Fractal Mode

Chapter 17

Exhilarated but disappointed, she turned to join Stave. She remained unwilling to admit it, but she enjoyed her sessions of pseudo-love with him as much as the dancing now. It would be so easy just to forget her destiny and take the safe way. In fact, recently he had been firmer about this than she; he did want her, but he wanted her destiny to be realized first. He did not want to divert her from it. That was part of what she had come to appreciate in him.

But he was gone. Perplexed she looked around-and spied him far to the side, with the dog. Cougar had run after something, evidently, and Stave had gone to investigate.

They would return in a moment.

Then Nona felt something strange again. She heard the music, though she was not dancing. In fact it had not stopped; she had merely been distracted from it for a moment. The Megaplayers-could they be coming after all? She turned to face the cliff-and there was a shimmering there at the verge where she had just danced. She had tuned in to something!

Four figures appeared. They did not walk in from the land, or fly down from the sky, or climb up the cliff. They just were there, an instant after there had been nothing but her feeling. They must be the Players!.

But they were small-on her own scale, not giants who could wield the mighty stone instruments. There was a man, and an old woman, and a girl, and a horse. The man was looking down toward the sea, evidently appraising the monstrous dulcimer. The girl was looking right this way.

The man turned to look at Nona. So did the horse. Then the girl"s voice was in her mind. I am Colene.

I am Nona, she replied in her mind, amazed. What kind of magic was this? Hello, Nona. We are friends. And the thought was so sincere that she believed it.