The Murdered Sun - Christie Golden [49]
At last she brought him a wooden plate piled high with an exotic assortment of what he took to be fruits and vegetables and other things he could not readily identify. He took out his tricorder and analyzed the food. Roots, tubers, grains, fruits--nothing dangerous there. The elder seated herself on cushions across from him, cocking her head expectantly.
"I thank you for this meal, Viha," Chakotay said gravely. He reached for a long, thin purple item and bit into it. It was delicious--crunchy and sweet. He raised his eyebrows and nodded his approval.
"I am pleased you enjoy our fare," the Viha replied. She reached out a clawed, long-fingered hand and helped herself to something dark gray and lumpy. "I would you had come here earlier when the good earth gave forth better, sweeter food."
"You promised me that you would tell me the tales of your people, Viha," said Chakotay, finishing the purple root and selecting a bright blue fruit.
Her eyes were unhappy as she chewed and swallowed. "I am the last remaining Viha of this section of our land. I have not had time to train another. The Vihas are the keepers of the tales, the keepers of our history. If I die before I can pass those tales along to another, they may die with me."
She toyed with the long, bulky pendant that hung from her sinuous throat. "I have told you that our history is oral. What we hear once, we remember for always."
The vocal equivalent of a photographic memory, Chakotay thought to himself, filing away the information for future reference.
"Anahu mentioned that. He said you `remembered' the forgotten technology. And you added that you had to find the truths cloaked in legend. Give me an example. Tell me how you remembered the caverns that housed the ships."
Nata smiled, and her eyes went misty. "One of the most inspirational of all our tales is that one. It is the story of the Soul's Journey to Truth. It is a long story--hours in the true telling--so I will summarize.
"As each one of us has a soul, so does everything else around us, in the earth, in the oceans, in the skies. And every soul must make a journey, till it reaches its final destination. Along that way, the soul finds allies: courage, faith, kindness, conviction, wisdom, and love. The tale tells how the soul finds each of its six Guardians and learns from them. With their help, the soul reaches its destination."
She watched him closely, seeing if he understood what she was so cryptically describing. For a moment, he didn't comprehend. The legend of the soul's journey was one he'd encountered in many alien cultures. It was not unique to humans. And it was usually an allegory. What was she driving at?
And then it hit him.
"Conviction," he breathed. "The ship Conviction. And the others are named Courage, Faith, Kindness--" "Wisdom and Love," completed Nata, obviously pleased that he had understood her.
Chakotay's skin prickled with foreknowledge. Almost, he could feel his animal spirit's warm presence here, in this little ceramic hut, nodding her approval. "And... the soul?" he ventured.
"Finish your meal," said Nata gravely. "And when you have done so, I shall take you to the very soul of our people."
***
Chakotay took with him a flask fashioned of the smooth, hardened mud.
He'd filled it with water, an old-fashioned prevention against dehydration but still perhaps one of the best. After a few minutes of hiking in the hot, hazy environment, he was glad of it.
"I take this walk nearly every day," said Nata as she strode beside him, moderating her long stride so as not to overtax her guest. "Rain or shine. Viewing this place helps me to think, to remember. It was there that I recalled the legend of the soul's journey. I am