The Integral Trees

Another leapt in a zigzag pattern along the bark. But the dark-haired woman who had tried to kill him was now moving crosswise, back to where Gavving had left…left a burly red-haired corpse clutching a curve of silver metal.

Merril popped out of a crack just in front of her. Merril's fist smacked into the stranger's jaw with a sound Gavving heard even above the bass ripping sound he'd been ignoring while he fought for his life: a sound like the sky tearing apart. Now he heard the Grad shrilling like a cricket, a sound of panic, the words drowned in the roar.

But Gavving didn't need to hear. He knew.

"Clave! Claaave!"

Clave popped out of a deep crack and shouted, "Ready. What do you need?"

"We have to jump!" the Grad screamed. "All of us!"

"What are you talking about?"

"The tree's coming apart! That's how they survive!"

"What?"

"Get everyone to jump clear!"

Clave looked around. Jiovan was dead, floating tethered, but dead.

The Grad was already loose in the sky, with line coiled! Gavving…

Gavving moved across the shuddering bark, ripped something loose from a purple-clad corpse, continued in along the trunk. Jayan and Ji

Make a decision. Now. You don't know enough, but you've got to decide. It has to be you, it's always you.

Gavving. Gavving and the Grad were old friends. Did Gavving know something? He'd captured an invader weapon, and now he was far in along the trunk…headed for the meat they'd left when they went after the mushroom. Of course, they'd need food if they were to cast loose from the tree.

The Grad's mind could have snapped. But Gavving trusted him. and everything was happening at once: fire blazing on the tree, the trunk shuddering and moaning, strangers killing and then fleeing…

There were jet pods in Clave's pack. He could get his citizens back once things settled down. He bellowed, "Grad! Lines to the tree?"

"Nooo! Treefodder, no!"

"All right." He bellowed above the end-of-the-world roar. "Jayan! Ji

Reactions were various. Merril stared at him, thought it over, pushed herself free. Glory only stared. Jayan and Ji

The bark still shuddered, the sound filled tree and sky, the purpleclad killers were nowhere to be seen, and…nobody had gone after the fan fungus. Clave hurled himself at the stalk.

The fan bent under his weight, then tore loose and was turning end for end. Clave's fingers were sunk into white fungus. The tumbling thing seemed to be picking up speed. Faster, the bark raced beneath the tumbling fan fungus, faster…a fiery wind rushed past him and was gone before he could draw breath.

It wasn't possible. Bewildered, Clave saw tufts of flame receding in both directions. No tree. Citizens floundered in the sky. Even Alfin had jumped at last. But the tree, where was the tree? There wasn't any tree. Fistfuls of fungus turned to mush in aave's closing fists, and he screamed and wrapped his arms around the stalk. They were lost in the sky.

Chapter Eight

Qui

WOOD SNAPPED EXPLOSIVELY, SPATTERING GAVVING WITH splinters as he leapt across the bucking, tearing bark. A million insects poured from a sudden black gap that must have reached a klomter into the heartwood. Gavving cried out and waved his arms through the buzzing cloud, trying to clear enough air to breathe.

The tree was everything that was, and the tree was ending. If he'd stopped to think, his fear would have frozen him fast. He held to the one thought: Get the meat and get out!

The nose-arm legs tumbled loose within a cloud of burning coals. One haunch was in reach. Gavving caught a line to pull it free of the coals, then jumped to catch it against his shoulder. Hot grease burned his neck. He yelled and thrust himself away.,

Now what? He couldn't think in this end-of-the-world roar. He doffed his backpack, tied it against the nose-arm leg, braced against the pack, and pushed himself into the sky.

Clouds of insects and pulverized wood half hid the shuddering, thundering tree. Dagger-sized splinters flew past.

Gavving braced one of his jet pods against the pack and twisted the tip. Seeds and cold gas blasted past him. The pod ripped itself free of his hands, spat seeds into the flesh of his face, and was gone.

His hands shook. Beads of blood were pooling on his cheek and his neck. He dug out his remaining jet pod and tried again, his tongue between his teeth. This time the pod held steady until it had gone quiet

The world came apart.

He watched it all while his terror changed to awe. Fiery wind swept past him and left him in the open sky. Two fireballs receded in and out, until the home tree had become two bits of fluff linked by an infinite line of smoke.

Awesome! Nobody could hope to live through a bigger disaster. All of Qui

Nobody?

A cluster of specks, far out.

He'd used both his jet pods, and now he was lost in the sky. At least he wouldn't starve.

Thrashing his arms didn't stop the Grad's spin. He wasn't willing to use his jet pods for only that. He settled for spreading his arms and legs like a limpet star, which slowed him enough to search for survivors.

The left side of his face was wet. His fingertips traced a bloody gash that ran from temple to chin. It didn't hurt. Shock? But he had worse to worry him.

Three human shapes tumbled slowly nearby: purple marked with scarlet His stomach lurched. It was their own doing; he hadn't come here to kill.

The giant fan fungus floated free, turning, turning to reveal Clave clutching the stalk. Good. Clave still wore his backpack: very good.

That was their store of fresh jet pods. Then why wasn't Clave doing something about rescue?

Feet outward, Jayan and Ji

Merril was a fair distance in. Her arms hadn't pushed her far, and the tree's wind-wake had caught her.

The world's-end roar had dwindled, allowing lesser sounds. The Grad heard a thin wail. Alfin had leapt free after all. He was thrashing and spi

The Grad couldn't find Gavving, nor Glory, nor Jiovan. Jiovan's corpse must have gone with the tree, but where were the others? And why wasn't Clave doing something? He and the fan were drifting away. The Grad sighed. He shrugged out of his backpack and searched out his jet pods. Old jet pods, from Qui

The pod drove into his belly. He grunted. He maneuvered the point, hoping to kill his spin. The push died; he released the pod, and it jumped away on the last of its stored gas.

Looking over his shoulder, he found the fan fungus drifting toward him. Clave still wasn't doing anything constructive, and he hadn't noticed the Grad.