Under a Starless Sky

Chapter 30

Candace woke to the smell of breakfast, roasted Irk. She screamed, sitting up, putting her back against

tree. Her scream brought three Irks out of the shadow. She stopped screaming. Shen petted Irksome

and thanked him for watching out for them. They retreated.

“I didn’t dream that? It really happened?!” Candace asked.

“It really happened,” Shen said.

“You’re friends with Irks?”

“I wouldn’t say all Irks. I am apparently imprinted on Irksome. Their social structure is much more

complicated than I imagined. I think his lady friends follow his lead. We are either under his protection,

or they think I am the alpha,” Shen said. “I don’t speak Irk. They may just recognize human as not Irk

and we’re Irksome’s property. In that case, they will protect us as if we were eggs.”

Candace didn’t have a response.

“Have something to eat,” Shen said.

She assessed the bounty, not understanding. The rotisserie seemed professionally made, not

something thrown together out of whatever one could find in the wilderness. With the proper tools

made available by TL, Shen had made quick work of the Irk carcasses. Nothing went to waste. He had

several almost perfect stretches of leather hide, connecting trees. They were absolutely perfect from

Candace perspective- and since she knew Shen hated killing things, she probably didn’t understand

how he had done it so skillfully- so quickly. A bundle of feathers, sorted by down or quill quality, in

gunny sacks made from hemp; manifested through replicator technology. Several jars of pitch. Several

bags of Irk jerky, already dried and preserved with salts. An assortment of bones, some for tools, some

for grounding for bone meal for food or gardening. There were jars full of bone meal. There was more

material here than the two of them could carry back to Midelay. What he didn’t take, the Irks ate.

“Who are you?” Candace asked.

“I am Shen, your hated brother,” Shen said.

“You take that back! I have never hated you,” Candace snapped.

“You’re angered by my perception,” Shen said.

“You frustrate the hell out of me, but I have always stood up for you,” Candace said. “Where is the tree

spirit?”

“I am sorry?” Shen said.

“Your woman friend. Or was she the dream? Is she human, or tree spirit? Are you really friends with the

trees?” Candace asked.

Shen debated not telling her.

“I am not crazy,” Candace said.

“You are not crazy,” Shen said. “I call her TL. Technically, the acronym is TLC, Torch Light Companion.

This particular personality interface happens to be a mirror of my friend. Someone I love very dearly.

They’re connected in a way I don’t know how to describe. Usually when TLC is first activated, the

personality interface is constructed out of subconscious archetypes that the user will likely respond well

to. This TLC was pre-established, and because of my link with her origin self, she maintained this form.

The deeper reality of her is much more complicated, but then, that is true for all of us, isn’t it?”

“I don’t understand anything you just said,” Candace said.

“It isn’t necessary,” Shen said.

“Your friend is distant? She can bilocate?” Candace asked.

“Um,” Shen said, amused. “That is one way to look at it. Close enough. Yeah. Why not.”

“She’s a master?!” Candace said.

“She is. She is the embodiment of pure love,” Shen said.

“I really don’t understand you, or anything you have said, but I accept this, you are a shaman and can’t

speak rationally,” Candace said. She suddenly became worried and went for the branch that fell with

her. She put her hands on it. “No! I slept too long.” She started to cry.

“Have her touch it again,” TL said, direct to Shen’s brain.

“Touch it again,” Shen said.

Candace put her hand on it. TL provided information from the infrared and ultraviolet wavelengths,

translated into a medium and overlaying it with his normal vision- so Shen could see what she saw. The

leaves were glowing. He suddenly had insight, not from TL, not from Candace, but a direct

transmission from the tree. He spoke what he heard, or at least, what he was translating.

“The tree accepted you. You are now one,” Shen said. “Shape this branch into a staff and your gift will

be revealed.”

“Are you one with a tree, too?” Candace asked.

“There is only one tree,” Shen said.

“That can’t be true,” Candace said. She stood up. She paused. Her leg was healed. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Shen said.

Candace recovered her bag and brought out paint. She prepared to paint the tree.

“Midelay is that way,” Shen pointed.

“What?”

“You paint the side facing Midelay,” Shen said.

“How do you know…”

“Which way Midelay is, or which side of the tree you paint?”

“How do you know everything?”

“How do you know anything?” Shen asked. “I observe, I make guesses, and sometimes I am right.”

Candace accepted his recommendation and painted the side of the tree pointing the way back home.

Using a different color, she put her mark on it.

“Why did you come so far into the forest?” Shen asked.

“I was called,” Candace said. She considered this. “We are linked. Is your tree near here?”

“I am not aligned with a tree,” Shen said.

“Because of your age, maybe,” Candace said. “Or because you’re male.”

Shen bit down on his irritation. TL saw the slight as minimal and was curious about his anger response

but didn’t comment.

Candace removed a metal tool from her bag and began to remove excess branch from her future staff.

She had a good deal of material to remove. She collected every piece removed and placed it in a pile.

She ate the leaves. Shen was worried but TL assured her, they were reasonably non-toxic. They might

irritate her stomach, result in an urgency to eliminate. Candace accepted a meal of Irk.

“This is too luxurious,” Candace said, but kept eating. “I am afraid they will reject me.”

“Don’t tell them,” Shen said.

“I must speak the truth of it,” Candace said.

“They probably won’t believe you,” Shen said.

Candace saw the truth in that.

“You must come back with me,” Candace said.

“No,” Shen said.

“If you come back with me, carrying this bounty, they will believe me,” Candace said. “If I am to be

rejected, it will be with evidence for my truth.”

“They won’t reject you,” Shen assured her.

“You would let this bounty go to waste?” Candace asked.

“I don’t want it to go to waste,” Shen said. “You can help me carry some of it back to my cave, then I

will carry stuff with you back to the edge of light.”

“You are not banned,” Candace said.

“Nor am I welcomed,” Shen said.

“You may be surprised,” Candace said.

“Maybe,” Shen said. “Would you be okay if I close my eyes for a while?”

“You’re tired?”

“I haven’t slept since you fell,” Shen said.

Candace face softened. She became tearful. “I am confused.”

“By what?” Shen asked.

“You hold so much fear, anger even, and yet, you always demonstrate love through protection of

others,” Candace said. “You believe I hate you, and yet you watch over me with love.”

“It’s the right thing to do,” Shen said.

“Then why can’t you accept that I, and everyone at Midelay, will always do right by you?” Candace

asked.

Shen eyes leaked. “That’s not been my experience.”

“We love you,” Candace said. “It is you who reject us, not the other way around.”

“I am going to sleep now,” Shen said. He pointed to a tree. “I designated that for toilet. There’s already

hole if you need to use it. There’s a shovel there, water, cloth. You’re safe in my light.”

Shen laid down, closed his eyes, and in the comfort and embrace of his uniform, he slept better than he

remembered sleeping since second birth.