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our ancestors invented that flying boat story because middle people were so jealous of the fact that sky people could fly.”
    “Some
sky people can fly,” said Edhadeya. “I’ll bet old Bego is so old and fat and creaky he can’t even get off the ground anymore.”
    “But he could when he was young,” said Mon. “He can remember.”
    “And
you
can imagine,” said Aronha.
    Mon shook his head. “To remember is real. To imagine is nothing.”
    Edhadeya laughed. “That’s silly, Mon. Most of the things people say they remember they only imagine anyway.”
    “And where did
you
learn
that
?” asked Aronha with a smirk.
    Edhadeya rolled her eyes. “From Uss-Uss, and you can laugh if you want, but she’s—”
    “She’s a glorified housemaid!” said Aronha.
    “She’s the only friend I had after Mother died,” said Edhadeya firmly, “and she’s very wise.”
    “She’s a digger,” said Mon softly.
    “But
not
an Elemaku,” said Edhadeya. “Her family has served the kings of the Nafari for five generations.”
    “As slaves,” said Mon.
    Aronha laughed. “Mon listens to an old angel, Edhadeya to a fat old digger slave woman, and I listen to a soldier who is known for his courage and cleverness in war, and not for his scholarship. We all choose our own teachers, don’t we? I wonder if ourchoice of teacher shows anything about what our lives will be.”
    They thought about that in silence as they watched the small swarm of spies that marked the location of Monush’s party as they continued their journey far up the valley of the Tsidorek.

THREE

RESISTANCE
    “Nafai told me something once,” said Shedemei to the Oversoul.
    The Oversoul, being endlessly patient, waited for her to go on.
    “Back before you . . . chose him.”
    “I remember the time,” said the Oversoul, perhaps not endlessly patient after all.
    “Back when you were still trying to keep him and Issib from discovering too much about you.”
    “It was Issib who was the real problem, you know. He’s the one who thought of opposing me.”
    “Yes, well, but he didn’t succeed until Nafai joined him.”
    “It was a concern for a while.”
    “Yes, I imagine. Both of them, struggling as hard as they could. You had to devote all your resources to dealing with them.”
    “Never all. Never even close to all.”
    “Enough that you finally gave up.”
    “Took them into my confidence.”
    “Stopped struggling against them and enlisted them on your side. You had no choice, right?”
    “I knew all along that they were valuable. I decided at that point that they were the ones I would use to assemble a working starship.”
    “Would you have chosen them if they hadn’t been causing so much trouble for you?”
    “I had already chosen their father to . . . start things moving.”
    “But it was Luet you wanted, wasn’t it.”
    “Nafai was very insistent. Very ambitious. He couldn’t stand not to be in the midst of whatever was going on. I decided that was useful. And I never had to choose between him and Luet, because they ended up together.”
    “Yes, yes, I’m sure everything worked out exactly according to plan.”
    “I was programmed to be infinitely adaptable, as long as I continue working toward the highest priorities. My plan changed, but its goal never did.”
    “All right then, that’s the entire point I was trying to make.” Shedemei laughed. “If I didn’t know better, Lady Oversoul, I would suppose you were protecting your pride.”
    “I have no pride.”
    “I’m relieved to hear it,” said Shedemei. “I discarded my own long ago.”
    “What was the point you were trying to make?”
    “Nafai forced you to listen to him, to notice him, to take him into account.”
    “Nafai and Issib.”
    “They did it by resisting you, and doing it in such a way that you had to adapt your plans to fit their . . . what did you say? Their ambition.”
    “Issib was stubborn. Nafai was ambitious.”
    “I’m sure you have lists of