Ventus by Karl Schroeder

Karl Schroeder / Ventus / Page 430
obviously annoyed Axel.
"We’ve heard of people like that," said Marya. "But
we’ve never been able to verify a case. If we had one to study,
I’m sure we could crack the problem."
He laughed shortly. "Too bad Turcaret’s dead."
"I’m not sure that’s a problem," she mused. "As long as
there’s bits of him left..."
She heard the grass rustle; Calandria was returning.
Marya saw the woman’s eyes glinting like two coals in the
darkness, and shivered. "We go after Armiger," said Calandria.
"You know we must."
"No," said Axel. "We can return with reinforcements.
I’m going to keep signalling for a ship, Cal. You can’t stop
me."
There was silence for a while. Then Calandria shrugged.
"You’re right, I can’t stop you."
The atmosphere around the fire suddenly seemed
poisonous. Marya stood up quickly.
"Think I’ll turn in," she said, smiling at them both.
Across the fire, Calandria nodded, her perfect face still as
carven stone in the firelight. Her eyes betrayed nothing, but
Marya thought she could feel the woman’s gaze on her back as
she knelt and made her bed.
Marya dreamed about home. Outside her window she
could see the gently upcurving landscape of Covenant, her
colony cylinder. Sunlight streamed through a thousand lakes
and pools, turning the hills and cities into translucent lace and
backlighting the spiral of clouds in the center of the cylinder.
As always, thousands of winged human figures drifted in the
air between her and those clouds.
She walked the deep moss carpets of home. She breathed