Destiny's Road

growing too close together and he feared merchant guards would see them wiggle.

He heard Tho

Three bicycles moved on, across the bridge and down the Road. Now all Jemmy had to do was catch them.

They would have gained from better pla

Jemmy was seething with impatience, but he'd have to be crazy to move now, in daylight, with merchants just below him. He crawled back among the fool cages and tried to sleep.

They must know they'd have to wait.

The next stream. They were past the merchant guards; why not stop? They'd wait at the next stream, and he'd see them and know it was safe to come down. And if he didn't see them?

No way could he sleep. He crawled up to where plants thi

Where water next crossed the Road, they weren't waiting. Jemmy made sure of that, then moved on.

What stopped him next was more than a stream.

The plant interface dipped, an arrowhead shape pointing at the Road. Jemmy's gaze followed the tree line down along rock that had run like wax. Frozen lava ran up to the ridge a thousand feet above him, and down almost to the Road itself, ending in a broad patch of green Earthlife trees and water gleaming between.

Interesting.

Jemmy could picture the giant landers Cavorite and Columbiad hovering on either side of the crest, moving parallel on pillars of violet flame bright enough to blind any witness, burning off the life of Destiny. Then return to seed the slopes with Earthlife. One of the ships must have paused here... yes, and he could see why. Above him the ridgeline bent by forty degrees.

Cavorite on the broad side had waited for Columbiad on the narrow side (or vice versa) to round the curve.

Water at the point of the lava triangle, then a thick stand of Earthlife trees, then the Road. The far side of the Road was a thriving village. There were shops along the Road, and a setback wide enough and long enough for a whole caravan, and a wide stream ru

Who were these people? It had never occurred to Jemmy that there was this much of civilization beyond Spiral Town. Somewhere the merchants went for their goods, and to trade what they got from the Spirals. And in between...?

And how could he cross bare and slippery rock?

He couldn't. He was going to have to go down.

5

On the Road

Twerdahl and his crew are ru

-Julius Radner, Council Chairman

Where the wall of ancient lava converged to a point, there was a shine of water, then leafy Earthlife trees. From high up it appeared that the forest ran right to the Road. As Jemmy descended, it became clear that he was approaching a swamp.

He wasn't eager to wade into that.

The trees were cypress and mangrove on a wide spread of shallow water. There were no competing Destiny trees, but the trees were festooned with what he first thought were snakes. Snakes everywhere... motionless black snakes winding through webs of yellow-green lace.

Vines. One was a variety he didn't recognize, but the others were Julia sets, the same vine the elder Ha

Something rippled along the water. A snake, a real one this time. Another moved among the vines. Something bigger shied from it: a man. Jemmy sank slowly into a crouch, then tried to ease behind a tree.

The man-boy-broke through to the open with evident relief. Looked around. Didn't see Jemmy. Jemmy stepped out of hiding, and Tho

'You all right?"

'Fine," Tho

"Easy going. How did you make out?"

"There are merchants at the bridge!" Tho

Fear rose up in Jemmy's throat. "Changed how?"

"Uh, well, we talked it over. Curdis says I'm the traders' best witness. I mean Tho

And so she wouldn't have watched men quarreling. "Right. So?"

"So they would have turned us back and how would you find us on the Road? So I didn't say I'm Tho

"With those eyes?"

"One of the merchants said that. I got insulted."

"Curdis's idea?"

"Yeah. The real Tim Ha

"Tim Ha

Jemmy's fury rendered Tho

If he couldn't get Tho

Tho

"Where were you?"

"Across the room, near the fireplace."

"Did Jemmy Bloocher do it? Fine. With the merchant's gun? What does he look like? What did you change?"

"I didn't lie. It was just a better fight."

"Curdis was listening? I can ask him?"

"Yeah."

"What were they like, these merchants you met?"

"We saw three men at the bridge, with a woman. They searched us. We bought some stuff from them. They lost interest when we said we were broke. You're still broke going back, okay?"

"They'll expect me to know them coming back?"

Tho

"Okay. Where are we? What are all these people doing here?"

"I don't know. Living here. I peeled off before we got close to anyone."

"Uh-huh."

"Four or five of them saw us together. Older people, Mom's age. They dress like, well, like Jael Harness."

"Did they wave? Throw rocks? Do they think we're weird?"

"They pointed at us and started shouting, maybe at us, maybe at the houses. Women too. Curdis and Brenda went on toward them, but I did what Curdis told me. I peeled off. Didn't let any of them get a close look. Tied the bike to a tree. You just go through the swamp, get on the bike, and go join them."

Jemmy began to wonder if he sounded properly grateful. He said, "Sounds like it all went like somebody pla

That pleased Tho

Jemmy tried to tell him. "There's practically nobody on the Road. I mean at night, I only went at night. Stay with the frost line and you won't be seen. There's plenty of water, springs. If you see a bird flapping in a fool cage, that's your di

"We trading backpacks?"

They did that. Jemmy said, "I made some fires. Did you see anything? Smoke?"

"Tiny fires in rock pits. I left some fire pits. You break them up when you finish with them."

They looked at each other.

Jemmy said, "Tho

"It's okay." Tho

"Hats!" Jemmy shouted.

He sailed Tho

Jemmy waded into the gloom. The water was knee-deep and tepid.

Jemmy's hat was sinking out of sight. Jemmy retrieved it and put it on. It streamed water, soaked like a sponge, but he had no other way to carry it. He was glad to have it back.