"I thought so. Come along." Narayan went into the next room, assuming
that I would follow and that I knew my way around. After the insanely
furnished rooms in Rainbow City, I was a little surprised when the next
room proved to be a strictly functional and ordinary kitchen, equipped
with the usual items. Out of a relatively un-extraordinary icebox he
assembled something that looked rather like the food I was accustomed
to from the 20th century, and poured some kind of liquid into an
oddly shaped glass. He motioned me into a chair and set the things on
the table. "Here, eat this. I know the drugs they give you; you'll
have more sense when you've eaten. We've plenty of time to talk, all
night if we choose." He saw me glance side-wise at the glass, laughed
sketchily, and from the same bottle poured himself a drink and sat down
opposite me, sipping it slowly. "Go ahead. I won't poison you till I
find out what Karamy's up to."
I laughed apologetically and started eating, with a mental shrug. It
had been at least forty-eight hours since I had last tasted food, and I
did justice to the plateful before me. Narayan sipped his drink--which,
when I tasted mine, appeared to be excellent cognac--and watched me;
and when I finally pushed the empty plate aside, he put back his glass
and said "Now. Who are you, and what happened?"
I felt better and stronger; more like myself than I'd felt since Rhys
had catapulted me into this world. But now that I was on the carpet, I
felt I must talk fast and convincingly before those searching grey eyes.
"Karamy had me shut in the Tower," I told him, "I was freed today, and
we were on our way to the Dreamers Keep. Then your men came along.
I didn't know if I was being rescued or captured. I still don't." I
stared with purposeful blankness at Narayan; he stared back and I could
feel him debating what to do and say. Obviously, an Adric sane and
glib and possibly untruthful was a different thing than an Adric too
bewildered and shaken to tell anything but the truth. Finally Narayan
said, "I'm not sure what I ought to do or say, Adric. The bond between
us isn't as strong as it was. You know that."
I nodded, perturbed. Adric's thoughts seemed to be surging back,
insidiously, as if Narayan held the key to unlock them. What crazy
drama was going to be unfolded in my mind now?