Ventus by Karl Schroeder

Karl Schroeder / Ventus / Page 700
AI’s striking resemblance to Calandria May still disturbed
Axel, but the Voice was obviously a different person: she
stared around herself with the wide-eyed wonder of someone
who had never set foot on a planet before.
"You've been here," he chided. "You dropped us off last
summer, remember?"
She shook her head. "I had a different body than. To be
this small and vulnerable in this environment... it's
indescribable."
Both humans smiled at her. Then Marya pointed at the
twin mountains rising above them. "Look! There's buildings
way up there, on the side."
"Gods." Axel's mind boggled at the amount of labour it
must have taken to put those structures up there. "Maybe that's
where she is."
He hoped she was nearby, and not on the other side of
those mountains. The ocean lay there; Axel had seen it as they
came in. He had also seen strange waterfalls that vanished into
shafts in the far side of the two peaks, as well as what looked
like gigantic pipes shimmering under the surface of the ocean.
There were a few towns around here, but no major cities within
a day's travel of this place. He had no idea what Calandria
might be doing out here.
He closed his eyes and concentrated. He felt the signal-but
it wasn't coming from the mountains. "She's in the valley,"
he said. "A kilometer or two at most that way. Seems to be
moving in this direction, fast."
"Should we wait, or go out to meet them?" asked Marya.
"Ka," somebody said.
A shadow whipped past and Axel and Marya ducked.
The Voice turned, blinking in astonishment at the large hawk
that swept in a circle around the perimeter of the clearing