Scattered Suns - Kevin J. Anderson [161]
Solimar’s brow furrowed, as if he wasn’t sure what he was expected to do.
Celli was even more confused. “Can you be more specific than that? Remember, I’m not even a green priest.”
“But you are human. That is the strength we need now.” Beneto lowered his arms and stepped back. “Force the trees to realize that they are not dead, that it would be folly to give up.”
“They asked us to take treelings out to other planets. That’s not giving up, is it?” Solimar said.
“True,” Beneto said, “but the worldforest itself is resigned to defeat here on Theroc. It knows that the hydrogues may return at any time. Yet the older trees contain a deep power, and you must convince them to call it forth. Do not let them surrender.”
Celli put her hands on her narrow hips. “And how are we supposed to do that?”
“By treedancing.”
Solimar and Celli looked skeptically at the wooden golem. All around them, the air still smelled of smoke and dead trees. “As simple as that? Really?”
Beneto continued, “The trees sensed something in you two when you moved here before, when you danced. You can make the verdani remember.”
Solimar asked, “Do you mean like some sort of ritual?”
“You’re kidding!” Celli snapped a blackened twig from a small tree; the wood was charred through. “By dancing in the ashes?”
“No, by being alive, by demonstrating joyfulness and hope.” Beneto turned his shoulders, swiveling his head to take in the ruined landscape. “I am a manifestation of the worldforest, but I am also human. My human aspect understands a determination that the verdani do not.
“Think of what they are. The interconnected worldtrees are rooted to the ground and have always accepted what came to them. They are strong and patient, but they do not remember how to fight. They resist only by attempting to withstand whatever comes against them. They are passive. Humans are not.
“When the hydrogues and the faeros were fighting, the trees believed they would all be destroyed. They surrendered here and hoped to survive elsewhere, through the treelings taking root on scattered planets.”
Celli brightened as she remembered. “But Reynald wouldn’t let them give up! He went to the canopy with two green priests, and he yelled at the trees until they fought back!”
Beneto nodded. “Reynald forced the verdani to reach for depths of their power that they had not previously used. The worldtrees had never considered standing up in a hopeless cause, but our brother made them take an active role in their defense. Though the battle was indeed a disastrous loss to Theroc, the hydrogues were driven off, and the worldforest is still alive here.”
He touched an ash-smeared hand to the shoulders of Celli and Solimar. “You must do the same thing now. These burned and damaged trees realize the hydrogues will come back here to finish the destruction. They are content to know that their treelings have been dispersed and will survive. But you cannot let them abandon Theroc.”
Celli sniffed. “Even a hopeless cause is still a cause. Fighting for it is better than just rolling over.”
“Exactly. You two, do as Reynald did—show them human joy and drive and persistence. The verdani know these things as part of their reservoir of stored knowledge, but they do not understand them.”
Solimar looked up at the burned branches. “And treedancing will do it?”
“The verdani comprehend that in a different way. Through many generations, a connection has developed between the worldforest and the Theron people—even those who are not green priests. The connection with our family, in particular, is very strong. That is why our sister Sarein was so affected by the destruction here, even though she did not think she would be. That is why our brother Reynald was able to send such a powerful message to the forest, more than through the two green priests who were with him. That is why I believe you, little sister, and you, Solimar, must help the trees now. As you dance, your delight