the dark and cried out in pain.
"You all right?" he asked, kneeling next to her.
"Yes. I stepped into a rut, I guess." She reached down to touch her left ankle.
Veddin gently squeezed both her ankles; she seemed to be all right. "We're stopping here for the night."
"We can't."
"We are." They did. Veddin lay down beside Autumn, reached out to hold her.
She squirmed away. "I don't think we should, uh . . ."
Veddin rolled his eyes in disbelief. What had the Seekers told her about him? Did they think he was a sex maniac? "Child, I've had more than my share of women. I don't need to add you to the collection. But it's getting cold out here, and I'm damn well going to hold you warm until morning. Now, if you want to kick and thrash with a man who just plans to
"Fine." Veddin watched with both humor and joy as she gathered up the food; she was beautiful, and durable, and spoiled, and he feared he was quite in love.
Disregarding Veddin's offer of help, Autumn whipped the pack to her back. They headed off past the hoverplane, in the general direction of the starship prow Veddin had seen. "How old are you, Autumn?" Veddin asked.
"Almost nineteen. Why?"
"Just curious." Veddin was almost thirty, himself.
"Were you hoping for a respectable old dowager? If so, that's tough. I like me as I am."
"I see. I guess I can live with that."
"Yeah?" She flashed him a smile with the same energy her eyes held when she was angry.
"Yeah." He considered her for a moment. "You know, all through this trip I've been surprised at how much you know about the machines here: the spaceport, the factories, and the fusion reactors."
She shrugged. "I talk to the robots a lot. And I've spent a lot of time working with equipment all over Hydra. Most of the Couples don't like machines. They'd probably get rid of them if they could. But not everybody is a multiply-resonant telekinetic/psikinetic/receptor/broadcaster. Most of them need the machines as much as people from Earth or Kaylanx." She hesitated. "Sometimes I think I have more in common with machines than with people. The robots don't have any touched-ones either." She smiled shyly at him. "At least, I used to think I was like the machines. Until you came."
They trudged silently along for a time. The neatly cut lawn of the city turned wild and ragged as the buildings disappeared in the distance. It started to get cooler, and darker; far darker than Veddin had ever seen it get on a planet. He moaned when he realized why. "Lords of Tarantell! You don't have any moons here!"
It took Autumn a moment to understand his meaning. "No, of course not. Hydra doesn't have any moons. Why?"
"Because we're trapped out here, that's why. In a few minutes it'll be too dark to see." He glanced back the way they'd come. "There's not a building close enough to get to, either."
Autumn laughed. "Don't worry, the wild animals won't hurt you. We don't have any wild animals."
"No, but we'll get damn cold, at this latitude." He considered it for a moment. "Though I was sort of surprised at how warm it was during the day."
Autumn laughed again. "Of course it's warm, silly. The psikinetics control the weather, taking the edge off the . . ." She stopped laughing. "Lords of Tarantell. No."
"Well, let's hope the loss of weather control doesn't catch up with us for a couple of days. I think we'll make it through tonight, and tomorrow we'll be back on the ship."
"Yes, but—" she shook her head. "The main purpose of the weather control is to stop the tornadoes and hurricanes that're constantly starting up around the equator. If we don't stop them, they'll destroy most of the islands. And all the people who live there." She paused. "Including Couple Berrens and the university."
Veddin picked up the pace.
And stopped when Autumn stumbled in the dark and cried out in pain.
"You all right?" he asked, kneeling next to her.
"Yes. I stepped into a rut, I guess." She reached down to touch her left ankle.
Veddin gently squeezed both her ankles; she seemed to be all right. "We're stopping here for the night."
"We can't."
"We are." They did. Veddin lay down beside Autumn, reached out to hold her.
She squirmed away. "I don't think we should, uh . . ."
Veddin rolled his eyes in disbelief. What had the Seekers told her about him? Did they think he was a sex maniac? "Child, I've had more than my share of women. I don't need to add you to the collection. But it's getting cold out here, and I'm damn well going to hold you warm until morning. Now, if you want to kick and thrash with a man who just plans to
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