"Jacqueline Lichtenberg - Molt Brother" - читать интересную книгу автора (Lichtenberg Jacqueline)

experience her first adult molt soon.
Her surmother moved nervously into the shadows, as if unwilling to look at Arshel's new maturity. "So, you've taken a
human molt sister. Arshel, I don't even know if the molt sister's oath is valid with a human. What if she turns on
youтАФon us? To bring a human into our familyтАФ you have no idea what it's like to be adult and helpless in molt. How
can you give a human such power over you? Just look what they've done to our island, our world!"
Another, clearer voice called from the archway of the family room, "What's all this?" Arshel's mother came into the
room, going directly to the other woman and adding, "Don't agitate yourself so, my bhirhir. You'll raise venom for
nothing."

For the first time, Arshel saw the strong resemblance between herself and her mother. She's beautiful. Maybe I'll be,
too.
Her mother looked up from trying to comfort her molt sister. "What have you said to upset your surmother like this?
Was it something you picked up from the humans at that hole in the ground?"
Ashel's part-time job at the Cross-Species Archeological Society's dig had been a sore point in the family for almost a
year. She took a deep breath, determined not to stir that up again. "I said I'd taken bhirhir among the humans."
"Bhirhir, youтАФ" Her mother choked off the words, too shocked to do more than hold her molt sister tightly.
"I did not say," Arshel added, "that my bhirhir is female. I've taken a molt brother."
Her surmother stared at her in renewed shock. Her mother's mouth fell open, and her venom fangs unfolded from their
sockets.
Arshel backed away until the water of the hatching pond lapped her sandals. After an initial surge of alarm at the sight
of her mother's fangs, she felt strangely light-headed.
"Kill this human," said her surmother, "and come back to us. We'll find you a male, if that is what you really want."
They'd really go that far? She felt confused. The fresh-water spawn, people of the mainland, often took bhirhir from
the opposite sex, but it was a practice shunned on the islands. They love me in spite of everything. Her venom glands
ached. "I can't kill him. We've already sworn bhirhir."
"He's immune to your venom?" her mother asked.
"Yes," she lied, surprised at how easy it was. She had never yet raised true-venom, only the watery prevenom. But she
had inoculated him with it often. "Yes, of course he's immune, or how could we have sworn bhirhir?"
"Then he is immune to the whole family," said her sur-mother. "Why didn't you bring him here to speak for him-self?"
"I only thought it would be kinder to warn you!"
"Then you knew how we'd feel!" said her mother.
"How you feel isn't important. He's my molt brother!

It's how I feel that's important." Panting, she was gripped by the most peculiar sensations. "Dennis has been my only
friend for all this year, my only real friend ever. He's never made fun of me because I look too young. He's fought for
meтАФand I for him. And the venom doesn't come when he's with me. He's the only one who does that for me. Isn't that
what bhirhir is?"
She looked from mother to surmother as they stood to-gether facing her. Although the atmosphere was charged,
neither of them had raised venom, while her own venom sack was straining at the neck of her blouse. With a sav-age
jerk, she pulled open the top button, tearing the fabric.
In unison, they backed away two more steps, acknowl-edging her volatile condition.
"You don't realize," said her mother, "the power you're granting this offworlder over you."
"Dennis is not an offworlder!" Nobody seemed to notice the trouble she was having pronouncing Dennis's name. The
"s" sound was as difficult and alien to them as it was to Arshel. In sudden relief, she thought, Is that all they're
worried about? "He is from the colony. His grandparents were on the first ship, and both his parents were born here.
He's not an offworlderтАФhe's only human."
Her mother looked slightly relieved, but her surmother said, "It makes no difference. I will not have this within my
family."
"It's too late," Arshel insisted. "It's done." This lie was the hardest thing she'd ever said, but the saying of it made it
true.