Joan D. Vinge - Cat 03 by Dreamfall

Author:Dreamfall [Dreamfall]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 2011-12-14T22:27:17+00:00

I pulled myself together again, not wanting Miya to see me falter, not wanting her to think she was the one that I had doubts about. I stood with my back to her until I was completely certain that I was still on solid ground; still in Freaktown, staring out through a single filthy pane of glass at the same unreachable view.

“Bian,” Miya murmured. At first I didn’t realize that she was speaking my name. (Bian.)

“What?” I said. My voice was a shambles.

She was standing barely an arm’s length from me as I turned around. I flinched in surprise, even as she reached out to me. “Bian,” she repeated, gently, as if she was trying to remind me of something.

“You arc part of us now … but Naoh was right, you don’t know what that means. You need to know.

Let me show you. Come with me.” She took hold of my hands, drawing me forward.

I took a deep breath and followed her back across the room. She leaned down to pick up Joby. He reached up to me. I held out my arns, and she settled him into them. The weight of his small body felt good, solid, anchoring me in reality. I saw the lines of strain above her eyes ease just a little. “Miya,” I said, “we don’t have time. Borosage isn’t going to give us the time. We’ve got to find a way to neutralize him. Tau’s already let him off his leash.”

“Naoh has a plan,” she repeated, looking distracted, looking at Joby. “She’s seen the Way. If we follow her vision, we won’t die—we’ll win. ‘We’ll be given everything we need to rebuild our world. I trust her ….”

I kept silent, wishing that I did. For the first time since I’d lost control of my Gift, I saw a reason to be glad I still had the defenses that kept the world out. Because they kept Naoh out. Even when we were alone Miya couldn’t see the situation objectively, free of Naoh’s mind-clouding paranoia. I only saw now how much of Miya’s concentration was bound up in caring for Joby. How it could make her easy to use.

I didn’t like thinking that, but Naoh was using her, intentionally or not, using her trust, using what was good in her against her. Sucking her into the Satoh’s mindset until she was too deeply involved to see anything independently. “Who else do you trust? Hanjen? The oyasin—?” She frowned as I mentioned Hanjen. I remembered what Naoh had said about him.

“The oyasin,” I repeated. “We need to ask her how she sees this. Tau’s probably got her under surveillance … can you get us to the monastery?”

Miya nodded. She looked dubious, but her eyes were registering me again, like I’d finally said something that didn’t short out her resolve. I watched her gather herself, felt her gather me in, the boy in my arms … the boy inside me, afraid of the dark and yet hungry for it

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