Free Young Bleys - Childe Cycle 09 by Gordon R. Dickson

half-brother; as if no such possibility had ever existed.
    Now, suddenly the possibility was reality, and the reality was approaching—obviously by hovercar, to judge by the roaring sound of the fans that would be holding it off the unpaved road that led to the farm. That road must be barely wide enough for it to slide through.
    A current of excitement seemed to have run through the two other boys. Henry looked at them reprovingly.
    "Your older cousin has come during meal time," he said pointedly. "He may join us, or he may wait until we are done and everything is taken care of. There will be no changes simply because we have a visitor."
    The roaring sound grew very loud, moved into the yard and stopped. Lunch was almost over. But Will and Joshua were eating a little faster than normal—not enough to earn their father's reproach—but as fast as possible without doing so. Bleys, as usual, had taken less than any of the rest, and his bowl was nearly empty anyway, as a result.
    But, he reflected, he was the one who would have to clean up and wash up after the meal.
    There had been silence outside for a few moments. Now came the sound of heavy steps mounting the three stairs outside, the door opened, and Bleys' older half-brother, Dahno, came in.
    Bleys had heard Dahno, as a boy, described to him by various friends of his mother's; but mostly by Ezekiel, Henry's older brother. He had heard it from Ezekiel, who had taken responsibility for the fathering of both boys and arranged to have Dahno—and Bleys later—sent off to Henry.
    Bleys, therefore, had expected someone outsized in the way of height and width. Somebody with large bones and a great deal of muscle. But he was not expecting what came in the door.
    Dahno had to duck his head to get through the doorway itself; and, standing just inside, it seemed that his head was within a few inches of touching the saplings that made the ceiling. He was dressed in a black business suit of soft cloth, and ankle-high black boots brightly polished, except where the mud from the yard had splashed on them. He bulked to the point where he seemed to overshadow all of them, dominating the room.
    He was like a thick-set man of ordinary height, blown up to half again his original size. His arms and legs bulged the clothes that covered them. His face was round and cheerful under a cap of curly, jet-black hair; and he had a merry, warm smile for them all.
    "Don't let me disturb your lunch," he said in a voice as warm as his smile, a light baritone that did not echo the outsize elements of the rest of him.
    "You would not in any case," said Henry.
    But Henry, Bleys noticed, was smiling back at Dahno, that wintry smile that was the most Henry could achieve. "You know our customs. You'll wait until we're done."
    "Fair enough," said Dahno, with a wave of one large hand. "By the way, I brought you some parts for your motor."
    "I thank God for your kindness," said Henry formally. "If you will sit, that chair of yours is there in the corner."
    Bleys had wondered about that one extra-large chair; but assumed it was for Henry on special occasions.
    "Thanks. But I'd just as soon stand," said Dahno.
    Whether it was intentional or not, his looming over them had the tendency of speeding up the lunch. Even Henry, indifferent as he appeared to be to Dahno's size and presence, seemed to finish his bowl of stew faster.
    "I came to see my little brother, actually," said Dahno, looking at Bleys.
    "Did you so?" said Henry, laying his spoon down at last beside his empty bowl. "In mat case, Bleys, you are excused from the normal cleaning up after lunch. Will, you take over for your cousin."
    Bleys sat staring at the large man.
    "Bleys,"—there was a slight edge to Henry's voice— "you're free to go. Rise, therefore, and go with your brother."
    Bleys pushed back his chair, stood up and then pushed it back into position again at the table. He walked around it, approaching Dahno, feeling smaller with every step, by