A voice spoke from the other side of the clearing. “How are we to avoid this ‘misstep’?” Nomun recognized Handsome Nomun’s smooth tones.
A look of pedantic irritation crossed Blue Nomun’s face. “Yes. I was just getting to that. Please, no more interruptions; moonrise is near and I, for one, wish to reach the internode with my head attached to my body. To continue: the primary danger is that one of us will stumble against an active ganglion and thereby precipitate a synaptic storm. If that happens, all who remain on the node will be trapped in a memory-fugue. Do you understand? We are threatened by the memories of an unknown being, memories in all likelihood incompatible with our own mnemonic substrates. At best, the fugue would expose us to the predators–or to those among us who recover most rapidly.”
Blue Nomun turned and looked severely at a spot just to Nomun’s left, and Nomun surmised that Scar Nomun lurked there. “At worst, the fugue will be irreversible, an endless loop, and we will all still be standing in the jungle at daylight, trapped in a stranger’s memories, waiting for the killmech and its cabbage knife.”
Scar Nomun stepped from concealment and moved toward Blue Nomun, hands clenched. “Why should I believe you? Perhaps this is all
Blue Nomun looked at Scar Nomun without emotion. “Fool,” he said. “You–grotesque corrupt piece of meat that you are–would never understand my amusements. If you will not listen, you could destroy us all.”
Across the clearing, Jade Nomun appeared. “I tend to agree with the halfmech. I have some knowledge of Coal.” Jade Nomun stroked his chin, then the jade in his ear. “The memworts are well-known to be treacherous. To all but their owners. We ought to dispose of the ugly one now, before he makes any more trouble.”
Blue Nomun glanced to the east, where a pink luster tinted the darkness above the jungle. “That might be wise, but we have run out of time. The Blood Moon is on the horizon, and I must leave. This is my advice: Do not move in groups, you will attract predators. The safest route is directly over the dorsal ridge of the spine. The predators are most active near the lateral beaches. Above all, do not touch the ganglia; in particular, do not touch them when they are glowing with the pink light. If a storm begins when you are near the internode, run. Perhaps you can reach the beach before it takes you. And do not dally. Coal is a small world, with a very rapid rotation. The night is short.” Blue Nomun turned and trudged into the jungle. Scar Nomun made no move to stop him; he was watching Jade Nomun. Jade Nomun drifted forward, hands twitching idly at his sides, a look of benign good humor on his face.
Scar Nomun laughed. “No, fop. I won’t give you any easy opportunities. Come after me, if you wish.” He melted back into the blue light and was gone.
NOMUN BACKED AWAY from the clearing. Was it his imagination, or did slender quick shapes flow along the ground at the far edge? He shuddered and moved faster.
The dorsal ridge, Blue Nomun had said. Nomun followed the rising ground, alert for the sound of pursuit or for the pregnant silence of ambush. The crystal jungle was full of small noises, as if a million tiny creatures scratched and crawled, hidden somehow in the cold radiance that coursed through the tangled forms. Once Nomun heard purposeful steps; later he heard a nervous patter as something ran by him, just out of sight. The jungle was disorienting; the shining shapes seemed to twist away from the eye. Whenever Nomun attempted to follow the pulses of light that surged through the jungle, he would lose his purpose, would find himself slowing in his careful movement. After he realized this, he kept his gaze directly in front of his feet, slightly unfocused, and was able to maintain his momentum.
The Blood Moon rose above the canopy, huge, scarred by vast craters. The crimson light that poured down seemed thick, a viscous light that dripped through the crystal, spattering fire. Nomun noticed a change in the jungle’s internal light. Did the memwort’s heart beat faster, did it pump a richer blood? A hot dazzling pink began to flow along the crystal. Pulse followed pulse, faster and faster, until the jungle blazed, and Nomun was forced to shield his eyes from the glare.