In Silence Waiting is a short story by Nikki McCormack, author of The Girl and the Clockwork Cat.
The New Gobi desert is a dangerous place. The only way to cross with relative safety is in guided caravans using genetically engineered slaves called cynta; creatures designed to sense the dangers of the desert.
When the guide is killed in a tragic incident partway through the crossing, his shackled cynta finds an unlikely ally among the people in the caravan. This ally brings the cynta hope for greater freedoms, but there are still the dangers of the New Gobi to overcome and the threat of others in the caravan who would keep the cynta a slave.
The cynta can handle the dangers of the desert alone. The threat of continued slavery, however, is one it cannot conquer without help. Incapable of speech, the cynta must find another way to communicate with its new ally and build a strong enough bond to weather the challenges lying ahead.
Genre: Science Fiction
The New Gobi desert is a dangerous place. The only way to cross with relative safety is in guided caravans using genetically engineered slaves called cynta; creatures designed to sense the dangers of the desert.
When the guide is killed in a tragic incident partway through the crossing, his shackled cynta finds an unlikely ally among the people in the caravan. This ally brings the cynta hope for greater freedoms, but there are still the dangers of the New Gobi to overcome and the threat of others in the caravan who would keep the cynta a slave.
The cynta can handle the dangers of the desert alone. The threat of continued slavery, however, is one it cannot conquer without help. Incapable of speech, the cynta must find another way to communicate with its new ally and build a strong enough bond to weather the challenges lying ahead.
Genre: Science Fiction
Used availability for Nikki McCormack's In Silence Waiting