Hothouse - Brian Aldiss [19]
‘I am the Chief Captive. I greet you, children, and invite you to know yourselves. You are of the Heavy World; we are of the True World. Now you join us because you are of us. Though your wings and your scars are new, you are welcome to join us.’
‘I am Lily-yo. We three are humans, while you are only flymen. We will not join you.’
The Captives grunted in boredom. The Chief Captive spoke again.
‘Always this talk from you denizens of the Heavy World! Understand that you have joined us by becoming like us. You are flymen, we are human. You know little, we know much.’
‘But we – ’
‘Stop your stupid talk, woman!’
‘We are – ’
‘Be silent, woman, and listen,’ Band Appa Bondi said.
‘We know much,’ repeated the Chief Captive. ‘Some things we will tell you now to make you understand. All who make the journey from the Heavy World become changed. Some die. Most live and grow wings. Between the worlds are many strong rays, not seen or felt, which change our bodies. When you come here, when you come to the True World, you become a true human. The grub of the tigerfly is not a tigerfly until it changes. So humans change, becoming what you call flymen.’
‘I cannot know what he says,’ Haris said stubbornly, throwing himself down. But Lily-yo and Flor were listening.
‘To this True World, as you call it, we came to die,’ Lily-yo said, doubtingly.
The Captive with the fleshless jaw said, ‘The grub of the tigerfly thinks it dies when it changes into a tigerfly.’
‘You are still young,’ said the Chief Captive. ‘You have entered a fresh life. Where are your souls?’
Lily-yo and Flor looked at each other. In their flight from the wiltmilt they had heedlessly thrown down their souls. Haris had trampled on his. It was unthinkable!
‘You see. You needed your souls no more. You are still young, and may be able to have babies. Some of those babies may be born with wings.’
The Captive with the boneless arms added, ‘Some may be born wrong, as we are. Some may be born right.’
‘You are too foul to live!’ Haris growled. ‘Why are you not killed for your horrible shapes?’
‘Because we know all things,’ the Chief Captive said. His second head roused itself and declared in a husky voice, ‘To be a standard shape is not all in life. To know is also important. Because we cannot move well, we can think. This tribe of the True World is good and understands the value of thought in any shape. So it lets us rule it.’
Flor and Lily-yo muttered together.
‘Do you say that you poor Captives rule the True World?’ Lily-yo asked at last.
‘We do.’
‘Then why are you captives?’
The flyman with ear lobes and thumbs connected, making his perpetual little gesture of protest, spoke for the first time in a rich and strangled voice.
‘To rule is to serve, woman. Those who bear power are slaves to it. Only an outcast is free. Because we are Captives, we have the time to talk and think and plan and know. Those who know command the knives of others. We are power, though we rule without power.’
‘No hurt will come to you, Lily-yo,’ Band Appa Bondi added. ‘You will live among us and enjoy your life free from harm.’
‘No!’ the Chief Captive said with both mouths. ‘Before she can enjoy, Lily-yo and her companion Flor – this other man creature is plainly useless – must help our great plan.’
‘You mean we should tell them about the invasion?’ Bondi asked.
‘Why not? Flor and Lily-yo, you arrive here at a good time. Memories of the Heavy World and its savage life are still fresh in you. We need such memories. So we ask you to go back there on a great plan we have.’
‘Go back?’ gasped Flor.
‘Yes. We plan to attack the Heavy