Horizon Storms - Kevin J. Anderson [238]
“Yes,” Beneto said, lifting his foot to take another step, as if he had forgotten how to walk on human legs. “I have much information to share. Even the green priests have not learned everything from the forest.”
Celli looked questioningly at her brother’s wooden but familiar face. Beneto seemed to be marshaling his thoughts, gathering his echoes of memory. Proud and strong beside him, Celli led her brother toward the settled areas, where the toppled trees had been dragged away and the ground cleared by the Roamer helpers.
As the two of them approached the fungus-reef city, the trees seemed to whisper an announcement of their arrival. Green priests looked up from their labors. Their emerald skin was covered with ash, their expressions weary, their eyes reddened by tears and dust. But they could feel a thrumming through the worldforest mind, and when they saw the golem of Beneto, they stared.
Mother Alexa and Father Idriss climbed down from the fungus reef. When they saw Beneto and recognized the features carved and grown into the smooth, polished wood of his face, their thrilled and happy expressions looked awkward on their faces, as if they had forgotten how to feel joy.
Celli bounded forward. “Look what I found! See what the worldforest has created.”
Idriss reached the ground first, then turned to help his wife, though he couldn’t tear his gaze from the strange visitor as the Therons parted to allow them a clear passage. “My daughter? What is this? It looks like…” Idriss couldn’t seem to say the name.
“Yes,” the golem said. “I am Beneto…in part.”
Their parents had never pretended to understand the mysteries of the universe. Alexa and Idriss accepted his return with a sense of wonder and without an avalanche of questions.
The Theron people came forward cautiously. They had no fear of the facsimile of Beneto, despite his unnatural appearance. Celli beamed, and all the others fell into a hush as he lifted his head and began to speak. “I am…a gift from the worldforest. Call me a messenger if you like.”
“Well, I would rather call you my son Beneto,” said Idriss. Alexa touched his arm to keep him quiet while the wooden man talked.
“I am that, and more,” he said. “I have come here to help.” Beneto turned slowly to look at all the amazed people. The restless worldforest stilled itself so that everyone could hear his voice, loud and strong.
“This is the beginning of a new phase in our war against the ancient enemy, the hydrogues.”
A NOTE ON ILDIRAN KITHS
The Ildiran species is polymorphic. Different kiths have attributes and abilities that place them into appropriate castes on the Ildiran landscape and also on other planets within the Ildiran Empire. Thinkers love being thinkers; workers love being workers.
Kiths occasionally interbreed, sometimes out of love and attraction, other times as a conscious effort to enhance certain attributes (i.e., swimmers, scalies, fighters). In their culture, mongrels are rare but not completely uncommon. It often turns out that the best singers and poets and artists are half-breeds, thus implying a genetic strength that the purebred castes do not have.
Each kith ends its name with a particular phonetic sound, and crossbreeds combine the sounds:
‘h rulers/nobles
‘n soldiers, warriors, guards
‘nh military leaders/generals
‘k workers
‘v bureaucrats
‘t singers
‘l lens kithmen
‘f scientists
‘o technicians
‘of engineers
‘a teachers
‘th artists
‘sh rememberers
‘x miners
Despite their kith variations, though, the Ildirans are a very homogeneous society, all under their Mage-Imperator.
THE HALF-BREED CHILDREN OF NIRA KHALI
Osira’h, female, father: Jora’h
Rod’h, male, father: Udru’h
Gale’nh, male, father: Adar Kori’nh
Tamo’l, female, father: lens kithman
Muree’n, female, father: guard kithman
A NOTE ON ILDIRAN UNITS OF TIME
Since Ildirans evolved on a planet of constant sunlight, naturally their race does not measure time in segregated units we know as the “day,” “week” (the length of a phase of the Moon), and “month” (based on