"Ha! And they've seen through to your meanness, eh?" The situation made Steel proud. He had succeeded where Flenser's own methods would have failed. He had manipulated without threats or pain. It had been Steel's craziest experiment, and certainly his most profitable. But "— Look, I don't have time to wetnurse anyone. It's a tiresome thing to talk to those two." And it was very tiresome to hold his temper, to suffer Jefri's "petting" and Amdi's pranks. In the beginning, Steel had insisted that no one else have close contact with the children. They were too important to expose to others; the most casual slipup might show them the truth and ruin them. Even now, Tyrathect was the only pack besides himself who had regular contact. But for Steel, every meeting was worse than the last, an ultimate test of his self control. It was hard to think straight in a killing rage, and that's how almost every conversation with them ended for Steel. How wonderful it would be when the space folk landed. Then he could use the other end of the tool that was Amdijefri. Then there would be no need to have their trust and friendship. Then he would have a lever, something to torture and kill to enforce his demands.
Of course, if the aliens never landed, or if… "We must do something! I will not be flotsam on the wave of the future." Steel lashed at the scaffolding that ran along the inner side of the parapet, shredding the wood with his gleaming tines. "We can't do anything about the aliens, so let's deal with Woodcarver. Yes!" He smiled at the Flenser member. "Ironic, isn't it? For a hundred years, you sought her destruction. Now I can succeed. What would have been your great triumph is for me just an annoying detour, undertaken because greater projects are temporarily delayed."
The cloaked one did not look impressed. "There is a little matter of gifts falling out of the sky."
"Yes, into my open jaws. And that is my good fortune, isn't it?" He walked on several paces, chuckling to himself. "Yes. It's time to have Vendacious bring his trusting Queen in for the slaughter. Maybe it will interfere with other events, but… I know, we'll have the battle east of here."
"The Margrum Climb?"
"Correct. Woodcarver's forces should be well concentrated coming up the defile. We'll move our cannon over there, set them behind the ridgeline at the top of the Climb. It will be easy to destroy all her people. And it's far enough from Starship Hill; even if the space folk arrive at the same time, we can keep the two projects separate." The singleton didn't say anything, and after a moment Steel glared at him. "Yes dear teacher, I know there is a risk. I know it splits our forces. But we've got an army sitting on our doorstep. They've arrived inconveniently late, but even Vendacious can't make them turn around and go home. And if he tries to stall things, the Queen might… Can you predict just what she would do?"
"… No. She has always had a way with the unexpected."
"She might even see through Vendacious' fraud. So. We take a small chance, and destroy her now. You are with Farscout Rangolith?"
"Yes. Two of me."
"Tell him to get word to Vendacious. He is to have the Queen's army coming up Margrum Climb not less than two days from now. Feel free to elaborate; you know the region better than I. We'll work out final details when both sides are in position." It was a wonderful thing to be the effective commander of both sides in a battle! "One more thing. It's important and Vendacious must see to it within the dayaround: I want Woodcarver's human dead."
"What harm can she do?"
"That's a stupid question," especially coming from you. "We don't know when Ravna and Pham may reach us. Till we have them safe in our jaws, the Johanna creature is a dangerous thing to have nearby. Tell Vendacious to make it look like an accident, but I want that Two-Legs dead."
Flenser was everywhere. It was a form of godhood he'd dreamed of since he'd been Woodcarver's newby. While one of him talked to Steel, two others lounged about the Starship with Amdijefri, and two more padded through light forest just north of Woodcarver's encampment.
Paradise can also be an agony, and each day the torment was a little harder to bear. In the first place, this summer was as insufferably hot as any in the North. And the radio cloaks were not merely hot and heavy. They necessarily covered his members' tympana. And unlike other uncomfortable costumes, the price of taking these off for even a moment was mindlessness. His first trials had lasted just an hour or two. Then had come a five-day expedition with Farscout Rangolith, providing Steel with instant information and instant command of the country around Starhip Hill. It had taken a couple of dayarounds to recover from the sores and aches of the radio cloaks.
