“Did they kill all those other people, too?” Becker wanted to know. “I found all those horns.”
“No,” Aari said, and Becker felt triumph in the thought as Aari carried a light to the back of the cave. It was filled with horns and bones, carefully arranged into individual skeletons whenever possible. “These are the bones of my Ancestors. When you landed the first time, you discovered our graveyard. The residual power of the horns kept that area living when the rest of the world was destroyed. The Khieevi never knew of this sacred place, and I did not tell them. They found me some distance from it.
“When the instability they caused in Vhiliinyar by their destruction caused the planet to drive them from its face, leaving me behind for dead, I dragged myself back here, and slept among the horns. Most of my wounds were healed-you cannot imagine the shape I “was in before then. I did not resemble anything Linyaari. But the Khieevi had done something to me that prevented the horns from truly healing me, though nothing could block the process completely.
“And so-” His eyes rolled slightly up, to where his horn had been. “And so even the healing power of the horns did not make me truly whole again, for among the Linyaari healing rests not only in the horn but in the guiding intelligence and empathy of the healer. After the Khieevi tortured me, I was incapable of participating in my healing. The horn merely knit together that which was broken. Except for my own horn. All of the horns of our dead could not give me back my own horn.
“Still, the healing was enough that I could gather a few of the horns that lay on top of the ground and return to the cave. But the Khieevi had held me a long time and my brother had lain injured for a long time, waiting for my return to rescue and heal him. He was with the Ancestors, beyond the power of the horns to heal.”
“But even without your horn, you can still read minds and everything, right? ‘Cause you were telepathic before and-”
“The horns are like-um-things on the heads of insects?” Aari put his hands up to make antennae and Becker supplied the word. “They transmit our thoughts but the ability is in the Linyaari. Without my own horn, I cannot make myself heard. I do not know how. But surrounded by so many, many horns, I have many antennae. You have antennae, too, and Riid Kiiyi.”
“I get it. I think,” Becker said. “So, tell me, why didn’t you let me know you were here when I came the first time?” Becker said. “I would have helped you. I could have taken you to your people at their new place.”
“You were robbing graves,” Aari said with a little shrug. “I thought you might be Khieevi of another sort. Besides, I feel shame-at my own appearance. I do not wish to see my people again-well, more precisely, I do not wish for them to see me as I am now. They will shudder to look upon me. But I could not let the bones of our Ancestors be defiled any more. So when you left, I disinterred the Ancestors, and brought them here to a new place.”
“That’s) why there weren’t any horns there. Well, look, Aari, it’s a good thing you did that because that gal you saw kicking the shit out of me? She has some use for the horns, and I can almost guarantee you it isn’t a happy one. Good thing your home world here decided to pop off a few explosions “
Aari pointed to himself again.
“You did that?” Becker asked. “How?”
Aari walked to the back of the cave and picked up something that was obviously a very nasty weapon. He pointed to it, said, “Khieevi,” and made a booming sound, then set it back down.
“Is there anything to eat around here, by the way?”
“Oh, of course. Excuse my rudeness.” Aari bent down, there was a tearing sound, and he returned with a big handful of grass.
RK put it better than Becker could have. He looked at the grass and meowed piteously.