A few hours earlier, Geryn gave Tel a kharba fruit. The boy took the
bright-speckled melon around the inn, looking for Alter. Unable to find
her, he wandered onto the street and up the block. Once a cat with a
struggling gray shape in its teeth hurtled across his path. Later he saw
an overturned garbage can with a filigree of fish bones ornamenting the
parti-colored heap. Over the house roofs across the street, the taller
buildings and towers of Toron paled to blue, with sudden yellow
rectangles of window light scattered unevenly over their faces.
Turning down another block, he saw Rara standing on the corner, stopping
the occasional passers-by. Tel started up to her, but she saw him and
motioned him away. Puzzled, he went to a stoop and sat down to watch. As
he ran his thumbnail along the orange rind, and juice oozed from the
slit, he heard Rara talking to a stranger.
"Your fortune, sir. I'll spread your future before you like a silver
mirror ..." The stranger passed. Rara turned to a woman now coming toward
her. "Ma'am, a fragment of a unit will spread your life out like a
patterned carpet where you may trace the designs of your fate. Just a
quarter of a unit ..." The woman smiled, but shook her head. "You look
like you come from the mainland," Rara called after her. "Well, good
luck here in the New World, sister, the Island of Opportunity."
Immediately she turned to another man, this one in a deep green uniform.
"Sir," Tel heard her begin. Then she paused as she surveyed his costume.
"Sir," she continued, "for a single unit I will unweave the threads of
your destiny from eternity's loom. Would you like to know the promotion
about to come your way? How many children you'll ..."
"Come on, lady," said the man in uniform. "It's illegal to tell fortunes
here."
"But I've got my license," declared Rara. "I'm a genuine clairvoyant.
Just a second ..." And her hands began to plunge into the seams and
pockets of her gray rags.
"Never mind, lady. Just get moving," and he gave her a push. Rara moved.
Tel peeled back the strip of rind he'd loosened from the kharba fruit,
licked the juice from the yellow wound, and followed Rara.
"Son of an electric eel," she said when Tel reached her, her birthmark
scarlet. "Just trying to make a living, that's all."
"Want a bite?"
Rara shook her head. "I'm too angry," she said. They walked back to the
inn.
"Do you know where Alter is?" Tel asked. "I was looking for her."
"She's not in the inn?"
"I couldn't find her there."
"Did you look on the roof?" Rara asked.
"Oh," said Tel. "No." They turned into the tavern and Tel went upstairs.
It was not until he was halfway up the ladder on the second floor that
went to the trap door in the ceiling that he wondered why she was on the
roof. He pushed the trap door back and hoisted himself to the dusty,
weathered rim.
Alter was hanging head and white hair down from a pipe that went from
the stone chimney to a supporting pipe that was fastened by a firm
collar to the roof.
"What are you doing?" Tel asked.
"Hi," she smiled down at him. "I'm practicing."
"Practicing what?"
She was hanging double from her waist over the pipe. Now she grabbed the
bar close to her waist and somersaulted forward, letting her feet slowly
and evenly to the ground, her legs perfectly straight. "My stunts," she
said. "I'm an acrobat." She did not let go of the bar, but suddenly
swung her legs up so that her ankles nearly touched her hands, and then
whipped them down again, ending the kip by supporting herself upright on
the metal perch. Then she flung her legs back (Tel jumped because she
looked like she was going to fall) and went out and down, then under,
swung up, arced over, and went down again in a giant circle. She circled
once more, then doubled up, caught one knee over the bar, reversed
direction, and suddenly was sitting on top of the rod with one leg over.
"Gee," Tel said. "How did you do that?"
"It's all timing," Alter said. Suddenly she threw her head back, and
circled the bar once more, hanging from her hands and one knee. Then
the knee came loose, and her feet came slowly to the ground. "You've
just got to be strong enough to hold up your own weight. Maybe a little
stronger. But the rest is all timing."
"You mean I could do that?"
"You want to try something?"
"Like what?"
"Come here and grab hold of the bar."
Tel came over and grabbed. He could just keep his feet flat on the
tar-papered roof and still hold on. "All right," he said.
"Now pull yourself up and hook your left knee around the bar."
"Like this?" He kicked up once, missed, and tried again.
"When you kick, throw your head back," she instructed. "You'll balance
better."
He did, pulled up, and got his foot through his arms, and suddenly felt
the bar slide into the crook of his knee. He was hanging by his left
knee and hands. "Now what do I do?" he asked, swaying back and forth.
Alter put her hand on his back to steady him. "Now straighten your right
leg, and keep your arms fairly straight." He obeyed. "Now swing your
right leg up and down, three times, and then swing it down real hard."
Tel lifted his leg, dropped it, and at once began swinging back and
forth beneath the pole. "Keep the leg straight," Alter said. "Don't bend
it, or you'll loose momentum."
He got to the third kick, and then let go (with his thigh muscles, not
his hands) and at once the sky slipped back behind him and his body
swung upward away from the direction of the kick. "Whoooo," he said, and
then felt an arm steadying his wrist. He was sitting on top of the bar
with one leg over it. He looked down at Alter. "Is that what was
supposed to happen?"
"Sure," she said. "That's how you mount the bar. It's called a knee
mount."
"I guess it's easier than climbing. Now what do I do?"
"Try this. Straighten out your arms. And make sure they stay straight.
Now straighten your back leg behind you." As he tried, he felt her hand
on his knee, helping. "Hey ..." he said. "I'm not balanced."
"Don't worry," she said. "I'm holding you. Keep those arms straight. If
you don't obey instructions you'll have a head full of tar paper. Seven
feet isn't very high, but head first it's sort of uncomfortable."
Tel's elbows locked.
"Now when I count three, kick the leg I'm holding under you and throw
your head back as hard as you can. One ..."
"What's supposed to happen?" Tel demanded.
"Follow instructions," replied Alter. "Two ... three!"
Tel threw and kicked, and felt Alter give his leg an extra push. He had
planned to close his eyes, but what he saw kept them open. Sky and then
roof were coming at him, fast. Then they veered away, along with Alter's
face (which was upside down), till an instant later the pale blue towers
of Toron, all pointing in the wrong direction, pierced his sight.
Righting themselves, they jerked out of his line of vision and he was
looking straight up at the sky (there was a star out, he noted before it
became a meteor and flashed away) until it was replaced by the roof and
Alter's face (laughing now) and then once more everything swept into its
proper position for a moment.
He clamped his stinging hands tightly on the bar, and when he felt
himself stop, he hunched forward and closed his eyes. "Mmmmmmmmmm," he
said. Alter's hand was on his wrist, very firm, and he was sitting on
top of the bar again.
"You just did a double back knee circle," she said, "You did it very
well too." Then she laughed. "Only it wasn't supposed to be double. You
just kept going."
"How do I get down?" Tel asked.
"Arms straight," said Alter.
Tel straightened his arms.
"Put this hand over here." She patted the bar on the other side of his
leg. Tel transferred his grip. "Now bring your leg off the bar." Tel
hoisted his leg back so that he was supported by just his hands. "Now
bend forward and roll over, slowly if you can." Tel rolled, felt the
bar slip from where it was pressed against his waist, and a moment later
his feet were brushing back and forth over the tar paper. He let go and
rubbed his hands together. "Why didn't you tell me what I was gonna do?"
"Because then you wouldn't have done it. Now that you know you can, the
rest will be easier. You've got three stunts now in less than five
minutes. The knee mount, back knee circle, and the forward dismount. And
that was the best I've ever seen anybody do for a first try."
"Thanks," said Tel. He looked back up at the horizontal bar. "You know,
it feels real funny, doing that stuff. I mean you don't really do it.
You do things and than it happens to you."
"That's right," Alter said. "I hadn't thought of it like that Maybe
that's why a good acrobat has to be a person who can sort of relax and
just let things happen. You have to trust both your mind and your body."
"Oh," said Tel. "I was looking for you when I came up here. I wanted to
give you something."
"Thank you," she smiled, brushing a shock of white hair from her
forehead.
"I hope it didn't get broken." He reached into his pocket and pulled out
a handful of something sinewy; he had strung the shells on lengths of
leather thong. There were three loops of leather, each longer than the
one before, and the shells were spread apart and held in place by tiny
knots. "Geryn gave me the thong, and I put it together this afternoon.
It's a necklace, see?"
She turned while he tied the ends behind her neck. Then she turned back
to him, touching the green brilliance of one frail cornucopia, passing
to the muted orange of another along the brown leather band. "Thank
you," she said. "Thank you very much, Tel."
"You want some fruit?" he said, picking up the globe and beginning to
peel the rest of it.
"All right," she said. He broke it open, gave her half, and they went to
the edge of the roof and leaned on the balustrade, looking to the
street below, then over the roofs of the other houses of the Devil's Pot
and up to the darkening towers.
"You know," Tel said. "I've got a problem."
"No identification papers, no place to go. I should say you do."
"Not like that," he said. "But that's part of it, I guess. I guess it's
a large part of it. But not all."
"Then what is it?"
"I've got to figure out what I want. Here I am, in a new place, with no
way to get anything for myself; I've got to figure a goal."
"Look," said Alter, assuming the superiority of age and urban training,
"I'm a year older than you, and I don't know where I'm going yet. But
when I was your age, it occurred to me it would probably all take care
of itself. All I had to do was ride it out. So that's what I've been
doing, and I haven't been too unhappy. Maybe it's the difference between
living here or on the seashore. But here you've got to spend a lot of
time looking for the next meal. At least people like you and me have to.
If you pay attention to that, you'll find yourself heading in the right
direction soon enough. Whatever you're going to be, you're going to be,
if you just give yourself half a chance."
"Like a big acrobatic stunt, huh?" asked Tel. "You just do the right
things and then it happens to you."
"Like that," said Alter. "I guess so."
"Maybe," said Tel. The kharba fruit was cool, sweet like honey, orange,
and pineapple.
A minute later someone was calling them. They turned from the balustrade
and saw Geryn's white head poking from the trap door. "Come down," he
demanded. "I've been looking all over for you. It's time."
They followed him back to the first floor. Tel saw that the scarred
giant was still sitting at the table, his hands folded into quiet
hammers before him.
"Now, everyone," Geryn called as he sat down at the table. Somewhat
reluctantly people left the bar. Geryn dropped a sheaf of papers on the
table. "Come around, everyone." The top sheet was covered with fine
writing and careful architectural drawing. "Now this is the plan." So
were the other sheets, when Geryn turned them over. "First, I'll divide
you into groups."
He looked at the giant across the table. "Arkor, you take the first
group." He picked out six more men and three women. He turned to the
white-haired girl now. "Alter, you'll be with the special group." He
named six more people. Tel was among them. A third group was formed
which Geryn himself was to lead. Arkor's group was for strong-arm work.
Geryn's was for guard duty and to keep the way clear while the prince
was being conveyed back to the inn. "The people in the special group
already know what to do."
"Sir," said Tel, "you haven't told me, yet."
Geryn looked at him. "You have to get caught."
"Sir?"
"You go past the guards, and make enough noise so that they catch you.
Then, when they're occupied with you, we'll break in. Because you have
no papers, they won't be able to trace you."
"Am I supposed to stay caught?"
"Of course not. You'll get away when we distract them."
"Oh," said Tel. Geryn went back to the papers.
As the plan was reviewed, Tel saw two things. First the completeness of
the research, information, and attention to detail--habits of individual
guards: one who left at the first sound of the change signal; another
who waited a moment to exchange greetings with his replacement, a friend
from his military academy days. Second, he saw its complexity. There
were so many ins and outs, gears that had to mesh, movements to be timed
within seconds, that Tel wondered if everything could possibly go right.
While he was wondering, they were suddenly already on their way, each
one with a bit of the plan fixed firmly in his mind, no one with too
clear a picture of the entire device. The groups were to split into
subgroups of two or three, then reconvene at appointed spots around the
castle. Tel and Alter found themselves walking through the city with
the giant. Occasional street lights wheeled their shadows over the
cracked pavement.
"You're from the forest, aren't you?" Tel finally asked the giant.
He nodded.
"Why did you come here?" Tel asked, trying to make conversation as they
walked.
"I wanted to see the city," he said, raising his hand to his scars with
a small chuckle. After that, he said nothing.
* * * * *
Prime Minister Chargill took his evening constitutional along the
usually deserted Avenue of the Oyster at about this time every night.
Prime Minister Chargill always carried on him a complete set of keys to
the private suites of the royal family. This evening, however, a drunk
in rags reeled out of a side street and collided with the old man. A
moment later, making profuse apologies, he backed away, ducking his
head, his hands behind his back. When the drunk returned to the side
street, his weaving gait ceased, his hand came from behind his back, and
in it was a complete set of keys to the private suites of the royal
family.
* * * * *
The guard who was in charge of checking the alarm system loved flowers.
He could--(and had been)--observed going to the florist's at least once
a week on his time off. So when the old woman with a tray of scarlet
anemones came by and offered them for his perusal, it is not surprising
that he lowered his head over the tray and filled his lungs with that
strange, pungent smell somewhere between orange rind and the sea wind.
Forty-seven seconds later, he yawned. Fourteen seconds after that, he
was sitting on the ground, his head hung forward, snoring. Through the
gate two figures could be seen at the alarm box ... had anyone been
there to look.
* * * * *
At another entrance to the castle, two guards converged on a
fourteen-year-old boy with black hair and green eyes who was trying to
climb the fence.
"Hey, get down from there! All right, come on. Where're your papers?
What do you mean you don't have any? Come on with us. Get the camera
out, Jo. We'll have to photograph him and send the picture to Chief
Records Headquarters. They'll tell us who you are, kid. Now hold still."
Behind them, a sudden white-haired figure was out of the shadows and
over the gate in a moment. The guards did not see her.
"Hold still now, kid, while I get your retina pattern."
* * * * *
Later on a bunch of rowdies, led by a giant, started to raise hell
around the palace. They hadn't even gotten the kid to the guard house
yet, but somehow in the confusion the boy got away. One guard, who wore
a size seventeen uniform was knocked unconscious, but no one else was
hurt. They dispersed the rowdies, carried the guard to the infirmary,
and left. The doctor saw him in the waiting room, then left him there
momentarily to look for an accident report slip in the supply room at
the other side of the building. (He could have sworn that a whole pad of
them had been lying on the desk when he'd stepped out for a bit ten
minutes ago.) When the doctor returned with the slip the soldier was
still there--only he was stark naked.
* * * * *
A minute later, an unfamiliar guard, wearing a size seventeen uniform,
saluted the guard at the gate, and marched in.
* * * * *
Two strange men behind the gate flung a cord with a weight on one end
over a third story cornice. They missed once, then secured it the second
time and left it hanging there.
A guard wearing a size seventeen uniform came down the hall of the west
wing of the castle, stopped before a large double door on which was a
silver crown, indicating the room of the Queen Mother; he took a
complete set of keys to the private suites of the royal family from his
cloak, and locked her Majesty firmly in her room. At the next door, he
locked Prince Let securely in his. Then he went rapidly on.
Tel ran till he got to the corner, rounded it, and checked the street
sign. It was correct. So he went to a doorway and sat down to wait.
* * * * *
At the same time, Prince Let, getting ready for bed and wearing nothing
but his undershirt, looked out the window and saw a girl with white hair
hanging head down outside the shutter. He stood very still The upside
down face smiled at him. Then the hands converged at the window lock,
did something, and the two glass panels came open. The girl rolled over
once, turned quickly, and suddenly she was crouching on the window
ledge.
Let snatched up his pajama bottoms first, and ran to the door second.
When he couldn't open it, he whirled around and pulled on his pajama
pants.
Alter put her finger to her lips as she stepped down into his room.
"Keep quiet," she whispered. "And relax," she added. "The Duchess of
Petra sent me. More or less." She had been instructed to use that name
to calm the prince. It seemed to work a trifle.
"Look," explained Alter, "you're being kidnapped. It's for your own
good, believe me." She watched the blond boy come away from the door.
"Who are you?" he asked.
"I'm a friend of yours if you'll let me be."
"Where are you going to take me?"
"You're going to go on a trip. But you'll come back, eventually."
"What has my mother said?"
"Your mother doesn't know. Nobody knows except you and the Duchess, and
the few people who're helping her."
Let appeared to be thinking. He walked over to his bed, sat down, and
pressed his heel against the side board. There was a tiny click. Nothing
else happened. "Why won't they open the door?" he asked.
"It's been locked," Alter said. Suddenly she looked at the clock beside
the Prince's bed, and turned to the window. Light from the crystal
chandelier caught on the shells that were strung on leather thongs
around her neck as she turned.
Let put his hand quietly on the newel post of his bed and pressed his
thumb hard on the purple garnet that encrusted the crowning ornamental
dolphin. Nothing happened except a tiny click.
At the window, Alter reached out her hand, just as a bundle appeared
outside on a lowered rope. She pulled them in, untied them, and shook
them out as the rope suddenly flew out the window again. "Here," she
said. "Get into these." It was a suit of rags. She tossed them to him.
Finally Let slipped out of his pajama pants and into the suit.
"Now look in your pocket," Alter said.
The boy did and took out a bunch of keys.
"You can open the door with those," Alter said. "Go on."
Let paused, then went to the door. Before he put the key in the lock
though, he bent down and looked through the keyhole. "Hey," he said,
looking back at the girl. "Come here. Do you see anything?"
Alter crossed the room, bent down, and looked. The only motion Let made
was to lean against one of the panels on the wall, which gave a slight
click. Nothing happened.
"I don't see anything," Alter said. "Open the door."
Let found the proper key, put it in the lock, and the door swung back.
"All right, you kids," said the guard who was standing on the other side
of the door (who incidentally wore a size seventeen uniform), "you come
along with me." He took Let firmly by one arm and Alter by the other and
marched them down the hall. "I'm warning you to keep quiet," the guard
said to Let as they turned the last corner.
Three minutes later they were outside the castle. As the guard passed
another uniformed man at the Sentry's post, he said, "More stupid kids
trying to break into the palace."
"What a night," said the guard and scratched his head. "A girl too?"
"Looks like it," said the guard who was escorting Alter and the Prince.
"I'm taking them to be photographed."
"Sure," answered the guard, and saluted.
The two children were marched down the street toward the guard house.
Before they got there, they were turned off into a side street. Then
suddenly the guard was gone. A black-haired boy with green eyes was
coming toward them.
"Is this the Prince?" Tel asked.
"Un-huh," said Alter.
"Who are you?" Let asked. "Where are you taking me?"
"My name is Tel. I'm a fisherman's son."
"My name is Alter," Alter introduced herself.
"She's an acrobat," Tel added.
"I'm the Prince," Let said. "Really. I'm Prince Let."
The two others looked at the blond boy who stood in front of them in
rags like their own. Suddenly they laughed. The Prince frowned. "Where
are you taking me?" he asked again.
"We're taking you to get something to eat and where you can get a good
night's sleep," Alter answered. "Come on."
"If you hurt me, my mother will put you in jail."
"Nobody's going to hurt you, silly," Tel said. "Come on."