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Plennafrey trotted to a halt to avoid bumping into her. "We need help.
Something very wrong is happening to your world and I
think it has been going bad since your ancestors were babies. Your documents
are the first piece of real informa-
tion we've heard about. Brannel can do what none of us can: he can go in and
out of your house without being noticed by the other magimen."
"Can?" Keff gestured at the larger boxes blocking the ladder to the hatch.
Service arms detached from the walls and began to stack and move them to other
shelves. "I'm also going to have to jump down three meters. You'll have to
create a diversion."
"Leave that to me," Carialle said.
She led the magiwoman back toward the main cabin.
"Now, we're going to have some fun."
Devoting screens around the main console to three of her external cameras for
Plenna's benefit, Carialle tuned into the eye-spheres, the service door, and
the main hatch-
way.
They watched the eyes cluster as Carialle let down her ramp and slid open her
airlock to disgorge a servo. The low robot rolled down onto the plateau and
trundled off into the bushes with the cluster of spy-eyes in pursuit. The door
slid closed.
"Go!" Carialle said, pitching her voice over the speaker in the cargo hold.
She slid open the door just a trifle.
Leaving some skin behind, Keff slipped out the narrow opening, and dropped to
tile ground in a crouch. He ran down the hill and across the field toward
where the workers were gathering at the cave mouth for their daily toil.
Trusting Keff to take care of that half of the arrange-
ments on his own, Carialle watched with amusement through one of the servos
guiding cameras as the spies fol-
lowed. It rumbled downhill into a gully and plunged into a sudden puddle,
splashing some of the eyes so they recoiled. Plennafrey laughed.
The servo rumbled forward into the midst of a cluster of
globe-frogs, who rolled hastily backward and gesticulated at one another
inside their cases, croaking in alarm. They moved into the servos path,
continuing their tirade, as if scolding the machine for scaring them. Cari
guided it care-
fully so it wouldn't bump into any of them and headed it for the deepest part
of the swamp.
Low-frequency transmissions buzzed between the spy-
eyes. Carialle hooked the IT into the audio monitors.
From the look of concentration on her face, Plenna was already listening to
them in her own way, and enjoying being in the know for a change.
"Where is it going?" asked Potrias voice. "Do you sup-
pose its going to where they are?"
Plennafrey giggled.
"Is the strangers house doing this on its own?" Noldas asked. "It is a most
powerful artifact."
Carialle huffed. 'They still think I'm an object! Oh, well, there's nothing I
can do about that yet."
"If they knew you were a living being," Plenna said, "they would not treat you
as an object. Oh," she said, real-
ity dawning, "they would, wouldn't they? They did with
Keff. Oh, my, what has my world become?"
Carialle felt sony for Plenna. She might be one of the upper class, but she
wasn't happy about the status.
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On the screen, the spy-eyes were buzzing busily to one another, circling the
area, trying to second-guess the servo's mission. Serenely, the robot rolled
into a swampy place where pink-flowering weeds grew. Carialle set its
parameters to seek out a marsh weed that had exactly fif-
teen leaves and twelve petals.
'That should keep it busy for a while," Carialle said.
"What does it want in that terrible wet place?" Asedow's voice wailed. "I am
getting aches in my bones just watch-
ing it!"
"Keep your eyes open," Nokiass voice cautioned them.
'There might be a clue in what this box seeks that will lead us to the
stranger."
Carialle joined Plennafrey's delighted chuckle.
Keff ran to the far side of the cave mouth so die hill would block the view of
him from the spy-eyes' position.
The Noble Primitives, still wiping traces of breakfast from their faces and
chest fur, were listening to their crew chiefs assigning tasks for the day.
Brannel, near Alteiss group, seemed bored with the whole thing. Keff now
suspected that there was something in the Noble Primitives metabo-
lism that rejected the amnesia-inducing drug, or he was
cleverer than his masters knew. He was banking on the lat-
ter possibility.
"Ssst, Brannel!" he whispered. A child turned around at the slight noise and
saw him. Sternly, Keff shook his head and twirled his finger to show the child
she should turn around again. Terrified, the youngster clamped her hands
together and returned to her original posture, spine rigid.
Keff fancied he could see her quivering and regretted the necessity of scaring
her. It was easier to frighten the child into submission than make friends. He
hissed again.
"Ssst, Brannel! Over here!"
This time Brannel heard him. The Noble Primitives sheeplike face split into a
wide grin as he saw Keff beckon-
ing to him. He rose to hands and knees and crawled away from the work party.
Alteis saw him. "Brannel, return!" he commanded.
Wordlessly, Brannel pointed to his belly, indicating the need to go relieve
himself. The leader shook his head, then lost all interest in his maverick
worker. Keff admired Bran-
nel s quick mind; the fellow had to be unique among the field workers on
Ozran.
"I am so glad to see you safe, Magelord," Brannel said, when they had
retreated around the curve of the hill. T
was concerned for your safety."
Keff was touched. 'Thank you, Brannel. I was worried for a while, too. But as
you see, I'm back safe and sound."
Brannel was impressed. Only yesterday Mage Keff could speak but a little of
the Ozran tongue. Overnight, he had learned the language as well as if he had
been born there.
"How may I serve, Magelord?"
"I wonder if you would be willing to do me a favor. I
need someone with your injenooety," Keff said. Brannel shook his head, not
comprehending. "Er, your smart brain and wits."
"Ah," Brannel said, docketing "injenooety" as a word of the linga esoterka he
had not previously known. "You are too kind, Mage Keff. I'd do anything you
wish."
Inwardly, Brannel was jubilant. The mage had sought him out, Brannel, a worker
male! He could serve this mage, and in return, who knew? Keff possessed many
great talents and wide knowledge which, perhaps, he might share as a reward
for good service. One day, Bran-
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nel, too, might be able to achieve his dream and take power as a mage.
Keff looked around. "I don't wish to talk here. We might be overheard. Come
with me to the silver tower." When
Brannel looked askance at him, he asked, "What's wrong?"
'The noise it made. Mage Keff," Brannel said, and put his fingers in his ears.
"It drove me outside."
"Oh," Keff said. 'That won't happen again. I want you to come in and stay this
time. All right?"
Brannel nodded. The magelord rose to a stoop and began to make his way across
the field. None of the work-
ers looked his way. Brannel hurried after him, full of hope.
2ib
Instead of entering by the ramp through the open door, Keff directed Brannel
around the rear of the tower and pointed upward. A slit as wide as his forearm
was long had opened in the smooth silver wall.
"But why... ?" he asked.
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