Tally Road Original Story- Chapter 27

"But it can't be that simple!"

Dene showed every evidence of dismay as she argued with Ka. "I mean, what are you thinking?"

"You're terribly certain. What else would I do? If you want to know where somebody is, you ask. I'm going to start asking."

"But... he's not a dumb guy! He'll find out, he'll run for it!"

Ka regarded the fretful wolfess with a bright birdlike eye. "Where, exactly?"

There was a brief pause, and then both Rai and Siertes blinked. There wasn't anything else the Tompar could do, but Rairate made an excited trilling noise and said, "Ainte- the world-trees, you know- they're not like ordinary planets. Ka is saying that the only way Finn can leave is through here, and we could ambush him."

"I'm surprised you didn't see it yourselves. What did you think, he would have a spaceship stashed somewhere?"

"Why can't they have a spaceship on the planet?" asked Boodins.

"It's not a planet." said Rai.

"Of course not." said Ka, approvingly. "I suppose it takes a bit of getting used to."

"Well, yes," said Boodins, "all the trunks and branches, but surely there are places where you cleared it away, and..."

"It's not a planet, Boodins. You're still thinking there's ground under there somewhere. There's not."

"But then where do you plant them?"

"The stars." said Ka. "You plant a neat row between whichever stars strike your fancy. A celestial garden."

"Do you really believe that?" asked Dene, startled. Ka gave her a very sharp glance. "Well, dear, somebody did."

"But..."

"Denenke, don't be disrespectful of Aintar religion, 'aons." said Rairate.

This got him his own sharp glance. Ka considered quietly for a moment, and relaxed, but with a wry glint in her eye.

"I wouldn't dream of arguing with you, dear. You're part of the grand pattern too, just as you are, and that includes that Runge doubt of yours. I'll never know why you lot reduce the infinite to nuts and bolts and pretend you understand it- but that's not my concern, or yours, I think. You go on being as you are and everything will work out fine."

"But how are we going to get Finn by making it obvious we're looking for him? He'll hide out!" said Dene.

Ka cackled merrily. "He's Runge like you! He'll have to make a break for it. You can never just sit with uncertainty. He'll be coming through here."

...

Several hours later, Boodins was incredibly bored, and his pestering was getting on Dene's nerves.

"So if he came as fast as he could but had to figure out some kind of disguise, how long will it be?"

"I don't know!" snapped Dene. "Ka, this was your idea, when do we give up?"

"Suit yourself. I'm not the pattern, stupid, I'm one of the threads. Perhaps I was wrong. Why squawk at me? Have you got a better idea?"

"We should go down there and look for him."

Siertes rolled her eyes. Even this slight activity tended to distress passersby, and there were many passersby at the main entrance where travellers to Delmas came through its space station Delmastrabatenstrolontempre. However, Ka maintained a weary calm and the other Aintar, seeing her, tended to become puzzled and flustered and flutter off rapidly.

Rai nodded slowly. "Denenke and I could go."

"What about me?" said Boodins, not well pleased by this suggestion.

"Someone must stay with Siertes, who can't come along. Anyhow, what if he tries to come through here? You must guard the exit, 'aons."

"Oh, all right." said Boodins.

"Don't make it sound so detestable." said Ka. "I'll teach you about things."

"About what?"

"Well, what have you always wanted to know?"

Rai and Dene stole away hastily, while Boodins was distracted. In Rai's case, this was because he had no wish to hear Boodins asking the Aintar Boss about the sexual habits of Nerre renegades. Dene, on the other hand, just assumed Rai had a plan, and she looked at him with ears perked, waiting to be told what it was.

Rai was thinking. "There are only so many places on Delmas that are comfortable for Runge. I know there's a sort of resort, and there's a sort of industrial area that normally has Runge."

"So he's going to be in one of those places?"

"I wasn't finished. I don't think he will be- he's probably holed up somewhere a bit out of the ordinary. However, there are also places that no Runge could possibly reach. Aintar are avian, remember- they can fly. A lot of Delmas is inaccessible to non-Aintar."

"How much of it can we reach?"

"Mostly the Grand Promenade..."

Dene blinked. "The what?"

"That's what they call it. Most of the trunk sections of Delmas are between forty-five degrees and vertical. There's one place where a trunk section twists and becomes horizontal briefly, and that's the Grand Promenade."

Dene was trying to visualize this. "A big treetrunk of a planet-tree. A twist in it... so this is the size of what? A big field, a city street?"

"Actually, it holds several of the largest cities..."