“It’s not just the inside that’s changing.” Nenda pointed upward, knowing that the pleated resonator on Atvar H’sial’s chin was bathing him with ultrasonic pulses, and the yellow horns were using the return signal to provide a detailed image. The Cecropian could “see” Louis’s gesture perfectly well — but what she could not see was the vanishing of the annular singularities, and the emergence of the naked sun. No Cecropian could sense light, or other electromagnetic radiation shorter than thermal wavelengths.

“Up there, At,” Nenda continued. “The singularities have gone. They just vanished, a couple of minutes ago.”

“Why?”

“Damned if I know. Or care. But we’ve got to get over to the Indulgence, and take her up.”

“And if we are returned once more to the surface, as we were before?”

“Then we’re in deep stuff. But we’re in that anyway if the interior tunnels are closing.”

“Everywhere. As far as my signals could penetrate, the interior constructions of Genizee are vanishing. It is as though the work of the Builders there never existed.”

While Atvar H’sial was still speaking, she acted. Without asking for approval from Louis Nenda, she picked him up and curled him tightly in a pair of forelimbs. She went springing away across the surface in long graceful bounds, her vestigial wing cases wide open behind her. Louis had his breath knocked out of him at every leap, but he did not complain. A Cecropian in full flight was much faster than any human.

The Indulgence lay midway between a twisted thicket of gigantic moss plants and five jutting towers of sandstone that formed homes for the senior Zardalu. Nenda rubbed his aching ribs as Atvar H’sial placed him on the ground — Didn’t she realize her own strength? — and glanced across at the towers. At this time of day most of the Zardalu should be working in the ocean or the interior tunnels. Just his luck, if today they had decided to take a vacation.