said, making sure the pouch of wild charko leaves she'd picked during an hour of her watch was securely tied to her sash. "We left early this morning to get charko leaves for a stew I'm making, we had a little trouble finding a good patch, and we're only just now getting back to town. Got it?"
"Yes, Mother," Merrick said, as calm and patient as ever.
"Right." Jin took a deep breath. "Okay. Let's do it."
With the aid of their optical enhancers, the trip through the predawn had been relatively easy. In broad daylight, it was even easier. Still, Jin approached the edge of the tree line cautiously, waiting for a momentary lull in the road's vehicular traffic before she and Merrick stepped out of the woods and headed at a brisk walk toward Milika.
The last time Jin had been here, Milika's gates had stood open throughout the daylight hours, with a pair of armed guards on duty in case some krisjaw or spine leopard was foolish enough to try to attack that many people at once. That part of village life, at least, hadn't changed, she saw as she and Merrick rounded the last curve in the road and came within sight of the gates.
Still, the guards did look more relaxed than they had in days gone by. Apparently, rogue predators weren't nearly the problem they'd once been.
There was more traffic on the road now than there had been thirty years ago, too. A large number of vehicles were on the move, some of them heading down the road she and Merrick were using, with a somewhat larger number making a hard right turn just outside the wall onto a road that hadn't been there before.
As for pedestrians, the village beyond the wall was teeming with them, striding along about their business, browsing the small shop stands near the gate, or engaged in animated conversations with their fellow citizens. Clearly, Milika was prospering.
Jin keyed in her optical enhancers' telescopic capability as they approached, paying particular attention to the pedestrians' clothing. To her relief, it all seemed reasonably similar in style to the outfits she and Merrick were wearing. That had been one of her major concerns, that the Trofts might have brought them clothing that was so out-of-date it would instantly finger them as foreigners.
Keying off her opticals, she picked up her pace a little. All was as well as could be expected, certainly as well as she could make it. The goal now was to get to Daulo's house and out of the public eye before she or Merrick made some dangerous social blunder.
She had keyed her audio enhancers on low-power, listening to the nearest conversations to remind herself of the region's accent, when she heard a sudden catch in Merrick's breath. "Mom—one o'clock," he murmured. "Those two men in gray and blue."
Jin shifted her gaze and audio enhancers in the indicated direction. The two men seemed to have just started an animated conversation about animal pelts. "What about them?" she asked.
"Just watch," Merrick said, his voice dark. "There—that other one coming toward them. Watch him." The newcomer stepped up to the other two, smiled, and lifted his right hand to make the sign of respect.
Only it wasn't the same sign Jin had learned thirty years ago, the one she'd just coached Merrick on. Instead of touching bunched fingertips to forehead, the newcomer touched only his first two fingertips to his forehead and then touched his lips.
And the two other men answered, not with two fingers, but with three fingers to foreheads and lips.
The Qasamans had changed their mark of respect.
Jin shot another look around the people beyond the wall, a jolt of sudden panic running through her. She'd expected clothing styles to have changed over the years, and had been relieved that she and Merrick had the right versions. It had never even occurred to her that something so basic as the mark of respect might similarly have been modified.
And if the mark of respect had changed so drastically, what else might have changed along with it?
She
"Yes, Mother," Merrick said, as calm and patient as ever.
"Right." Jin took a deep breath. "Okay. Let's do it."
With the aid of their optical enhancers, the trip through the predawn had been relatively easy. In broad daylight, it was even easier. Still, Jin approached the edge of the tree line cautiously, waiting for a momentary lull in the road's vehicular traffic before she and Merrick stepped out of the woods and headed at a brisk walk toward Milika.
The last time Jin had been here, Milika's gates had stood open throughout the daylight hours, with a pair of armed guards on duty in case some krisjaw or spine leopard was foolish enough to try to attack that many people at once. That part of village life, at least, hadn't changed, she saw as she and Merrick rounded the last curve in the road and came within sight of the gates.
Still, the guards did look more relaxed than they had in days gone by. Apparently, rogue predators weren't nearly the problem they'd once been.
There was more traffic on the road now than there had been thirty years ago, too. A large number of vehicles were on the move, some of them heading down the road she and Merrick were using, with a somewhat larger number making a hard right turn just outside the wall onto a road that hadn't been there before.
As for pedestrians, the village beyond the wall was teeming with them, striding along about their business, browsing the small shop stands near the gate, or engaged in animated conversations with their fellow citizens. Clearly, Milika was prospering.
Jin keyed in her optical enhancers' telescopic capability as they approached, paying particular attention to the pedestrians' clothing. To her relief, it all seemed reasonably similar in style to the outfits she and Merrick were wearing. That had been one of her major concerns, that the Trofts might have brought them clothing that was so out-of-date it would instantly finger them as foreigners.
Keying off her opticals, she picked up her pace a little. All was as well as could be expected, certainly as well as she could make it. The goal now was to get to Daulo's house and out of the public eye before she or Merrick made some dangerous social blunder.
She had keyed her audio enhancers on low-power, listening to the nearest conversations to remind herself of the region's accent, when she heard a sudden catch in Merrick's breath. "Mom—one o'clock," he murmured. "Those two men in gray and blue."
Jin shifted her gaze and audio enhancers in the indicated direction. The two men seemed to have just started an animated conversation about animal pelts. "What about them?" she asked.
"Just watch," Merrick said, his voice dark. "There—that other one coming toward them. Watch him." The newcomer stepped up to the other two, smiled, and lifted his right hand to make the sign of respect.
Only it wasn't the same sign Jin had learned thirty years ago, the one she'd just coached Merrick on. Instead of touching bunched fingertips to forehead, the newcomer touched only his first two fingertips to his forehead and then touched his lips.
And the two other men answered, not with two fingers, but with three fingers to foreheads and lips.
The Qasamans had changed their mark of respect.
Jin shot another look around the people beyond the wall, a jolt of sudden panic running through her. She'd expected clothing styles to have changed over the years, and had been relieved that she and Merrick had the right versions. It had never even occurred to her that something so basic as the mark of respect might similarly have been modified.
And if the mark of respect had changed so drastically, what else might have changed along with it?
She
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