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"Krinata's yours now. Just as I promised. It's not that I don't care for her,
Cyrus. Don't ever think that I did what I did without caring for her. She is
precious to me beyond all measure " To Krinata he added the final words of the
Aliom divorce celebration, "I'll never stop caring."
She met his gaze levelly. When she intoned solemnly, "Through all of what must
yet come, what has been will be as a flame extinguished," he knew she
recognized his words.
Everything that they'd ever meant to each other passed between them again. And
somehow he knew they, were each thinking how very beautiful it was to give an
ex-spouse into the keeping of such a fine new mate.
"I don't think 1 like it," said Cyrus, "when you look at her like that."
Jindigar confessed, "I was thinking how very, very beautiful your woman is.
But, Cyrus, I was thinking your woman."
He turned to walk Darllanyu toward the door, more eager by the moment to reach
the Renewal compound to rekindle their marriage flame. But Dar pulled back
toward the human couple. "Wait---1 want to say good-bye."
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As she stepped back toward them she pulled her gold armlet off. Handing it to
Krinata, she said, "I want you to have this. It's been very precious to me for
a very long time. Takora understands."
Krinata held it as if it were a fragile egg. "Oh, no -Dar you it isn't isn't
it the First Renewal gift Jindigar...?" Her eyes went to Jindigar, and he
nodded, wondering how she knew. She shoved it back at Dar. "I can't,
really...."
Dar put her hands behind her back. "It's yours, because you have given me
another First Renewal a gift too precious to even speak of." She turned away,
then hesitated, adding, "Krinata, you've got to explain it to Cyrus all of it.
He really has a right to understand. And don't forget my zunre are always
welcome in my home." Then she came toward Jindigar, and his relief at that
movement was incredible.
Threntisn covered the Rustlemother with a blanket and rose to follow Dar to
the door. "Jindigar wait. There's something something about you Darllanyu, may
1?" He gestured imperatively, signaling Jindigar to move aside as if he were
tin apprentice caught doing something naughty.
Jindigar, feeling too mellow to protest, went, grateful that at last he seemed
lo be over the emotional turbulence of onset. Perhaps now he could get on with
the business of being their Active Priest and putting the Temple in order for
the training of new Oliat. And soon there would be children to teach.
Threntisn cupped his palms around the edges of Jindigar's eyes and peered into
them. Out of nowhere there came a peculiar response that made Jindigar flinch.
"Hold still!" demanded Threntisn, his voice sounding doubled.
And it came again, raw, discordant, Jindigar wrenched his gaze aside and
turned away, protesting, "Don't what are you doing?"
Threntisn stared at Jindigar, awe on his face and wonder in his voice. "Are
you hearing and seeing double?"
"So what? After what we've been through I'm not surprised."
"Close your eyes."
Trinarvil pulled Zannesu over to watch Threntisn's examination, medical
interest overcoming Renewal momentarily.
Exasperated but humoring the Historian, Jindigar closed his eyes.
"Do you sense a bright dot or a spot of light floating off behind your vision
somewhere?"
"Well, yes Threntisn, it may be centuries before we under-' stand what
happened to us it violated all kinds of theory. If we suffer a few nervous
aberrations for a while, that's a small price to pay for our lives. Renewal
will heal it all. Don't worry."
"Renewal won't heal this," returned the Historian ominously. "Jindigar, that
light is a new Archive's Eye, just opened and not properly sealed and
structured yet. That's why you're seeing and hearing double you don't have the
training to handle it."
"Archive's Eye..." repeated Jindigar.
"I don't think you appreciate how rare an event this is," Threntisn went on.
"It happens spontaneously maybe once in a hundred generations, and then only
to trained Historians who have just given up an Archive. It usually happens
only when there's been some great pivotal event to oh." He looked around at
the Natives who were gathering to watch the knot of colonists.
Jindigar put in, "I conic from a Historian family. I know what you're
saying...................... "
"Can you hear them?" Threntisn s eyes flicked back to Jindigar, "Does your
Archive pick up any of that?"
"No," denied Jindigar, wanting to deny the whole concept. All he was
interested in was Dar and raising a family.
"They're saying that this is not a Historical event at all but an evolutionary
one. The longest Whole Memory doesn't reach back to when the last species was
added to the hive. Now they've added five new species all at once. We are a
new thing a completely new thing on the face of this planet, a nine-species
hive. A new Whole Memory a really big Whole Memory is required."
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Dismay crept over Jindigar as he began to believe. "Threntisn, I can't I'm a
Priest, not a Historian. I told you that once before."
"Yes but as I recall, you also told me that you would become a Historian when
I became a Priest. And according to you, I have."
"Apparently. But I don't have the gift of prophecy. That's Trinarvil's "
He traded glances with the Healer. "You did predict this, Jindigar. We've all
heard you say it any number of times when the Historians' persistence annoyed
you."
"I'll train you to erect the Archive around your Eye," offered Threntisn, "if
you'll train me to handle this duad."
Jindigar surveyed the Natives silently watching them. Through Threntisn's link
to the hive-mind they all understood what was going on in their hiveheart.
Jindigar agreed to the exchange, adding, "It seems that's the nature of this
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