Hidden Empire - Kevin J. Anderson [227]
By tradition, an hour after the burial, Beneto returned to the grove and carefully selected a worldtree that grew tall and straight. He removed a viable treeling, a thin flexible outgrowth that protruded from an intersection of the widest fronds. Its delicate, moist roots still glistened with a varnish of sap and tree juices. Cradling it gently, Beneto went back to the mound of fresh dirt that marked Talbun's grave and, in the center, dug down so that he could plant this new treeling in honor of the old green priest.
He had covered the old man's body here to let Talbun's molecules rejoin the worldforest. As he dug down, Beneto found that the green priest's physical form had vanished completely. Old Talbun had already been absorbed into the soil, incorporated into the network of the burgeoning worldforest.
Beneto planted the treeling there, wearing a bittersweet smile. When he was finished he stood up and looked around the lush grove.
Silently to himself, and then through telink by touching the trunk of the nearest tree, he promised to plant more and more treelings on Corvus Landing, doing his sacred labor so the worldforest could spread across the universe.
104 NIRA
More and more each day, Nira found herself in the mood for singing. Though old Otema seemed disappointed with how little progress her assistant had made in reading the Saga to the trees, Nira's complete happiness deflected even the Iron Lady's inclination to scold her. And Rememberer Vao'sh had offered a group of dedicated readers to help with the project. Otema was satisfied with the progress.
Nira's affair with Prime Designate Jora'h had already lasted for months—very unusual for him, and they both knew it. She found him exciting and compassionate, gentle and intelligent. Not surprisingly, he proved to be an excellent lover, caring for her and pleasuring her, and she did her best to please him in return.
Though Jora'h had already stayed with her far longer than he had with any of his other carefully selected lovers, he kept returning for her kisses. The Prime Designate seemed more captivated by the green-skinned Theron woman than he had ever been with the most exotic of Ildiran kiths. He saw Nira as innocent and refreshing. Though respectful of his noble rank, she was not paralyzed with reverence for the eldest son of the godlike Mage-Imperator. Jora'h found that liberating.
But in spite of the numerous times they had made love, and even well aware as she was of the Prime Designate's proven virility, Nira was completely astonished to find herself pregnant with his child.
She had suspected for weeks, but could hardly believe the miracle. A trans-species child implied an extraordinary compatibility between the genetics of the two races. Finally, though, after she missed her period and recognized the changes in her body—unexpected nausea, troublesome fatigue even in the bright Ildiran sunlight, slight weight gain—Nira could no longer deny the possibility. The sheer wonder placed her in a daze.
She recalled lying on colorful cushions beside Jora'h in an enclosed atrium that looked out upon the upward-flowing waterfalls. They had finished making love yet still held each other with just as much passion, still kissing, moving on to another phase of sex. She had asked him about Ildiran kiths, how the different breeds related to each other.
"Ah, Nira," he said, smiling, "the Ildiran genome is very...undiscriminating. Our species is adaptable, incorporating any trait that might be useful, finding common segments of DNA and joining them to make a stronger half-breed. We take the best of every kith."
"The different races of humanity have subtle variations in appearance," Nira explained, "but genetically we are all the same."
Jora'h had laughed at that, kissing her again. "Nira, even I can see that not all humans are the same. Especially not you."
Now, alone, she touched the smooth skin of