we should perhaps take it.’ He paused. ‘Wouldn’t Pell want us to do this?’
‘That’s low,’ Flick said.
‘Not at all. It’s the truth. I can’t believe I’m trying to persuade you to do this. I don’t have to. I don’t have to listen to insults.’ He stood up.
‘Give me time,’ Flick said. ‘I have to think about this.’
‘We are Wraeththu,’ Ulaume said. ‘Perhaps we have forgotten that, living here. We have run away from our lives, and we have tried to detach ourselves from all that we were. But you were the one who said Terez was our responsibility. You were the one who wanted to help him. The rest of us are just living with the consequences, and they are not pleasant. That is what you should think about.’
Ulaume left the room before Flick could say any more.
The following day, Ulaume avoided Flick to give him space to think. He had to admit to himself that the idea of becoming close to another har again was not without its delights, even if that har was Flick. He was physically very attractive, despite his annoying traits. Ulaume had trained himself not to miss aruna, but the desire was always there, deep within. If we do this, Ulaume thought, it will initiate many things. It will create changes.
Perhaps these were needed changes. Ulaume believed Flick wanted their home to become the new Saltrock. Many times, the possibilities of other hara finding them there had been discussed, albeit lightly. Ulaume knew that Lileem desperately wanted it to happen.
Before dinner, Ulaume went outside to watch the sunset. A beautiful purple red light tinged the land. Cicadas purred in the acacia trees and the coyote made her song to the night. In the early days, Ulaume had thought the animal might become a sort of dog-like pet, but once they’d moved into the house, she’d gone back to her wild ways. Sometimes they heard and saw her, but the time they’d been almost like friends had long gone. She’d had a small but important part to play in their little drama, but now it was over.
Flick came out of the house, wiping his hands, which were damp from peeling vegetables, on a ragged towel. Already, appetising smells were drifting out of the kitchen window. Flick sat down beside Ulaume on a shallow flight of ornamental steps that led to a pond with a dry fountain. He cupped his chin with his hands, his elbows resting on his raised knees. ‘When?’ he said.
Ulaume pointed up at the sky where a waxing moon pulled herself out of the distant cordillera. ‘Anytime between now and the full moon,’ he said. ‘You know that.’
‘Hmm.’ Flick shifted uneasily. ‘Tell me what you propose, apart from the obvious.’
‘Outside, at the falls. It is a good place. We call upon one of your dehara – you should decide which one and how to address them – and we tell them what we want to do and ask for their help. Then, we perform the Grissecon. It’s not that different from any other ritual really, apart from the aruna aspect. I will be ouana, you soume. That seems the best approach.’
Flick nodded slowly. ‘I can see that. Should we tell the others?’
‘We tell Mima we are doing something, but mustn’t get her hopes up too high. We will ask her to keep Lileem inside, who will be bursting with curiosity to observe. I would prefer to do this without an audience.’
‘Me too!’ Flick exclaimed. He rubbed his nose with both hands. ‘Tomorrow night. That will give me time to write something down. I need to think about it.’
‘You spend too much time thinking, but OK. Put some ideas together and show them to me.’
‘The only rituals I’ve done here with the dehara have been with Lileem and they were just light, nothing much. This will require something more powerful and focused.’
‘Good practice, then. You’d better see to dinner. I can smell burning.’
As Ulaume thought, the mere mention of a new idea to help Terez caused Mima to become a fountain of hope. He trusted he and Flick wouldn’t disappoint her. Somehow, he didn’t think they could fail. This Grissecon would involve a sacrifice, that of their own feelings towards one another, and he was sure this would empower the ritual. ‘Sit with Terez,’ Ulaume said to Mima. ‘You and Lileem can concentrate on his well-being. I think it will aid what Flick and I intend to do.’
Mima, who never touched anyone impulsively apart