Tealeaf, the Dweller, with her three-fingered hands and cat-pupilled eyes, had been Pearl’s maid in the city, in the days when Company had ruled. She had opened Pearl out like folded paper and allowed the child to become a woman, writing her own story on herself, instead of the pretty painted object the men of Company preferred. They had escaped from the city, meeting Hari in their flight. Pearl and Hari had discovered ways of ‘speaking’ still unknown to them. They had returned the poison salt to the mine and buried it forever, and fallen in love . . .Watching the two women on the beach, Xantee sighed. What were they talking about as they strolled back and forth? And how could they laugh, with Hari dying? Except that he wasn’t dying, Tealeaf knew that, he was just trapped in the necklace and couldn’t get free, and maybe Tealeaf was teaching Pearl how they could help him and that was why they laughed. Some Dweller way, or secret learned from the people with no name . . .Her real name is Xantee, Xantee thought.
