ARITA
Even if she spent years on the isolated continent, Arita would never be able to see or understand all of the Wild. She had explored other planets in the Spiral Arm, and she knew the bizarre diversity of flora and fauna, but being alone in the Theron wilderness made her feel smaller than ever. And she knew that something was wrong here. She had not seen Collin yet, but she could sense an indefinable change—just as he had warned.
Leaving Sarein’s dwelling, Arita spent many nights alone as she ranged farther, explored more. She called out for Collin, knowing the trees could hear, and she was worried about him. She had seen no sign of any green priest, not Kennebar or his followers. Other than Sarein, she might as well have been the lone human being on the continent.
Even the mysterious Onthos had dispersed into the deep forest, where they did not interact with others. Considering their tragic history, Arita wasn’t surprised the aliens would withdraw into exile. Except for the first night when they had watched her from above, she hadn’t seen a single Gardener.
She took her scout flyer into the deep forest far from any place she had previously explored. Day after day, Arita would land her flyer, set a locator beacon so she could find her way back, and then trudge through the forest.
Though not a green priest, Arita was as nimble and self-sufficient as Collin. When they were younger, the two of them had studied the plants, insects, and fungi together. Sometimes when she was all alone in the forest, she found herself talking aloud—talking to him. In return, she could sense Collin watching her—at least she hoped it was him.
After landing in a broad meadow, she wandered through the undergrowth for kilometers, taking images of blooming flowers, following iridescent beetles as they went about their pollination routines. She collected specimens when it seemed appropriate, but most of the time she just drank in details.
As she ranged afar one day, she heard a rustling in the trees above and looked up to see four Onthos watching her. She lifted a hand in greeting, and they imitated her gesture. “You are far from other humans,” said one of the Gardeners.
“Gathering knowledge is its own reward, and there’s a lot to learn here. I’m exploring the continent.”
The aliens considered that for a moment, then said, “As are we.” Then they scattered, climbing up into the thick fronds where they were lost in the canopy.
At sunset, Arita made a nest of branches where she could spend the night among the fronds. She fell asleep listening to the burbling sounds that were so familiar to her.
In the morning, Arita woke, trying to hold on to details of another looming and ominous dream … some kind of gigantic presence out there, far away, yet everywhere. Calling out for help. But even the vague details faded with the fuzziness of sleep.
She climbed a hill where the trees were sparser and she could get a broader panorama of the untouched worldforest. There, Arita was disturbed to see a brown swath of dry and withered trees on a distant ridge kilometers away. A section of worldtrees had succumbed to some kind of spreading blight.
She wondered what could possibly have caused that. Maybe a lightning strike had sparked a fire, killing off an entire grouping of the worldtrees? It didn’t look like a fire, though—the worldtrees just seemed to be dead.
She took many images with her survey equipment. The ridge was far off, across rough terrain. She couldn’t cover that distance in less than a day or two, but maybe she should return to her flyer and come back to get a better look.
Suddenly, Collin startled her by dropping down out of the trees above. Her friend liked to surprise her, but right now he was not grinning; rather, he looked grief-stricken. “Now you’ve seen it too. The worldtrees are dying. It’s a kind of sickness.”
Arita was so glad to see him she couldn’t help sweeping him up in an embrace. “I came to see you—I got your message. I’ve been looking for you ever since I landed.”
“Kennebar was watching me. He didn’t consider you to be important—but I do. I wanted to see you.” He looked around. “I’m glad you came.”
Arita looked back at the distant swath of dead trees, alarmed. “Why didn’t we know anything about this? The worldforest must be hurting, and nobody reported it. Green priests are stewards—they should all sense when something like this happens.”
“They should.” Collin nodded. “I wasn’t aware of it myself until I saw these dead trees with my own eyes. The verdani mind seems to be … forgetting, as if there’s a stain in their memory.”
“But, what caused them all to die?”
“We don’t know, but…” Collin struggled with his words and his doubts. “Kennebar dismisses it as part of the natural order of the worldforest. He minimizes the problem, says that if the verdani are not alarmed, then we must accept what has happened and not be concerned. He scolded me when I was too persistent.”
“I’m relieved you told me about it,” she said. “I’m always glad to see you. I kept your letter. It’s very precious to me.”
Collin’s voice was quiet and uncertain. “There are times when I wish…” He shook his head. “The green priests are in an uproar. You probably don’t know—the Shana Rei just struck again, destroying Ulio Station. Two green priests were there—Dauntha and Aelin. They sent reports throughout the attack … but they’ve gone silent. The Confederation is very concerned, and the CDF is responding, but the ships won’t get there in time. I fear there is nothing left of Ulio.” He straightened, back to business. He reached out to take her hand. “Let me guide you back to your flyer now, so I know you are safe.” Then he added in a voice almost too soft for her to hear, “Please.”
* * *
Back at Sarein’s hiveworm nest, Arita tried to sleep, but somehow the surrounding walls left her exposed to unsettling nightmares. Out here, open to the brooding wilderness, Arita’s subconscious again touched something giant and slumbering … confused and dispersed echoes that were just a veneer over immense power, yet they could connect with her through a weak dreamline.
When she tried to understand and communicate in return, a vivid panoply of astronomical images flooded through her mind: double stars, globular clusters, the blazing, gas-shrouded reactor of the galactic core, streams of cosmic dust that extended like tendrils throughout the Galaxy. Lines of swollen gas bags—bloaters—trailed along, following their own paths, reaching the bright womb of a star system and then metamorphosing, fissioning, and spreading out even more widely along unseen web lines. All connected.
She saw the arms of the Galaxy, then the neighboring galaxies, the Magellanic Clouds, Andromeda with its satellite galaxies, and then more and more—galaxies like specks in the local cluster extending even farther to the local supercluster.
What paraded through her fuzzy mind had more detail than any astronomical image she had ever seen, more intimate and with more comprehension than seemed possible for any brain to encompass. It appeared godlike, vaster than any universe she had ever imagined.
Arita felt an ache and a loss, and she couldn’t understand how such majestic strength could be so lost, alone, disoriented. And she felt a vivid alarm, a spike of danger of something omnipotent calling for help. Her help.
When she awoke, thrashing, in the middle of the night, Arita climbed off her cot struggling to catch her breath while her heart pounded hard. She looked around, but sensed nothing. Her aunt’s dwelling was silent and dark, but outside the fireflies swept along like sparks from a grinding wheel.
A silhouette sat hunched on the open balcony: Sarein. The woman sat alone, looking out into the night.
Disturbed by her dream, Arita went to stand next to her. Sarein didn’t turn her head or acknowledge her niece. They just remained together in silence.
Finally, Sarein said aloud, “Can you sense it, too? The forest is uneasy, but I’m not a green priest, so I don’t understand why.” When she turned to look at Arita, the darkness of her dark eyes and gray-streaked brown hair was intensified by the shadows. “Maybe you should go back home, where it’s safe.”
The disturbing worldtree blight she had seen, as well as Collin’s news about the Shana Rei attack on Ulio Station, made Arita greatly concerned. She nodded slowly. “Maybe I should.”