Ktheg!lik was burning up.

  Not everything was bad, of course. Her trachea was blocked by the breathing tube, but her esophagus wasn't, so she was able to eat and drink without too much difficulty. The big problem was not being able to close her mouth all the way to chew, but she used the strange eating utensil to mash up the fanka beans as finely as possible, and then just swallowed the resulting mess one whole bite at a time. It gave her embarrassing indigestion that way, but breathing was more important.

  The fever was getting bad, though. Ktheg!lik spread her ears to radiate away the heat, but it wasn't nearly enough. So, she staggered into the waterfall chamber, grateful that the door was manual and didn't lock, and figured out how to get the cold water flowing. The control apparently was a simple valve, and didn't need the golem to activate. She got in, clothes and all, and sat down in the spray, grateful for the relief. Her mind cleared up almost at once.

  So long as I stay cool, I'm not doing too badly, thanks to the golem's earlier efforts. I'll run out of oxygen tanks eventually, but hopefully Nik!eh will be back long before then.

  I hope he's all right. The hoonan went to get the vanadium a long time ago, and who knows why he lost contact? Ktheg!lik imagined various scenarios, from simply having his radio signal blocked in a canyon, to getting stuck somewhere, to stumbling across other survivors and getting captured or killed. If Nik!eh dies, what happens to the golem? Does it seek a new master? Does it simply shut down forever?

  Since the golem appears inert...does that mean that Nik!eh has been killed?

  She was tempted to go sit in front of the glowing radio again, but Geh!kin probably didn't know more than he had earlier, any more than she did. Also, she didn't want to get out of the cold spray. She might do something foolish while in the heat fog. Heat fog made everyone stupid.

  I hate being sick, but I have to admit, it is so nice to be clean again. To have new things to eat. To have such amazingly clear water to drink. To breathe air that isn't choked with dust. To be at a comfortable temperature, even.

  If only his germs weren't trying to kill me.

  I wonder if this is just one sickness, and I'll be stuck getting sick with dozens, all the different diseases of his planet. Nobody's ever done this before. Mixing two entire planets' variety of germs. Does the golem have magical fixes for these problems too?

  Nik!eh risked his life taking me along. I risked his life, which in hindsight was stupid. There's only one of him, and if he dies...if he has died... Ktheg!lik let her thoughts go silent.

  A loud gurgle roused her from her rest. She startled awake as it came again. Then she realized that the water pressure had fallen significantly. Oh, no.

  As quickly as she could, Ktheg!lik turned off the spray, but the damage was done. She had used up almost Nik!eh's entire supply of water. What was I thinking? He's insanely wealthy, but even the golem has limits!

  She wasn't sure where the golem was getting the water from, probably from a dehumidifier, whatever that was. Something about condensing the moisture out of the air, like a dew catcher. She only hoped that whatever device was getting the water was still working even with the golem gone silent, and the water levels would eventually return.

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  I should pour some drinking water into bowls. Dying of thirst in this situation would be humiliatingly inept of me.

  Ktheg!lik was increasingly nervous about the possibility that Nik!eh was dead and the golem as well. So much disaster over a few funs of vanadium. There was not a lot of food; there hadn't been enough time for the golem to create much, and Nik!eh had taken nearly his entire food supply to the mine.

  The thought made Ktheg!lik sigh through the breathing tube. You are a good... person, Nik!eh. Actually... She flapped her ears slightly in thought, a nervous habit that she had gotten teased for as a child. Actually, I don't even know whether hoonans have male and female forms, or something else. Is Nik!eh a male, a female, or neither? I've been assuming male, but I don't actually know.

  Ah well, it doesn't matter anyway. Male, female or otherwise, he's not a fuak!a. She shook her head at the strange thought.Hm. I wonder if the heat fog is coming back. I need to find a new way to keep cool until I can beat this fever.

  Ktheg!lik could tell that the oxygen tank was getting low, so she made her way back to Nik!eh's nest and switched tanks. Fortunately, it was a simple connector, once she figured out that the screws turned the wrong way. So many little details constantly reminded her that Nik!eh and the golem were both aliens, to each other as well as to her people.

  While she was there, she waved at Geh!kin and listened to his fretting. There was one bright spot; the golem lights may have switched off when the golem stopped speaking to them, but apparently the air cleaner and water cleaner at the mine were both still working, at least so far. Well, it makes sense. If I were making magical lights and air makers, I'd probably have the lights default to off and the air makers to on, too.

  My thoughts are getting more fanciful. How else can I cool my head? Ktheg!lik went over her memories of the tour Nik!eh had given her, and realized that there was one door on this level that he hadn't opened. It was next to the toilet room. He hadn't told her not to open it, the way he did with the room full of alien plants (and wasn't that an unnerving concept!)

  Perhaps it was just something boring like a closet. Or, maybe it was a surprise he had been saving for last, before her collapse had sparked a crisis. I need every resource I can find, if I'm going to survive. Better to check it out while I can still think somewhat straight. Ktheg!lik waved goodbye to Geh!kin, and went to investigate the mystery door.

  Luckily, the new door yielded to the same efforts as the door to Nik!eh's nest, and slid into the wall. She tasted a strong smell of something like sea salt in the air. She lifted her magical torch to get a look at the inside of the room.

  Is that...a pool of water? Why does it smell like the sea? Ktheg!lik moved closer, slowly, being careful not to get too close to the edge as she walked around the perimeter. Why does he have this here? It's not a drinking reservoir, is it? Is it for recreation? Fishing? A breeding pool, spirits forbid? And what is in the water, making that smell? We're hundreds of zezes from the ocean.

  I think it's...for swimming in. Ktheg!lik was stunned at the sheer wealth on display, but when she thought about it, it made sense. If you have limited resources but unlimited abilities, why not create a pool for swimming? He must be bored, just as we are at the mine, and wanting exercise. I wonder if he comes in here a lot. I certainly would!

  But the big question is, is the water safe for me? She kept walking, and found a stairway leading down into the water. I guess I'll have to test it. Carefully, she lowered herself to the stone floor next to the stairway, and slowly lowered one foot into the water. As she had hoped, the water was slightly chilled. So long as the stuff doesn't melt my skin off or anything, I can use this to keep myself cool as long as necessary.

  She felt a moment of regret. I'm sorry I'm contaminating your beautiful pool, Nik!eh, but it's an emergency. As a small consolation, she recalled that she had pretty thoroughly cleaned herself not long ago. I hope I'm not ruining the pool. She reminded herself that Nik!eh could surely make another one of these, so long as he and the golem were both in good health.

  If I still have a foot in a kozeg or two, maybe I can go farther in, she hoped. For now, all I can do is wait.