Channel's Destiny

"He wasn't mistaken," said Zeth. "It was just like we were taught, except the stages went so fast."

Uel raised his head, shaking off Hank's solicitude. "Because the girl's a cha

"She's his granddaughter," Zeth supplied.

"What?!" exclaimed Jord Veritt, his head snapping up. As his attention went beyond his father for the first time, he saw his sister. "Hope! It's your daughter—?"

"I didn't know what else to do," said Mrs. Carson.

"You did the right thing," said Jord, moving toward his sister. Margid Veritt took his place beside her husband. Marji Carson cowered against the wall, watching everything with round brown eyes—the same color as Jord's, but wide and bright, not sunken into permanent hollows as his were.

Jord made no attempt to touch Mrs. Carson, but said gently, "Welcome home, Hope. The child you have brought us is a greater blessing than you know."

He turned to the girl. "Marji," he said, holding out his hands to her. "Welcome to Fort Freedom. Thank God for your mother's courage to bring you here."

The girl raised her hands to push him away, caught sight of her tentacles, and moaned, "No! Oh, no! I killed him!"

"No you didn't!" Jord said quickly. "Come and look." With an arm about her shoulders, he led her to look at her grandfather, still on the floor. "Zlin him, Marji—like this—"

She glanced at Jord, then back at her grandfather. Her eyes went blank as she zli

Uel said, "Abel's improving. When he finds out you're a cha

Mr. Veritt stirred, and moaned softly. His wife bent over him, but Uel said, "It's all right, Margid. Don't zlin his pain—you'll just reflect it. Do you have any fosebine? Abel and I could both use some. It wouldn't hurt Marji, either."

By the time Mrs. Veritt returned with the medicine, her husband's breathing was quickening. Uel knelt beside the old man as he stirred slightly, winced, and opened his eyes.

Mrs. Veritt was right there with the fosebine. He drank the bitter stuff down without even a grimace, but remained very still as Uel zli

Then the cha

Uel Whelan was entirely the cha

Weakness and pain prevented Mr. Veritt from more than a hint of a smile in response, but Uel went on in that same quiet way, "Your granddaughter is the new cha

The impact of even those quiet words brought animation back into the old man's body. "Thank God," he said in a hoarse whisper, and struggled to focus on Marji. "Bless you, child."

Jord said, his voice not at all like a cha

Mrs. Veritt answered for her husband. "God has more work for him. It was another miracle, Jord."

"We're all used to that," Uel added with a grin. "Abel,

we'll lift you onto the couch now, and then I want you to sleep."

"One thing," the old man whispered. "The bell."

"Don't worry—we'll let everyone know. Go to sleep, Abel. Fort Freedom will get along without you till tomorrow."

Mrs. Veritt helped install her husband on the couch, and left him asleep, Hank Steers in a big armchair beside the bed. "I'll get you something to eat, Hank."

"Thanks, Margid. Uel, I'll stay here tonight, unless you think a cha

"No—he's stable, Hank. Get some sleep yourself—this has been some day!"

Now Uel Whelan turned to Zeth. At the frown on the young cha

"I was trying to keep Marji from killing her mother."

"By letting her kill you?" . "She couldn't. I'm still a child," Zeth pointed out.

At Zeth's words, Uel went white with fury. "You could have been killed! You would have been!"

"But I'm not a Gen—"

"Marji very nearly killed a Sime! She'd have stripped you and never known the difference! Zeth, you are the hope of this community. How could you be so foolish!"

Zeth gasped as Uel's fingers bit into his shoulders with Sime strength. The young cha

Meanwhile, with the ringing of the bell on the green, excitement stirred through Fort Freedom. Tragedy averted, rejoicing filled the air.

Mrs. Veritt and lord put Marji to bed, and her mother managed to say good night to her. Jord told his sister, "Hope, you could stay at my house, but I'm afraid you're in no mood to let Uel or me-take your field down."

"Zeth explained that you two are cha

"As you are now," said Jord, "you're a temptation and an irritant to every Sime past turnover. You can't stay here in that condition—"

"Stay?" she interrupted. "I can't stay at all! I've got to go home. My husband doesn't know where I am!"

"It's almost sunset," said Jord. "There's no moon tonight.

You can't find your way in the dark, but Simes can find you. You have three choices. We can take you out to the Farris place, where all our new, untrained Gens stay. Or you can let us take your field down, and stay here or at my place next door. Then you can leave in the morning, or stay for Marji's feast. It would do her good to know you love her enough to stay."

"Lon will be so worried," said Mrs. Carson, "but Marji—"

"It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience. You've risked so much to bring her. Won't you stay and help her through her first day? I'm sure her father will understand."

She looked from Jord to Uel, then at her mother and the door behind which her daughter slept. Zeth saw her throat work. When she turned back to them, the worry lines between her brows were smoothed. "All right. But if I'm going to stay, it's going to be here, with Marji. So tell me what to do."

'Nothing. I do all the work—or Uel, if you prefer. You should know he's a better cha

"But you're my brother."

Despite her brave front, Mrs. Carson's hands shook. Uel moved to shield Mrs. Veritt as Jord said, "It's all right to be afraid. Everyone is, the first time. Don't try to control your fear, Hope—then you won't give me any surprises."

Zeth watched Jord's handling tentacles wrap about his sister's forearms. She looked down, trembling, as the small, moist laterals slid into place. "It's all right," Jord murmured. Then his lips grazed hers, and he began dismantling his grip.

Mrs. Carson stared at him. "That's all?"

He smiled at her. "That's all there is to it, Sis. You're low-field now."

Mrs. Carson was blushing as the blood returned to her skin with the end of her fear. "Oh, Jord!" Suddenly she hugged her brother, and the look of happiness on Jord Veritt's face took years off his age.

Watching Jord hug his sister, Zeth found for the first time that he believed what Abel Veritt had told him today. He was flooded with compassion for Jord, for Abel, for all the people struggling so desperately against what nature had done to them.

Uel Whelan gave Zeth a strange look, and came to the boy's side as Hope Carson turned from her brother to her mother, holding out her arms. Zeth watched, knowing what

Mrs. Carson did not know—what he had been part of the conspiracy to keep her from knowing.