Mere

An immortal child is born in the most horrid conditions. But luck delivers her to a world that will embrace her, first as a god and then as an alien. And before she is finished, Mere will help make a society that deserves to live to the ends of time.

Then a soft voice asked, "Will you accept a worshipper, madam? I should like very much to see you."
Mere rose and said, "Yes. Always."
Her guest was dressed in a truth-seeker's gown, but his teeth were orange and there was no wig on his wide head. In his hands was a sheet of green copper, ancient and decorated with old words. Mere recognized the dialect with a glance. It was from the time when she first fell from the sky, and along the top margin of that single sheet was the official mark of the original truth-seeker. Beneath the mark, someone had written, "Should it become necessary, tomorrow or at the end of time, this is how you may kill the god."
Following the newcomer were twenty soldiers armed with keen swords and buckets full of fire. They stood together in a tight, nervous mass. There was a moment when Mere felt that she could convince them to surrender their weapons. But the new truth-seeker threw a platinum coin to the floor, and he said, "In this one shadow of everything, you will become rich men. I promise."

Robert Reed has been writing Great Ship/Marrow stories for years. "Mere" is the origin story of one of his most charming, unusual characters.


Genre: Science Fiction