"While it has you for lunch."
"I'm tough and gristly."
"The thing eats stone."
"Take the light," said Sel, "and get out of here."
Po hesitated a moment longer, then took it. Sel was relieved that the boy would keep his promise of obedience.
Either that, or Po was convinced the larva would follow the light.
It was the right guess--as Sel slowed down and watched the larva approach, he could see that it was not heading directly toward him, but rather listed off to the side, heading for Po. And as Po ran, the larva began speeding up.
It went right past Sel. It was more than a half-meter thick. It moved like a snake, with a back-and-forth movement, writhing along the floor, shaping itself exactly like the columns, only horizontally and, of course, moving.
It was going to reach Po while he was scrambling through the tunnel.
"Leave the light!" shouted Sel. "Leave it!"
In a few moments, Sel could see the light leaning against the wall of the cavern, beside where the low tunnel began, leading toward the outside world. Po must already be inside the tunnel.
The larva was ignoring the light and heading into the tunnel behind Po. The larva didn't have to crawl or walk bent over--it would catch Po easily.
"No. No, stop!" But then he thought: What if Po hears me? "Keep going, Po! Run!"
And then, wordlessly, Sel shouted inside his mind: Stop and come back here! Come back to the cavern! Come back to your children!
Sel knew it was insane, but it was all he could think of to do. The formics communicated mind to mind. This was also a large insectoid life form from the formics' home world. Maybe he could speak to it the way the hive queens spoke to the individual worker and soldier formics.
Speak? That was asinine. They had no language. They wouldn't speak.
Sel stopped and formed in his mind a clear picture of the gold bug lying on the cavern floor. Only the legs were writhing. And as he pictured it, Sel tried to feel hungry, or at least remember how it felt to be hungry. Or to find hunger within himself--after all, he hadn't eaten for a few hours.
Then he pictured the larva coming to the gold bug. Circling it.
The larva reemerged from the tunnel. There had been no screaming from Po--it hadn't caught him. Maybe it got too near the sunlight and it blinded the larva and it couldn't go on. Or maybe it had responded to the images and feelings in Sel's mind. Either way, Po was safely outside.
Of course, maybe the larva had simply decided not to bother with the prey that was running, and had come back for the prey that was standing very still, pressing himself against a column.
CHAPTER 16
To: GovDes%[email protected]/voy
From: [email protected]
Subj: As requested
Handshake key: 3390ac8d9afff9121001
Dear Ender,
As you have requested, I have sent a holographic message from me and Polemarch Bakossi Wuri to the ship's system, using the hook you inserted into the ship's ansible software. If your program runs as advertised, it will take over all the ship's communications. In addition, I have attached the official notification to Admiral Morgan for you to print out and hand to him.
I hope you have won his trust well enough that he will let you have the access you need to use any of this.
This message will leave no trace of its existence, once you delete it.
Good luck,