You asked, "What did she mean?" and I answered, "To pass among us, they imitate us-even our emotions. Most of their spawn are eaten by fish while they are still very young."

"Rani?" Jahlee gasped. And again, "Rani?"

Maytera told you, "She means, you I think."

You said, "She tried to kill me. I don't want to talk to her." Yet you held her still.

Something like a smile touched Jahlee's lips. "He had so many, Rani, in Gaon. I couldn't kill them all. Lean closer."

As if compelled, you did.

"Without blood, our children have no minds."

I shouted, "Don't!"

"Closer, Rani. It's a great secret."

"You're betraying your own kind," I told her.

"I hate my kind. Listen, please, Rani."

"Yes," you whispered. "I hear you."

Maytera touched my hand, and I knew her gesture meant, So do I; but I did not send her away.

"We take their minds from your blood. Their minds are yours. Here, long ago, I drank the blood of your small son. Krait was my son, the only one who lived with the mind it took from yours."

She gasped, and when she spoke again I could scarcely hear her, although I bent as close as you did. "Without you, we are only animals. Animals that fly, and drink blood by night."

Then she died, and you, Nettle, will die too, if the inhumi learn what you have learned from her. Indeed, you may die anyway if they learn I am here; they will surely assume I have told you.

I should not have come back.

[This is the end of the record that he wrote for our mother in his own hand.]

The Prolocutor's prothonotary entered, bowed obsequiously, and handed the Prolocutor a folded paper. When he had gone, that small and pudgy worthy said, "I implore your pardon. In all probability it is a matter of no importance whatsoever."

The white-haired man he addressed smiled and nodded. "I am flattered Your Cognizance has so much confidence in me."

"Good Silk!" Oreb assured His Cognizance.

"It is not misplaced, I feel certain." He opened the note, read it, glanced gravely at his visitor, and read it again.

"You needn't confide in me, of course. I realize-"

The Prolocutor had raised a plump hand to silence him. "It concerns yourself. I will not conceal that from you. I ask you now, openly and forthrightly, whether you repose trust in my judgment and discretion."

"Much more than in my own, Your Cognizance."

"Then I tell you now that this missive concerns you, but I dare not let you peruse it. Its substance I shall impart when I deem it appropriate. You will willingly assist me?"

"Very willingly, Your Cognizance."

"Exemplary." The Prolocutor looked toward a flower-decked porcelain clock. "Less than an hour remains, and we shall each desire to spend precious moments in private prayer. Let me be succinct."

"Please do, Your Cognizance."

"First, I shall make you do all the work, though I myself shall read the victims. Prepare yourself to address the devoted supplicants of the immortalgods."

The white-haired man nodded.

"Second, I must warn you that there are in this city certain strangers who are said to purpose to carry you off to Blue. I sent my coadjutor to you last night, to forewarn you concerning these outsiders. He miscarried, but-why are you looking like that?"

"No cut!"

"It's nothing, Your Cognizance," the white-haired man said. "Please continue."

"I was about to say that our solemn sacrifice may afford them an incomparable opportunity. You, more than plausibly, are unaccustomed to inserting oneself into the devious schemes of the ill intentioned. I invite you to believe it is quite otherwise with me. If it were my intent to thus abscond with you, I should consider the abovedesignated solemn sacrifice a golden opportunity."

"I'll be careful, Your Cognizance."

"Do so." The Prolocutor looked dubious. "You are of an adventurous and mettlesome disposition. Inculcate the innocence of the dove and the prudence of the turtle. You may need both."

"I'll strive to, Your Cognizance."

"I hope you do." The Prolocutor glanced at his clock again. "Lastly, that communication. General Mint desires to speak with you. You need fear no bootless delay. She is here in my Palace."

He was taken to a small but richly appointed room on the same floor by the prothonotary; a somber-faced Mint waited by the window, small hands clutching the armrests of her chair.

He bowed, Oreb fluttering on his shoulder. "This is a great honor, General. Can I be of help to you?"

She nodded and managed to smile. "Shut the door, please. We haven't time for propriety."

He did.

"The butchers may be listening, so keep your voice low." She glanced about her. "They may even be watching, but there's not much we can do about it. Sit close beside me, so that you can hear me and I can hear you. This…"

He waited.

"This is something I've wanted to do for a long time. And I'm going to do it right now. My husband-well, never mind. You're not Silk. We settled that."

"I hope so," he said.

"So I want to tell you something about him. That little augur kept telling me you were going to sacrifice at three. A grand affair, he said, and he wanted me to come."

"So do I."

Her eyes widened. "Do you really? Then perhaps I will. But I must tell you first." Her voice, already low, fell until it was scarcely audible. "And give you something."

He waited.

"Echidna ordered me to command the rebellion against the Ayuntamiento, I suppose because I could ride. Anyway, I did. There was a man there who had a wonderful horse, a big white stallion, and he let me have it. I jumped onto its back. In those days I could do such things."

"I remember."

"Thank you. I'm glad of that. I jumped onto its back, and it reared. I suppose that without a saddle it hadn't been expecting to be ridden. As it reared, Silk threw me his azoth." She paused. "You may have heard. It was one of the most famous incidents of the war."

"I have," he told her. "I've even written about it."

"Good, I'd like to read it sometime. I didn't stop to ask myself where Silk had gotten such a thing. I simply used it."

She reached under the shawl on her lap. "Later I learned that his wife had given it to him. Hyacinth, I mean, that woman who became his wife not long afterward. I would like to think it may have been because of the azoth."

He nodded.

Her pinched face was paler and more serious than ever; and he sensed, belatedly, that she was in pain. "That woman made him promise to, in return for the azoth. It must have been like that. He would've kept the promise and the secret. It was how he was."

"I know."

"Do you also know that I still have it? The great, the famous weapon from the Short Sun Whorl? I do."

He watched her in silence, praying for her in his heart.

"Aren't you going to ask what good an azoth is to a crippled woman in a wheelchair? Go ahead. I'm inviting the question."

He shook his head. "Legs are for running away."

She considered, her head cocked to one side. "Sometimes. Sometimes running away is the wisest thing one can do."

"You're right, I'm sure."

"I used to run away from you. From Silk, I mean. Not because I was afraid of Silk, but because I was afraid of humiliation. That was foolish."

He nodded. "Humiliation is a gift from the Outsider, I'm quite ce-tain."

"Really? Now you sound like Silk."

Oreb croaked, "Good Silk," and stirred upon his shoulder.

He said, "I'm flattered. If that's the sort of thing Silk says, we need him badly."

"Man come!"

"I was going to say that all humiliation comes down to exclusion. The humiliated person feels himself or herself no longer a member of the group-or at least, no longer a member in good standing. As he leaves the group, he approaches the Outsider, the god the gods have cast aside."