Engor

Julien and the Nine Worlds

Chapters 68-80

"What are we going to do now?"

Julien and Ambar had been walking for about ten minutes and during that time there had been nothing to be heard but the noise of the wind. Ambar's question caught Julien off-guard.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"What's going to happen to Dillik? Xarax can't stay here with him – he'll have to go with you when we go back to Nüngen."

"Xarax is a free agent. I'm not going to force him to go anywhere he doesn't want to."

"I'm sure that's very generous of you, but don't forget that he can't actually feed without you. Which, I might say, I find pretty…"

"Me, too. I think it's revolting. Believe me, if I could find another way of doing it I wouldn't hesitate for a moment. It wasn't my idea to make it work the way it does – at least, if it was I don't remember. But if Xarax wants to stay on Dvârinn we can always arrange for him to use a Guide to come to see me, or for me to come here, when he's hungry. It wouldn't be that hard to arrange that."

"I don't think Xarax would agree to leave you. I'm starting to get to know him a bit."

"You're right."

"And I know that if I was in Dillik's shoes…"

"Well, I had to leave you for a time."

"Yes, but you couldn't help it and it certainly wasn't your idea. You got expelled from the whole of the R'hinz. You wouldn't have left me otherwise, would you?"

"No. But being with me might be dangerous for you."

"I don't care, and I think Xarax and Dillik feel the same way. We're going to have to find a way to take Dillik with us."

"I can't see his mother agreeing to that. I don't think his father would be overjoyed by the idea either. Niil would probably end up getting charged with kidnapping!"

"All right, but if we don't take Dillik with us, Xarax won't have his heart in whatever he's doing. And that might be really dangerous."

"Well, we've got a few days to try to come up with a solution."

"It's a pity this world is so cold, isn't it? It's a lot nicer on Nüngen."

Another devastating entry from the king of the non-sequitur, thought Julien.

"It's probably warmer further south. Why do you think it's better on Nüngen?"

"Well, it's the clothes here. They're not very convenient."

"Ambar! You're not seriously thinking of doing anything… you know… here, in this cold?"

"Of course not! I don't know, Julien, sometimes you have a one-track mind! No, I'm just saying that it's a lot easier if you're wearing an abba or a laï, because here if you want a pee it takes about half an hour."

"You're just not used to the buttons."

"That's true. Actually I need a pee right now – I expect it's because of the cold. Could you give me a hand with the buttons?"

"I can't. Tannder would tell me off, because it's like if I helped you with your maths problems: you have to learn how to do it yourself or you'll never find out how it works."

"Yes, but it's urgent, and if you don't help me I might wet my trousers. And you wouldn't want everyone to laugh at me, would you?"

"Well, if it's to save you from being humiliated in public I suppose I could. But don't start getting any ideas, all right?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about!"

"Good! When I was your age I didn't have any idea either… well, not really."

Ambar held his coat open and Julien knelt down in front of him and opened the flap in his trousers, which worked in much the same way as on a pair of lederhosen. In fact the 'half an hour to undo' buttons were the height of simplicity and took Julien only a moment, and once the flap was undone he found that the pure white undergarment beneath it had a vertical slit in the front like a lot of pairs of undershorts. There was no problem getting past that either – even a clumsy boy would have found it easy, and to Julien's nimble fingers it presented no obstacle at all. Soon Ambar's sang-neh, nicely adorned with the silver curlicues of his Marks, had raised its head into the pale light and icy air of the morning.

"I can't pee with it like that," said Ambar. "You'll have to do something about it."

This was by now almost a ritual utterance back in their kang on Nüngen.

"Are you sure?" asked Julien. "I should think that if you leave it sticking out into this refreshing little breeze it'll pretty soon subside on its own."

"You're evil, you are! It'll freeze! They say it goes blue, then black, and then… it falls right off! And it's already starting to feel cold. I think you ought to do something about it a bit quick. Maybe you could breathe on it to warm it up… except I think it's already too late for that. You'll have to find a way to keep it nice and warm and out of the wind."

"I'll put my hand around it, then."

"Oh, no, you won't! Your hands must be freezing, seeing as how you aren't wearing gloves! You'd better put it in your mouth."

"You're joking, aren't you? What will people think?"

"They'll think you're a wonderful person, ready to make any sacrifice to save a friend in need."

"Well, all right, then – but only because it's an emergency! Don't go getting the idea that I'm doing this because I want to."

"Of course not! You'd have to be seriously twisted to think something like that…"

***

While his friends were indulging in the innocent pleasures of a walk in the countryside, Niil was playing his part in the plan they had concocted before leaving Nüngen.

"Master Dendjor," he said to Dillik's father, "please could you show me your Master's Certificate?"

Dendjor was a bit surprised, but he went out of the room and came back a few minutes later carrying a sort of large disc made from some bluish metal. He put this on the table in front of Niil and was then amazed to see the boy cover it with a similar disc of white metal. After a few seconds both discs started to emit a yellow light and a few lines of very small characters appeared on the surface of Niil's disc. The sailor knew immediately what it was: it was an Imperial Commission, which required anyone meeting the bearer to assist him in whatever he was doing, even if the bearer didn't explain why he needed help. You didn't see them very often, and he'd certainly never expected to see one in the hands of a child.

"Noble Lord," he said, "I am entirely at your disposal."

"First things first," said Niil. "It looks as if we're likely to be working together for a while, and so I'd prefer you just to call me Niil. After all, you're old enough to be my father, and indeed Ylavan thought highly of you. And I'm showing you this simply because I want you to know that what I'm asking you isn't just some badly-brought up Noble Son giving orders for the hell of it. You are certainly not 'at my disposal', but I would be grateful if you could help me in my mission."

"Very well – and thank you. So what can I do for you?"

"Well, how about I tell you what I have to do, and then you might be able to tell me how it can be done?"

So he explained his plan, and afterwards Dendjor checked that he'd understood properly.

"So the short version is that you want me to help you retrieve some treasure on behalf of the Emperor. The treasure is guarded by a Neh-kyong in the dead city of Tchenn Ril, but that isn't going to be a problem because the Neh-kyong is the Emperor's ally. And then once we have the treasure, you want it to be used to set up a trading company whose profits are to be used to benefit the families of sailors who have died at sea. Is that it?"

"Basically, yes."

"Of course you realise that this sounds completely insane?"

"Of course I do. For starters, who's going to believe that the Emperor would stoop to interfere in what should be simply a matter for the Ksantiri family administrators? Unless, of course, the family and its assets have been misused by someone who was more interested in his own glory than the well-being of his subjects…"

"I hope you're not suggesting that Lord Ylavan…"

"I'm not talking about Lord Ylavan. He was a loyal Mirror. No – the Emperor has recently been looking into why it is that the citizens of Ksantir seem to have no love, or even respect, for those who are administrating their affairs, and he's come to the conclusion that in this instance he has no option but to interfere – as far as is permitted by the Laws and Traditions of the Nine Worlds, of course."

"Does that mean that your Noble Brother, Lord Nandak, has not been confirmed as Mirror in succession to his father?"

"My Noble Brother has indeed declined the honour, which he feels is more than he could cope with. He has also asked his brother Lord Nekal, who was temporarily in charge of Ksantir, to become Governor of the domain of Zer Trang, which you might have visited if your travels ever took you north of the Polar Circle. As for me, I have the entirely undeserved honour to be a Privy Councillor…"

"What, Privy Councillor to the Emperor?"

"Well, yes. And that's why I have renounced any claim to run things here on Dvârinn, and my younger brother will also have to stay with me in order to complete his education with a tutor of the Imperial House, the Honourable Tannder. In fact the Honourable Tannder permitted me to bring another of his pupils, the Honourable Karik, with us on this expedition. He's probably having a stroll around the docks with Tenntchouk. I know this is a bit hard to take in, but it does all make sense if you think about it."

"If you say so…"

"I'm sure of it. Anyway, right now I need some help – and what I really need is a trankenn captain who is used to commanding a vessel and making the correct decisions under pressure."

"Well, when you put it like that I can hardly say no, but I'm sure you'll understand if I want to find out a bit more about the situation. After all, if a captain is to make the correct decisions he needs to know the facts."

"You're absolutely right. So the first thing you need to know is that it isn't me who is in charge of this operation."

"No, I understand that we're working for the Emperor."

"Yes, but as far as this operation is concerned we take orders from the Honourable Anhel, who can be considered to speak with the Emperor's voice. I do what he tells me, and so will you if you agree to help."

"Niil, you seem to me to be both honourable and sensible. I like you a lot, and I'm ready to help you any way I can. But don't you think you're asking a bit much? That boy isn't even a Noble!"

"I know that the more I tell you, the less likely you are to believe me. But you know that it's impossible to counterfeit or buy an Imperial Commission. This one has Yulmir's seal, which he put there himself, and my name is engraved on it. If you're dealing with me, rather than a bureaucrat sent by the new Mirror, it's because that's the way the Emperor wants it. And if the Emperor honours me with his trust, maybe you could at least give me a chance to earn your trust too?

"And there's another thing: Anhel wants you and your family to go on treating him exactly the way you always have – as a friend of the family, nothing more. If you need to check on the validity of your instructions, you'll come to me, not him.

"You might also have noticed that I didn't say anything about payment or reward, and that's because we want every last sang to go to those who really need it. We're all contributing to this expedition whatever we can without any thought of making money out of it. For example, the new Mirror, Lord Tahlil of the Rent'haliks, is donating his First Trankenn to be the flagship of the new company. And obviously the cost of the wagons and their animals will be met by the Imperial Treasury.

"Do you agree with all that, or do you need a bit more time to think about it? There's no rush – actually we're getting something of a holiday out of it, so we're quite happy to wait for a bit."

"I don't think there's any need for that. As you reminded me, a captain has to be able to make decisions quickly. Just give me two days to make the arrangements, and then I think I'll be able to guarantee, not just that the job gets done, but that it gets done discreetly, too. I imagine that we can trust Gradik and Tenntchouk? They seem to get on well with the Young Master."

"You can definitely trust them."

"Then I won't need to take anyone else into my confidence. I'll send them to rent a couple of wagons in a village three hours from here, and we can meet up with them on the old Tchenn Ril road the day after tomorrow. That should avoid people around here asking questions. But I'd like a word with Master Anhel when he gets back, if that can be arranged."

***

"Niil says you'd like to talk to me, Master Dendjor."

"Yes, if you don't mind."

The sailor took Julien into the small family living room and directed him to a chair.

"I'm sure Lord Niil has told you about our conversation," said Dendjor.

"Yes, and I'm glad you've decided to help us."

"I have, but… well, there's something about this whole business that worries me. You see, although I have a fairly good education, basically I'm just a simple man who doesn't really like mysteries, and I've always been suspicious of those who pretend to be something they're not."

"Well, that's honest enough," said Julien.

"Sometimes this attitude has made life difficult for me, but on the whole it's worked."

"What's your point?"

"All right, then: I know you're someone of significant importance, otherwise Lord Niil couldn't have shown me an Imperial Commission. I also know that you've been here before and that my son is devoted to you. Now I don't have a problem with that in principle, but I do wonder if letting him befriend a person of your status is a really good idea – after all, he thinks you're just a blacksmith's apprentice. My experience suggests that relationships that are built on a lie are unlikely to end happily."

"You're probably right, and I had been intending to talk to you about that. You're no fool, and Niil assures me that you can be trusted. I'll try to set your mind at rest – but I hope it's an open mind, because otherwise you might find it hard to accept what I'm going to tell you."

"Try me."

"Well, first, I think that your son just made another friend, and one who's a lot more unusual than I am. I'm sure you'll be glad to hear that this friend neither wants to be taken for something he isn't, nor can he be. I can also promise you – if you're prepared to take my word, of course – that the person concerned is absolutely loyal and dependable. But perhaps at this point it would be a good idea to get Dillik to come here, because you'll understand what I'm talking about a lot better if he does."

Dillik was setting the tables in the main room of the inn, but he came when his father called him, and as soon as he closed the door behind him he became aware of the tension in the room. He went pale, but Julien beckoned him to his side and took his hand.

"Everything's all right, Dillik," he said. "Your father just needs an explanation of what's been happening, that's all. So I'd like you to call Xarax. Knowing him, I don't suppose he's far away."

After a brief hesitation Dillik opened his mouth and called for Xarax, his voice trembling a little. The haptir emerged from behind an ornamental chest and jumped onto the boy's shoulder.

Master Dendjor displayed admirable self-control: it was as if haptirs were forever jumping onto his son's shoulders.

"Master Dendjor," said Julien, "I'd like to present the Honourable Xarax, Haptir and friend of the Emperor. He is now also your son's friend. And I want you to know that they found each other without any help from me."

"Father," interrupted Dillik, "Xarax would really like to be introduced to you. He says that if you hold out your hand it will only take a moment. He also says that as you are his friend's father, your honour is his honour, your friends are his friends, and your enemies need to be thinking about emigrating. Please hold out your hand."

Without hesitation Dendjor allowed Xarax to curl his blue tongue around his forefinger.

Honourable father of my friend, said Xarax inside his head, I swear to protect your son with my life. I beg you not to separate us. I know that the Emperor will take it upon himself to provide for your son's needs and his education, and I am also certain that he will make sure that your family can continue to benefit from his joyful presence.

"Honourable haptir," replied Dendjor, "the friendship you seem to have developed for Dillik brings honour to my family. But if you don't mind I'd like to hear what the Young Master has to say about it."

"Well," said Julien, "you already know most of it. Xarax is the Emperor's Haptir. I'm sure you've heard about that relationship."

"To be honest I always thought it was a legend. I thought the haptirs never left their own world."

"That's generally true. As far as I know Xarax is the only exception."

"And can you explain what the Emperor's Haptir is doing in my wife's inn?"

"He's escorting the one whose job it is for him to protect."

"Are you trying to tell me that the Emperor is here?"

"Well, yes."

"Really? So where's he hiding, then?"

"Father!" cried Dillik. "Be quiet! It's him – he's the Emperor!"

"What?!"

"It's true! Xarax told me. He's even shown me – and Xarax never lies! He's a haptir from Kretzlal!"

"Your son is telling the truth," said Julien. "Xarax never lies. Sometimes he hides things, but he's incapable of actually lying."

As Dendjor stared at him, torn between outrage and sheer disbelief, Julien went on, "You have to understand why I'm travelling like this! If I'd come on an official visit I wouldn't get a moment's peace, and there wouldn't have been a hope in hell of getting our business done discreetly. That's why I'm not wearing my Marks. But if that's what it'll take to convince you I'll be happy to demonstrate, just as soon as we're well away from here. And don't look at me like that! Yesterday you seemed to think I was a nice person, and I thought the same about you. And I'd like you to go on thinking I'm a nice person. It only took Ambar about half an hour to deal with it when he found out who I really was, and I'm sure you'll manage just as well – won't you?"

"Of course… My Lord."

"Anhel, please. Or Young Master is just as good."

"As you wish. But…"

"What?"

"Forgive me, but I still get the feeling that something isn't quite…"

"If you're thinking you don't yet know the whole story, you're right, and I'll be happy to tell you more when we know each other a bit better. But what I've just told you is the truth. I'll let you decide what you want to tell Mistress Nardik, of course."

"I imagine that the most important thing from her point of view is this: what's going to happen to her son?"

"To be honest, this whole thing came as a bit of a surprise to me too, but… what I suggest is this. Dillik will come and live with me, which will make it possible for Xarax to continue with his official duties without being separated from his friend. Dillik will get as much education as his intelligence and his desire to study will call for. I'm sure that the Honourable Tannder, who is already tutor to Ambar and Karik, will be happy to do the same for your son. Dillik will be able to come back here to visit his family as often as his studies allow – I can arrange for him to have access to the services of a Guide whenever necessary. Actually you'll probably see more of him than you would have done if you had sent him away to study at one of the best schools in Ksantir – and it would probably be a good idea if that's where you tell the neighbours he has gone."

"I can see that a lot of planning has already gone into this," said Dendjor. "You're saying that it's in his own interest and that everything will be for his benefit, but I'm still finding it a bit hard to get my head around it. As far as I can make out, the bottom line is that you've come to take my son away from me – and while I have great respect for the Imperial Haptir, I still think you're riding roughshod over us."

"Father…"

Julien jumped in before Dillik could say something he might later regret.

"Dillik, you need to stay out of this for now and let your father and me discuss it," he said. "Everyone wants what's best for you. Master Dendjor, I completely understand your position, and if I was standing where you are I'm sure I'd feel the same way. You need to understand that nothing is going to happen unless you agree – it's going to be your decision.

"But let me explain how I see things. Xarax is essential to what I do and who I am, and he is irreplaceable. Without him I wouldn't be able to do a lot of the things I have to do. In other words, I need him a lot more than Dillik does. In the normal way of things Xarax would never get attached to anyone except me, and in fact I don't think that any haptir has ever experienced what we call love before. His species is highly intelligent and capable of other emotions, but not that one, not… well, you probably understand what I'm talking about far better than I do. However, he and I had to live through an ordeal that brought us far closer to each other than is normal, to a point where I left in him an imprint of my mind. That's a nice way of saying that I ended up contaminating him. I was worried that he'd resent it, but in fact he says that he's perfectly happy as he is now and wouldn't change back even if he could.

"As for where we are now, he still loves me, but not in the same way that he loves Dillik – at least, that's what he's told me, and I believe him. He also told me that if I wanted it that way he'd be content only to see Dillik occasionally, or even not at all, if that's what circumstances dictated. But I don't think that he yet fully understands what has happened to him. I know that if I was kept apart from someone I love I'd be really unhappy, and I'm afraid that if he was in that situation it would damage the way we work together. The problem is that he and I absolutely have to stay together: I can't replace him and I have no desire to do so anyway, and in any case he can't leave me for very long without having to go into a state a bit like hibernation. Anyway, I like Dillik, and I think that he and Xarax need to stay together, and I'm not saying that just because I need a happy haptir to work with.

"Try to imagine how it is for Xarax, who s completely alone, cut off from the rest of his species. It's not as if I could tell him to go and find himself a friend on Kretzlal – and in any case I don't think anyone on Kretzlal would understand the word 'friend' in the first place.

"And don't lose sight of the fact that your boy seems to absolutely adore Xarax. I don't know how it got that way, so don't bother asking, but I do know that if the two of them were parted Dillik would be very unhappy. That's why I'm making this proposal. As I said, you don't have to accept it, but if you don't I hope you can suggest an alternative.

"I wonder how I'm going to explain any of this to my wife," said Dendjor. "And I have got one more question: what will happen if Xarax grows tired of Dillik?"

Julien turned to Xarax, who was still perched on Dillik's shoulder.

"Xarax," he said, "he's only asking that because he doesn't know you – and it's natural for a father to worry about his child. He certainly isn't intending to insult you. For my part, I know perfectly well that that is never going to happen. But to answer your question, Master Dendjor, Dillik's status will remain the same whatever happens: he'll still be treated as my guest and a pupil of my House. And, unless he committed some particularly dreadful crime, he'll still be my friend, too."

"I believe you're making an honest offer," said Dendjor. "Perhaps I am starting to understand the situation a little."

"I've got one more request," said Julien. "I want Dillik to come on our expedition. It will save Xarax from having to keep flying back and forth between Tchenn Ril and Kardenang."

"Very well. I can't see him coming to any harm if he does."

The wagons were waiting for them about an hour away from Kardenang. Unfortunately the weather was fairly typical for the time of year: a violent wind blew freezing rain across the road, and although their clothes were supposedly waterproof it wasn't long before the rain started finding its way past them. Consequently they were very happy to reach the wagons as it meant that for the remainder of the journey they were able to travel underneath the canvas covers with which the wagons were equipped. They were surprisingly well-sprung, and Gradik and Tenntchouk had even fitted them out with small liquid-fuel heaters like the one they had used on the Isabelle.

The animals pulling the wagons looked a bit like rhinoceroses, without ears or horns but similarly armour-plated, and Julien was interested to discover that they didn't seem to need reins. Tenntchouk explained that you just had to tell them what to do and they would do it: they were fairly intelligent creatures, called lang-gos, and they weren't forced workers but actually had contracts which earned them very high quality food and shelter. The species had once been wild, but had been co-operating with humans for thousands of years now. Over short distances a lang-go could move quite quickly, but its normal travelling speed was more like a human jogging, and that was quite fast enough for the transport of goods or, occasionally, people.

Julien, Ambar, Niil, Karik and Dillik, who still had Xarax wrapped around his neck, travelled in one wagon, so Master Dendjor decided to keep Gradik company on the other one, politely declining Niil's invitation to join him.

"You're on holiday, Lord Niil," he said. "You stay with the others and enjoy yourself. I'm going to sit and trade unlikely sea stories with this brave sailor."

It was still fairly early and they could probably have reached Tchenn Ril before nightfall, but although Julien had assured them several times that the Neh-kyong wasn't hostile nobody wanted to risk entering the city until they had the comforting light of day around them. So they stopped a short distance before they reached the outlying ruins while the sun was still above the horizon. The rain had ended and the sky was now clear, and once the fire was lit and enough dead wood had been collected to keep it burning all night Gradik and Tenntchouk, refusing to let anyone help them, started cooking a sort of pot-luck feast, and once they'd finished eating they began a singalong session of sea-shanties beneath the stars, which was frequently interrupted by peals of laughter and also by loud bellows from the lang-gos.

The boys slept in one wagon while the adults settled into the other. Xarax slept coiled up against Dillik: they had decided to try sharing dreams again. Ambar fell asleep with Julien's arms around him, and Niil and Karik snuggled up on the other side of the wagon.

***

Julien had half-expected to be woken up in the night by the Neh-kyong, but apparently the camp was outside his domain, because what actually woke him up was a mixture of morning light, the wonderful smell of frying sausages, a certain stiffness in his groin and a cold bottom. The reason for the cold bottom was immediately obvious: Ambar had managed to steal almost all of their blanket, and was now lying face down with it wrapped around him, drooling a little onto the folded jacket he was using as a pillow. Julien gently attempted to retrieve part of the blanket to cover his cold bottom and in so doing he found himself pressed up against a completely naked Ambar, who was nice and warm, and also nice and stiff where it mattered, and clearly ready to share whatever might come to pass. Since neither suffered from early morning halitosis there seemed no good reason why they shouldn't share a prolonged 'good morning' kiss.

"Roise and shoine, gentlemen! Breakfast is ready!"

For once Julien was disappointed that Gradik was so efficient. The breakfast certainly smelled good, but he wouldn't have minded at all if it had taken the sailor a bit longer to prepare it. And once they'd rolled out of their blankets they started shivering, because the heating had been turned off for the night.

"So, Dillik," asked Julien, "did you manage to share your dreams?"

"No. It didn't work. Xarax says we can try again, though. He's sure it can be done."

"Then I'm sure it will happen."

Breakfast was fun, but there was still a certain tension in the air: the dead city was no tourist destination. In fact nobody ever went near it, and there was nothing to do there anyway. But the weather wasn't too bad apart from a chilly breeze, and so they started the last leg of the journey cheerfully enough.

When they reached the first of the chaotic blocks Julien called a halt.

"I think I should go on ahead on my own," he said. "Tchenn Ril knows me, so I'll be safe enough."

"I'm coming with you," said Niil. "That's my job."

"No, it isn't. Your job is to give me good, sensible advice."

"Well, then, in that case I'm advising you not to try to stop me coming with you."

"I'm coming too," said Ambar, firmly. "If my brother's going with you, you'll need me along to stop him from doing anything stupid."

"Xarax says that he's going with you," said Dillik. "And he says I can come too as long as I behave myself."

"Dillik, you're not even really supposed to be here!" protested Julien.

"I hope you're not suggesting that we let you go off into this awful place on your own?" said Dendjor. "And Gradik and Tenntchouk can come too – the lang-gos don't need supervising."

"This sounds like a mutiny," observed Julien. "What about you, Karik?"

"I'm sure Master Tannder would never forgive me if I backed out of an adventure like this," Karik replied.

"Then in that case I suppose we might just as well stick with the wagons for as far as we can get with them."

However, the lang-gos were a lot less enthusiastic about it, and it took a while to persuade them to enter the labyrinth of ruined avenues that led towards the citadel. Julien, however, found the place a lot less forbidding than it had appeared to be on his first visit. It helped that the weather was clear and that the sun had dispelled the threatening shadows.

They had almost reached the citadel before Tchenn Ril manifested himself. The lang-gos simply froze as soon as they caught a glimpse of him, which they did a lot faster than the humans, because of course their simpler minds weren't trying to make out something that was both present and absent, and as result they were aware of him almost at once. The humans, on the other hand, were at first aware only of an impression of immense power and an inflexible will forbidding them from going any further. Then when Julien showed them where and how to look, they managed to see the Neh-kyong for themselves. Not that it was easy to make sense of it: it was like the memory of a shadow, or perhaps a residual negative after-image on the retina, and in any case his form simply couldn't be described in normal three-dimensional terms.

When he started speaking Ambar and Dillik tried covering their ears, but it didn't do any good because his voice was only tangentially connected to the world of sound. The mind was just about capable of understanding the meaning that the alien creature was communicating, but their ears could no more hear it directly than their eyes could cope with its mixture of appearance and absence. Julien and Xarax were better equipped to deal with this because both had experience of the chaos of the Outside, but their companions were by now all starting to think that coming here might have been a really bad idea.

"Greetings, Emperor Yulmir," 'said' the Neh-kyong. "It is an honour to meet you once more."

"Greetings to you too, Tchenn Ril. I'm happy to be here."

"I see that your haptir is with you, but I do not sense the presence of the Guide Yol."

"Yol is not with us, but he did ask me to offer you his sincere gratitude. Your gift has transformed his life, and he says that he will bless your name for it until the day he dies."

"You have surely not brought these people here for no purpose."

"No, you're right about that. But before I tell you why we're here I want to free you from the debt you say that you owe me."

"That is very generous of you. But I have my own code of conduct and it forbids me to take advantage of the ignorance of someone acting through kindness but without knowledge."

"Tchenn Ril, I am not without knowledge. I've spoken to Master Subadar, Grand Master of the Circle of Major Arts, and he told me how you fought against the Emperor as an ally of those who had conjured up a Dre Tchenn to destroy him. I know that you weren't aware of that until the conflict flared into open war, and that then you limited your action to the fulfilment of the covenants that you couldn't escape from. You've paid for your mistakes, but I'm convinced that you are honourable. I've been advised not to do what I'm going to do, but I've made up my mind that I don't want any allies who might not be as willing as the ones I have at the moment. That is why I want to free you from your debt, whatever it might be."

"As you wish, but you should know that when I leave I will take this citadel with me. This place and I are bound to each other, and the dangerous creatures that prowl through it must not be let loose upon the world. They will have to return to their natural dwelling."

"I know that. That's why I'm asking you to wait until we're clear of your domain before you leave, so that we don't get caught up in the earthquake it will probably cause."

"Do not fear. I have no intention of endangering you."

"So what do I have to do to free you?"

"Just say it and mean it."

"Then… Neh-kyong Tchenn Ril, I give you back your freedom."

"Now I am free, Yulmir."

"Good. So now I have a request to make to the free Neh-kyong Tchenn Ril."

"I will grant it if I can."

"I need the money which is lying inside the chests in the vaults of the Citadel. I need it for a purpose that I believe to be good and peaceful. Will you allow me to take whatever I need before you leave this world?"

"If your companions are not afraid to enter the lair of a Neh-kyong they may accompany you and help you remove whatever you need. I would suggest that you bring your wagons as far as the parade ground, if your lang-gos will agree to pull them that far."

The lang-gos certainly did not agree. Nothing would persuade them to take one more step towards this place which held, they were dimly aware, a vast multitude of extremely hostile creatures. Julien had to allow them to go back the way they had come, hoping that they understood that they should wait at the edge of the ruined city until someone came to fetch them again.

Once the animals had left Julien and his friends pushed the wagons as far as the Citadel's huge parade ground and then, with the Neh-kyong indicating the way, the party went on into the part of the building which Julien had visited previously. In a sort of warehouse they found some small trolleys that would enable them to move the money-chests more easily, and then they were guided into the treasury itself, where Dendjor started selecting what was most worth taking – because it was immediately obvious that they would be able to take only a small part of what was stored here. The men moved the chests onto the trolleys, which the boys then pushed back to the parade ground, where they left them by the wagons so that the men could load them aboard later.

They'd been heaving the boxes around for about two hours when the Neh-kyong took Julien and Xarax – who had stayed with him since they had entered the Citadel – into a small circular room where his presence was particularly oppressive.

"I know that it is not comfortable for you to be here," the Neh-kyong told them, "But this place is particularly safe. Emperor Yulmir, who is also Julien, I have decided to give you a present."

"Thank you, but you've already given me access to everything I need."

"I am not talking about material goods. Even if you had not freed me from my debt I would have allowed you to remove those trinkets. But, as I have already told you, I follow my own rules, and so I have decided to do more. You freed me when you were under no obligation to do so, simply because you are also following your own set of rules – and that means that I now have an obligation to you, one that is more sacred than any other. So I am going, for your sake, to break an oath I once swore to your enemies. I'm certain to have to pay for doing that, but that is no longer your concern."

"But…"

"You can't tell me what to do. I am free to act as I think best. So you need to know that someone has arranged for your basic Essence – that part of you that migrates from body to body – to carry what I can only call, in your language, a 'fragrance'. This is how your enemies can find you whenever you step into the Outside. You make it easy for them by not using the ordinary klirks, but in any case, whenever your step into those parts of the Outside common to the R'hinz they are immediately aware of it, although they can't pinpoint exactly where you are.

"You also need to know that all of your so-called 'secret' klirks have been converted into traps of one sort or another, and I strongly advise you not to try using them again. I am telling you this because you are also Julien, and he freed me, which is something that Yulmir might not have done."

"Thank you, and…"

"That is not all. Here is my gift: I have altered your 'fragrance' and, provided that you use a little discretion, you should now be able to travel without any risk of being detected. This will not protect you from those who want to kill you, but it will even the balance to some extent."

Julien was moved. He could see past the Neh-kyong's easy words and was aware that interfering as he had was going to cost him dearly.

"Tchenn Ril, is there anything I can do to help you?" he asked.

"You can remember me as an honourable entity."

"But… you're not going to… ?"

"Die? No. I shall last as long as the universe itself. That is the reason why I need to find peace."

"I don't understand."

"I think you did understand, but that you've since forgotten. But by coming back here you have helped me more than I could have dared to hope. And for that you have my deepest thanks."

***

It was late in the afternoon before they were ready to go and bring the two lang-gos back. True to their contract, they had waited patiently at the edge of the city. Everyone was exhausted – they'd eaten combat rations while they worked instead of stopping for a proper midday meal. So when Tchenn Ril bade them farewell Julien was the only one who really felt anything at the departure of this amazing being. In fact he was unable to prevent himself from shedding tears, because he felt sure that he would never again see this strange friend who had freed him from a curse that had been all the more dangerous because he had been completely unaware of its existence.

When night fell they had just about reached the place where they had spent the previous night, but this time there could be no question of sleeping in the wagons, which were now full of cargo. They had to pitch the two tents which Dendjor had had the foresight to pack, but which sadly failed to protect them from the driving rain and gale force wind which carried them tents away with a great flapping of canvas in the middle of the night, leaving their occupants shivering and miserable as they huddled under their rapidly-soaked blankets. The heaters had also been blown away, and they were obliged to spend the rest of the night perched on top of the crates in the wagons, trying their hardest not to die of exposure. They did this by huddling close together and trying to share their body heat, but the crates were extremely uncomfortable, causing them to keep moving about – and this of course disturbed their companions, ensuring that sleep remained completely elusive.

Fortunately the rain stopped a little before dawn, and that meant that they were at least able to have a hot meal before setting out once more, so by the time the sun was visible through a gap in the clouds they felt a lot better. They had already decided what to do with the treasure until Lord Tahlil was ready to come and collect it, and so instead of heading for Kardenang they went to a small summer cottage belonging to Dendjor, who sometimes used it between voyages when he wanted to get away from the constant hustle and bustle of the inn. The cottage was rustic but comfortable, and from its position on top of an impressive green granite cliff it commanded a magnificent view out across the sea.

Of course they had to go through the whole business of unloading the wagons and moving the boxes through to one of the cottage's two bedrooms, but it was done by late afternoon, and when night fell they had a good meal in front of a very welcome fire. They would have stayed for the night, but with one bedroom out of use the cottage was too small to accommodate them all in comfort. So it was decided that Gradik and Tenntchouk would spend the night at the cottage before taking the wagons back to their owners, while everyone else headed back to the inn, a journey that would take them an hour or so. It was mostly downhill, which was just as well, because the work of moving the treasure into the house had left everyone feeling dog-tired, especially the younger members of the group: Dillik completed the journey asleep on his father's shoulders. When they reached the inn he was put to bed, unusually, in his own room, which left Julian and Ambar to sleep unencumbered by a third party. But they were so exhausted that they fell asleep the instant their heads hit the pillow.

***

"Ambar, what are you doing?" whispered Julien. It was dark and dawn was still a fair way off.

"I had to pee."

Julien lifted the blanket. Ambar was naked and shivering,and so was happy to wrap himself around Julien as soon as he was back in the bed.

"Brrr, you're frozen! And keep your feet away from me!"

"I have to warm them up somehow. And you smell nice."

"Really? We haven't washed for two days, and we must have sweated buckets shifting those damned boxes."

"I like the way you smell. Go on, lift your arm a little."

"Good grief – mets tes lunettes et écoute comme ça sent bon." [Literally, "Put on your glasses and listen to how good that smells'"]

"What?"

"Nothing, it's French.

"Mmm… you shouldn't wash so often, you know."

"You like it? Did you know that some people reckon people with red hair have an especially strong scent? I was even told once that I stink."

"Whoever said that must have been a moron. Or maybe you didn't let them get close enough to have a proper smell."

"Or it could just be that you're twisted."

"Touch it and see if it's twisted!"

"I wasn't talking about that, I was thinking of your twisted and perverted mind."

"I'm not perverted. I just love you, that's all. Though I suppose it's not the best way of showing it… So, do you reckon I smell, too?"

"That's completely different. You're my very own special Ambar, and your sweat is as the dew of Heaven."

"Don't bother to go on – I know the Delights as well as you do."

"All the same, you really do smell good. Hold on…"

"What?"

"Don't move, I just need to go down and check something…"

"And?"

"Nope, it tastes the same as usual. Maybe it needs two or three days more…"

"Hey, I'm not some sort of cheese, you know!"

"Wait… there! Yes, there's a little fold in your groin where you smell a bit like a bush back on my world. It's called a box-tree."

"Well, I'm flattered, but I hope you're going to do a bit more than just sniff."

"Well… I don't know, to be honest. Perhaps you've converted me into a connoisseur of scents. Maybe if you show me what it is you'd like me to do I could have a try at it."

Ambar knew exactly what he wanted Julien to do to him, and so he wriggled under the blanket and proceeded to give him an extremely detailed demonstration.

***

As had been arranged in advance, Aïn came to the Isabelle, where the five boys were passing the time while they waited for him by playing the Dvârian version of poker. Xarax, who was curled up on Dillik's lap, was trying not to help him too much. The Guide materialised on deck and then negotiated the tricky staircase down to the main cabin. Julien told him how the mission had gone and then raised the issue that had been bothering him the most by reporting his conversation with the Neh-kyong.

I have heard of this sort of thing, Aïn told him, but I don't know anyone who could be considered an expert on it. Perhaps Master Subadar can tell you a bit more about it. But I don't think it's a legitimate use of the Major Arts, and nor do I know of any way to find out whether what the Neh-kyong told you is true.

I don't think Tchenn Ril was trying to deceive me. But you're right: I'd better talk to Master Subadar about it. And if he agrees that it's safe, I hope you'll agree to go on teaching me how to Travel.

Of course I am at your disposal. But…

I know – out last session together didn't go entirely to plan, and your fur still looks a bit singed in places. But I trust you absolutely, and Yol assured me that I couldn't have chosen a better teacher. How is he, by the way?

Yol is fine. He sends you his best wishes and warns you to be careful. Oh, and your Noble Parents also… er, kiss you and hope that you are enjoying your holiday. I have to say, by the way, that they're making great progress in learning Tünnkeh.

All right, now I'd like you to take me to Lord Tahlil – if you know where he is, of course.

He is supervising the preparations for the construction of his new trankenn at the shipyard of Dak Manarang. But you don't need to come with me. I'd be happy to take a message for you.

Thank you, Aïn, but I can't go on hiding in a corner like this. I need to be able to travel freely.

"Niil," he said aloud, "I need to go and visit Lord Tahlil."

"Then I'm coming with you! You can't leave me behind!"

"I wasn't going to. We're talking about Dvârian politics here, and that concerns you directly, even if you're pretending to stay out of it for now. I also want to take Xarax, if he doesn't mind leaving Dillik for a while. Karik, Ambar and Dillik can mind the shop while we're away. Don't look like that, Ambar, I'll be back before it gets dark. I promise not to leave the R'hinz this time."

"Don't make jokes about that!"

"You're right, I suppose that wasn't in very good taste. So Master Aïn will make a quick visit to check that Lord Tahlil is where he's supposed to be, and then he can come straight back to pick us up."

Aïn then gave a masterly demonstration of his talent by disappearing before their eyes without bothering to go back up to the klirk, leaving behind only a whisper like the crumpling of a piece of paper.

"Crikey!" gasped Karik, his eyes as wide as saucers.

"He's the best of all the Guides," said Julien. "Even the most senior of them acknowledges that, even if they do so a bit grudgingly."

"How come I can't remember what he looks like?" asked Ambar.

"That's just something they're allowed to do: they wipe the memory of themselves from the minds of the humans who meet them."

"Yes, but how do they do it? I mean, you have to touch them to talk to them, like with Xarax, but Aïn never came near me."

"That's true, and I don't know. I'll ask him, but even if he tells me I doubt if he'll let me tell you. It's probably a major Guild secret. But then he doesn't need to touch you to transport you, either – you just have to be somewhere close by."

"But you can remember what he looks like, can't you?"

"Yes, but I won't tell anyone. Everyone is allowed to keep their little secrets."

"It's still weird, though. I don't know how it works for you, but when he's here I don't even think about the fact that I can't remember what he looks like after he goes away."

"Aïn also told me that sometimes people try to draw a sketch of a Guide while they're with one of them, but somehow it never works. They make their drawing, and they can see clearly what they're drawing, but once the Guide has left they discover that all they've got is a meaningless lot of scribble."

A noise from the deck told them that Aïn was back, and soon the guide was on his way back down the stairs.

The Noble Lord Tahlil is waiting for you at the shipyard of Dak Manarang, My Lord.

"Come on, Niil – we're leaving. And you three: behave yourselves!"

***

Dak Manarang was one of the major shipyards of the Southern Hemisphere, close to the domain of Lord Tahlil. The rapid transition from the icy beginning of spring to the end of a tropical summer was abrupt but not unwelcome, and soon the two boys were down to their shirts and thinking about getting rid of their thick woollen trousers. They had arrived at a commercial klirk inside a warehouse that had been cleared of its workers so that Lord Tahlil could meet them in private and take them to a kang he used whenever he needed to be here. Xarax discreetly vanished as soon as they arrived.

"I'm glad to see you, My Lord," said Tahlil. "Allow me to introduce my eldest son, Tengtehal."

A boy of around fifteen, dressed in the clothes of a carpenter, dark-haired like his father and a full head taller than Julien, approached and bowed.

"Your Lordship," he said, "I'd like to express my gratitude at the honour you bestow on my family."

"Noble Son, please do me the favour of doing what my other close friends do: call me Julien, or if you can't bring yourself to do that, 'My Lord' will be fine. In public I'd prefer 'Julien', though – I don't want people to start gossiping about the Emperor coming to Dvârinn. You can see I'm not wearing my Marks."

"Indeed, My Lord."

"And I'd like to introduce Lord Niil of the Ksantiris, who is travelling with me as my Councillor. I understand that his two brothers aren't all that popular, but I can promise you that Lord Niil is nothing like them, and that I trust him absolutely."

The boy said nothing and bowed again. Julian turned to his father.

"Tahlil, I'm here to ask you a favour."

"I am entirely at your command."

"As I promised, I managed to find some money to start the company we spoke about before. However, it's quite heavy and takes up a lot of space. I'd like to find a safe place to keep it."

"That sounds sensible."

"I managed to persuade Master Aïn to bend the Guild rules a bit and move it for me with the help of some of his colleagues. He reminded me that it is against a fairly significant Guild rule…"

"Becwause somezing izz not pehmitted does not mean that it cannot be done. It can if it izz foh a good cwause."

The Guide's strange voice reminded them all that he was present.

"Indeed, Master Aïn," said Julien. "You spent a long time explaining all the reasons why this is forbidden before finally admitting that you could help me."

"My Lord," said Tahlil, "I'm delighted to hear about this sudden windfall, but I'm having trouble imagining where it might have come from."

"It was a parting gift from the Neh-kyong of Tchenn Ril. He had no use for all the metal piled up in his citadel, and so he allowed me to salvage some of it."

"What, you've entered the cursed citadel of Tchenn Ril?!?"

"It wasn't 'cursed', as you put it. Yes, it was forbidden to go there, and it was very well guarded. But if you think there might be a spell on the money…"

"Forgive me, My Lord – it just came as a bit of a shock. Obviously you would have had access to the place, since you were the one who applied the prohibition in the first place."

"Well, I can't access it any longer. The Neh-kyong has left, and he took his citadel with him. At least, that was his intention the last time I spoke to him."

"I'm sorry?"

"Yes, he has returned to his own world, or whatever place it is that he came from. And that's probably a very good thing, because that Citadel was crawling with a lot of thoroughly nasty creatures."

"I'm sure you're right, and if all the other places like that could also disappear it would remove the temptation from the reckless idiots who keep thinking it would be a good idea to try plundering them."

"I'll have to think about arranging that. In the meantime, how's your trankenn project coming along?"

"The builder has come up with a design, but it's a massive vessel, and I don't think I'd be entirely comfortable with a monstrosity like that. After all, there's nothing that says the Emperor's Mirror has to have the biggest ship afloat. Aldegard doesn't live in the tallest tower in Aleth, does he? Not to be rude, My Lord, but this whole performance looks a bit like the sort of contests little boys have to see who has the biggest sang-neh."

"True. Not that I've got around to measuring mine lately."

There was a moment of silence, and then Tahlil burst out laughing while his son tried vainly not to blush.

"So," Julien went on, "what would you suggest?"

"Ideally I'd like a fast trankenn, not too broad in the beam, which would be perfect for sailing upwind, and a great deal better and faster than the behemoths currently favoured by the rich and powerful. It would probably be a bit less stable in really bad weather, but it would certainly be better and faster than anything that tried to escape from me or attack me. And of course it would be a lot less expensive. With a good captain and crew it ought to allow me to enforce the respect of those who aren't too happy about my promotion. The only reason I'm still hesitating is that some of the other members of the Council seem to think that it would be better to maintain the tradition of the most powerful person also having the biggest trankenn."

"Tahlil, I didn't choose you just so that you could stick to tradition. That's not how I look at it at all. You're going to have to fight to maintain your position against people who think they are better and stronger than you, and you have to be free to choose your own weapons. So I want you to build the vessel the way you want it, and if anyone objects, refer them to me. After all, I sometimes have the same problem with people who think tradition is everything: sometimes I have to impose my will and force them to let me do it my way.

"In any case, the funding for this trankenn comes from my treasury, and I'm fairly sure that's big enough to allow you to build it exactly as you want it. And don't let anyone talk you into doing anything different. But: the money that's coming from Tchenn Ril is only to be used for the purposes we discussed and mustn't be siphoned off for anything else, all right?"

"I can't promise not to think about it from time to time, My Lord, but I can promise that I will not allow it to happen."

At that point a Rent'halik Guard appeared and announced that a Master Tannder was requesting an interview, and thirty seconds later he was shown in. He bowed to Julien and greeted the rest of the company.

"My Lord," he said to Julien, "I need to speak to you in private for a moment."

Tahlil nodded and ushered everyone else out of the room, leaving them alone – although Julien was sure that Xarax was watching, hiding in a corner somewhere

"My Lord," said Tannder, "I now have confirmation of what we suspected: Lord Ylavan was definitely assassinated, and the murder was ordered by Lord Nandak."

Julien experienced a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach: he'd really hoped that another culprit might have been found, even if that had seemed unlikely.

"I won't ask if you're sure," he said, "or if you have irrefutable proof, because you wouldn't be here otherwise."

"Indeed, My Lord."

"As we're talking about the assassination of one of my Mirrors I suppose I'll have to attend the trial, but I'm not too bothered about that. What does worry me is that Niil is sure to want to claim his right of retribution. How would that work in this situation?"

"He can choose to have Nandak sent to Tandil, which would be the sensible thing to do, or he can challenge him to single combat. He would have the choice of ground and weapons. If he was still a minor I could represent him as his champion, and I'd have been happy to do so, but he's officially an adult now, which means that if he chooses to fight he'll have to do it himself."

"And what happens if he is killed?"

"His younger brother could demand his turn, and since Ambar is a minor I would be delighted to stand in for him. And I can promise you that in that event Nandak would stand no chance."

"And what are Niil's chances?"

"Well, you've seen him in training. He's very good. But Nandak is renowned as a vicious fighter – he always ignores the rules and fights extremely efficiently. He is certainly a serious threat."

"Is there no way to prevent such a fight?"

"You cannot interfere. It's a question of Family honour."

"Niil is my Councillor. I could forbid him to fight."

"No, you couldn't, My Lord, and I strongly advise you not to try to prevent him from fighting if that's what he wants to do. Above all, he needs his friends to support him – having an argument with you about it would do no good at all. Of course, we could always arrange for Nandak to have an 'accident', but Niil would never forgive us if we deprived him of his right to avenge his father. And in any case I don't see you being an advocate of assassination, somehow, even if it is in a good cause."

"If I've got it right, there's another problem, too: surely even if Niil ends up winning his fight we'll end up with the vicious moron Nekal as First Lord of the Ksantiris instead."

"That's true, unless the Lady Axelia were to claim the title. She certainly has a legal right to do so, but in the current circumstances it would be tantamount to suicide for her to do it. I suppose that in theory the Universal Council of First Lords could decide to disinherit Nekal and make Niil First Lord in his place, but I doubt if it would happen: that sort of decision needs an eighty percent majority, and far too many members of the Council would be worried about the same sort of decision being made against them."

"You're right. Perhaps Aldegard can think up a better solution. But in any case I think we should cut the holiday short and head back to Aleth today."

"That certainly seems to be a good idea."

Mistress Nardik really wasn't happy about Dillik's imminent departure. It took a real effort on her part to remember that Julien was actually a nice person and not, as she felt like saying, a nasty kidnapper. However, when Julien suggested that she should come too so that she could see for herself the sort of life her son would be living from now on, she became a bit happier about it. Julien found Mistress Nardik's 'Over-attentive parent' routine rather like that of a friend of his on Earth: Z… , who came from a Jewish family repatriated from Algeria, had the misfortune to have a mother like that, and her constant attention had hugely embarrassed the poor kid on numerous occasions. Julien desperately hoped that Mistress Nardik would never meet his own parents, because he could already imagine, with horror, the possible scenario:

Mistress Nardik: "Ah, Noble Lady, your Noble Son behaved most admirably towards my little Dillik."

Mrs Berthier: "Really? I'm delighted to hear it!"

Mistress Nardik: "Yes, he never for one second held back from allowing Dillik to share his bed. Of course at Dillik's age it's a great advantage if his instruction in these areas comes from so distinguished a companion. Books, cousins, schoolmates… they're all very well, but they cannot be compared to the attentions of a truly refined boy. And when I think that it was actually Yulmir himself who taught him how to…"

"Julien!" yelled Niil in his ear. "Stop day-dreaming!"

His friend's voice brought him back to reality, and he remembered that he hadn't yet had a chance to tell Niil the real reason for their early departure.

"Sorry," he said. "You're right, I was miles away."

"Aïn says we can leave whenever you're ready. Everyone's waiting for you in the main room of the inn."

"They'll have to wait a bit longer, because I need to talk to you."

"I suppose it's to do with Tannder's visit, is it?"

"Yes, it is."

"And did he find something?"

"Yes. He has proof that Nandak did have your father assassinated."

"Good. I was pretty sure, but you were right, it was best to wait for some proper evidence. So now I can challenge the bastard… I mean, I can, can't I? I hope you're not thinking of trying to stop me."

"No. I promised you that you could handle it however you wanted, and I haven't changed my mind. I just need you to wait until after the trial. Is that all right?"

"Yes, of course. I won't do anything without your permission."

"Good. And now I've got something for you."

"A present?"

"Well, sort of."

He handed Niil a box made of a rare and valuable wood.

"You can open it now if you want," he said.

"Wow – it's a nagtri!"

"Yes, it is. Seeing the way things are going I thought maybe you could use it."

"But where did you get it – and if it comes from Tchenn Ril, like I think it does, how did you get it here without anyone seeing it?"

"I hid it in one of the boxes. The Neh-kyong opened the armoury for me while everyone else was busy moving boxes. I got one for Tannder, too. I left the other two behind: I really didn't think it would be a good idea to give one to Ambar, because these things are really dangerous – in fact I think you should adopt yours now, just to make sure you don't accidentally chop your hand off with it later."

"What do you mean, 'adopt' it?"

"Take it out of its sheath – slowly! Yes, like that. Now just graze your thumb with the blade – but don't press against it."

"That's incredible – it actually drank my blood! I never believed that was anything but a legend."

"Obviously it isn't. And now you don't have to worry about it, because it will never again spill your blood. Nobody else can ever own it, either. But please make sure you find somewhere safe to keep it – we don't want Ambar going anywhere near it. You've no idea of how easily that thing can cut. I don't think there's anything, not even a hatik, that could defeat it."

"Thanks, Julien."

"Don't thank me just yet. I really don't like the idea of you finding yourself anywhere where you might have to use it. And even with it, you know that you don't stand a chance against Nandak, don't you?"

"Why do you say that? Who's been filling your ears with rubbish?"

"Nobody has, but I'm not stupid, Niil. Obviously afterwards Tannder will finish the job, but by then I'll have lost a friend."

"But I can't just stand by while…"

"Nobody is asking you to just stand by. But it's my fault that you're going to get slaughtered…"

"What do you mean, it's your fault?"

"If I hadn't made you my Privy Councillor in order to keep you with me, you'd still be a minor and then you wouldn't have to challenge this animal. Tannder could do it on your behalf."

"Don't talk like that!"

"You're right, and I suppose this isn't the time to talk about it. They're all waiting for us."

***

Mistress Nardik didn't meet Julien's parents – in fact she never even suspected that the reigning Emperor had any parents. However, she was granted a full and detailed inspection of the Imperial kang, and also a three-day stay, at Julien's expense, in the best inn in Aleth, so that she and her daughter could tour the greatest city in the Nine Worlds, see its sights and visit its shops. Dillik, of course, moved straight into the Imperial kang, where rooms and beds were plentiful.

As soon as they reached Aleth Julien went to call on Aldegard.

"I understand that we now have formal proof that Nandak killed his father," he said.

"We do. The evidence is irrefutable."

"Niil is going to want to challenge him, in order to avenge his father."

"So I understand."

"But if he fights that animal he's going to get killed."

"Don't worry, it isn't going to happen."

"Well, that certainly sounds like good news… but how come?"

"Because Niil will forgo his challenge."

"That doesn't sound even remotely likely. Can you tell me why you think that?"

"I could, but it would spoil the surprise."

Julien stared at the First Lord.

"Oddly," he said, "I think I'd prefer to get by without the surprise."

"Of course, My Lord, If that's what you want."

***

The preparations for the meeting of the Council of First Lords of Dvârinn took quite a long time, even though by the standards of Earth justice the meeting took place with almost indecent haste. Traditionally the assembly had to take place aboard the First Trankenn of the Emperor's Mirror. Obviously there were any number of suitable buildings ashore that could have hosted the event, but the tradition had grown up around the essentially maritime and partly nomadic way of life on Dvârinn: everything of any importance had to take place at sea. Of course, this meant that everything had to be delayed – or rather, there had to be a number of 'ceremonial holidays' – in order to avoid the stormy season, during which hurricane-force winds swept through the archipelagos. At that time of year the only sailing that was done was a little coastal hopping undertaken during the brief breaks between storms, and that was used only for the most unavoidable journeys.

Obviously there could be no question of using the First Trankenn of the Ksantiris, and that meant that Lord Tahlil's trankenn had to be fitted out at great speed, because it wasn't suited for this sort of ceremonial meeting at present. Lord Tahlil tried to protest, complaining to Julien about both the time it was taking and the pointless expense, but for once his protests fell on deaf ears: Julien refused, politely, to interfere.

It seemed that Julien had come to terms with Niil's determination to put his life on the line in an ill-matched fight, because he said nothing to try to dissuade him. Instead, whenever his personal schedule permitted, he went along to watch Niil in training. Of course Julien was far from an expert, but even his untrained eye could see that Niil's already very good combat technique had clearly improved – in fact he was now leaving behind the realm of pure technique and moving into the area, unreachable for most people, of the actual Noble Art of Combat. But he was still clearly a long way short of Master Tannder's cool and merciless efficiency.

Niil's mother, Lady Axelia, sometimes came to watch him training. She knew perfectly well what her son was intending to do, but she never said anything to suggest to him that she either approved or condemned him for his insistence on throwing himself into danger. She watched his nimble skips and lethal pirouettes, his unpredictable leaps from one side of the room to the other as he ducked a thrust or offered a fatal blow himself, and throughout it all her face never changed.

Ambar was also a bit worried about the forthcoming fight, but he didn't really understand how dangerous it was. His admiration for the boy who was now truly his big brother prevented him from even for one moment imagining that he could fail. As for Dillik, he liked Niil a lot and admired him as much as Ambar did, but he hadn't known him long enough yet to have established the sort of bond that could distract him from his relationship with the one he now considered to be his haptir. Julien found that amusing, but it didn't bother him, for the simple reason that Xarax was still performing his normal Emperor-supporting function with undiminished zeal.

Dillik had also got into the habit of waking up in the middle of the night and moving to the bed shared by Julien and Ambar, simply for the pleasure of waking up in the morning surrounded by the sort of warmth which might or might not, depending on the general mood, lead to a certain amount of fooling around. Quite often Niil asked if he could join them in the sort of shared intimacy which had come to be so important to all of them, and whenever Karik was free he would join in too, transforming the huge bed into a sort of den in which they could enjoy the feeling of belonging to something like a pack of young animals.

***

Finally the day of the trial arrived. There were more than two hundred First Lords of the Noble Families of Dvârinn assembled in the hall that had been prepared aboard the First Trankenn of the Rent'haliks. Tahlil was in the chair, and next to him sat Lady Axelia, Niil and Ambar. Julien, wearing once again the blue-green hatik he had adopted as his ceremonial costume and with his Marks on display, sat a little way apart on a dais that overlooked the whole hall. His hair, which by now was once again longer than was normally considered fashionable, shone like a dark flame in the soft light of the hall's illumination. Of course most of those present had already seen him at Lord Ylavan's funeral, and so his youthful appearance drew only a few comments. But everyone was waiting impatiently to see how his new Mirror would deal with the delicate business of House Ksantiri, and so silence fell the moment Tahlil cleared his throat.

"Your Imperial Highness, Noble First Lords and Noble First Ladies," Tahlil began. "We are gathered here in response to the summons of Emperor Yulmir in order to demand that the First Lord of a Noble Family answers to the charges of parricide and the assassination of an Imperial Mirror. Tradition demands that a man accused of so terrible a crime be brought before his peers free and clad only in the Marks of his House. However, with the agreement of His Imperial Highness and after consultation with the Grand Master of Imperial Tradition, I feel that on this occasion an exception should be made."

That got people murmuring: things were hardly off to a good start if tradition was going to be thrown out of the window from the word go.

"Please," said Tahlil, "I would ask this Noble Assembly to withhold its understandable anger until you have heard the rest of what I have to say, because it is the very means by which this crime was committed that makes it impossible for the tradition to be upheld. You see, Lord Nandak of the Ksantiris is suffering from the same illness which killed his father, and is in fact at the very end of that illness. He is unable to move, and will shortly be brought before this assembly on what is soon to be his death-bed, covered by a veil to spare you the horrific sight of his body which has been eaten away by the poison.

"It has been determined that Lord Nandak, driven by insatiable ambition, chose to ignore the will of his Noble Father, who had sought to moderate his behaviour. Lord Nandak had in fact discovered the location of a secret shipyard dating from the time of Tchenn Ril which had escaped the drastic measures taken at the time in order to eliminate the forbidden weapons developed and manufactured by the Family-whose-name-is-no-more. When Lord Ylavan, despite the precautions of his son, became aware of this he attempted to steer him away from the path he had clearly chosen to follow. Everyone here is aware of past attempts to build a personal empire by force of arms… In any event, when Lord Ylavan came to the conclusion that the Emperor would have to be informed, he suddenly died. Of course his sudden death raised suspicions, but the poison was so uncommon that it could not be identified immediately. This was because Lord Nandak had used an extremely toxic substance that he had found amongst the forbidden weaponry, a substance found nowhere in nature, being a by-product of the manufacture of certain weapons.

"The poison acted swiftly, unfortunately – for Lord Ylavan was a perfect Mirror of the Emperor and indeed I cannot remember anyone ever contesting either his justice or his advice. But Lord Nandak, not being a student of the Major Arts, didn't understand what he had found, and he didn't even know of the existence of the Tchiwa Nag Ser, the Black Light of Death. This invisible light radiates permanently from these poisonous substances, and can be stopped only by very thick protective shields of a specific type. Lord Nandak was extremely careful not to touch the poison: he needed only a tiny speck of it, and the dose he gave his father, though minuscule, would have been enough to kill the population of a small town. But although he touched nothing, he had still been inside the cursed place and, despite all his precautions, he had been bathed in the Black Light of Death, and the light has been destroying him, slowly and hideously. It is also destroying, by slow degrees, all those who were fool enough to take part in his plan for conquest. I'm told that the Master-at-Arms of Lord Delian of the Gyalmangs died a week ago, and Lord Delian himself had to ask to be excused from attending this gathering: apparently his health, which was excellent a few weeks ago, has sharply declined of late. Indeed, everyone who took part in this insane enterprise will perish without any need for the involvement of Imperial justice.

"I'm certain that nobody here is linked in any way to this madness, and I am pleased to report that no trace of the poison now exists and that accordingly no further contamination need be feared. The shipyard will of course be dealt with by His Imperial Highness and access to it will be made impossible for all time."

At this point Tahlil paused for a couple of minutes to give his audience time to assimilate what he had said. It probably also allowed some of those present to start agonising whether their own past contact with Nandak had brought them into danger.

"That is why, Your Imperial Highness, Noble Lords and Noble Ladies," Tahlil resumed, "I advise this assembly to forgo levelling any charge of 'Major offences against the security of the Nine Worlds' against Lord Nandak or his accomplices: the crime brings with it its own punishment, and while some innocents might also be unlucky enough to die, we can at least be certain that all those who participated will not escape the punishment that they have unwittingly brought upon themselves. I should add that there is no cure for this illness, and even the greatest of Health Masters can seek to do no more than to alleviate, to a greater or lesser extent, the suffering it generates."

Tahlil paused again, and then went on.

"To speak plainly, I recommend that we dispense with any trial, which in any case could do nothing more than to dwell on mistakes that have already been corrected. To put it even more succinctly, everyone who took part in that disgusting adventure will die a horrible death. Those who might have had a miraculous escape because they were not directly involved should count themselves very lucky indeed and vow to stay well away from temptation of that kind in future. If we do this we can avoid the trouble and animosity that would be sure to result from a thorough enquiry, and it will spare some people the need to have to decide between betraying their friends or lying to the Imperial investigators. I'd now like to ask His Imperial Highness to offer us his advice."

Julien had rehearsed his little speech until he was able to deliver it without having to think about it, but he still found it strangely moving when he had to address this collection of Lords and Ladies who were still reeling from the revelations Tahlil had spread before them.

"Lord Mirror," he said, "Noble First Lords and Noble First Ladies, as Lord Tahlil has explained very clearly, a natural justice has spared us the need to undertake a most unpleasant trial. As it is clear that the guilty parties will not escape justice, I can only offer my agreement and thank my Mirror for speaking so wisely. Let Nandak now be brought before us."

A sort of hospital trolley was wheeled in by two assistants and parked in the empty space in front of Julien. Only Nandak's face was visible, but Julien was still glad that he wasn't seeing it for the first time; he'd seen it just before the proceedings had opened. If he hadn't he felt sure that he would certainly have been unable to prevent his face from registering the profound shock he had experienced on that occasion. Nandak's head was simply one large open sore, the skin peeling away and oozing a transparent fluid. In the silence of the hall everyone could clearly hear the patient's laboured, agonised breathing.

"Nandak," said Julien, "you are hereby pronounced a parricide. You are stripped of your Marks, and any bond linking you to the Noble House of Ksantiri is now severed. Your name will be cursed forever, and nobody will bear it again. Fortunately you have no offspring and so none will have to bear the shame of your crime. Go now from the sight of this assembly. I leave you to the mercy of the Health Masters. Your death will not be announced, and your body will be discarded in the desert, leaving no marker or memorial."

The trolley was immediately wheeled away and Julien took a deep breath to prepare himself for his final important act of the day.

"Noble Lord Niil of the Ksantiris," he said, "please step forward."

Surprised to be called on, and visibly still in shock from what he had already seen, Niil took a few seconds to respond. Then he stood up and moved forward until he was standing in the space just vacated by his brother''s trolley.

"Niil," said Julien, "your House is currently without a chief. Lord Nekal, who might have claimed that position, is also approaching a painful – though well-deserved – death. It's no surprise to learn that he lacked even the most basic common sense and so allowed himself to be dragged into his brother's conspiracy. The Lady Axelia, your mother, has declined the succession, and so, since your Noble Father officially emancipated you before his death, recognising that you had come of age, it would appear that you are the only direct descendant of Lord Ylavan who can legitimately take over his position. I can personally vouch for your absolute integrity and your unfailing loyalty. Fate has deprived you of the honour of avenging your Noble Father, but today I present you with a still nobler way: to succeed him in serving his people and his House. If, as I wish, you accept the position, the Imperial Mirror on Dvârinn will be able to offer his counsel and assistance, and the Emperor himself will offer you his help in the name of friendship and the good of this world."

Julien stood up and swept his gaze across the assembly.

"Before we proceed further," he said, "does anyone in this Noble Assembly wish to challenge the right of the Noble Lord Niil to become First Lord of the Ksantiris?"

Nobody did so.

"Lord Niil," asked Julien, "do you accept this honour and this burden?"

Niil stared at Julien. He looked appalled, and it was clear to everyone that he had been given no inkling that this was going to happen. But he managed to recover his poise.

"Your Highness, both the honour and the burden are too heavy for my shoulders. Is there nobody wiser or more worthy to whom you could entrust the future of our House?"

"Perhaps we could, if we searched very carefully, find someone wiser than you. But worthier? I doubt it. Indeed, your reluctance and humility prove that this is the correct decision. To make us beg you any more than this would seem… unhelpful."

"Your Highness is of course correct. I accept, reluctantly, both the honour and the burden."

"Then let it be announced that the Noble House of the Ksantiris has a new chief! Long live Niil, First Lord of the Ksantiris!"

The assembly roared out its approval, and if a few voices were rather less enthusiastic than the Emperor's, nobody seemed to notice.

"Why the hell did you do that to me?"

This was the first thing Niil had said since they had left the trial room and moved to the kang reserved for them on board Tahlil's trankenn.

"I'm sorry. There was no other way."

"And how long have you known about the state my brother was in?"

"Aldegard told me when we went back to Aleth. And don't blame him: it was my idea to wait until he was at death's door to hold the trial. It was the only way to stop you from throwing your life away by fighting him… all right, I suppose that Xarax could have popped his head around your brother's door and 'put him out of his misery', but that would have caused no end of questions and complications. I'm sorry, but I simply couldn't let you chuck your life away."

"You lied to me! You betrayed me!"

"No, I didn't. I certainly didn't betray you, and I didn't lie to you either, although it's true that I kept quiet about some things. I had to, both for the sake of your family, and because I simply couldn't risk losing you."

"Yes, but you didn't even tell me about it right before the trial. You made me look like a complete idiot!"

"I kept quiet deliberately. I didn't want everyone to think that you and I had planned the whole thing together, and that you'd asked me to delay the trial so that you wouldn't have to fight to avenge your father."

"Oh, right – as if they're not going to think that anyway, and probably say it, too!"

"I don't know if they will or not, but if they do you can honestly answer that you only found out what was happening at the same time as the rest of the Assembly."

"And that's not all – you know damned well that I didn't want to be First Lord, and yet you dumped that on me right in front of everyone, knowing that I couldn't say no. I'll never forgive you for that!"

"Niil, I'm in far more of a mess here than you are. I have to do what's best for Dvârinn, but surely you can't think that I actually wanted to do this? What do you think would have happened if I hadn't made you First Lord of the Ksantiris?"

"I'm sure His Imperial Highness will give me the benefit of His wisdom."

The dreadful scathing tone of this and the sheer venom with which the words were delivered almost made Julien give free rein to the anger he was feeling. Instead he managed to close his eyes for a few seconds and to take a couple of deep breaths.

"What would have happened, Noble Lord, is that, because you don't have any more uncles, all your cousins to the nth degree would have decided that they would make an excellent First Lord. There would have been conspiracies, plots and probably no end of blood-letting as they scrambled to climb over each other into the seat you had left empty. Every one of them would have formed his own little clan and we would have been faced with a whole lot of dirty little wars. Hell, Niil, you know that better than I do – you know what Dvârinn is like! All right, if a load of ambitious morons want to start assassinating each other it's no skin off my nose, but you know damned well that it would actually be the ordinary people who did the dying, all the poor sods who get conscripted into Lord A's army to fight the other sad bastards in the army of Lord B. Is that what you want for your people?

"Instead, you're now the First Lord, whether your cousins like it or not, and they know where they stand because I'm the one who made the decision. They'll remember the Rite of Trust, too, that we performed at Ylavan's funeral, and that will stop them from trying to take you on. Niil, you're the one who taught me how important honour is in the Nine Worlds. I can't believe you're going to turn your back on me now just because I asked you to be what you claimed to be."

"You didn't ask me – you forced me! What right did you have to do that? The right of the Emperor? Fine, then I'll obey, but you needn't think I'm doing it because I want to. And since we're talking about honour and duty, yes, I'll obey Yulmir because it's my duty to do so and because I respect the position of the Emperor. But if you're going to start being Emperor, don't try telling me that you want to be Julien as well and expect me to come running just because you're short of friends."

"But I'm both! There's nothing I can do about it – it's not my fault! You know I didn't ask to come here! And if there was some way for me to stop being Yulmir, believe me, I'd grab it in a millisecond!"

"Well, I didn't choose it, either. Anyway, the point is that you're the one who's dumped this on me – you, and nobody else. Like it or not, you are Yulmir, and that gives me no choice but to obey you. But you have absolutely no right to demand anything else of me. As from this moment, His Imperial Highness will have to realise that the First Lord of the Ksantiris has too much on his plate to hang around and keep Him company whenever He feels lonely!"

"Niil!"

"Your Imperial Highness?"

"Look, I know you're angry about being manipulated – but you can't do that to me!"

Niil remained silent, his face a stone mask and his eyes expressing nothing. And Julien realised that the Niil he had thought he knew so well, the friend he had always relied on without even thinking about it since the first moment he had set foot in the Nine Worlds, had disappeared.

"Niil, please!" he begged. "I need you! I'm on my own. All right, Xarax helps me, and so do Tannder, Aldegard, Subadar and Aïn, as much as they can. And there's Ambar, too.. but it's not the same. You're the only one who is really…"

"If Your Imperial Highness is saying that I'm the only one He can use a doormat without having to worry about the consequences, I'm sure you're right. In fact, you've just demonstrated exactly that. But if you think I'm going to hang around so you can carry on doing it, you're dead wrong – if, of course, the Infallible Yulmir is capable of being wrong. And as for my brother, his place is with his Family, where he will receive the appropriate education for one of his status. Unless, of course, you want to issue an Imperial Edict requiring his presence in Your Imperial Highness's bed."

Julien felt the scorn in those last words as though they had been a slap in the face. In that one second the love he had been sharing with Ambar had been dragged through the mud – and Julien realised that if anyone was capable of taking such a repulsive view of the bond he had with Ambar, then it would be better if that bond ceased to exist. For Niil, who knew him better than anyone, to dare to suggest for one moment that Julien looked on Ambar as no better than a common rent-boy showed more clearly than anything just how livid he was. Julien was dimly aware that they were both by now entering the territory where common sense has flown out of the window and where the only thing that remains is the perverse desire to destroy your opponent and yourself at the same time, but by now he was helpless to prevent it from happening.

"Niil of the Ksantiris," he said. "Your rank and duties demand your permanent presence here on Dvârinn. I therefore release your from your duties as Privy Councillor to the Emperor in order to allow you to dedicate yourself exclusively to the affairs of your Noble House. As for your young brother, you're right: his place is with his family, and I am sure that you will be able to offer him all the affection he needs, as well as an education befitting the son of a Noble House. I shall leave Dvârinn as quickly as it can be arranged. I wish you a safe journey back to Ksantir. Please convey my respectful farewell to your mother, and tell your brother that, regretfully, my schedule does not permit me to take my leave of him in person. I shall detain you no longer."

The room in which Aldegard's Inner Council met offered both seclusion and a comfortable environment in which major decisions could be taken. It held a massive low table on which large files could be spread and the sort of comfortable chairs that would have seemed at home in an upmarket club for English Gentlemen.

Julien was there, along with Aldegard, Tahlil, Tannder and Master Subadar. Xarax was there too, clinging to a piece of carving and taking in everything that was said.

"My Lords," began Aldegard, "we have a serious problem: we have to eliminate the threat of the contents of the storehouse found by Nandak, and we have to do it quickly. Burying it would solve nothing, because sooner of later some cretin or other would start digging for it. I think that the only proper solution would be to seek the help of a Neh-kyong. And that, to the best of our knowledge, can only be done by the Emperor."

"The Emperor would like to remind you that he hasn't got the remotest idea as to how to do that," Julien pointed out. "When I met Tchenn Ril, he came to me, not vice versa."

"Naturally. But Master Subadar knows how to do it, and he'll be able to teach you."

"Then wouldn't it be better if Master Subadar simply did it himself?"

"That's not possible, My Lord."

"I knew you were going to say that!"

"Master Subadar certainly has the knowledge. He's got the Gift and the Power, too. What he hasn't got is the Legitimacy."

Julien sighed. "Let me guess," he said. "I'm the one who has the Legitimacy?"

"Yes, My Lord. It entitles you to sign a covenant in the name of the whole of the R'hinz."

"And naturally I can't authorise Master Subadar to act on my behalf."

"No, My Lord! Such an idea…"

"It's all right, Aldegard, I was only joking."

In reality, since he had got back to Aleth two hours earlier Julien felt sure he would never be able to joke about anything again. Everyone around him could see that something was wrong, but nobody knew what. Xarax, of course, had witnessed the whole argument, but he had been unable to intervene, and now it was completely out of the question that he should be so indiscreet as to tell anyone about it. He'd also steered well clear of the subject during the brief time that they were alone in their kang while Julien changed out of his ceremonial hatik and into the ordinary abba he normally wore inside Bakhtar Tower.

"Master Subadar," Julien continued, "I think it would be best to make a start as soon as possible."

"Indeed, My Lord. We can start tomorrow. And while I help you to remember how to summon a Neh-kyong, Lord Tahlil and Master Tannder can make the necessary preparations."

"Preparations?"

"Yes, My Lord," said Tannder. "The storehouse is in an area between Ksantir and Kardenang, and it's virtually inaccessible by land. We'll need a flybubble to get there. And of course we'll need the formal agreement of the local First Lord before a Neh-kyong can annex part of his territory."

"I assume I can count on you to deal with that, Lord Tahlil?" asked Julien.

"Yes, My Lord. Not that I think Lord Niil will have any objections."

"No, I'm sure he won't. But I suggest you leave it until tomorrow. We need to give him time to recover from the shock of the trial and to get used to the thought of his new responsibilities."

***

The kang seemed strangely empty. Only Dillik was still with Julien, and fortunately he was too engrossed in his strange relationship with Xarax to notice Julien's black mood.

The chime that announced the arrival of a visitor rang out and Karik came in pushing a trolley that held the evening meal. Usually it was the Bakhtar house servants who performed this role, and so Julien looked quizzically at Karik, who smiled apologetically.

"Master Tannder is about to leave for Dvârinn, so he told me that I could come and keep you company for the meal – if that's all right with you, of course."

Julien really wasn't in the mood for company: he'd have been happier staying on his own and wallowing in his misery. But he was well-brought up and had a natural tendency to care about the feelings of other people.

"Thank you," he said. "I'd be happy for you to stay for a bit. I'm more or less on my own – Dillik doesn't count, because he and Xarax are off in their exclusive little world most of the time. I've got no idea what they talk about, but it seems to be absolutely fascinating for both of them."

"Xarax is teaching me to play Territories in my head," called Dillik from the adjoining room. "Well… actually it's in his head… or maybe I should say ours… anyway, it's really interesting. But I don't mind coming to keep you company too if you want."

Julien couldn't help smiling. "No, it's fine," he said. "Karik's here now. But if you want to eat you need to come and help to lay the table."

Dillik came into the room, followed by a brightly-glowing Xarax, who was playfully reproducing the complicated pattern of the carpet on his scales as he made his way across it. Julien thought that the haptir's relationship with Dillik was definitely good for him.

"It seems odd, Niil and Ambar not being here, doesn't it?" commented Dillik.

"We'll get used to it," said Julien.

"So – they're not coming back?"

"Well, Niil is First Lord of the Ksantiris now. He's got a lot on his plate."

"Yes, but you've got loads of work, too, and you still manage to get back here to sleep most of the time. I'm sure that Aïn could sort something out if you asked him – he and his friends could fix it to bring Niil and Ambar back whenever they want. That'd be really good. And then Ambar would be able to go on studying with us, too – I'm sure he doesn't want to change his tutor. Master Tannder is strict, but we all really like him, don't we, Karik?"

"Yes. I like him very much. But I think you should eat, rather than just sitting there spouting hot air. I'm sure Julien and Niil have already discussed it, and it takes time to sort everything out."

It sounded as if Karik suspected that all was not well – after all, he didn't have a Xarax to distract him. And at the end of the meal he said, "Would you mind if I slept here tonight? I don't want to be a nuisance, but… well, I feel a little lonely."

Julien was surprised, because he'd never heard Karik make that sort of request before. Usually he shared Niil's bed, but he always waited for an invitation before doing so. As for Dillik, he generally started out just sleeping with Xarax, and only came to share the others' bed if he had to get up in the night, or occasionally just for a bit of fun in the morning. Julien had no wish to console himself for Ambar's absence in anyone else's arms, even those of a friend like Karik, and so he was about to refuse. But Karik got in first.

"Please?" he said. "I won't bother you. I just don't want to sleep on my own."

Julien understood that.

"Then of course you can sleep with me," he said. "I'd be glad of the company."

***

Julien was even more exhausted by the day's events than he had thought, and he fell asleep as soon as he was in bed. But he didn't make it though the night: he woke up from a confused but unpleasant dream quite some time before dawn, and as soon as he was awake he felt a great wave of the blackest despair he had even known sweep over him. The loss of Niil's friendship, the apparently permanent separation from Ambar, the complete shambles of trying to live a life which wasn't his own and his acute awareness that he wasn't what people wanted him to be all combined into a situation of complete, irreparable chaos from which there seemed to be no escape. Never in his short life had he been confronted with such a hopeless situation. And what made it worse was the fact that he had nobody to blame but himself. If Niil had rejected him it was because he had driven him to it. Never before had he had a friend as close as Niil, and what had he done? He'd played the Emperor and landed his friend with a fate that he loathed. And at the same time he'd lost Ambar, who was something even more special, and whose absence left a gaping hole in Julien's heart.

And so here, in the depths of the night when he was at his most defenceless, Julien encountered the black demons that lurk in the recesses of the human mind and which can drive from the soul every vestige of light and hope. Who can withstand their evil black breath?

He got out of bed as quietly as he could, not wanting to disturb Karik, who was sleeping on his back on top of the sheet in order to offer himself to the caress of the warm summer night air. Without even looking at his friend's sleeping form Julien went out onto the balcony of the kang's main room and leaned over the parapet. The towers of Aleth shone with a soft light, some close at hand, some a long way away, each displaying its own shade of colour which constantly changed subtly in harmony with the colours of its closest neighbours. But although Julien had come to love this beautiful spectacle, tonight it left him cold. Only the dizzying void spoke to him, the void that led down the vast distance to the granite slabs that formed the esplanade at the base of the tower. It spoke silently, without words, promising the blissful oblivion of nothingness. The jump could be achieved easily and painlessly, and it offered the only escape from the suffering of a pointless existence filled only with absence and loneliness, and the only way to evade the shame of having acted on the advice of his Councillors 'For the good of Dvârinn' without questioning whether he had the right to govern the destiny of those he had claimed to love against their will. There was no question that he'd done the wrong thing. He'd pretended to be the Emperor, and as a result he had hurt those closest to him. And if he tried to be the Emperor again he was sure to mess it up again and hurt other people, because he was blind, and he could only…

"Julien?" Karik's arm was locked around his waist. "Come down. It's dangerous there."

Julien realised that he was actually sitting on the parapet, his feet dangling over the abyss, in exactly the position adopted by someone about to slip noiselessly into a swimming pool. His face was drenched with tears.

"Come on," said Karik gently. "I'm too hot, too. Let's go and have a shower and then get back to bed – all right?"

Julien allowed himself to be bathed, rinsed and dried by Karik, who was tactful enough not to ask questions. Then they went back to bed, and Julien raised no objection when Karik snuggled against him so that he could fall asleep knowing that, in Karik's gentle, undemanding arms, he wasn't alone after all.

Julien woke up feeling surprisingly refreshed. He could clearly remember what had happened during the night, but now he could see it without any trace of the deadly anguish that had almost killed him. A lot of adults might have made the mistake of putting it down to a one-off incident caused by overwork or something, but Julien knew better, and he recognised that he couldn't just leave things the way they were.

The first thing he wanted to work out was how come he hadn't actually ended up dead at the foot of the tower, and since Karik had woken up he decided to deal with that straight away.

"Morning," he said, "Did you sleep well?"

"Er… . well, yes, thanks. So… how are you feeling this morning?"

"Thanks to you, I'm fine. And thanks for stopping me from jumping."

"No problem. I suppose sometimes when you wake up like that in the middle of the night you're not feeling quite yourself."

"Why, has that happened to you, too?"

"More than once. But then I wasn't living at the top of a tower at the time – and anyway, Dehart usually locked me in at night."

Julien thought about that for a moment, but then he put it to one side and went on, "So how did you know – last night, I mean? What woke you up?"

"I don't know. I just woke up, found myself alone and then spotted you going out of the room. The way you were looking yesterday evening, I thought maybe you could use some company, and then you went out onto the balcony, and I decided to follow you. And as soon as you got up onto the parapet I knew what was going on: even though I wasn't sure why, it was pretty clear that you were going to jump."

"Right. Now it just seems… well, not quite incredible, but certainly pretty stupid."

"It would have been, in your case. You'd have hurt a lot of people who love you."

"Thank you."

"I'm not just saying that, you know. It's true."

Julien could see that Karik meant it, because his eyes were full of tears.

"I'm really sorry," he said. "I promise not to do it again."

"It's all right. But… well, maybe if you tell me why you felt like that I could try to help you, couldn't I?"

"Well, thanks. But let's get something to eat first."

Julien didn't really feel like talking about it just yet, even though he recognised that Karik was probably the best person to talk it through with. He got up, went and had a wash and then put his head around the door of Dillik's room. The boy was still asleep, but Xarax was wide awake, and so Julien beckoned to him to come and join him at the breakfast table.

I am glad to see that you are better this morning, Xarax told him as he sat on Julien's shoulders. You scared me last night.

You know what happened?

I always know how you feel. Even when I'm asleep or busy doing something else. I heard your argument with Niil. After all, it's my duty to know what is going on. I could have spared you what you went through last night. I could have soothed you, calmed you down. But I promised not to tamper with your mind. If I had done such a thing you would have recognised it, and after that you would not have trusted me any more. All the same, I was surprised, because I hadn't realised quite how bad you were feeling. When I realised what you were going to do I rushed to the balcony, but Karik got there first. He's a good boy, and he likes you very much. And he did what needed to be done.

Thank you, Xarax. Next time I look as if I'm not well you can certainly ask me if I need any help. I don't want to be tampered with, but I don't mind a little help now and again. And even if you don't mess with my head, just talking with you is always good.

"Are you talking to Xarax?"

Dillik had entered the room, still sleepy and rubbing his eyes.

"Yes," said Julien, "but we're finished now. You can take him to the shower with you if you want."

"I don't think he wants to come," said Dillik, laughing. "Look, he's turned all blue – he must be afraid!"

Xarax leapt at him, whistling like a deranged kettle and with his wings spread in a convincing impression of a violent attack, and although he clearly cushioned his impact on Dillik's chest it was enough to knock the boy over. The ensuing shrieks and convulsions demonstrated that Xarax had developed a highly effective tickling technique, although quite how he managed to do it without damaging Dillik's delicate skin was a mystery. The game only ended when Dillik suddenly had to grab and squeeze his penis in order not to pee all over the rug. Xarax stepped back, allowing the boy to run to the bathroom. The innocent fun and games was like a breath of fresh air, finally dispelling the last of the anguish of the night. Of course things were still not right and the pain remained, but now Julien had it under control, corralled in a corner of his mind in a way that allowed him once again to act as if his entire universe had not collapsed around his ears.

***

"Julien, it's really nice to see you again," said Ugo. "We haven't seen much of you lately at all."

Ugo's friendly welcome warmed his heart, and Julien scratched him behind his ears in the way he always had.

"If you weren't so lazy you could come and see me," Julien replied. "Or does Master Subadar lock you in at night?"

"Can you imagine me wandering through the corridors of the Tower on my own? I'd probably scare everyone!"

"Then ask Aïn to jump you over to my kang. I'm sure he won't mind doing that."

Master Subadar entered the library.

"Good morning, My Lord," he said. "And no, I certainly don't lock Yol in at night, but it's still partly my fault that he doesn't come to visit you, because I keep him talking a lot. We have a lot to tell each other. But, seriously, I won't mind at all if he gets a chance to get out now and again. I'll have a word with Aïn. He's probably very busy, but his young disciple Wakhann, the one who's been looking after your parents, is likely to have a bit of free time. Now that they can just about get by in Tünnkeh themselves they don't need him quite so much."

"Well, it would be nice if he can come to visit me sometimes. And you'd be very welcome if you could drop by too, whenever you get a chance."

"Thank you. So, shall we make a start?"

"Of course – but I think Xarax already knows how it works."

"Indeed he does, but you still need some preparation for what you're going to meet."

"I have met a Neh-kyong before, you know."

"Yes, but there's a big difference between Tchenn Ril and the Neh-kyongs that you are going to summon."

"Neh-kyongs, plural? I thought we only needed one of them?"

"Yes, we only need one, but you won't know exactly who you're talking to – it'll be more like a sort of public address, and the likelihood is that several entities will respond."

"So not just Neh-kyongs, then?"

"Sadly, no. Obviously your call will be directed at them, but you won't be able to avoid other things listening in. But as long as you follow the procedure correctly, nothing should be able to cause you any real harm."

"Er… what do you mean by 'real' harm, exactly?"

"Well, some of them will probably try to get inside your head. I advise you not to let them."

"Trust me, I won't!"

"It might not be quite as easy as you think. Some of these entities might try to seduce you by presenting themselves as something highly desirable, or as something familiar to you. They'll probably offer convincing sights and feelings. If you give in to them you might find that you don't want to leave the Interworld for a very long time, and by then you'll have lost most of your vital force."

"But surely Xarax can warn me if that happens? In fact I'd have thought he could stop me from being tempted in the first place."

"Xarax won't be going with you."

"What?! Why not?"

"He can stay with you and help you right through the process you'll need to go through in order to gain access to the Interworld, but he won't be able to enter it with you. It's only open to one person."

"But… if I've understood you correctly, I could find myself stuck there forever!"

"Oh, not forever. But it could well be two or three days, and all the time you're there you'll have no nourishment. The main danger is dehydration. You could get very weak before you realise what state you're in, and then it's likely to be difficult to get back."

"And has it ever happened that someone never came back?"

"It used to happen quite a lot, back in the past when the Knowledge needed to enter the Interworld was more readily available. But it hasn't happened for a very long time, because now only the greatest of the Masters of Arts are allowed to try."

"Well, I suppose that's comforting. And what else am I likely to run into, apart from the sirens you mentioned?"

"We don't know for sure. It's not a place you can explore at your leisure, but we do know that some of its inhabitants are particularly hostile – at least, hostile from our point of view. But you'll be safe as long as you don't allow yourself to be ruled by fear. It's a bit like the Outside, and you've already been there, so you know what it's like, and that it isn't as awful as all that."

"Oh, thanks, Subadar, that's really reassuring! I mean, it only took Xarax an eternity and a half to persuade me to keep my mind open in the middle of that nightmare!"

"I think you underestimate yourself, My Lord. Anyway, to start with you'll just make a few visits to the Interworld without trying to summon anything, just to get you used to its rather unusual atmosphere."

"Do you really think we need to go galloping into this? I mean, there's no rush, surely? That damned depot has been there for centuries, and it's not going to fly away. And, anyway, they say it's well-nigh impossible to get there on foot, and on it's own it's not doing any harm. Surely all we need to do is to keep a bit of an eye on the place and turn back anyone who gets too close. That way I'd have a chance to train myself for this properly – I reckon about thirty years ought to be long enough."

Subadar smiled, despite the seriousness of the situation, but he quickly managed to restore a serious countenance.

"That might be perfectly feasible if Nandak's malevolence hadn't stirred things up. While he was messing about with the various devices and containers there he damaged some storage tanks which held some substances which not only give off Tchiwa Nag Ser, the Black Light of Death, but also emit a subtle but deadly gas, one which can be detected only with the most sophisticated instruments. The good news – if there can be good news in a situation like this – is that the place sits in a kind of natural amphitheatre, and the high ground around it prevents the gas from escaping too easily. But this won't last. The gas is only escaping slowly, but eventually the whole valley will be full, and then the wind will start to disperse it. We don't know what will happen then, but there are certainly inhabited areas close enough to be contaminated. So that's why we have to deal with it as quickly as we can."

"I see. Again, correct me if I'm wrong, and maybe I'm worrying about nothing here, but… are you saying that you want me to walk into a highly contaminated atomic dump? Because that sounds like a suicide mission – another one, in fact. I seem to be meeting a few of those recently."

"What?! Of course not, My Lord – what sort of monster do you think I am?"

"Don't get angry, Subadar, I'm just asking."

"You'll wear full protective equipment, a suit that will protect you against both Tchiwa Nag Ser and Tchiwa Lung, the Death Wind. There are a number of these suits in the Palace stores, kept in perfect condition."

"Well, I suppose that's good to know. But isn't it going to make it more difficult for me if I have to wander about in the Interworld lugging a whole lot of protective gear? I mean, can't I contact a Neh-kyong somewhere else? After all, if it's anything like the Outside… well, space has no meaning there."

"The Interworld is not the Outside. And the Neh-kyongs, as their name suggests – it means 'Place-keeper' – are extremely sensitive to location. That's why they can only interact with the physical world within certain fairly narrow boundaries. If you want a Neh-kyong to take possession of a place, you have to lead him to that exact place."

"All right. I can't say that I'm overflowing with enthusiasm, but I suppose we'll have to do as you say. So we'd better start working, hadn't we?"

"Then first, My Lord, we need to go to the Narthex."

"Can Xarax come with us?"

"Of course, My Lord."

"Please Subadar, could you stop calling me 'My Lord' every ten seconds? Call me 'Julien', like my friends do. Right now I'd prefer not to keep being reminded that I'm the Emperor, because frankly I don't feel like an Emperor: I feel more like King of the Fools."

"If that's what you want, Julien. Could you take my hand, please?"

Julien just had time to give Ugo a little wave before they stepped onto the klirk that was in the corner of the room. And then they were in the blue emptiness of the Narthex.

Although the situation was urgent Subadar didn't rush through the preparations, which took eleven days – eleven exhausting days during which Julien had to master complicated actions using facilities that until now he hadn't even known that he possessed. For instance, in order to 'Stabilise the Base of Reality' he had to 'Slow down the Conceptual Analysis', extend the 'Clear and Luminous Perception' and 'establish himself in the Continuous Flow of No-Time.' Quite apart from getting his head around this nonsense terminology he had to perform physical actions that would have been utterly impossible for his untrained mind without Xarax's help. As he had done when they were trapped in the Outside, he once again allowed Xarax full access to his mind and allowed himself to be guided by the haptir, whose limitless patience and constant attention to detail finally achieved wonders.

But although Master Subadar kept telling him that he was making great progress, Julien himself felt that he was achieving absolutely nothing. Often he didn't even understand what he was supposed to do, and when he finally achieved his goal, thanks to a great deal of help from Xarax, he left the Narthex with the absolute certainty that he could never achieve the same result without help. And as for performing these actions in order to master time, space and reality while lost in the middle of a weird, insubstantial place and surrounded by hordes of mostly hostile creatures – that was completely out of the bloody question.

He found it more and more difficult to hide his exhaustion and worry when he returned to his kang at the end of each day, and to add to his problems, by now Dillik was starting to suspect that something had gone wrong with the friendship between Julien and Niil. Dillik was suffering himself: Julien was constantly tired and depressed, and he found himself badly missing Ambar's ebullient personality. Karik had warned him sternly not to raise the subject, but finally on the eleventh evening he couldn't hold back any longer.

"Julien," he asked, "when is Ambar coming back?"

Julien was too tired to be able to think of a way to change the subject.

"It's not my decision," he said.

"But you're the Emperor. You only have to ask him to come back and he will!"

"That's not how it works. Ambar is a Ksantiri, and he does what his brother tells him to, because his brother is First Lord."

"But why won't Niil let him come back, then? I bet Ambar's asked if he can."

"I'm sure he has, but I expect there's a good reason why he can't."

"Well, I think you had a row, and that's why."

"Really? What makes you say that?"

"'Cos since Nandak's trial you've been different. Even I can see that. Yes, you tried to make out that you were having fun, but I know you weren't really. And just lately you've stopped even pretending, so…"

"Dillik, it's not as simple as that."

"Of course it isn't simple! You're working yourself into the ground and you're tired all the time. I don't know what to do about it, but I can tell it isn't doing you any good. Xarax keeps telling me to shut up, so I'll shut up, but still…"

"Xarax, let him say what he's thinking."

The haptir, who was curled up on his young friend's lap, gave a shiver that looked a lot like a shrug.

"Well, I don't reckon it's fair," Dillik went on. "First, Niil ought to be helping you instead of causing trouble. 'Cos I don't know what it is you do all day, but it certainly isn't a lot of fun. And if you're not having fun then you must be doing your job of Emperoring. And that job is supposed to 'protect the Nine Worlds from harm.' Well, Dvârinn is one of the Nine Worlds, isn't it? Besides, even if you're cross with each other and don't want to talk to each other no more, that isn't a reason why we can't see Ambar, is it? 'Cos Ambar's your friend, and I really like him, too. And when I think about him stuck there on his own, without us… well, that's not fair either."

"If you want to visit him, it's easy enough – you just have to ask, and one of the Guides will take you to the Ksantiri First Trankenn. I'm sure Ambar will be happy to see you and that Niil won't do anything to stop you seeing him. Karik can go with you if you want. You could stay a few days and…"

"What do you take us for?" interrupted Dillik. "We're not going to leave you here on your own – are we, Karik? If we do decide to go and visit Ambar we'll make sure we're back by bedtime."

"It might not be that easy. It's not the same time here as it is on the trankenn."

"We don't care! Ambar will be happy to see us, even if it's just for a few minutes in the middle of the night!"

"All right, then. Actually, I think it's a good idea. Give Ambar a big hug from me."

Karik and Dillik had already decided that Julien shouldn't be left to sleep without at least two friends to keep him company, and when he tried to argue he was told that he couldn't be so cruel to his friends as to deny them the pleasure of sleeping with him. He wasn't fooled for a moment: he knew why they didn't want him left on his own. But he gave in gracefully and allowed his friends to sleep with him, one on each side. It didn't solve his problems, of course, but it did at least mean that he was able to sleep soundly at night.

"Why can't I go and visit Julien?"

Ambar was determined to get some answers to the questions that had been whirling around in his head for the past few days. It had taken a fair bit of cunning just to fix it so that he was at breakfast at the same time as his brother, who had seemed to be avoiding him and who had only spoken in monosyllables on the few occasions that they had met.

"Because you have to stay with your Family. You're a Ksantiri – and he said your place was here, remember? Anyway, you need a proper education."

"I was getting a proper education in Aleth. Nobody seemed to think that wasn't going well."

"Well; now you're getting one here."

"And why hasn't he come to visit me?"

"Ambar, he's the Emperor of the R'hinz! He has other things to do."

"All right, maybe he does have other things to do, but I'd be amazed if he couldn't find a few minutes to drop by for a visit. He didn't even say goodbye before he left."

"He was in a rush. He told me to say goodbye to you for him, and I did."

"So why doesn't he answer my letters?"

"Probably he hasn't got time."

"I think you're hiding something from me."

"Are you calling me a liar?"

"No. I just don't think you're telling me everything."

"Perhaps you'd like to be invited to my private council meetings?"

"I'm not interested in your private council. I just want you to tell me what's going on."

"There's nothing going on. And now I want to finish my breakfast in peace, because I have a pile of work waiting for me. So do you, I'm sure – you're not on holiday, you know."

"I think maybe I'll go and visit Julien. Perhaps he'll tell me what's going on."

"You're not going anywhere. The Guides have got better things to do than to carry you about the place whenever you feel like a change of scenery. You might not realise this, but using the Guides costs a fortune. If you saved up your pocket money for ten years you still couldn't afford it."

"I didn't even know I had any pocket money!"

"You can access the House Ksantiri account if you want to buy sweetsnow or something."

"I see. So maybe I'll go and ask Lady Axelia if she can lend me enough to cover my next ten years' worth of sweetsnow money, then."

"I absolutely forbid you to go bothering my mother with trivia like that!"

"Oh, so now it's your mother, is it? When did I stop being your brother?"

"That's not what I meant."

"It's exactly what you meant! And you're right, too. I knew this wasn't going to work right from the start. I tried to stop you taking me as your brother, and I shouldn't have let you talk me into it."

"Don't say things like that – you're being ridiculous!"

"Well, I don't just want to stay here on my own being 'educated'."

"But… you're not on your own!"

"I am, too. The other students – Hyalek, Trannyen and that lot – know perfectly well I'm not really your brother. And I promise you, they're not my friends, no matter how much they might put it on when anyone's watching! At least in Aleth I had some proper friends!"

"What about me? Aren't I your friend?"

"No! You're hiding things from me and you're stopping me from going to see my friends. That's not how friends treat each other. And don't try to tell me it's because it costs a lot, because I'm pretty sure Aïn would do it for nothing if I asked him."

"Aïn isn't here, and in any case no Guide would take you anywhere without my permission."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm First Lord of the Ksantiris, and my brother can't just wander about all over the Nine Worlds whenever he feels like it."

"Well, give me your permission, then!"

"No."

"Why not?!"

"Because I'm not going to let you turn into a spoiled brat!"

"You're not my father! And in case you've forgotten, my father just got assassinated by our brother!"

"I'm head of the family and that makes me legally your tutor."

"And you think that gives you the right to keep me stuck here?"

"Yes."

"Good, well at least I know where I stand now. Thank you, Noble Lord: I don't have any more questions."

"Don't be like that!"

"Noble Lord and Noble Brother, I'm addressing you with proper respect, the way I was taught by the Honourable Master Kenntik, who teaches me manners and good behaviour. And now I beg Your Lordship to excuse me. The Honourable Master Sandeark has a mathematics lesson starting in a minute."

"Stay here!"

"As you command, Noble Lord."

"Ambar, you can't talk to me like that!"

"Noble Lord, you have just reminded me – more than once – of the respect which your rank commands. I'm talking to you exactly the same way as I would have talked to the Noble Lord Ylavan, if only I'd been lucky enough to have met him."

"That's not true – you're talking to me the way you'd talk to a complete stranger!"

"With the greatest of respect, Noble Lord, I'm talking to you the way I should talk to someone who has complete power of life or death over me – which, as you've so carefully explained to me, you do. Now may I have your permission to leave your presence?"

"Yes, all right. Come back and see me this evening."

"Noble Lord, I would advise you not to ask me to share your bed."

"I wasn't intending to. But why would you 'advise me not to', as you put it?"

"Because people gossip. They pretend I can't hear them, but they know I can. And the gossip is that sharing your bed is the only reason you invited me to join your family."

"Who would dare to say such a thing?"

"Noble Lord, not even you have the power to order me to tell tales. Can I go now? I'm already late and I'm probably going to be punished."

"Just say you were with me."

"Certainly not! I've got no intention of feeding the rumour-mill!"

"The First Lord Niil is currently in Council and cannot be disturbed. I regret to have to advise you, Honourable Visitors, to arrange an appointment through his private secretary."

"We'll do that," said Karik.. "In the meantime I'm sure that the Noble Son Ambar will have a few moments free to receive us."

"The Noble Brother Ambar does not meet anyone who has not been approved by the First Lord himself."

"What's this nonsense? We're both members of the Imperial House!"

By now Karik was thinking that the joke had gone on long enough.

"Of course, Young Master," said the usher, not looking remotely put out. "But here on this trankenn we answer only to the First Lord of the Ksantiris."

"Well, at least tell him that we're here, then. I'm sure he'll find a moment to see us."

"I can do nothing of the sort. But I can carry a written note from you to give to the First Lord when his council meeting ends."

The smirk, together with the hint of scorn in the voice, clearly indicated that the usher was confident that Karik couldn't string two words together without making a complete mess of the complicated spelling, grammar and syntax of the formal Tünnkeh language. And Karik, brutally reminded that he had until very recently been no more than a slave, couldn't help blushing. But Dillik, who had kept quiet hitherto, suddenly butted in using the dialect peculiar to Djannak Island.

"Your Honour," he said, "I shall write it myself. I'm sure Lord Niil will be delighted to get a message actually written in his own native tongue."

Dillik obviously didn't know enough of the formal Court language to be able to write in it – in fact very few nobles could either, unless they had recourse to a specially trained secretary – but he'd got enough schooling behind him to be able to write a passable letter in his own dialect. The confused look on the usher's face spoke volumes, and that made Dillik feel very happy indeed, but he had another card still to play, an even better one. He switched back to Tünnkeh.

"I'm sorry, Your Honour," he said. "I thought that on the First Trankenn of the Ksantiris all the important members of staff would be able to speak Lord Niil's mother tongue. I was saying that I would write the letter myself in his native language as a mark of our respect."

"On second thoughts," said the usher, "maybe we don't need to go through all that. I'll send a page to inform the First Lord of your presence."

"No, I like the thought of the note – in fact I think it's an excellent idea. May I borrow a pen and some paper?"

The man had lost his superior stance, and backed down enough to allow Dillik to write in his best handwriting on the back of an administrative form:

Dear Niil,

Karik and I have come to see you and Ambar, but a Guard says you're too busy to see us and that if we want to see Ambar we have to ask your permission. I know it's complete nonsense and that you'd never stop us from seeing him, but that's how it is.

I hope you are well. Us, we're not too bad, but Julien's working all the time and he isn't too good. You ought to try to come visit us for a bit.

Anyway, hope you can find a few minutes to see us. Karik and I both send our love – if we're still allowed to do that!

He folded the note, sealed it and gave it to the waiting page. Then he turned to the usher and asked, "Do you think we'll have to wait long for an answer?"

"I don't know, but if you'd like to take a seat I'll have some refreshments brought for you."

There wasn't even time for the refreshments to arrive: Niil came into the room and dismissed the man with a curt nod. He wasn't smiling: instead his face showed clearly the stress he was under. He stopped short, seeming not to be sure how he should greet his visitors, but before the situation could turn awkward Dillik ran to him and hugged him, and Karik was right behind him, and the three-way hug was so emotionally charged that Niil, already weakened by the tension of the past few days, burst into tears.

When he finally got himself back under control the first thing he said was, "Come on – we're going to get Ambar."

Master Sandeark was trying to teach his students the basics of 'Elements of Spherical Geometry,' an essential discipline when trying to ascertain one's position on the infinite expanse of the open ocean, when his class was interrupted by the First Lord himself, accompanied by two boys dressed in the abba of the Imperial House, bursting into the room. However, Master Sandeark raised no objection and freed without a word of protest – though not without regret – his strangely promising pupil, who was in fact particularly promising when one considered his almost complete lack of knowledge of some other disciplines.

***

Five minutes later they were sitting in the First Lord's luxurious kang, the refreshments had arrived and it was time for some serious talking. But instead of Niil making the first speech, it was Ambar who started things off.

"Niil," he said, "I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have said what I did this morning. I didn't mean it."

"What in particular didn't you mean?" asked Niil, with a hint of a smile. "That I have the power of life and death over you, or that I was hiding things from you?"

"You know what I mean."

"Yes, I do, and… well, no hard feelings. But you were right: I was keeping things from you. And I have to confess that I had your letters intercepted, too."

Nobody gave any outward reaction to hearing an admission of such appalling behaviour: everyone was keeping their face a mask while waiting for someone else to respond first.

"I know it was wrong," Niil went on. "I mean, I didn't actually read them, or anything, but I was furious with Julien. We'd had a massive argument, you see."

"An argument?" exclaimed Ambar. "What about?"

"About him forcing me to become First Lord. I never wanted the job. And I still don't."

"But you can't blame Julien just because Nandak not only killed our father but also messed it up so badly that it might have brought the entire House down with him! And you have to admit that, if he hadn't died, Nekal as First Lord would have been an absolute nightmare!"

"There are plenty of other people in the Family who would be delighted to be sitting where I'm sitting."

"Yes, but you're the one who's worthy of it. I mean, he said that in front of everyone, didn't he? And I know he really meant it, too. I bet he hasn't changed his mind, either. And I agree with him – and if it wasn't true we wouldn't be sitting here having this conversation now!"

"What makes you think you know why Julien did it? As far as I know you're not the Emperor."

"No, but I understand Julien better than you think. He hasn't always been the Emperor. He doesn't come from a Noble Family, and I think that when he came back – and remember that that only happened because we needed him – he could see what people thought of the Noble Lords around these parts. Yes, Lord Ylavan was respected, but he was away a lot, and Nandak and Nekal between them made the Ksantiris so unpopular that… well, you know about that. I'm sure Julien thought that their death was a good thing for a lot of people. And it gave him an opportunity to do something that he thought would be really good."

"But he didn't ask me! He didn't talk to me about it in advance – not a single bloody word!"

"That's true, and I don't know why. You'll have to ask him yourself."

"If I'm going to do that I'll have to meet him."

"That's no problem – we can go back with Karik and Dillik. And it won't cost anything, either – I won't even have to ask our mother for an advance on my pocket-money!"

"All right, don't rub it in. I'll send a message to Lord Tahlil. Perhaps I'll be able to persuade him to leave his precious shipyard for a bit and stand in for me here."

"Aïn is here," Karik pointed out. "I said I wouldn't leave until we seen you, and he agreed to wait. I'm sure he'll be willing to go and collect Lord Tahlil for you if you ask him nicely."

Once again Julien was tired out, but at least this time he had the satisfaction of knowing that he had finally mastered – more or less – the techniques needed to access the Interworld while remaining in something approaching a normal universe. This time he'd managed it without Xarax's help, and Master Subadar had declared that he was as ready as he was ever going to be. Of course he needed a couple of days to recover and build up his strength, and then he would be ready for the actual operation.

He stood on the terrace on top of Bakhtar Tower and looked out over Aleth: the city glittered in the late afternoon sun. A lot of work had been needed to restore the terrace to its former glory following the damage caused by their catastrophic arrival at the end of the attack by the ghorrs, but it was almost complete now and they were polishing the blue agate flagstones By now Julien had reached the stage of considering this city his home: it was a place where life was good in spite of his worries and the burden of his responsibilities, and a place in which his parents were also beginning to settle and make plans for a new life for themselves, plans which did not depend upon the generosity of House Bakhtar or – more disturbingly – the will of their son.

Xarax was curled up on the parapet by his shoulder, and he looked exhausted, too: his usual bright colours had faded towards a dull grey, and Julien knew that it was time to replenish him with the energy he needed. But although Julien wanted to make sure that Xarax was properly cared for, the prospect of feeding him still didn't appeal to him at all, and he needed all his strength to even mention the subject. Perhaps the worst part of the whole business was that Xarax knew only too well how much the process hurt his friend, which was why Julien had to put his foot down each time and insist that Xarax take the energy he needed, despite the fact that he hated the barbarous ritual as much as the haptir did.

All the same, this didn't make him dislike his strange friend, especially since he could see the changes that his unusual quasi-symbiotic relationship with Dillik had brought about in him. He still occasionally spoke of himself in the third person, but not very often, and he had developed a dry sense of humour that certainly hadn't been there before. He'd also started to display a sort of gentle affection, which showed itself in the way he would jump up on to your shoulder or your lap, rather as if his scaly skin concealed a friendly cat. Or, to put it more simply, in a lot of ways the Haptir of Kretzlal seemed to have become almost human.

Julien left the terrace and made his way down to those levels which now housed, almost exclusively, the Imperial services. Occasionally he would pass a guard or a messenger in the corridors, and he never failed to offer a smile in response to their quiet salutes. As usual Xarax melted into their surroundings and flew ahead of him just to make sure that nothing unexpected was lying in wait for him, but all the same when he opened the door to his kang he got a surprise: Niil, who also looked as if he'd spent a few bad days, was waiting for him there. Julien's first impulse was to run and throw himself into Niil's arms, but he managed to restrain himself. Instead he just smiled and raised his eyebrows.

"I came so we could talk," said Niil, in reply to the unasked question. "Karik and Dillik came to see me, and I realised that we can't go on like this. They're waiting next door with Ambar, but I thought it would be better if we just spoke on our own to start with."

Julien collapsed into a chair – he was exhausted.

"Sorry," he said. "I'm shattered. Look, I'm really glad you came, because I think we both went a bit stupid last time we spoke."

Niil poured him a glass of raal and sat down too.

"I'm still mad at you, you know," he said. "I really don't understand how you could do that to me – and without warning me in advance, too."

"I don't understand it either," admitted Julien. "At the time it seemed to be the best thing to do: you were obviously the most worthy of succeeding your father – in fact there was absolutely no question about it. And I haven't changed my mind about that, either. But it's strange: a moment before I wasn't even thinking about it. I'd discussed it with Aldegard, Tahlil and even Tannder, and they'd all advised me to wait for a bit before making an official decision on who was to be the next First Lord. And I had no problem with that. But at the end of the meeting, when I got up to deliver my little prepared speech, I realised that it had to be you and nobody else. It just seemed blindingly obvious. And so I went ahead and did it. I can only ask you to try to forgive me. If it helps, I think Aldegard wanted to yell at me over it when I saw him just after you left. I don't think he liked me not following his advice. Tahlil, on the other hand… he seemed perfectly happy."

"What about me? Didn't you think I might not want the job?"

"Well, to be honest, no. I know that just seems ridiculous now, and I still can't understand why I didn't realise that it might make you unhappy. But that's what happened."

"But I still don't get it. I thought you were my friend. Is that the way you treat all your friends?"

"Niil, I am your friend. I wouldn't hesitate for one moment to offer my life if I thought it would save you. Anyway, I've been thinking about it a lot since that day. Yesterday I talked to Tannder about it…"

"And?"

"And he says that what I did was exactly what Yulmir would have done. He thinks that the way I can do some things, like using a klirk, without having to be taught how, indicates that I've inherited some of Yulmir's abilities. And apparently he was known for making immediate decisions, often against the advice of his councillors, and as far as anyone can say, every one of them worked out well for the Nine Worlds."

"Well, that makes your job easy, then: you can do and say whatever you want and nobody's going to argue with you."

"No, it isn't easy! It's not like deciding which flavour of sweetsnow you're going to eat: these are decisions that affect peoples' lives, and I have to bear the consequences. For instance, what I did to you made you really unhappy, and I might have lost my best friend."

"I thought Ambar was your best friend?"

"No, Ambar's something completely different. I'm not sure what he is, to be honest – I'm not sure there's a word for it, or if there is, I don't know what it is. You're my best friend – actually, you're probably my only real friend. There's nobody to compare with you, not even Ambar."

"I'm not jealous, you know."

"Really? I think everyone is capable of jealousy. And if I was in your shoes and I'd seen my brand new little brother suddenly looking up to a boy who had appeared out of nowhere, I'm pretty sure that I wouldn't have been happy about it, especially if that boy turns out to be the Emperor. But it's not like we're chasing the same boy, Niil: Ambar loves you. I can absolutely guarantee that. It's just that he loves you as a brother should. You're not going to hold that against him, I hope?"

The embarrassed look on Niil's face spoke volumes.

"My father has always told me," Julien went on, "that there's no harm in being jealous, just as long as you don't stay jealous. He says that once you let yourself get poisoned by jealousy or envy you can only see the bad side of everything He reminded me that sometimes I used to go off in a sulk and I'd stay that way even after I'd forgotten what I was sulking about, and he says that letting jealousy eat you up is like that, only worse. After a bit you stop seeing any way to turn things around and instead, somewhere deep inside, you just want things to get even worse. I think that's partly what happened to Nandak and Nekal – well, that and the fact that they were both as thick as pig-shit…"

"All right, that's enough," said Niil. "You've made your point. But it was still a dirty trick to play on me. You've got no idea what it's like, being a First Lord! It's like I'm a prisoner – there's an endless queue of people bringing me papers to sign, or wanting to ask for my advice. It's an unending heap of boring crap to deal with. And just to make it even more fun, three-quarters of the family are just waiting for me to cock it up. So far I haven't really got anything wrong, but sooner or later I will. And then…"

"Niil, if we can start talking to each other properly again I swear I'll find a way to help you. Right now I'm too knackered to think about it, but I have got one or two ideas and I've got some decent councillors to get advice from. So can we try?"

Niil said nothing.

"Look," said Julien, "I'm not asking you to jump into bed with me… well, not just yet, anyway. I'd just like us to stop hurting each other and making everyone else's life a misery."

"I'm starving," commented Niil instead of answering the question. "What time do we eat around here?"

***

Ambar managed not to throw himself at Julien or smother him with kisses. He was aware that the truce between Niil and Julien was fragile, and so he simply offered Julien a soft cheek, and Julien kissed it with equal restraint. But the slightly tense atmosphere became a little easier during the meal when Julien made an announcement.

"We've all got two days off," he told them. "By order of Master Subadar. Maybe even three days. Xarax and I have been working really hard, but we need a break."

"I'd noticed that Xarax looks a bit washed out," commented Dillik.

"I suppose all this work you're doing is to get ready for the operation on Djannak that Tannder told me about?" asked Niil.

"Well, yes – but let's not talk about work while we're eating. Anyway, Karik and Dillik have been given time off from their lessons, and I hope you will be too, Ambar, if that's all right with Niil. And now that you're here, Niil, I think you ought to award yourself a break too. You shouldn't let your councillors treat you like a slave."

"Tahlil won't be happy if I drag him away from his shipyard," commented Niil.

"His son – Tengtehal, wasn't it? – can fill in for him for a couple of days. If it's all right with you I'll get Aïn to make the arrangements. Of course, if you feel you have to rush straight back…"

"Well, no. I think I'd sooner put up with you."

"I suppose that's something. So perhaps we can start by having a nice lie-in tomorrow."

"You call that resting?!" exclaimed Karik.

The laughter that followed this comment dispelled most of the remaining tension. To be fair to Karik, most of the 'lie-ins' the boys had taken in the past had involved subjecting Karik to various erotic experiments, which were often extremely interesting, but which invariably left him feeling drained, in every sense of the word.

"Well, it's that or a grammar lesson," said Julien.

"I'll take the grammar lesson!" declared Karik.

"Then I propose that tomorrow we let this scaredy-cat sleep in peace. We'll just settle for a late breakfast."

***

It was really good to have Ambar's comforting presence beside him once more, but no matter how much Julien would have liked to prolong the moment, he was too tired to stay awake for very long.

He woke up before dawn, as he had programmed himself to do, and made his way quietly to Dillik's room, where Xarax was sleeping curled up against the boy's body. The haptir opened his eyes before Julien could touch him and they went together to the bathroom, where Julien had decided to carry out the dreaded but nonetheless essential task of restoring Xarax's reserves of energy. They both thought that there was no need for Dillik to witness this unfortunate aspect of his beloved haptir's life.

Once the preparations were complete and the bright vortex of the Yel had ceased invading his body Julien braced himself against the blinding pain which usually accompanied Xarax's bite into his jugular vein. But this time, although he felt the sharp prick of the teeth, the unbearable wave of pain failed to materialise. All that remained was the usual slightly nauseous feeling of being close to passing out, followed, as soon as he dropped the sponge he was holding, by the customary flood of excitement which caused his penis to become erect.

It worked! said Xarax inside his head. Xarax thought that the Neh-kyong was telling the truth, but I didn't want to tell you until I was completely sure!

It took a moment for Julien to start thinking clearly again and to realise what Xarax had just told him.

The Neh-kyong? What does Tchenn Ril have to do with anything?

He was the one who gave me this gift! He asked if I wanted anything from him. First I said that I was sure that I could never desire anything, but he insisted, and it seemed important to him. He asked if perhaps I had a wish, even if it was something that I thought he couldn't grant. Then Xarax said that he wished he could feed without causing you pain. And he said that if that was what I truly desired, he would do it. And he did!

But… how is that possible?

Xarax no longer has any venom!

But… did you know he was going to do that?

Of course Xarax knew. Every gift has its price. But the venom is not important.

But it leaves you unarmed!

Xarax still has his claws. And most people are so afraid when they see a haptir that they only want to run away. You may know that I have no venom, but my enemies will not.

Xarax, I don't know what to say, except thank you very much. But I still think you shouldn't have done it.

Xarax could not stand hurting you any longer. Now I must get back to Dillik's bed and have a nap. He likes me to be there when he wakes up.

They knew it could only mean bad news when Tannder burst in on them while they were having their breakfast, and what he had to say simply confirmed it.

"My Lord," he said, "strong winds are forecast for Djannak Island within no more than two days. That would probably make it impossible to get there by flybubble for quite a long period. Worse, the wind is likely to come from the south-west, and if it does it could blow the poison gas towards inhabited areas, and maybe even as far as Ksantir."

Julien sighed, because obviously his plan to relax with his friends had just gone out of the window.

"All right, Tannder," he said. "Just give me two minutes to say goodbye to my friends and I'll be right there."

"If you're going back to Dvârinn I'm coming with you," said Niil. "Ambar can stay here – there's no reason to mess up his holiday. At least he can stay here with his friends."

"But I want to come with you!" protested Ambar.

"No," said Niil, firmly. "I'm going with Julien, because it's the least I can do after… well… and in any case it's my duty as First Lord of the Ksantiris. But I don't want you going anywhere near that place."

Ambar possessed the rare quality of knowing when to keep quiet when faced with an insurmountable argument. He did his best to hide his disappointment and his fears for their safety during their exchange of goodbyes which hid their real thoughts under a façade of good humour, because although he didn't know exactly what was facing Julien he was pretty sure it was going to be dangerous.

***

They stayed at the First House in Ksantir only long enough to put on the protective suits that had been adjusted to fit them, and then they began the journey to Djannak. The flybubble they were using was a dull grey colour, nothing like the beautiful multicoloured machines that Julien had admired so much on Nüngen. But although it wasn't very pretty it was a fair bit faster than the ones on Nüngen had been, and it also had an enclosed, and apparently airtight, gondola. Tannder told them that the gas envelope was worth a fortune because it was made from the same material as a hatik and was therefore almost impossible to puncture. This came as good news to the boys, who hadn't forgotten their last flybubble journey or the crash that ended it.

It was early afternoon, and the cloudless sky gave them a perfect view of the landscape beneath them. Julien recognised the place where he had gone to meet Ugo, and then they reached more mountainous country. The flybubble entered a canyon with near-vertical walls of reddish rock, and this led them, after a series of twists and turns, into a large natural amphitheatre surrounded by impassible cliffs. The still waters of a small lake reflected the image of the flybubble as it descended to land on the shore.

"The warehouse is hidden, My Lord," explained Master Subadar. "Actually it's that big mass of fallen rocks at the base of the cliff over there. But you don't need to go inside. It would be best to call the Neh-kyong from here. Do you feel ready?"

"I don't think anyone could ever feel ready for that, Subadar. But I'm going to do it anyway."

"Whatever you do, don't take your mask off, unless you want to end up like Na…"

At the last moment Subadar stopped himself from mentioning Nandak's name out of consideration for Niil, and went on instead, "Like others who didn't take the necessary precautions."

"You've already told me that more times than I can remember. Don't worry, I'll be careful."

Niil wanted to say something but found that his voice wouldn't work properly, and so he just squeezed Julien's shoulder as he stepped into the airlock.

***

Julien climbed down the few rungs to the ground, walked about ten metres away and then watched the flybubble ascend slowly and almost silently into the air until it was about a hundred metres above him, and there it stopped, a huge oblong form which looked dark and somehow almost threatening as it hung motionless in the completely still air. He gave a last wave to those who were watching him from up there and then started to put himself into the state of semi-trance he would need in order to open the gates of the Interworld.

He'd been through the operation several times in the past few days, first within the safe environment of the Narthex, then in a secluded corner of the garden around Bakhtar Tower, and so by now he knew about the strange environment of the Interworld. It was completely different from the howling chaos of the Outside: the Interworld was more or less a calm limbo where time didn't really matter. There wasn't a real landscape there either, because everything there, while it had a physical existence, seemed to lack proper definition, not least because the forms that existed there did so in several different dimensions in a way that neither the senses nor the intellect could properly grasp. A hill was still a hill, but in an environment where up and down, left and right, near and far, were inadequate terms to describe anything – and so a hill was also something else: it had what might be called 'additional reality' in a way that both blurred and sharpened the vision of anyone trying to look at it. This was highly disconcerting, and could easily lead to the viewer becoming fixated and fascinated by it to a fatal degree.

Colours, too, extended far beyond the normally-visible spectrum, and because of the lack of a proper frame of reference to describe them they seemed to overflow into other senses, hearing and smell for example. Or sometimes everything came together in a sort of holistic flash, until the viewer thought he was surrounded by something that held the key to understanding the entire universe.

It had taken Julien hours of hard training before he was actually able to think clearly in this environment. And once he'd finally managed that he had to move on to being able to create in his mind the image which would produce, in the hyperspace of the Interworld, a signal or call that was powerful enough to attract the attention of a Neh-kyong. In order to do that he performed a complicated dance, the rhythm of which helped him to coordinate the sequence of movements and mental images that he would then repeat, over and over, until he attracted the attention of a Neh-kyong. If only he had had a little round deer-skin drum his strangely-gesticulating shape would have looked exactly like that of a tribal shaman back on Earth.

It only took a few minutes of normal time before his call started to attract some onlookers. He could feel their presence, as if huge beasts were coming to sniff at him. He knew that most of them had no more intelligence than the average cow, but he could also sense that, somewhere among them, there was the sharper signal of a Neh-kyong. He stopped performing his ritual.

"Human-Julien Berthier-Emperor of the R'hinz ka aun lee Nügen-Lord of the Nine Worlds-Only Keeper of the Powers and Gifts. To whom are you calling?"

The voice resounding in his head, although it also possessed its own timbre and individuality, was similar to Tchenn Ril's and was undoubtedly that of a Neh-kyong. And indeed there was a Neh-kyong standing before him, impossible to define clearly but radiating a great curiosity. As Subadar had warned him would be the case, Julien was aware that the Neh-kyong already knew exactly why he was there because it had complete access to his mind. It was possible to erect a sort of mental screen that would have offered him a certain level of privacy from the probing of a Neh-kyong, but it took a great deal of training and in any case it wasn't really necessary for this mission.

"I'm calling a Neh-kyong so that he can take possession of a part of the world of Dvârinn and make it his own forever," Julien replied.

"This is a rich place," said the Neh-kyong, "and it contains an abundance of precious energy. What would a Neh-kyong have to pay in exchange for the opportunity to feed and take up his residence in it for all time? Every gift has a price, and this is a gift of great value."

"He would have to make sure that no creature of this universe crossed his threshold or, if it succeeded in doing so by trickery or by force, that it would never leave it again, either dead or alive. He would also have to ensure that no noxious substance ever escaped from this place into the surrounding area."

"Do you have the power to make such a covenant?"

"Yes, I do."

"And are you aware that if you do not in fact have this power, the deal will kill you?"

"Yes, I am."

"Then I declare that this place, called Tchiwa Ri Kor, will henceforth be my exclusive domain, and that once you and those who travelled here with you have left no creature will enter it without losing his life or, if they should somehow enter by stealth or by force, they will not leave it again, either alive or dead. Chaos is my witness, and I will trade a Drop of your blood for an Instant of my life."

And then during a moment that seemed to have no duration but which would remain etched on Julien's memory for the rest of his life, he actually became the Neh-kyong Tchiwa Ri Kor. He saw how easily he was able to bypass the feeble protection of Julien's radiation suit and take from within his heart a drop of blood, at that instant actually becoming, for a fleeting moment, Julien, with complete and unrestricted access to his being. Later he would try to describe what it was like to be a Neh-kyong, but no human language would have been sufficient to do that. He would only be able to remember how, seen through the Neh-kyong's perception, this sinister and poisonous environment was transformed into a paradise filled with vital energy and pure pleasure. And he also understood in that moment the warning he had been given, because this moment of overwhelming unity with the Keeper of this place exceeded anything that a normal human mind could have withstood, and he knew for certain that the only reason that it did not destroy his mind was because he truly possessed the power to make this covenant.

***

The return journey was uneventful. Once the pact was sealed Julien signalled to the flybubble, and once he was aboard they headed back towards Ksantir, which – as soon as they were a safe distance away – allowed everyone to get out of their cumbersome suits. Then Julien, using information he had collected from the Neh-kyong's mind, drew a circle on a map indicating the exact limits of the domain of Tchiwa Ri Kor, the Circle of Death Mountains, in order that all access to it could be blocked and titanium warning signs could be erected so that anyone who chanced that way would know in advance what would happen to him if he failed to turn back.

Once they got back to the First House in Ksantir Niil took Julien to a private study.

"Thank you," he said.

Julien looked surprised. "What for?" he asked.

"Well, you've removed a serious danger from our island."

"I don't think much of that was actually down to me."

"You're the one who invoked a Neh-kyong."

"That's not all that difficult once you know how."

"Really? To be honest, they give me the creeps."

"They're not usually hostile as long as you don't try to steal their territory, and the one I met today was a good one. There was nothing to be afraid of."

"Well, thanks anyway."

"All right. Of course, I didn't do that for free. I want a reward."

Now it was Niil's turn to look surprised.

"Really?" he said. "Well, all right. What is it that you want?"

"I want you to take three days off and to come and spend them with us."

"Tahlil won't be happy if I do that."

"Let me worry about Tahlil. He'll be only too happy to do me a favour. In any case he'll need to stay here for a few more days in order to oversee the blockages and warning signs around Tchiwa Ri Kor. Still, if you don't fancy spending three wonderful days on a lake-shore in Paradise I'm not going to twist your arm…"

"All right, all right! It'll mean postponing what I'm sure would have been a fascinating visit to the coal mine at Tang'aleen, but I expect I'll find a way to manage my disappointment…"

Rüpel Gyamtso Lake was a three hour flight away from Aleth, which meant three wonderful hours gliding gently through the cool morning air, sitting in comfortable seats and enjoying an excellent breakfast as they flew. They were in the open gondola of an Imperial flybubble which had been taken out of storage at the palace and carefully serviced especially for this journey. Tannder was piloting it and Ugo had happily allowed them to talk him into coming with them. They were three or four hundred metres up and the visibility was perfect, and so they could see every detail of the landscape below them as it was lit up by the morning sun.

They left the beautiful towers and large hillside estates of Aleth behind them and flew on over an area of low hills where cultivated fields alternated with carefully-managed woodland. There were a number of small villages, which suggested a reasonably large population, and they noticed that all of the vehicles on the roads were pulled by animals, mostly lang-gos like the ones they had hired on Dvârinn. Niil confirmed that these very useful animals were able to function in any of the human worlds.

Soon the air began to warm up and the gondola began to receive visits from a large number of multicoloured insects that rested for a while before flying off on their normal business, whatever that might have been. Ambar said that this was the right season for dzeboos, or 'nice insects', a generic term covering a large variety of flying creatures whose carapaces gleamed like polished metal, making them appear jewel-like. Almost all of them were harmless. One or two varieties had developed the unfortunate trait of drinking the blood of mammals, but Ambar said that they usually only drank the blood of the placid lang-gos, who were more or less unconcerned by their bites. Julien thought that was a good thing, because some of these scarab-like creatures were of an impressive size. Every now and again Ugo would catch one with a snap of his jaws, and he said that they tasted a lot better than the wasps and beetles he had eaten on Earth.

The lake was almost big enough to be considered an inland sea, but although a small number of fishing-folk lived along the shoreline their settlements were far enough apart to leave great swathes of wilderness and endless little isolated creeks where you could happily pretend to be Robinson Crusoe. They flew above the shoreline for a while, gradually losing height, and eventually they landed on a beach of white sand, similar to a number of others they had already flown over. They disembarked, and immediately three Imperial guards emerged from the nearby trees and went on board the aircraft, which flew back the way it had come.

They followed Tannder into the trees, and about a hundred metres along a little gravel path they came to an area where the trees were more widely spaced, and in a clearing they could see a house made of some grey wood with a verandah all around it. An elderly butler wearing the Imperial Marks appeared and greeted them with a formal deference that was clearly intended to discourage any familiarity, but by now Julien had got used to Court manners and he had no intention of letting the snobbery of a lot of puffed up, self-important staff members dictate his own behaviour and spoil his fun. So he asked for the butler's name and then gave him some polite but firm instructions.

"Honourable Tenngar," he said, "my friends and I are here to relax. Please be good enough to inform the entire staff that I forbid the use of the High Speech during our stay. You could also tell them that smiling is not illegal, and that laughing would be actively encouraged. Any member of staff who really wants to look as if he's at his mother's funeral is cordially invited to take a few days off – I'm sure the Imperial Treasury will continue to pay him. If it comes down to it we are actually capable of doing our own cooking and making our own beds. I hope," (and here he gave a most dazzling smile) "that you'll forgive me from disrupting the normal running of the house."

The man paused while he took this in and decided that he wasn't actually shocked by such a breach of etiquette.

"Your Lo… that is, no, My Lord. I'll convey your orders to the staff immediately. And I am sure that every member of staff will find themselves able to smile for you and your guests."

He even managed to illustrate this with a smile of his own. Clearly he was very much out of practice with such facial contortions and the result looked more like a grimace than a smile, but at least the thought was there.

***

After they had settled into the two large bedrooms that had been prepared for them they decided to have a dip in the lake before lunch. Tannder led them to a little wooden jetty at one end of the beach where a few small boats were tied up. Some of these had sails and some didn't, but Tannder ignored all of them and strode on to the far end of the jetty, where he whistled through his fingers. Julian remembered the large aquatic animal that had come in answer to Izkya's call during his first day on Nüngen, so he wasn't entirely surprised when a large hump-shaped wave appeared and headed towards them at high speed. And then it broke the surface and he saw the immense eyes and the top of the head of something that had to be very large indeed.

"It's a Lou Tchenn," Tannder told him. "He and some of his friends have chosen to live here, and they consider themselves to be in the service of your house. They've been providing the sort of services you'd expect them to for several generations now – keeping dangerous creatures out of the bay and pulling boats whenever they're given a chance to do so – so don't hesitate to ask, because they enjoy it and they get something out of it too. I expect Karik and Ambar know the basic vocabulary… ?"

They confirmed that they did.

"Then I'm going back to the house," said Tannder. "While there's a Lou Tchenn in the area you don't need me to watch over you."

Actually Tannder just went a little way into the wood, stopping in a place where he could still keep an eye on the beach without interfering with the boys' impression of being absolutely free.

The Lou Tchenn turned out to be a lot more than a mere aquatic rickshaw-puller. It was about the size of a killer whale and was certainly as intelligent, and once it was used to its new companions it showed a similar playful nature. Back on Earth Julien had never had the pleasure of swimming naked in water that was exactly the right temperature, because the prudish nature of the age forced just about everyone over the age of four into swimming trunks. And he'd certainly never dreamed of finding himself swimming naked in the company of a friendly monster that was always ready to pull you through the water at an amazing speed or to hurl you out of it in a series of spectacular somersaults.

It was good playing with one Lou Tchenn, but when a couple of others came to join in the fun it became a truly wonderful experience. And although Ugo wasn't really a dog he had always liked jumping and splashing about in the sea, even when it was cold, and he was more than happy to join in the games, abandoning all dignity as he chased after the sticks and stones which the boys threw for him. This activity confused Julien's friends at first, but they soon started following his example, and Ugo chased everything happily. They also discovered that this respectable Guide loved having a tug-of-war with a stick, refusing to let go even when the boys spun him round by it – in fact he seemed to enjoy that most of all.

When they started to feel peckish Tannder reappeared with his usual perfect timing, carrying a big basket of golden fritters which were, he said, the favourite food of the huge guardians of the bay, and the boys found that tossing the golden morsels into the creatures' toothy mouths was strangely satisfying.

***

The torrid heat of the afternoon gave them no incentive to leave the cool conditions inside the house, and actually the snowy sheets on the beds beckoned them to rest for a while. Ambar was very keen to take advantage of the fact that, for once, Julien was able to dedicate himself to his friend without being distracted by work, but it turned out that the fun and games of the morning had exhausted them to such an extent that they fell asleep as soon as they got into bed, only waking up, blearily, when the sun was well past its zenith.

While they were drinking iced fruit drinks Tenngar, who was doing his best to address the air over his heads rather than their naked persons, told them that if they felt so inclined this was the perfect time of day to go sailing, as the wind could generally be counted on to blow for two or three hours at this time. His sense of duty compelled him to add, regretfully, that it would be wise to wear at least a laï for sailing, because the combination of direct sunlight and the light reflected by the water would cause burning even for those who didn't have sensitive skin. Julien, who knew from personal experience exactly what the butler was talking about, thanked him for the advice and set a good example by choosing, not a laï, but a light abba whose hood would protect him from sunstroke or a sunburnt nose. Ambar, who wasn't cursed with Julien's milky complexion, chose a scandalously transparent laï which somehow accomplished the feat of revealing more of him than than when he was wearing nothing at all!

The small sailing boats had obviously been built for speed and were fitted with two outriggers, transforming them into outrageously over-rigged trimarans which called for careful handling: a distracted helmsman could rapidly lose control, causing the vessel to swerve wildly in a way that would have destroyed larger boats, and which was quite violent enough to throw the crew overboard. The Lou Tchenns were then essential to help right the boats and rescue the crew. Ugo quickly realised that he couldn't possibly hope to stay aboard one of these racing vessels, and after falling into the lake for the second time he decided to stay on dry land, dozing at the edge of the wood while listening to the cries and laughter of the boys out on the lake.

They weren't the only people sailing on the lake, but it was so large that they only caught a glimpse of a distant sail now and again, and those were far too far away to come into contact with them.

At sunset they returned to the house, where supper was waiting for them, and after that they went straight to bed, where once again sleep overwhelmed them almost at once.

***

They had gone to bed very early, and so Julien was not entirely surprised to be woken up while it was still dark by the entirely predictable arrival of Dillik, who had wriggled into the space between himself and Ambar, who was actually sleeping spread-eagled in a way that would have occupied the whole bed in a land less generous with the dimensions of its mattresses.

"Will you take me for a pee?" asked Dillik.

Julien sighed, because he knew perfectly well where this apparently innocent request was leading. Xarax would no doubt have been willing to surrender his wings, and indeed his life, for his friend, but with the best will in the world the leathery hide of a haptir is never going to feel as soft as the skin of a boy, and even though Xarax's powerful claws were no doubt capable of manipulating a small, delicate member, it's hard to imagine that this could be done in a way that could be truly sensuous. Indeed, Dillik had tried hard to find a way in which it could be done because he really wanted to share everything with his wonderful companion, but some things are simply not possible, and he had yet to find a way in which any sort of satisfaction could be achieved. On the other hand, the idea of being caressed by Julien, or Ambar, or Niil, or Karik was always extremely exciting, provided the opportunity presented itself at a suitable moment.

He'd explained this to Julien, whom he held to be – for no obvious reason – the supreme authority on the matter; and therefore he had invested Julien with the duty of helping him to experience and discover those things which Xarax was unable to do for him. This was why he'd started to appear during the night to ask for help, and it was by now a regular part of the fun and games he experienced with one or other of his companions. Right now Julien wasn't really in the mood for fun and games, but he thought that a bit of tenderness would be no bad thing.

"I'd rather we just cuddled," he said.

Dillik didn't hesitate at all: he kissed Julien on the nose and then turned round and snuggled up to him, wrapping himself in the gentle embrace of his friend's arms, his bottom pressed comfortably against his friend's soft penis, enjoying the simple but deep happiness of an unlimited intimacy – even if it was true that they couldn't share their dreams or their thoughts. What passed between them had neither name nor form, but it was as tangible as the shared warmth of their bodies, and it was infinitely soft. And there was an unmitigated pleasure in sinking gently into that softness.

***

When they left the house on the evening of the third day they received touching farewells from all the staff, some of whom even broke another etiquette taboo by expressing a wish that they should visit again soon. Then, after throwing a final basket of fritters to the Lou Tchenns, they climbed into the waiting flybubble, which seemed huge and faintly disturbing as its shadow blended with the growing dusk. Moonrise was still two or three hours away, and the sky continued to darken from a deep purple to an ebony black, strewn with stars of an incredible sharpness. Julien instinctively looked north, searching for the Plough and the Little Dipper, and once again he felt a pang of complete disorientation as he found nothing in that marvellous sky that resembled any of the constellations of Earth. Even the vague familiar ribbon of the Milky Way had disappeared, and he wondered yet again if he was still in his home galaxy, or if the klirks had transported him to the edge of the universe…

End of Volume One