Mother of Eden by Chris Beckett Read Free Book Online

paddling across Deep Darkness, and then another two three wakings of bright water. And it’s big big, big as whole of Old Ground here.”
    “Old Ground? Is that your word for Mainground?”
    “That’s right. I guess because we left it so long ago.”
    Angie reached across to take some meat for herself. “We tell the story in Grounds sometimes,” she said, “about how John Redlantern set out cross Deep Darkness with Gerry and a bunch of other people.”
    I nodded.
    “John was an old man and he was tired of all the killing on Mainground. That’s the story we were told. He’d gathered a lot of people around him by then, but David still had more, and there was no end in sight to the fighting, and he knew it wouldn’t ever stop while he was still there on Mainground with the ring on his finger. So he took some of his followers and set out across the water. And no one ever heard from them again.”
    Greenstone laughed. He had a lovely, happy laugh. “Well, you’re hearing from them now, Starlight. John Redlantern was my own great-great grandfather.”
    “Tom’s dick, think of that!” I said. “John from all those old stories, and he’s your own great-great granddad.”
    “Well, Jeff Redlantern is ours,” Angie pointed out tartly. “And he’s in those stories, too.”
    She was of course jealous of Greenstone and me.
    “That’s true,” I said. “John’s cousin Jeff. My great-great grandfather, and Angie’s, too.”
    He hadn’t seemed to notice when Angie said it, but he was interested interested when I did.
    “Well, that means you and me are cousins!”
    “So is everyone in Eden,” muttered Angie.
    “What’s it like in New Earth?” I asked.
    “Ah, well. I’d spoil it if I told you.”
    Greenstone winked at me, and handed me his square of fakeskin. It seemed wrong to use something so precious for such a purpose, and anyway I’d only had that single bite, but I wiped my hands and mouth as he had done.
    “Go on, tell me!”
    Greenstone smiled. “Well, tell me first, what you think of Veeklehouse?”
    “I love it.” I turned to Angie. “We love it, don’t we, Angie? It’s so   ... so big big, so bright, so full of life.”
    Greenstone nodded. “Okay. Well, I promise you this. When you’ve seen Edenheart in New Earth, this place will seem small and dim.”
    “You’re joking?”
    “I’m really not, Starlight, I’m really not. John Redlantern wanted New Earth to be a place full of wonders, just like Earth itself. You must come and see for yourself.”
    “That will never happen.”
    “Oh? Why not?” He said it with a laugh, but it was a laugh that quickly faded, and it struck me that even he was a little scared by what he was saying. “No, really, Starlight,” he persisted. “Really, seriously, why not?”
    “Because   ...”
    He seemed to mean what he said, but I couldn’t be sure. Gela’s heart, I couldn’t even be sure whether I wanted him to mean it.
    “Sorry,” he said, reaching out and touching my hand. “I know you’ve lived all your life on that little waterhill of yours. And I’m sure your home and your people mean a lot to you   ...” He tossed the greasy piece of bark over the cliff. “... even if they don’t let you keep a present.”
    “They would have let me, but   ...”
    He looked straight into my eyes. “If I can travel all the way here, Starlight, you can travel all the way there.”
    I turned quickly away from him.
    “How many people do you have with you?” I asked, looking out at the little shadowy bats as they swooped and dived over the shining water that stretched away to the long black line of World’s Edge.
    Further along the cliff the shadowy shapes of Greenstone’s companions sat murmuring to each other.
    “Forty at last count,” Greenstone told me. “Should be more, but we’ve lost a few. Lazy buggers didn’t fancy the paddle back, I suppose. They’ve run off into the forest, I guess, or joined up with the Davidfolk. I’m looking