It was late the following day when a car, bearing the royal insignia,
drew up before the shop and one of the Guards asked for "Khosan."
Ketrik was ready. He'd been waiting for this. As they drove toward the
palace grounds the two Guards looked at him enviously.
"You have won great favor with the Emperor for last night's work,"
one of them said. "He wants personal audience with you! It would not
surprise me if he made you Captain of Praana's own guard!"
"It is true you were not supposed to be on the streets at that hour,"
said the other. "But Dar Vaajo will overlook that, considering the
circumstances."
Ketrik remembered that Praana was not supposed to be on the streets
either, but he didn't voice the thought. They reached the electronic
wall. One of the men gave the signal, and a section of it moved upward.
Their car passed through.
At last he was inside the forbidden grounds! Ketrik remained outwardly
humble, but he kept his eyes open. They went along a sweeping drive
bordered by stately _majagua_ trees. They passed a few buildings,
fronted by splendid lawns. Then the palace itself loomed ahead, a
magnificent two-storied structure of dark _culchite_ marble.
But Ketrik had no eyes for it. To the left was a building equally
imposing, and covering more area, which could only be the royal
laboratories! It was undoubtedly from that building that the phenomenon
had come the night before. He noticed the roof in particular,
glass-covered, curving into a shallow dome. If Dar Vaajo favored him,
he could get a position in there....
Then they were past the building and approaching the palace. The
audio-tube near the driver's head crackled to life, and a voice came
through. Ketrik couldn't hear the words. A startled look appeared on
the Guard's face. "Are you sure?" he said. "My orders were--"
"These are new orders! Obey them!" Ketrik heard those words all right.
The audio went dead. The driver wheeled the car around abruptly, headed
away from the palace.
"Something wrong?" Ketrik asked.
"Plans have been changed. Dar Vaajo doesn't want to see you quite yet."
The man's voice was grim.