“Life,” she murmured. “That’s all we are, Baru. The dread Cancrioth. Just life that goes on living. The Womb will do anything to keep her children alive. The Eye will do anything to keep us safely out of sight. They are each good and necessary organs. “But life needs to do more than just live, doesn’t it? Sometimes we have to risk ourselves … risk death. For our families. For our people. For an ideal. That’s what a brain is, isn’t it? An organ that guides the body against its own instincts. Why do we need a brain, Baru, if the skin and the stomach are enough? A worm has no brain. A worm can
...more
