"Sono" Part Fifteen
Disclaimers in part one.
The time away had changed the garden, Malcolm thought as he stepped out of the shuttlepod. There was more snow on the ground now, the branches of the trees bowed down by the weight of sharp icicles. The sky was grey and dim, and when Malcolm let out a breath, it drifted in the air, the warmth of it stolen by the freezing air.
A few Epa-in children were playing in the snow, their faces clean of the paint the adults wore, eyes full of joy. Their laughter rang in the still air. A young boy stopped playing and watched the rest of the shuttlepod passengers disembark--Archer next, Trip after him. Phlox's face appeared at the opening, then ducked back in.
Malcolm looked away from the boy, as Archer moved past Malcolm to the front of the group. He looked past the back of Archer's head, to the Regent's hogan, where smoke rose in a steady thin stream of darker grey against the sky.
Malcolm fought hard against the feeling of doom pressing against his chest, the doubt that spoke in a needling whisper, the cycling thoughts that hadn't stopped--she will never wake up, she will never wake up, they can do nothing, nothing at all, you'll be left alone, all alone, no hope, no hope, you'll never look her in the eyes again--and below that, the one thought that he refused to hear.
You never told her.
He heard the snow give way beside him and let his gaze drift away from the dark sky to Trip, who stopped beside him.
"Seems peaceful," Trip said.
Malcolm said nothing, just returned his gaze to the smoke streaming from the hogan.
"It was," he said, after a long moment.
Trip looked back at the open door of the shuttlepod. Doctor Phlox stood in the gap. His face was unusually somber. He said, "I'll keep an eye on her, Commanders. Until you return." He closed the hatch. Trip turned back to Malcolm, catching the eye of Archer as he did so.
Archer said, "Come on. Let's go see if Tolias can help."
He started across the clearing, Trip and Malcolm following. They passed the boy, still staring. When he saw Malcolm, he dropped his head, becoming as still as any frightened wild animal.
The gesture bit at Malcolm. The recognition was unexpected and as chilling as the air.
They continued on, the hogan becoming clearer with each step. Within twelve meters Malcolm saw the skins in front of the entrance stir, and Tolias' u-ardan exit, with Tolias and another man on his heels.
Tolias came toward them, his two men moving to the back.
Within earshot, Tolias said, "Captain Archer. Commander Reed. And?"
"Commander Tucker." Archer said.
Tolias nodded and turned to indicate the other man he'd brought. "This is our medic. You have brought your sey-na?"
"Yes," Archer said, "she's in our shuttlecraft with our doctor."
"May I see her?"
Archer curtly nodded and turned back to the way they had come.
Phlox came out to meet them, nodded at the Regent when Archer introduced them and took the Regent's medic back with him inside the shuttlecraft. The others crowded around the entrance, listening to the murmured back and forth between Phlox and the Regent's doctor, and watched while the man placed his hand on Hoshi's forehead and then draw out a scanner. Done with his scan, the medic turned back to Tolias and said, "This woman does carry the voice of Taiu."
Tolias turned to Archer, his face grave, saying, "We can help her, if you will trust us."
Archer gave his assent.
They took her back to Tolias' hogan, where the Epa-in doctor, Phlox and Tolias vanished behind a partition, carrying Hoshi there with them. The u-ardan stopped Archer, Trip and Malcolm from following, saying, "You will wait here."
"Will the Regent be joining us?" Malcolm asked.
The u-ardan shook his head, bent his head down, and extended his hand. Archer reached out, touching his hand to the Bearer. Still keeping his eyes down, the u-ardan turned and left.
Trip said, "I don't like that."
"What do you mean?" Archer asked.
"Their deference--it's disturbing. Smacks of slavery."
"I always felt there was something off." Malcolm muttered.
Archer sat down, cross-legged, after giving them both a quieting look. They sat down next to him, but both gave the impression they would rather stand. Malcolm's foot jittered back and forth.
"I wonder why the Regent isn't joining us," Trip said.
"I suspect it's because he is assisting their healer," Archer pointed out.
"Something about this just rubs me the wrong way," Trip muttered.
Archer said, "Phlox is with him. I doubt he would agree to anything that would harm Hoshi."
The rustling of the curtain where Tolias and Phlox had disappeared cut Trip's intended response off and all three men stood, turning to the sound. The sound of soft singing reached them from the secluded area. Archer, Malcolm, and Trip watched as the curtains parted and Tolias stepped through, followed by a group of women. Malcolm spotted the u-ardan and Phlox at the back of the group.
One woman, younger than the others, held a goblet in front of her, both hands around the stem. Tolias led the women in slow, solemn steps.
Archer said, "That song sounds familiar."
"It's the one he sang when we were here last," Malcolm answered, still looking at the group.
The u-ardan's gaze locked onto Malcolm's and held. The procession advanced, parting to reveal Hoshi on a pallet, clothed like the group of women, in a thin linen cloth shift. None of the women wore paint, unlike the others in the hogan.
The procession continued through the hogan, past the people gathered within, who had all ceased their work and stood with their heads bent down. A hum of the same melody came from them, reverberating through the dwelling.
The group passed Archer and the others. As the u-ardan passed Malcolm he said, "Follow."
Phlox, while still grim-faced, spared a brief smile for Malcolm and fell in step with them.
Trip, his voice hushed, said, "They're going outside."
Archer said, "Yes."
"It's freezing out there. You saw how they were dressed! Why would--"
"Hush," Archer said.
Trip shot a disbelieving look at him, his mouth open.
Archer raised his eyebrows.
Trip looked to Malcolm and received nothing but a stolid stare.
"Fine," he grumbled.
They passed through the curtains guarding the entrance and Trip fell back behind Archer, next to Malcolm.
"Malcolm," he whispered, "this isn't right."
"He asked us to trust him."
"And you do trust him?"
"No, but I do trust his u-ardan."
Trip seemed to have no answer to that.
They walked down the path, past all the snow-covered trees and bushes, down past the bench Hoshi had sat on in the moonlight, past the merest hint of a stone-bordered plot. The Epa-in never stopped singing and the sound was bright, yet doleful in the winter stillness. They walked until Malcolm spied a statue set far in a niche in the wall that enclosed the compound.
The wall held the bare, twisted curves of a vine that circled around the base of the statue. As they drew closer, the details of the sculpture became more distinct to Malcolm.
It was a tree and below it were two figures locked tight in an embrace, a female and male, he supposed, from the relative heights of the couple. Where the smaller one's feet should have been, instead seemed to continue into the carven ground and Malcolm realized that the sculpture was a physical representation of the story Hoshi had told him.
It was here they stopped. The bearers of Hoshi's pallet lowered it to the ground, mindful of its weight. Tolias stepped to one side, joined by his u-ardan, while the women gathered around Hoshi. They knelt, in the cold snow, still holding their goblets. When they stopped singing, Malcolm became conscious of how silent it was and realized he'd been holding his breath.
Trip muttered something under his breath that Malcolm did not catch.
The girl raised her goblet to their mouth and drank, emptying the vessel. Once empty, she dug it into the snow and poured the snow out over Hoshi. Once done, she passed it to the woman beside her, who did the same.
Malcolm felt Trip jerk beside when the snow hit Hoshi. Malcolm shot a look at Phlox, whose calm face reassured him. Malcolm raised an arm out in front of Trip, stopping him.
"Don't," Malcolm murmured.
"You can't be serious," Trip hissed.
Malcolm turned to Archer, who had not moved. Archer nodded in support, not looking any happier than Trip. "We have to let this play out, Trip," he said.
Trip set his mouth stubbornly and turned his head away. Only Malcolm noticed Trip blinking as if he had dust in his eyes. Malcolm tightened his lips, unconsciously imitating Trip's expression and returned his attention to the ceremony.
The women had covered Hoshi with snow, leaving only her face visible. Now, finished, they closed their eyes, as if waiting. The one girl who had drunk, lifted her voice in song again and the others hummed in harmony with her.
At first, it seemed as though nothing was happening, so when Trip said, "Look," in a voice filled with wonder, Malcolm couldn't see what Trip was pointing out. Archer asked, "What?"
"Look at the snow."
They looked closer and what seemed at first the sparkle of sun on the snow grew stronger until a bright white glow emanated from Hoshi's body. The snow began to melt, but instead of running off Hoshi's skin, it was absorbed into it.
Malcolm heard himself murmuring, "Unbelievable." He glanced over at the others, noting the stunned look on Archer's face and that Trip was nodding his head in silent agreement.
The three men stood there, stunned, until the girl who had started the song stopped singing and stood. The other women also stood and Tolias stepped forward and tucked the girl to his side, shielding her. As if snapped by a rubber band, Trip started forward.
"Come on," he said, and both Malcolm and Archer hesitated before following after him. Malcolm thought that he would head straight to Hoshi, but instead, Trip accosted Tolias.
"Is that it? Is she all right now?" He demanded.
"Judge for yourself."
Malcolm swung his head around to look at Hoshi on the ground.
Phlox had already kneeled beside her. He looked up from his scanner and said, "She should awaken soon." As he did, Malcolm thought he saw Hoshi's eyelids flutter.
He bent down and stretched out his hand to touch her. Her eyes opened. He pulled back. Her eyes closed again and she brought a hand to her head.
He said, "Hoshi?"
She mumbled something that sounded like, "I'm sorry."
Trip reached past Malcolm, his jacket in hand. "Put this around her." He also bent down and took Hoshi by the hand, saying, "Wake up."
Her eyes opened and remained open. She said, "Malcolm?"
Malcolm hastened to say, "I'm here."
She held her free hand out to him and Malcolm and Trip pulled her up. Trip settled the jacket around her shoulders. Hoshi gathered it close to her with one hand. They walked the few steps to where Archer and Tolias stood. Tolias was saying, "We are very sorry, Captain, that this ever happened."
"We accept your apology, Regent. What will happen with her?" Archer asked, looking down at the girl, who had her face turned into Tolias' side.
"This ceremony was performed out of season. She will be placed in proper care, apart from the others. The voice she carries will be restored in due time."
"I see."
"If," Tolias hesitated, "you wish, you may visit us, later, after your Hoshi has recuperated."
"Thank you. We'll consider it."
Tolias nodded and left Archer, following the rest in the direction of his hogan. Archer shook his head, a sad look on his face.
Hoshi, still allowing Malcolm and Trip to support her, looked up at Archer. She said, "I'd like to go home, sir."
None of them looked back.