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<strong>Eye</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Ocean</strong> – <strong>Book</strong> 3: Ji’Jin <strong>Station</strong><br />
“Did <strong>the</strong>y?”<br />
Oimit nodded. “You can find <strong>the</strong>m, you had a glimpse <strong>of</strong> where <strong>the</strong>y went.”<br />
Had she? Someone else had, she thought. Poss a'ltic closed her eyes, <strong>the</strong> glare<br />
<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> sun from <strong>the</strong> light haze was already giving her a headache; <strong>the</strong> ocean was<br />
gone, <strong>the</strong> farms were gone, only a shimmering white and <strong>the</strong> sun straight above.<br />
But <strong>the</strong> day had been clear, she remembered. The ocean had been a line <strong>of</strong><br />
silver-green and <strong>the</strong> shore blazed white before <strong>the</strong> dark <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> farms, <strong>the</strong> order in<br />
<strong>the</strong> growing things after <strong>the</strong> wild...<br />
Oimit didn't know that it had been different. Had she access to fragments <strong>of</strong><br />
memory pulls only and those distorted by overpattern effect? Or, more likely,<br />
only words to make up a story <strong>of</strong> what had happened?<br />
The ocean was green fire when she opened her eyes. She turned <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r<br />
way. Ri-altar, <strong>the</strong> moss brown and dry under her feet, she raised spores and dust<br />
from <strong>the</strong> brittle plants. How many times had she been here, she wondered as she<br />
walked away from <strong>the</strong> edge. Over how many years, but with each day existing<br />
single and perfect? And as joined to a thousand years past as to <strong>the</strong> day before.<br />
“Oimit?” she said, realizing she hadn't passed <strong>the</strong> two. “Tu'pin?” More flies<br />
swarmed, but quieter ones. One more step, but a quick one away from <strong>the</strong> ring <strong>of</strong><br />
trees, and suddenly, <strong>the</strong> sky was a boiling gray mass held back by <strong>the</strong> rise <strong>of</strong> Rilight<br />
from <strong>the</strong> center <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> mound.<br />
One <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> dreams that she couldn't quite make behave. She had been here<br />
she remembered and remembered <strong>the</strong> consequence. Niv. Kalduka d'Nivhks. She<br />
felt his hands on her and almost laughed. Ulanda had some compensation. She<br />
hadn't laughed <strong>the</strong>n, or cried except from <strong>the</strong> pain. She had killed him, she<br />
remembered and still hadn't cried and certainly hadn't laughed. Overpattern<br />
hadn't touched that Poss a'ltic, she felt <strong>the</strong> lack <strong>of</strong> it waiting for her, her o<strong>the</strong>r self<br />
was very close.<br />
The hands pressed harder, she must be partly out <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> pull for anyone to see<br />
her, to feel her. The vision was lingering. Or should she complete <strong>the</strong> pull? No.<br />
Green was merely a light and dark skin on <strong>the</strong> ocean; she didn't want to leave <strong>the</strong><br />
deep water. Her home - she wondered when that had happened. Ti'win, he had<br />
wanted to know what overpattern was like. The gray fell around her now like<br />
clouds <strong>of</strong> flies. The hands on her were too clumsy now to be his or A'in's or Niv's:<br />
a fly's hands, a fly's buzz in her ears.<br />
She looked at <strong>the</strong> dank walls. Stained, green tinged algae grew in <strong>the</strong> cracks.<br />
The air remained hot but stank, laden with water. Kascin's face pressed against<br />
<strong>the</strong> back <strong>of</strong> her neck, buried in <strong>the</strong> hair that had pulled loose. She felt his sobs <strong>of</strong><br />
exhaustion even as his fingers dug into <strong>the</strong> flesh <strong>of</strong> her upper arms. The gauze<br />
overrobe was torn and stained.<br />
The Clan marks on Oimit's face were pale to <strong>the</strong> flame <strong>of</strong> her skin. What color<br />
really? Red would do for that as well as for her underrobe, Poss a'ltic thought, as<br />
Laurel Hickey www.2morrow.bc.ca