It was three days since the incident with Dilah, and Skywise found it hard to stop thinking about her even for a moment. She, however, ignored him completely, as if he was not worth hatred or any other emotion. He had asked Leetah, but she had refused to explain Dilah's behavior, saying that if the Silent One herself wanted him to know he would know, voice or no voice.
It was noon, and he was resting with Starjumper in the cave he had chosen as his dwelling. He was thinking about Dilah's voice. He had heard the voices of many a female in throes of passion. Foxfur's sighs had been almost like laughter; Nightfall, sometimes, howled like a wolf. The Sun Village girls moaned and squealed like birds, or miaowed and purred like cats. Dilah had been silent, the only sign of pleasure her intensified breath, silent until that last time when she had cried out like no female Skywise had ever joined with.
Yet there was something familiar in her voice. It took him a moment to realize who had cried like that, wild and hoarse-voiced in the midst of a rare initiation to a pleasure so exquisite it was almost akin to pain.
Tam.
He sighed. Yet another reason to be obsessed about Dilah, yet another memory to muddle the 'now'. Better get some sleep. He'd need his strength on the hunt tonight.
Leaning on the flank of Starjumper, Skywise slept. And dreamed:
Dilah walked down the mountain path, into the wasteland of sand. This time she kept on walking. There were no stars in the sky above; it was all covered in dark clouds. He ran after her, shouting:
"Wait! You'll die out there! There is no water!"
Dilah stopped and turned.
"I need no water. I can make the clouds rain whenever I wish." Her voice was Cutter's voice, but without its usual warmth.
"No, you can't! Savah says you can't!"
"Does she now? I know the clouds better than she does."
"Savah knows magic better than anyone! You have clouds in your head if you think otherwise."
"Enough. I'm going."
"No! Wait!"
He tried to run after her, but although she walked with no haste, it was impossible to catch her. As if he had not moved at all, the way one often tries to run in dreams. Dilah walked on, into the darkness, into the cloudy sky. She evaporated like mist, was gone like a wavering heat-vision. Her spear lay abandoned in the sand.
Then the clouds rained, and the rain was blood.