“We brought our own supplies,” Bunny told Iva. “And some seedlings from Clodagh. She and Sean both think this will be an unusually long growing season.”
Iva did not respond to her remark at once. “Niambh,” she said to one of the granddaughters. “Put the kettle on for our guests.”
She sat herself down on one bed and motioned to Diego and Bunny to sit on another. The rest of the Connellys surrounded them closely. The youngest ones had to be deflected from the saddlebags, which intrigued them.
“That was kind of Clodagh, but I doubt we’ll plant much this year,” Miuk said. “We’ll be busy helping Intergal at the new mine sites.”
Bunny tried not to act surprised. The cats’ information, after all, was accurate. That marmalade rascal who had led them to the meeting cave was no doubt a useful informant.
Diego surprised her. He usually hung back in discussions, but now he leaned forward and gave Iva a penetrating look.
“And how,” he asked, “does your shanachie feel about the possibility of newly opened mine sites?”
“Why, he thinks it’s about time, of course. He says the planet is very offended that we refuse to accept all of its gifts. That’s why the planet won’t communicate with any of us anymore, but speaks only to Satok.”
“What?” Bunny cried.
“Just as she says, girl, are you deaf?” Miuk said. “The planet now communicates its needs and we communicate ours to it only through Satok.”
“Why? Isn’t the planet ‘mad’ at him, too?” Diego asked, just managing not to sneer.
“You don’t understand,” Iva said. “You’ve had Clodagh to guide you, to keep you whole. But McConachie was old and not right in the head for a long time before he died. And no one else came forward for years. Wewe lost touch. We misinterpreted things. We did wrong things. Offensive things. Until Satok came to interpret, everything got harder and harder for us. Animals didn’t come to the dying places. The river didn’t thaw for three summers. We couldn’t grow gardens. Not until Satok came did we know what the problem was. We had angered the planet by not cooperating with the company when it wished our help to make its explorations.”
“Which explorations?” Bunny asked. She wasn’t aware that help had been recruited further afield than Kilcoole.
“There was one last year. Some fellas came looking for guides. They landed in a shuttle. I don’t think they even went to SpaceBase. They said there was some kinda special minerals we were supposed to have here that they were lookin’ for.”
“There were others, too,” Miuk said. “Ask Clodagh. Sometimes if what the company wanted was near Shannonmouth, people from Kilcoole would just send them on, or bring them this far and no farther. My brother Upik guided one group, but we never saw him again.”
“I went out with my father and Lavelle Maloney with a group,” Diego said in a quiet, intense voice. “We got into a white out. But we took refuge inside the planet. My father … well, he was bad for a while and almost died from the shock but Clodagh and Bunny and the others helped him and now he’s better. That sort of thing seems to happen to a lot of company teams.”
Iva shook her head. “They did not ask permission then.
As Satok says, we used to do it all wrong. He says that Miuk’s brother and our other folks killed the company teams and the planet punished themand usbecause of it.
“Why does he tell you such lies?” Bunny asked. She had restrained herself long enough. Now she was really mad.
“He doesn’t lie. As long as we’ve done what he says, made the payments he wants, things have been better.”
“Payments?” Diego asked incredulously, sticking his jaw out.
“Just little things. Food, furs, some sewing for him, the best pups from the litters, and the best lead dog to train them.”
“Oh, that sort of payments,” Diego said in a tone of voice that Bunny had never heard him use. But she knew what he was leading up to. “And all your troubles have disappeared with his help?”