Of Fire and Night - Kevin J. Anderson [166]
The golem appraised him, then reached out. Before Jess could draw away, Beneto clasped his hand and squeezed. Expecting a disastrous discharge of deadly energy, Jess flinched, tried to call a warning. But the wentals within him did not harm the strange wooden man. Instead, they found a kindred spirit.
Beneto's hard lips curved in a smile. "We were expecting you. Together we will create a new navy."
98
CELLI
First the huge treeships, and now this water-and-pearl bubble, complete with a Roamer man inside who seemed as unusual as Beneto. Celli grinned with amazement. Faced with adversaries like these, maybe the hydrogues would just run away and hide inside their gas giants forever!
Solimar whispered in her ear. "Watch this, Celli. The trees have been waiting. We'll be invincible now."
Jess Tamblyn and Beneto backed to the edge of the clearing as the spherical wental vessel rose from the ground and climbed like a weightless raindrop toward the canopy.
"What's it doing?"
"You'll see!"
The numerous verdani battleships drew closer until they formed a thicket in the sky. On the ground, the rooted worldtrees rustled with anticipation. Celli longed to know what was happening. If only she could use telink like Solimar!
After the wental vessel reached the top of the trees, a flurry of large globules of energized water split off from the quivering craft. The coral-and-pearl framework contracted like fingers drawing together to hold the now-smaller volume of wental water. The flexible globules drifted from the main vessel, as if searching for something.
"This could change the balance of power." Solimar's voice was barely above a whisper. He stood close enough to one of the tall worldtrees to touch it and receive messages from the forest mind. "No human has ever seen this."
Celli waited to be amazed again. Solimar would not let her down, she was sure.
Beneto and the Roamer man stood inside the ring of five broken trees that formed a temple-like meeting place. While her brother's body was made of clean, vivid wood, these burned stumps were tortured wrecks. Thus far, they had stood as a memorial to the enduring strength of the worldforest. Now, though, the verdani and the people of Theroc needed more than a symbol. Celli understood that.
One of the bubbles of wental water hovered over Jess and Beneto, who raised their hands toward the shimmering ball. The bubble burst. Wental water showered down into the five-trunk grouping, soaking the burned earth and drenching the two men.
More water welled up from the dirt, like a spring bubbling to the surface. The ground became saturated, sparkling. Jess began to laugh. "We summon all the wental water dispersed by the comet!"
His wood-grain face slick with wental moisture, Beneto nodded, showing complete contentment and satisfaction. "Wentals and the verdani will join completely. That is how we will defeat the hydrogues."
Celli clung to Solimar, her mind bubbling over with questions. She smelled the earthy ozone of heavy dampness rising through the dirt, heard the whispery rush as the moisture flooded into the scorched tissue of the worldtrees. She felt small and insignificant in the grand scheme of events, but she didn't understand.
Almost immediately after the sparkling water soaked the ring of five burned trees, the soil bubbled and churned like a simmering volcano preparing to erupt. Celli felt tremors beneath her bare feet.
With a rustling of their thorned branches, the ancient verdani battleships rose higher, clearing the canopy, making room. Celli tried to look everywhere at once. Anticipation was a building storm in the air.
Beneto addressed the worldtrees in an amplified voice. "You know what is contained within you. Draw on all of your reserves!"
The ring of near-dead trees responded.
The stunted, blackened trunks cracked, straining to reach the sky. The heartwood began to writhe. Shafts of fresh growth thrust up, new branches