Ventus by Karl Schroeder

Karl Schroeder / Ventus / Page 756
the fleet. 3340 was dead, they told the admirals. The Flaw was
finally understood, and would be healed. But Ventus was not
now, nor would it ever be an Archipelagic world.
Axel had spent his last week on Ventus searching for
Calandria May. The Winds had been happy to let him sleep in
any Manse he came across, but they refused to help him find
her. They insisted that Calandria was free and able to make her
own decisions about her life; but they would not put Axel in
touch with her.
It was frustrating, but he could not bring himself to hate
the Winds. He was sure they were not being malicious. The
part that hurt, to which he could not reconcile himself, was the
idea that Calandria did not want to speak to him. After all they
had been through, it was a painful parting.
"We have to go," said Marya. The crowd that had been
watching the ship for days was backing away as the engines
whined into life. Some morphs shambled past the bottom of
the ship’s ramp, slobbering happily to one another. They had
itched to tend humans for centuries, and now they were finally
getting their chance. Those touched by them rarely died, no
matter how advanced their illness or injuries. It was ironic that
the gibbering, misshapen Winds most used by mothers to
frighten children were now being treated like royalty
everywhere they went.
He sighed, and turned away from the sight. As the doors
closed, Marya said, "Is it back to the mercenary’s life for you
now?"
He shook his head. "I wanted to talk to you about that. I
hear you’ve got a new job."
She smiled. Marya had been invited to become a
member of the new diplomatic staff the Archipelago wanted to
send to Ventus. He knew she must have leaped at the