will not get confined to dome for a month.' Korodore's voice softened marginally. 'What's that thing round your neck? It looks familiar.'
'It's a swamp ig.'
'Rare, aren't they?'
Dom glanced up at the planetary coat of arms over the door, where a blue flamingo and a bad representation of a swamp ig supported a Sadhimist logo on an azure field. Under it, incised deeply into the stone - far more deeply in fact than was necessary - was the One Commandment.
'I used to know a smuggler who had one of those,' Korodore went on. 'There are one or two odd legends about them. I expect you know, of course. I guess it's okay to bring it in.'
The communicator darkened. The robot stood aside.
Dom skirted the main living quarters. There was an uproar coming from the kitchens where preparations were being made for tomorrow's banquet. He slipped in quietly, snatched a plate of kelp entrees from the table nearest the door, and ducked back into the corridor. A phnobic curse-word followed him, but that was all, and he wandered on down to the corridor until it petered out in a maze of storerooms and pantries.
A small courtyard had been roofed over with smoked plastic that made if gloomy even under a See-Why noon, and the plastic itself was set with thin pipes that sprayed a constant fine mist.
In the middle of the yard a rath had been built of reeds. An attempt to grow fungi had been made on the patch of ground surrounding it. Dom pulled aside the drenched door-curtain and stooped inside.
Hrsh-Hgn was sitting in a shallow bath of tepid water, reading a cube by the light of a fish-oil lamp. He waved one double-jointed hand at Dom and swivelled one eye towards him.
'Glad you're here. Lissten to thiss: "A rock outcrop twenty kilometres south of Rampa, Third Eye, appearss to reveal fossil strata relating not to the passt but to the future, which..." '
The phnobe stopped reading and carefully placed the cube on the floor. He looked first at Dom's expression, then at the scar, and finally at the ig which was still twined round his neck.
'You're acting,' said Dom. 'You are doing it very well, but you
are
acting. You're certainly acting better than Korodore and the men on the jetty.
'We are naturally glad to see you ssafely back.'
'You all look as though I've returned from the dead.'
The phnobe blinked.
'Hrsh, tomorrow I shall be Chairman of the Board. It doesn't mean much—'
'It iss a very honourable position.'
'—It doesn't mean much because all the power, the real power, belongs to Grandmother. But I think the Chairman is entitled to know one or two things. Like, for example, why haven't you ever told me about probability math? And what happened to—how did my father die? I've heard fishermen say it was out there on Old Creaky.'
In the silence that followed the ig awoke and began scratching itself violently.
'Come on,' said Dom, 'you're my tutor.'
'I will tell you after the ceremony tomorrow, it iss late now. Then all will be explained.'
Dom stood up, 'Will I ever trust you again, though? Chel, Hrsh, it's important. And you're still acting.'
'Oh, yess? And what emotion am I trying to conceal?'
Dom stared at him. 'Uh... terror, I think. And—uh— pity. Yes. Pity. And you're terrified.'
The curtain swung to behind him. Hrsh-Hgn waited until his footsteps had died away, and reached out to the communicator. Korodore answered.
'Well?'
'He hass been to ssee me. I almosst told him! My lord, he wass reading me! How can we let thiss thing happen?'
'We don't. We will try and prevent it, of course. With all our power. But it will happen, or seventy years of probability math go down the hole.'
Hrsh-Hgn said, 'Someone hass been telling him about probability math, and he assked me about his father. If he assks again, I warn you, for pity's ssake I will tell him.'
'Will you?'
The phnobe looked down and fell silent.
Out to sea the dagon rose by the score, in response to their ancient instincts. The catch was unusually large, which
'It's a swamp ig.'
'Rare, aren't they?'
Dom glanced up at the planetary coat of arms over the door, where a blue flamingo and a bad representation of a swamp ig supported a Sadhimist logo on an azure field. Under it, incised deeply into the stone - far more deeply in fact than was necessary - was the One Commandment.
'I used to know a smuggler who had one of those,' Korodore went on. 'There are one or two odd legends about them. I expect you know, of course. I guess it's okay to bring it in.'
The communicator darkened. The robot stood aside.
Dom skirted the main living quarters. There was an uproar coming from the kitchens where preparations were being made for tomorrow's banquet. He slipped in quietly, snatched a plate of kelp entrees from the table nearest the door, and ducked back into the corridor. A phnobic curse-word followed him, but that was all, and he wandered on down to the corridor until it petered out in a maze of storerooms and pantries.
A small courtyard had been roofed over with smoked plastic that made if gloomy even under a See-Why noon, and the plastic itself was set with thin pipes that sprayed a constant fine mist.
In the middle of the yard a rath had been built of reeds. An attempt to grow fungi had been made on the patch of ground surrounding it. Dom pulled aside the drenched door-curtain and stooped inside.
Hrsh-Hgn was sitting in a shallow bath of tepid water, reading a cube by the light of a fish-oil lamp. He waved one double-jointed hand at Dom and swivelled one eye towards him.
'Glad you're here. Lissten to thiss: "A rock outcrop twenty kilometres south of Rampa, Third Eye, appearss to reveal fossil strata relating not to the passt but to the future, which..." '
The phnobe stopped reading and carefully placed the cube on the floor. He looked first at Dom's expression, then at the scar, and finally at the ig which was still twined round his neck.
'You're acting,' said Dom. 'You are doing it very well, but you
are
acting. You're certainly acting better than Korodore and the men on the jetty.
'We are naturally glad to see you ssafely back.'
'You all look as though I've returned from the dead.'
The phnobe blinked.
'Hrsh, tomorrow I shall be Chairman of the Board. It doesn't mean much—'
'It iss a very honourable position.'
'—It doesn't mean much because all the power, the real power, belongs to Grandmother. But I think the Chairman is entitled to know one or two things. Like, for example, why haven't you ever told me about probability math? And what happened to—how did my father die? I've heard fishermen say it was out there on Old Creaky.'
In the silence that followed the ig awoke and began scratching itself violently.
'Come on,' said Dom, 'you're my tutor.'
'I will tell you after the ceremony tomorrow, it iss late now. Then all will be explained.'
Dom stood up, 'Will I ever trust you again, though? Chel, Hrsh, it's important. And you're still acting.'
'Oh, yess? And what emotion am I trying to conceal?'
Dom stared at him. 'Uh... terror, I think. And—uh— pity. Yes. Pity. And you're terrified.'
The curtain swung to behind him. Hrsh-Hgn waited until his footsteps had died away, and reached out to the communicator. Korodore answered.
'Well?'
'He hass been to ssee me. I almosst told him! My lord, he wass reading me! How can we let thiss thing happen?'
'We don't. We will try and prevent it, of course. With all our power. But it will happen, or seventy years of probability math go down the hole.'
Hrsh-Hgn said, 'Someone hass been telling him about probability math, and he assked me about his father. If he assks again, I warn you, for pity's ssake I will tell him.'
'Will you?'
The phnobe looked down and fell silent.
Out to sea the dagon rose by the score, in response to their ancient instincts. The catch was unusually large, which
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