Saash shook herself all over, then sat down and scratched. “That’s nice,” she said, very soft-voiced. “We get a lot of ‘survivors’ in wizardry. Mostly they die.”
Rhiow tucked herself down in the compact position that Hhuha sometimes called “half-meatloaf,” the better to look eye-to-eye with the kit. “You said you heard a voice that said ‘I dare you,’ ” she said. “We’ve all heard that voice. She speaks to every potential wizard, sooner or later, and offers each one the Ordeal. It’s a test to see if you have what it takes. If you don’t, you’ll die. If you do, you’ll be a wizard when the test is over.”
“How long does it take?”
“Might be hours,” Urruah said. “Might be months. You’ll know when it’s over. You’ll either have a lot of power that you didn’t have a moment before … or you’ll find yourself with just enough time for a quick wash between lives.”
“What’s the power for, though?” Arhu said, eager. “Can you use it for anything you want?”
“Within limits,” Saash said. “Walk in other elements and other worlds, talk to other creatures, even not-live things sometimes—go places no other People not wizards have ever been or seen—”
“Other creatures?” Arhu said. “Wow! Any other creatures?”
“Well, mostly”
“Even ehhif? Cool! Let’s go talk to that cop and freak him out!” He started toward the garage door.
Rhiow grabbed him by the scruff and pushed him down with one paw. “No. You may not use the Speech to communicate with members of other species unless they’re wizards, or unless you’re on errantry and the job specifically requires it.”
“But that’s dumb!”
“Listen, killing,” Urruah said, leaning over Arhu with a thoughtful expression. “If you start routinely talking to ehhif so they can understand, there’s a chance that eventually one of them’s going to believe that you’re talking. And before you know it they’ve thrown you in a scientific institute somewhere and started drilling holes in your skull, or else they’re taking you apart in some other interesting way. More to the point, if you do that, they’ll start doing it to other People too. A lot of them. I wouldn’t want to cause something like that, not ever, because sooner or later you’re going to find yourself between lives, and the explanations that would be demanded of you by the Powers That Be—” He shook his head slowly. “If I started seriously thinking that you might actually pull a stunt like that, I’d just grab you and kick your guts out right now, Ordeal or no Ordeal. So take notice.”
“Then this wizardry isn’t any use,” Arhu muttered, scowling. “You say you can do all this stuff, and then you say you’re not allowed to do it! What’s the point?”
Rhiow felt herself starting to fluff up. Urruah, though, said mildly, “It’s not quite like that. Are you allowed to fight with me, killing?”
Arhu glared at Urruah, then he too began to bristle. Finally he burst out: “Yes, I am! But if I did, you’d shred me!”
“Then you understand the principle,” Urruah said. “We’re allowed to do all kinds of things. But we don’t do them, because the result in the long term would be unfortunate.” He smiled at Arhu. “For us or someone else. Till you come to know better, just assume that the results would be unfortunate for you. And in either the long term or the short… they would be.”
Rhiow noticed that his claws were showing more than usual. Wonderful, she thought, remembering the saying: Old tom, young tom, trouble coming! “You’ll find in the next few days,” Rhiow said, “that there are a fair number of things you can do… and they’ll be useful enough. You’ll like them, too. Keep your ears open: when you hear the whisper… listen. She doesn’t repeat herself much, the One Who Whispers.”
Arhu looked up at that. “We’re not working for anyone, are we?” he said, suspicious. “The People ate free,”
Rhiow wanted to roll her eyes but didn’t quite dare: Arhu was a little too sensitive to such things. “She’ll suggest something you might do,” Rhiow said, “but whether you do it or not is your choice.”
“That’s not exactly an answer.”
Urruah stood up. “He makes my head hurt,” Urruah said. “Give him the power to change the world and he complains about it. But then, if he’s not willing to cooperate with the Powers Who’re the source of the power, why should he learn anything more about it? Not that he will” He looked amused.
“All right, all right,” Arhu said hastily, “so I want to learn. So when do I start?”
They looked at one another. “Right away,” Rhiow said. “We have to go inspect the place we take care of, make sure things are going right there. You should come with us and see what we do.”
Arhu looked at them a little suspiciously. “You mean your den? You’re a pride?”
“Not the way you mean it. But yes, we are. The place we take care of—you remember it: the place where we found you. Ehhif living here use it as a beginning and ending to their journeys. So do ehhif wizards, and other wizards too, though the journeys are to stranger places than the trains go…”
“There are ehhif wizards?” Arhu laughed out loud at the idea. “No way! They’re too dumb!”
“Now who’s being ‘stuck up’?” Urruah said. “There are plenty of ehhif wizards. Very nice people. And from other species too, just on this planet. Wizards who’re other primates, who’re whales … even wizards who’re houiff.”
Arhu snickered even harder. “I wouldn’t pay any attention to them. Houiff don’t impress me.”
“You may yet meet Rraah-yarh,” said Urruah, looking slightly amused, “who’s Senior among the houiff here: and if you’re wise, you’ll pay attention to her. 7 wouldn’t cross her … and not because she’s a houff, either. She may look like half an ad for some brand of ehhif Scotch, but she’s got more power in one dewclaw than you’ve got in your whole body, and she could skin you with a glance and wear you for a doggie-jacket on cold days.”
Rhiow kept quiet and tried to keep her face straight over the thought that everything toms discussed seemed to come down to physical violence sooner or later. Saash, though, leaned close to Arhu and said, “You are now on the brink of joining a great community of people from many sentient species … a fellowship reaching from here to the stars, and farther. Some of your fellow-wizards are so strange or awful to look at that your first sight of them could nearly turn your wits right around in your head. But they’ve all taken the same Oath you have. They’ve sworn to slow down the heat-death of the Universe, to keep the worlds going as best they can, for as long as they can … so that the rest of Life can get on with its job. You want great adventure? It’s here. Scary things, amazing things? You’ll never run out of them… there are any nine lives’ worth, and more. But if you don’t pass your Ordeal, this life, none of it’s ever going to happen.”
“You willing to find out how hot you really are?” Urruah said. “That’s why the Whisperer has spoken to you. Take her up on her offer… and the Universe gets very busy trying to kill you. Live through it, though… and there’ll be good reason for the queens to listen to you when you sing.”