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Me! The boy looked shattered.
Overhead the sky darkened, the ever-present sworls of color tightening
against the approach of night into amorphous lumps that drifted above the
earth like thunderheads. Hidden by the thin screen of brush they heard Puki
urge the two teams out of the water and lead them away. Loahn rubbed a hand
over his inch long stubble. No Karkys& He muttered. Why?
Aleytys wrapped her ringers about his leg just above the knee, feeling the
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tension that hardened his muscles. Could be the Lakoe-heai are jealous. The
Karkiskya don t recognize them. It sounds foolish& to destroy so much for an
itch in the vanity. I don t know. The Karkiskya are cheating you, do you know
that?
Cheating us? He swung around to face her. How?
Keon says the poaku you trade for your blades bring many many times the
worth of a knife off-world.
His mouth twisted into a one-sided smile. And how would we get the poaku
off-world? Why should we try? A bargain is a good one if both parties are
satisfied. If you drive the Karkiskya off, how will boys know they re men?
His head moved slowly away from her toward the ugly towers that rose above the
tree tops. They ve been here a long time& a long time. No one remembers when
there was no Karkys. The lines deepened in his thin face, aging him suddenly
beyond his twenty years. If the Lakoe-heai demand it& .
I don t have to do it.
They ll make you. He licked his lips. They re a nasty lot to tangle with.
I could talk with them. If they realized they were wrecking their own
people& .
Their own people! You don t think they really give a damn about us, do you?
He spread out his hands. I know it sounds funny for me to say that after what
they did for me. It s caprice, Lahela. Why they do things is beyond& He
tapped his forehead with his forefinger. Beyond the working of our minds. He
jumped up and prowled back and forth in front of her. That s how we live,
Lahela, waiting for the dice to roll. Most of the time, though they leave us
alone. For which we give thanks.
Aleytys stood. I can t do it, Loahn. She walked around the bench and
stopped with her hand on the dusty bark of the tree s trunk. The Karkiskya,
this city. They re both important to people. If I curse the city who would
come here?
No one. He glanced up again at the towers. Gikena says, we do.
Dammit, I won t be driven. No. She kicked at the dirt and flung her head
back defiantly. I won t do it.
He caught her hand and held it against his face, saying nothing.
Loahn. Tonight. Come in the caravan with us; it ll be well into the night
before we leave and I don t want to have to hunt you in the dark.
He nodded. Lahela?
What is it? She rested the fingers of her free hand against the trunk, once
again reaching out for security to solid physical things.
You re totally committed to that man?
She felt a lurch in the beat of her heart, a knotting around her stomach.
Totally? Why?
Puki.
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She freed herself and moved away from him. Yes, she said quietly. I m
committed to him. Then she smiled and shook her head. I d never make it as a
woman on this world, Loahn. You d be wanting to strangle me before the leaves
turned.
His cool skeptical eyes went flickering over her slender body. Then he
shrugged. Maybe so.
Chapter VII
Stavver thumbed a stud on his belt, waking a circle of light that spread out
under his feet. In the chameleon web he was a faint flicker in the deep shadow
under the wall, hands and face floating in mid-air, the mooncream absorbing
light until even these were reduced to vague blurs. A hand blur gestured
impatiently.
With considerable trepidation Aleytys stepped onto the light circle. It
shuddered under her bare feet like something alive, sending tremors of
distaste shivering up her legs. She clasped her arms around him and pressed
herself against him. Under her entwined fingers she felt silent laughter
vibrating in his chest.
Riding the pale circle they drifted up over the wall then skimmed along the
facade of the building. Stavver stopped the ascent beside a narrow window
sealed with a thick block of clear material that somehow didn t look like
glass to Aleytys. Didn t feel like glass either when she reached out an
exploratory finger. She withdrew her hand and clung to him as he ran the
softly buzzing tool in quick swooping sweeps back and forth across the plug.
The clear material glowed sickly yellow then began to flow sluggishly in a
messy dribble down the stone.
When the embrasure was clear Stavver moved the circle of light up until his
feet were on a level with the sill. Then he maneuvered them inside. They
floated near the floor with a tidy economy of motion. A hand s breadth above
the dull rubber matting he tapped the stud on his belt. They fell the short
distance to the floor, Stavver sagging slightly, Aleytys stumbling, falling to
her knees. The corridor outside the room was barely wide enough to accommodate
Stavver s body, waking a claustrophobic shudder in Aleytys. The thief turned
to the left and moved swiftly, intently along, ignoring her.
& Tread the obscenely warm& obscenely soft& rubberoid flooring& like walking
the intestines of a worm& coil round and round in a downward spiraling helix&
terror& growing slowly, slowly more intense& her breathing quickened, sweat
blurred her eyes, there was a tight constricted feeling around her chest& .
At each branching of the worm hole, Stavver hesitated, glanced at the dial
face nestled in his palm, then moved forward, following the pointer.
& Down and down& an eternity& boring& boring& boring& nausea surged sourly
into her mouth as fear churned the juices of her stomach& better, a thousand
times better, to walk the fields in the sunlight doing the hard unending labor
of a farmer& what am I doing this for? Why am I here? Mother& phah& Shareem of
Vrithian& . Madar, what made me think that stupid capricious female would find
a place for me& Loahn wants me& no& .
No, another voice whispered to her, he wants your power. He s greedy for the
respect of his own, having suffered their spite so many years. Do you really
think you could spend the rest of your life& the rest of my life& how long
will that be& how long& . The Vrya live long long& how long could Loahn
tolerate an unaging wife& what would he do when he doddered about a white
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bearded elder with a wife who looked like his grandchild& could any man endure
that& maybe that s why she said we never have complete relationships& maybe&
grandchild& do I want more children& . I love Sharl& god, he s the one thing I
can love& I don t want another baby& how many years until he s old enough to
be on his own& .
Amber light flared behind her eyes triggering a spurt of fear. She jerked to
a halt. Ahead the corridor split into three branches& a brief image like a
figure illumined by lightning& a hooded Karsk coming swiftly down the
righthand passage. She blinked, startled, then touched Stavver s arm, feeling
him flinch from her touch. He s forgotten I m here, she thought. His eyes were
hard and impatient. One comes. There. She flicked a finger at the passage.
Moving tautly, Stavver slid into the side passage. He pushed her behind him
then crouched against the wall, facing the main corridor and nearly invisible
in the web suiting. The hooded Karsk glided bonelessly past, radiating a calm
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