The sound when we left the ship was deafening. A discordant, unharmonious choir of undulating shadow called out at once to their returning leader. I pressed myself hard against Perikos, trying to hide my entire body in its cool mass. I couldn't understand anything in the mess, the music was too jumbled and the notes too confused. I could barely see anything at all against the dark horizon and the shadows except for the glowing red light emanating from the earth beneath the spongy fungal ground. The first thing I noticed was stupidly the only thing I had never even considered -- the gravity. On Ferox 4 I always felt flexible and well-balanced; on Kragosa I felt clumsier and heavier at first but as they starved me it didn't really last long and I adapted. The gravitational field on the ship seemed perfect somehow, or at least I never even thought about it. But here I felt much slower and heavier, like I'd gained twenty kilograms overnight. I struggled to keep pace with Perikos' easy glide but considering my lack of exercise over the past year, just walking was difficult. Perikos slowed down, gathering me close to its darkness and waited for me to catch up.
An enormous mass of shadow split off from the rest and descended like a serpent meters before us. I felt faint, dazzled by its size and speed and strangeness. And then everything went silent.
The dark creature before us sang out, its music joyous yet tense. I wasn't even aware Perikos could sing out loud; it always extended a tendril to my ear and its music was so quiet by comparison. This music addressed the crowd and this time I understood its meaning.
"
Welcome back, Leader! We believed you would never return and lost all hope! You have done the impossible! How is it that you are well in spite of all you must have endured?
"
A tendril pressed against my earlobe and I heard Perikos' words to its friend, spoken softly, addressing the shadow directly rather than speaking to the crowd.
"
Thank you for your warm welcome. I shall tell you soon, my Second, for it is a thrilling story and I bear good news on my return. I brought back with me something
--"
"
An alien!
" Boomed the enormous Shadow before us and I felt the press of a hundred sightless senses searching for me through the air. "
You have brought an Other here, Leader, because you know times are meager and the Resistance needs --
"
"
Thank you, Second, but we are tired and we wish to rest before any formal greeting
," Perikos interrupted quietly, its tone guarded, even dangerous.
"
We!
" Shadow's carrying notes reverberated off the ship, the ground, even my bones. Something strange, invisible but palpable was emanating from Perikos and Shadow must have sensed it because it took a different tact. "
The Resistance struggles and now it has hope! You have come back as if from the dead, so glorious are you! How can I ask your people to wait when it would give them such hope?
"
Perikos shifted a moment, coiling more tendrils around my back and shoulders. In the same soft tune it said, "
Then tell them I only require a quarter hour to compose myself before I am ready to greet them again
."
There was more pressing silence and this time it was Shadow's turn to say something quietly, for only Perikos and I could hear, except I couldn't understand it. It too was musical but it sounded like no notes or pitch I had ever heard before. I couldn't pull emotions or impressions or memories or anything like I usually could from the song.
Without responding, Perikos pulled me away, past the gauntlet of other Perikos and away from Shadow and around something that looked to me like a giant fungal tree. I strained to see it even in the red light, and struggled to pull my body along with Perikos. It pulled me beside the tree and I collapsed onto its soft, slippery trunk.
"They wanted to eat me, didn't they?" My voice sounded flat, vacant. I knew they would at first but I hadn't counted on the Shadow getting pushy about it.
"
They're not going to
," Perikos said.
"Won't that make you kind of unpopular?" I asked.
"
I anticipated that they would be shortsighted, that they would notice a creature as appealing as you are and would lose self-control. They would not understand what it could mean for us, for the Resistance
."
"And what exactly do I mean for the Resistance? Because I was never really clear on that." I felt my temper flair up again.
"
Here war is won by whoever has the greatest number of expendable supporters, soldiers who live and die for the cause. Soldiers who volunteer to feed the rest of us when there is no other choice, no animals or prisoners-of-war on the opposing side. Compared to you there is little sustenance to be gained from one another anymore. You are a rechargeable energy cell, that, when used carefully, would never run out of fuel
."
I sat there speechless. I knew I could help Perikos, certainly it had told me I could help with the war. But this?
"My pleasure and fear are your strategic advantage and all you have to do is convince your friends not to use me all up before you get organized, have I got it right?"
"
No one else will use you
," Perikos said, its tone dark, impatient. And something else.
"But you will?"
"
Naturally. You agreed to feed me
."
"Well! I…fine!" I blustered. The truth was I didn't like to think of Perikos understanding me in such terms. How human of me.
A thick tendril began to pet the top of my head. "
Little Shade, calm yourself. You are so deliciously afraid you are not thinking rationally
."
I took a deep breath and counted down from ten.
"
The others of my kind sensed the incredible power and complexity of human fear when you disembarked. I anticipated this problem as well. Their hunger is great and you are as tempting as waving well-cooked flesh in front of a starving human. Difficult to resist
."
Not exactly a pleasant picture but I got the point. "I get that they want to eat me, but what now?"
"
Now they are assembling, waiting for me to speak to them. To promise them hope, justice and revenge against the King's Faction. They are curious about you, about why I am so protective of you. No doubt they thought I brought them a gift to honor my victory in escaping. Now instead they suppose I am being deliberately selfish and avaricious. The longer I delay explaining the situation to them the more volatile they become
."
I shivered then and Perikos tipped my chin up to stroke my lips with the feather-soft tendril. "
I know this frightens you. I will not ask you not to be frightened and at any rate I am not sure it would help. I only remind you to trust completely that I will keep you safe
."
That was a tall order, I thought. I kept checking the horizon for sunrise and seeing nothing. I heard them now, not far away with the riotous sound. Perikos extended a tendril to help me up.
"
You seem tired
."
