* * *
"What transpires?" Craag asked brusquely.
"They examine the long-legs whelp," Braan replied. "Most peculiar."
Cliff dwellers, hidden by darkness, had entered the long-legs' campsite and were peering at the spectacle, black eyes scintillating in the firelight.
"The long-legs trust the bear people," Craag said. "Perhaps the legends are wrong, and the bear people are not evil."
"Perhaps," Braan replied. "Perhaps it is only cliff dwellers that bear people kill."
"Is it not possible the long-legs will become allies with the bear people—against us?"
Braan rudely said nothing, his right as leader. Braan endeavored to catch the attention of Brave-crazy-one.
* * *
MacArthur knew the cliff dwellers did not like the kones, so when he saw Captain and X.O. out of the corner of his eye he was surprised. He jumped to his feet and started to shout, but instinctively bit back his words. The cliff dwellers signed danger. The kones noticed MacArthur' s abrupt movements and watched him alertly. MacArthur looked away from the surreptitious hunters, stretching and yawning, attempting to ease the unsettling effects of his initial actions.
"Well," he said, too loudly. "I'm going down to the lake and haul in some shoreline. Lieutenant! Sarge! When you get a minute, I'll be needing your help." Turning quickly, he set off down the gentle slope toward the dark lake, leaving the bemused humans looking at each other. The kones, captivated by the babies— Goldberg had brought Honey out to join Adam in the spotlight— lost interest in the disturbance.
In dim moonlight MacArthur made contact with the hunters approaching the cove beach. Together they walked across the narrow peninsula to the lake shore. Glittering stars and a haunting sliver of a moon sparkled from the velvet waters, and gentle waves lapped the rocky shore. A night creature hooted mournfully. As MacArthur' s eyes adapted, he detected other hunters moving wraithlike through the shadows.
Buccari and Shannon arrived. Under the insignificant light of the new moon Buccari rendered a formal greeting. Captain returnedher salutation and presented a parchment—a message from the elders. It was too dark to read; Buccari slipped it under her furs.
"Captain doesn't trust our new friends," Buccari said.
"The kones are the giants, the bear people in dweller mythology," said MacArthur. "The cliff dwellers are afraid of them."
"So am I," Shannon said.
"So should we all, if the dweller legends are true," Buccari said.
"Blasting the fleet into hyperlight wasn't a good start with us, either," Shannon said. "Do—"
A soft whistling caused Captain to turn abruptly. The hunter leader turned back to MacArthur and flashed adroit hand signals in the dim light. The cliff dweller leader had learned MacArthur' s sign language with ease and was as much teacher as student.
"Someone is coming. One of ours," MacArthur translated. A rustling noise marked the approach of a two-legged animal— Hudson.
"Did you put our friends to bed?" Buccari asked. "What was that all about?"
"Yeah, they're back in the tent. I'm not certain," Hudson replied.
"They act as if they've never seen children," Shannon said.
"I don't think they have," Hudson answered. "Kateos garbled something about konish children being taken from their mothers as infants, but she wasn't making much sense. They're very emotional. What's going on?"
"Captain delivered a letter," answered Buccari. "Let's find some light and decipher it. I have a feeling that it's a warning to avoid the kones—as if we could."
"The cliff dwellers know something we don't," MacArthur said.
"The kones seem peaceful," Hudson said. "They treated me well."
"All we've met are scientists," Buccari said. "Watch what happens when the political or religious leaders get involved."
"Lieutenant, are these the Killers of Shaula?" Shannon asked.
"It's a big galaxy, Sergeant. It sure smells like it, but who knows?" Buccari said. "Enough for now. Nash, I want you to notify each member of the crew they are not to discuss cliff dwellers around the kones. Top Secret. Let's learn as much as we can, and be as nice as we can—but try not to tell them anything. We've got three days of diplomacy ahead of us. Don't blow it."
Chapter 33
A Genellan Year
Summer advanced; the settlement grew in steady stages but never fast enough for Buccari. Shannon knew he was in trouble before she spoke.
"Where the hell are they?" she snapped, flipping a thick braid of sun-streaked auburn over her shoulder. Lizard followed her like a dog, stylus in hand. Two other cliff dwellers—stone carvers— labored on the lodge foundation, setting stones and nervously watching the heated exchange. Whenever kones were present in the valley, the cliff dwellers became invisible, but with the kones gone, the knobby-headed creatures scurried about the settlement with characteristic single-minded purpose.