Part 56 (2/2)

”You could be right,” Kouwe said.

Nate heard the hesitation in the professor's voice. ”What else could it be?”

Kouwe frowned. ”I talked with Dakii while you were drugged out. Theali ne Yagga powder comes from the root of this tree. Desiccated and pow-dered root fiber.”

So.

”So maybe what you dreamed wasn't your subconscious. Maybe it was some type of prerecorded message from the tree itself. An instruction manual, so to speak:Consume the fruit of the tree and you will stay healthy. A simple message:”

”You can't be serious.”

”Considering the setup in this valley-mutated species, regeneratinglimbs, humans enslaved in service to a plant-I wouldn't put anything beyond this tree's abilities:'

Nate shook his head.

Anna frowned. ”The professor may have a point. I can't even imagine how this tree is able to produce prions specific to the DNA of so many dif-ferent species. That alone is miraculous. How did it learn?

Where did the tree even get genetic material to learn from?”

Kouwe waved an arm around the room. ”This tree traces its roots back to the Paleozoic era, when the land was just plants. Its ancestors must have been around as land animals first evolved, and rather thancompeting, it incorporated these new species into its own life cycle, like the Amazon's ant tree does today.”

The professor continued with his theories, but Nate found himself tuning him out. He was drawn back to Anna's last question.Where did the tree even get genetic material to learn from? It was a good question, and it nagged at Nate. Howhad the Yagga learned to produce its wide varietyof species-specific prions?

Nate remembered his dream: the line of animals and people disap-pearing inside the tree. Where had they gone? Was it more than just sym-bolic? Did they gosomewhere? Nate found his eyes on Dakii, kneeling by the hammock. Maybe it was another intuitive leap, or a residual effect of the drug, but Nate began to get a suspicion where thatsomewhere might be.

All ne rah.Blood of the Yagga. From the root of the tree.

Nate's gaze narrowed on Dakii. He recalled the Indian's description of his father's fate, spoken with gladness.He's gone to feed the root.

Nate found his feet stepping toward the tribesman.

Kouwe stopped his discourse. ”Nate . . . ?”

”There's one piece of the puzzle we're still missing:” Nate nodded to Dakii. ”And I know who has it:”

He crossed to the kneeling tribesman. Dakii glanced up, tears running down his face. The loss of the leader had struck the man hard. He hauled to his feet as Nate stopped before him.

”Wishwa,”he said, bowing his head, acknowledging the pa.s.sing of power.

”I'm sorry for your loss;” Nate said, ”but we must speak:” Kouwe came over and a.s.sisted with the translations, but Nate was now becomingskilled at mixing English and Yanomamo words to get his message across. Dakii pointed to the bed, wiping an eye. ”He named Dakoo:” The native touched a palm to the dead man's chest. ”He father of me:'

Nate bit his lip. He should have guessed. Now that Dakii had men-tioned it, he saw the similarities. Nate placed a hand on the man's shoulder. He knew what it was like to lose a father. ”I'm truly sorry,” he repeated, this time with more feeling.

Dakii nodded. ”Thank you:”

”Your father was an amazing man. He will be mourned by all of us, but right now we're in grave danger.

We need your help:”

Dakii bowed his head. ”Youwishwa. You say . . . I do:”

I need you to take me to the root of the tree, to where the tree is fed.

Dakii's head snapped up, his face showing both fear and worry.

”Gently,” Kouwe warned him in a whisper. ”You are clearly treading on sacred ground:” Nate waved away the professor's caution and placed a palm to his own chest. ”I amwishwa now. I must see the root:”

The tribesman bobbed his head. ”I go show you.” He glanced to hi~ dead father in the hammock, then turned toward the exit.

They began to wind back down the tunnel. Anna and Kouwe whis-pered behind Nate, leaving him to his own thoughts. He again remem-bered his comparison of the Ban-ali symbol to the serpentine tunnel through the Yagga's trunk. But did it represent more? Did it also symbolize the essential molecular shape of the mutating prion, as Kelly had sug-gested? Was there indeed some communication between plant and human? Some shared memory? After what Nate had experienced under the effect of the drug, he was not so sure he could dismiss this last possibil-ity. Perhaps the symbol did indeed represent both. The true heart of the Yagga.

Nate and the group continued down.

”Someone come,” Dakii said, slowing.

Then Nate heard it, too. Footsteps, trotting or running.

From around a corner, a familiar figure appeared.

”Private Camera,” Kouwe said.

She nodded, hardly out of breath from the steep run up the tunnel. Nate noticed she had recovered her weapon. ”I was sent to fetch you. To seeif you found another way off this plateau. Sergeant Kostos had no luck dis-arming the explosives:'

Nate realized, in all the disturbing revelations, he had failed to ask the most important question. Was there another way out of the valley?

”Dakii,” Nate said. ”We need to know if there is a secret path to the lower valley. Do you know one?”

This communication took much gestur-ing and Kouwe's help.

While Kouwe translated, Camera glanced at Nate with an eyebrow raised. ”You've not already interrogated the man?” she whispered. ”What have you been doing?”

”Doing drugs,” Nate said, distracted and concentrating on the conver-sation with the tribesman.

Dakii finally seemed to understand. ”Go away? Why? Stay here:” He pointed to his feet.

”We can't,” Nate said with exasperation.

Anna spoke at his shoulder, ”He doesn't understand about the bombs. He doesn't know the valley is going to be destroyed. Such a concept is beyond him:”

”We'll have to make him understand,” Nate said. He turned to Camera. ”In the meantime, I need you and the sergeant to gather as many of this tree's nuts as you can into packs:”

”Nuts?” ”I'll explain later. Just do it . . . please:”

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