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  The Ancestrum repeated her last line, and everyone raised their arms in the air, hands cupped toward the sky. A golden nimbus radiated from the audience, pulsing softly like the beating of a heart. The nimbus glowed brighter, reaching a peak that I had to shield my eyes from…and then it gently ebbed, melting back into the gathered women.

  Slowly, they lowered their arms.

  It had been a beautiful tribute…but I wasn’t as moved as I should have been. All I could think was that the bitch who’d killed those two old women was standing ten yards away, looking not the slightest bit repentant. If anything, she looked bored, standing with her arms folded over her chest like a petulant teenager.

  Oh, how I wanted to beat the living daylights out of her.

  “And now,” said Drusilla, “let us proceed with the reason we have all gathered here today. Mother wishes to wipe out humanity, and only the Ancestrum can stand in her way…if we choose.

  “Let us, therefore, hear what these two have to say.” She gestured at Gaia 2 and me. “Let us judge the matter based on their testimony, setting aside any acts they may have committed that we might find objectionable.”

  I guessed she was talking about Gaia 2 murdering Ellie and Imogene, though “objectionable” wasn’t the word I would have used to describe what she’d done. How she could instruct the Ancestrum to set aside those acts was beyond me; it made me wonder just how fair and sensible this whole trial was going to be.

  “Regarding the rules of order, though no hard limit will be placed on a speaker’s time, I reserve the right to end her testimony at my discretion. If the testimony becomes unproductive, misleading, abusive, or overextended to force a certain outcome by delaying action, I will end it. As arbiter, this is my sole right.

  “I also reserve the right to call witnesses if I think they will add relevant substance to the testimony and help us to arrive at a consensus.

  “And so.” Drusilla walked to the stone throne and stood before it. She extended an open hand in Gaia 2’s direction, and a wave or relief washed through me. “In deference to her seniority as an avatar, let us begin with the testimony of Gaia Grenoble. Proceed.”

  With that, she sat on the throne, one hand on a stone-headed gavel on the armrest at her right. Everyone else in the amphitheater sat, except Gaia 2 and me.

  Gaia 2 gathered herself up and cleared her throat. Then, the sweetest, most honest smile of all time spread over her face, and she started talking.

  “I love Mother Earth.” Her voice rang out, perfectly pitched to reach every ear in the amphitheater. “There, I said it.

  “I love Mother, and I think…I know you all love her, too.

  “We can’t help it, can we? We were made to love her, even after we are separated from her and replaced by the next generation.”

  I didn’t miss the quick look she shot my way when she said that.

  “Can we, therefore, turn our backs on Mother in her hour of need?” she continued. “As humanity pushes her—and themselves, don’t forget—to the brink of destruction, can we stand back and just let it happen?” Her warm smile became a steely glare. “I say we cannot.

  “I say we must do everything in our power to preserve our life-sustaining Mother, no matter the cost.” Her voice trembled. “And make no mistake, the cost will be high.

  “I’m sure I speak for us all when I say we don’t want to do this. We shudder at the thought of extinguishing billions of human lives.” She paused, dramatically staring off into space. “It goes against everything we believe in.

  “But how many of us would be willing to kill Mother instead?” Again, a pause. “Because make no mistake, that is exactly what we’ll be doing if we don’t end the human threat in time. We’ll be sacrificing Mother Earth, the world-spirit we have dedicated our lives to protecting.

  “And once she’s dead, the humans will die anyway. So any attempts to save them are misguided and doomed. Either way, they die.” Her voice rose, impassioned. “They. Will. Die.” She pounded a fist in the palm of her hand to punctuate each word.

  “So, in that regard, nothing you do will make any difference,” said Gaia 2. “You can’t stop humankind from perishing. The only thing you can change is if they take Mother Earth down with them. That is your only decision.

  “And I know what I would do in your shoes. There isn’t a doubt in my mind. Because I don’t want to see the Earth’s ecosystem collapse…her climate become inhospitable to all but the most tenacious forms of life…her very crust split open from the blasts of nuclear missiles in a final paroxysm of human conflict over dwindling resources. I don’t want to see that happen and know I could have done something to stop it.

  “That’s why I’m asking you to return my powers, return me to Mother Earth, and either join my crusade or stay out of my way as I wage it. That’s all I’m asking, and I know you know it’s the right thing to do.

  “So do it!” Gaia 2 pumped her fists in the air, and some of the crowd applauded.

  As the applause continued, and Gaia 2 kept pumping her fists and reveling in the attention, Drusilla banged her gavel over the noise. “Ms. Grenoble.” She had to raise her voice again to be heard. “Ms. Grenoble! Are you done? Have you finished your testimony?”

  Gaia 2 turned and gave her a thumbs-up. “I think that covers it, your honor.”

  “Very well.” Again, Drusilla banged the gavel, and the crowd quieted. “Then that brings us to our second speaker in this proceeding. Gaia Grenoble has presented her view of the matter. Now, it is Gaia Charmer’s turn to speak her mind.”

  Chapter 27

  My stomach twisted as all eyes turned to me. My tension levels across the board rocketed as I faced what could very well be the most important moment of my life.

  Of all the battles I’d fought, wielding great powers against enemies with great or greater powers of their own, I felt least prepared for this one. All I needed to command were words and emotions, but somehow that intimidated me more than a battle royale between superhuman forces.

  I felt utterly naked and vulnerable before the Ancestrum, as if I were caught in a nightmare. Panic rose in my tightening chest, making my breaths come quick and short…but then my eyes drifted to the front row of the audience, and I remembered.

  I wasn’t alone.

  Mid, Ebon, Georgia, and White Buffalo all sat there, smiling. Mid nodded encouragingly, Ebon gave me two thumbs-up, and Georgia winked. They were all on my side, believing wholeheartedly in our cause, and they weren’t about to desert me.

  Even Maeve, whom I’d only just met in the Niche, had a supportive smile on her face. She sat at the end of the front row near me, apart from the others, just as Tess sat at the opposite end nearest Gaia 2…and there was no doubt or disbelief in her expression.

  Focusing on my friends, I gained strength from their presence and bolstered my courage. I forced myself to take slower, longer breaths, relaxing my chest and belly…and the words started to come.

  “Look around you,” I said, projecting my voice to fill the amphitheater. “Look at your neighbors. Are they—are you—just rock and dirt? Lumps of clay? Globs of mud?

  “Of course not! We have heads and arms and legs and hearts and brains. We think and act and speak and feel and sleep. Just like human beings.

  “Because the truth is, as avatars, we are just as much human as Earth.” I spread my arms, displaying my own human form.

  “We are not just made to look human, to blend in with the human population. We are fashioned from human flesh, with human minds and needs and emotions. We live human lives, in human societies, and do everything we can to protect our fellow women, children, and men.

  “Though sometimes we forget, don’t we? Our passion for our Mother and our mission is so strong, it can override the human qualities we cherish.

  “At a time like this, especially, it is tempting to put aside our humanity. When we see the terrible things the human race has done and is doing to our beloved Mother, turning our backs on our hum
an heritage might seem like a rational response.

  “Why would we want to be associated with those destructive and short-sighted people? Why would we ever want to embrace those monsters who are killing the world that we love with all our hearts?

  “But they are a part of us. The Earth might be our Mother, but they are our brothers, sisters, friends, and lovers. We know them as we know ourselves. And we know they aren’t perfect…but do they deserve to be annihilated?

  “Think of all the people you have loved.” As I said it, I looked at my friends in the front row. “Think of the good humans have done. Think of the beauty they have created. Consider the amazing things they might yet accomplish if given the chance.”

  I paused to let the words sink in. Took a deep breath. Let it out slowly. “You know Mother loves them, too. Why else would she have made us in their image?

  “So perhaps the better thing to do, the nobler thing, is to try to heal instead of slaughter. To have faith in our fellow humans instead of giving up on them.

  “Granted, they are on a destructive road. We cannot let them continue the way they have been, or they will wipe out both themselves and their Mother. The status quo is no longer enough.

  “But I say, instead of falling back on the old ways, instead of wiping out humanity wholesale, we try something new. Perhaps, as avatars, we are best equipped for this role, most ready as a melding of Earth and humanity to save them both.

  “And that, I say, is what we should do. We should accept our new purpose as unique intermediaries between the world and its people, helping them both to step back from mutual destruction, and instead leap forward into a bold new era of mutual support and sustainability.”

  I paused for effect, looking around at all the avatars. I swear, they had the best poker faces ever. I couldn’t tell from looking at them who was taking my side and who wasn’t.

  Was anything I said making any difference at all? Until the final tally, all I could do was say what came to mind and hope for the best.

  “We all wish we could save the world, don’t we?” I said. “And I’ll bet we all wish we could save humanity, too.

  “I say there’s no reason we can’t do both. We avatars, with the accumulated power, experience, and wisdom of tens of thousands of years, can surely come up with a solution that accomplishes those seemingly impossible goals.

  “In so doing, we can forge a world—and a human species—that are stronger, brighter, and longer-lasting than any that have come before. Maybe that is why this crisis has come about—to pave the way for a better world and people.

  “And maybe, just maybe, it’s why all of us were created in the first place.”

  I nodded at Drusilla, signaling I was done. Some of the audience members applauded, though I couldn’t tell just how many. It seemed there were more than those who’d clapped for Gaia 2, but I wasn’t sure.

  All I knew was that I was done, for better or worse, and the rest of it was out of my hands now.

  Drusilla banged the gavel. “That concludes the testimony!” She banged it again. “The speakers will now leave the amphitheater and await our verdict. It is time for the Ancestrum to discuss and decide the fate of the world and all humankind.”

  Chapter 28

  “Geez!” Georgia shook her head with frustration. “What kind of place is this where you can’t even bribe an arbiter with sexual favors to save the human race?”

  We all looked at her at once, and she laughed.

  “I’m kidding, I’m kidding!” she said. “I would never try bribing these ladies with sex! Fashion makeovers, maybe.” She laughed again. “I mean, seriously—someone’s gotta tell ‘em those white slips they’re all wearing aren’t cuttin’ it.”

  I smiled, glad for the distraction. She, Ebon, Mid, White Buffalo, and I were holed up in a cave behind a waterfall while the Ancestrum figured out their consensus. Gaia 2 and Beatrice were somewhere else, presumably also a soundproofed location.

  With the noise from the rushing water, our cave was one of the few places in the Niche where they figured we wouldn’t hear what they were saying…those of us without the power of enhanced listening, at least. As for Mid and White Buffalo, they were sworn not to tune in even if they could, since the Ancestrum’s debate was supposed to be completely confidential.

  “I wasn’t paying attention to what they had on,” I said, pacing restlessly across the cave and back. “I was just trying so hard to get through to them.”

  “You did great, hon.” Mid, who was perched on a relatively dry rock in the back of the cave, nodded. “You’d have gotten my vote—if I was allowed to vote, that is.” Though Mid was technically part of the Ancestrum, her sisters had blocked her from voting for being too close to me and therefore not being objective enough. It was the same reason she was stuck in a cave with me instead of sitting in on the discussion in the amphitheater.

  “It was an awesome speech, all right,” said Ebon, who stood at the rim of the cave and gazed into the falling water beyond. “It totally gave me goosebumps, especially the part about how I’d inspired your impassioned defense of humanity with my amazing human good looks and sex appeal.”

  “Just glad I could give credit where credit was due.” I managed a smirk on the way past as he glanced back at me.

  “So, what’s the good word, huh?” Georgia strolled over and leaned against the wall near Mid. “Can you hear through the waterfall? What are they saying back at the thunderdome?”

  Mid shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  “You don’t know, or you can’t tell us what you know?” asked Georgia.

  “They’ll tell us when they’re ready,” said Mid.

  Georgia snorted. “Thanks for the awesome service, Miss Ancestrum. You are getting such a shitty tip when this is all over.”

  “I still think you did great, Gaia,” said Ebon. “They didn’t make it easy for you, either. Drusilla told everyone to disregard the war-bitch’s two cold-blooded murders, for crying out loud!”

  “Right after the moment of silent meditation for her victims!” chimed in Georgia. “What bullshit!”

  “Drusilla had to give the appearance of objectivity,” said Mid. “But by having a moment of remembrance for the victims, she made sure they wouldn’t be forgotten.”

  White Buffalo, who’d been sitting quietly in a corner until now, finally spoke. “So, what happens if they vote against us? Against humanity?”

  “I assume they’ll power up the war-bitch and turn her loose back home,” said Mid. “At which point, she’ll link back up with Mother and go to town wiping people out.”

  “I see.” White Buffalo nodded slowly. “And what will we do in that case?”

  Nobody answered.

  “What is our Plan B?” asked White Buffalo.

  “We don’t have one, do we?” said Georgia. “How can we?”

  Ebon continue to watch the back of the waterfall, arms folded over his chest. “Assuming they send us home, and they don’t restore Gaia’s powers, what can we do? How can we possibly stand up to a powered-up war-bitch and Mother Earth?”

  “We can’t, hon,” said Mid. “We’ll be better off staying here.”

  “You think so?” asked Georgia.

  Mid nodded sadly. “Do you really want to be there to see humanity wiped out?”

  “But the rest of us have powers, even if Gaia does not,” said White Buffalo. “Maybe all our powers, used together, can at least stop the war-self.”

  “At which point Mother will destroy us,” said Ebon.

  “But at least we will die in battle, in defense of all humanity.” White Buffalo rose and walked to the middle of the cave. “At least we will perish with honor and courage, having done all we can to save the people of the world.”

  Everyone fell silent for a long moment, considering.

  “She’s not wrong,” Georgia said finally. “Surviving would suck anyway. Who wants to live in a world without any damn people?”

  “Wait.” I marched
over to face Mid. “What about our supporters?”

  She scowled. “Who?”

  “Maeve said we have supporters among the Ancestrum,” I said. “That doesn’t change if we lose the vote. What if we could get them to help us, even if we the trial doesn’t go our way?”

  “I can’t imagine it would ever happen,” said Mid. “The Ancestrum always acts in concert. A losing side would never go against the results of a trial.”

  “There’s a first time for everything,” I said, though I didn’t feel nearly as confident as I sounded. “And the stakes have never been higher, have they? Maybe our sympathizers will say, the world’s going to hell anyway, let’s throw ‘em a bone.”

  “Or maybe,” said Mid, “some of them will rat us out, and the Ancestrum will lock us down hard. They can be plenty brutal when they want to be, honey, trust me.”

  “Brutal?” asked Georgia. “How brutal?”

  “Are you trying to tell us something, Mid?” said Ebon. “Is there something they might do to us if we lose?”

  Before Mid could answer, the sound of footsteps crunched on the pathway leading up to our cave. We all looked in that direction just as Maeve entered the cave.

  “Hi everyone.” She smiled. “The verdict is in.”

  I stared hard at that smile, looking for any indication of the outcome…but I came up empty. Beyond the polite expression she wore for our benefit, she was playing her cards close to the vest.

  “What now?” asked Ebon.

  “You come with me back to the amphitheater,” said Maeve. “You and Gaia Grenoble will stand before the arbiter and receive your verdict and sentence.”

  “Which is?” Georgia bugged her eyes, wagged her head, and fluttered her hands.

  Maeve just kept that noncommittal smile in place. “You’re about to find out.” She gestured at the path she’d just ascended. “Now, if you’ll please come with me?”

  “Wait.” I stepped up beside her and turned to the group. “I just want to say, no matter what happens…I appreciate everything you’ve all done for me. I couldn’t have made it this far without you.”