[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
."An Agitar, they say.Bigger than Lata, smaller than you.All dark blue and fuzzy atthe bottom."She shook her head."That's a new one on me.What do you think? A trick?""If it is, it's misfired," the Lata responded firmly."Anything funny and he'll never leave Lata alive.Theyasked whether you'd talk to him.""If I can," she replied, and walked out.There was no problem getting her there quickly.Although the Lata flew and hence had no need for roadsor aircraft, they did have to move freight and foodstuffs all over.They just diverted a large, crate-ladentruck on government authority and much to the driver's disgust.Mavra Chang and three thousand cratesof apples sped south to the border in a flatbed dual-rotor helicopter, skimming the treetops.The trip tookabout three hours, and the sun was into late afternoon when they arrived.With a straight axial tilt, allhexes had equal amounts of daylight, a little over fourteen standard hours each.The pegasus was really as grand and beautiful as had been described, and its rider was as short, squat,and ugly."Cute little devil," Mavra muttered mostly to herself and that's what the face looked like.An oldTraditionist's view of the devil in dark-blue and black hair.The creature had awakened when thehelicopter approached, and stood and walked around.The thick body and the terribly thin legs lookedalmost impossible; he moved as if on tiptoe, and reminded Mavra of a costumed ballet dancer.Guards armed with energy pistols motioned him to a cleared area and flanked him on all sides.Hewondered idly what bigwig had come to see this new intrusion, but then he looked again and there wasno mistake."Mavra!" he cried, and started to move toward her.The guards were quick, no doubt about it.He stoppedcold.He pointed to himself."Renard, Mavra! Renard!"She was more than surprised.Although she knew the system of the Well it had been explained atlength to her this was the first time it really hit her in the face.She chuckled, then turned to Vistaru."This translator can I talk to him?"She nodded."You have a translator," the Lata reminded her."Renard?" she called out."Is that really you?"He beamed."It's me, all right! A little changed, but still me inside! I traded sponge for goat!" he calledback.She laughed.Communication worked fine.He understood her Confederation, the translator took care ofthe Agitar."Are you sure it's really Renard?" one of the border guards asked her."Somebody you know? A lot offolks have claimed to be a lot of other folks lately."She nodded, thinking it over.Then she yelled, "Renard! They need proof that you're you.And, to tell thetruth, so do I.And there's only one question I can think of that only our side would know, so forgive me."He nodded, and she went on."Renard, who was the last old-type human being you made love to?"He frowned, embarrassed by the question even as he saw the logic of it.Only Mavra, he himself, and theperson involved would know the answer, and she would have no reason for deception."Nikki Zinder," hereplied.She nodded."It's Renard.Not only the answer but the way he made it sound so terrible convinces me.Let him come to me or me to him."The guards still weren't all that certain."But he's an Agitar!" one growled."One of them.""He's Renard, no matter what," she responded, and walked briskly out to him.The guards kept at theready, but appeared resigned.She was taller than he, now maybe ten centimeters with her boots on, three or four without.He wasugly as sin and smelled like a goat, but she hugged him and kissed him lightly on the forehead, laughing."Renard! Let me look at you! They told me this would happen, but somehow I couldn't really believe it!"He was slightly embarrassed again, from his strange new form and, oddly, because the Agitar part of hisbrain didn't really react to her as a woman, but as another, alien creature.He began to realize just howmuch he'd changed.Mavra turned to Doma, who looked up as she cautiously approached."He's beautiful!" she breathed [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]