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and gladly given.
 So I m asking, but I m also insisting on kerduvon and K/B. I ve made up my
mind.
They didn t argue, but she felt their adamant refusal. And she was afraid
Yuan would offer to try it. At the moment, she could decline. But would she be
able to resist him later?
That evening, Azevedo went again to the tribe leaders, insisting the effort
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was doomed, but trying anyway.
Shanlun went with Azevedo for their transfer appointment. Laneff spent the
time pacing and fretting. She d had another go-round with the adamant channel
and Shanlun. Where they d been gently putting her off before, they were now
insisting the entire thing was out of the question, and any self-respecting
scientist should know that. As she plunged into real need, they weren t
humoring her anymore. They were trying to control her firmly.
But I m not a cripple who has to be taken care of! The thought surprised her.
They weren t treatingher a whole lot differently than she d been treated all
her adult life. And she d always accepted it without question before. And it
always got me in trouble!
Meanwhile, the marshals arrived to sift the contents of the court buildings
for assassins, found they couldn t gain admittance even to the courtyard,
swore lustily in several languages, and finally settled for the cordon that
Azevedo had predicted, sealing them all into their dwellings until the
cavalcade had passed.
This didn t sit well with the other gypsy tribes. Within hours, several
harassing incidents had been directed at the marshals stationed at the mouth
of the court: a bucket of dirty water or worse slopped onto them; the dogs
got loose and bowled over two of them before gypsy children rounded them up,
accidently downing more of the marshals in slippery dog leavings; and then
windows opened all around the court and gypsy music filled the air, several
different pieces played at the same time, as near as Laneff could tell.
In the first three hours, the entire troop of eight marshals was changed
three times, but they were sure their cordon held. Meanwhile, gypsy commerce
continued over the rooftops and through the Ancient sewer accesses. The
marshals, native to the Embankment, veterans of dealing with gypsies, knew
their efforts were futile as well as unnecessary. But orders were orders.
By the time the cavalcade approached in early afternoon, the gypsy
adolescents were in the spirit of things. The courtyard, ordered cleared by
the marshals, teemed with disorderly youth, dancing to the music, creating
confusion.
Yuan, Azevedo, and Shanlun were watching from an upper window with Laneff.
Shanlun s field was rock-bottom, lower she thought than after a transfer with
Digen. And Azevedo seemed in a fine mood. He commented,  They re trying to
make the place as unappealing to Mairis as possible, hoping.he ll just skip
the stop.
Shanlun said,  If we could get him away from Security we could bring him in
any number of other ways.
 That might be possible tomorrow, if he s still in town.
 He won t be, said Shanlun morosely. Then, straightening, he said,  I m
going down there and crash that line. The worst they can do to me is fine me
for deserting my post, escaping arrest, maybe disturbing the peace!
Laneff had prepared for this moment. She wanted to see Mairis to have her
pregnancy checked out. She wanted to tell Mairis all her discoveries, but not
without proof. Not while she stood junct.
Azevedo had had histransfer, and a splendid one if she was any judge. There s
no reason now not to do it.
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From the capacious pockets of her beige smock, she produced the two small
vials of liquid she d prepared, one of the purest moondrop, Azevedo s own
synthesis; the other her own K/B, purified and dissolved. As Shanlun turned
from the window, she uncorked the K/B and downed it in one gulp just before
Azevedo struck the vial from her hand with one tentacle.
 Laneff! he cried, horrified.  Not here! Not like this!
The two Gens added to his cry. She tossed the remaining vial, neatly labeled,
to Azevedo.  Let Mairis be turned away now. We can find him later, and see him
officially!
Azevedo frowned at Shanlun, saying cryptically,  There s no blackroom
prepared!
 The lab s windowless, said Shanlun.Then,  The kittens! Yuan, don t ask
questions, just run and get those cats out of the lab. Make sure you leave the
lights off!
Laneff began to feel a little woozy and looked about for the hallucinations
to begin, to confirm her theory. But there were none, and she was beginning to
be scared.
Yuan s nager itched with puzzlement as he sidled past Laneff. She tried to
scratch his itch with a tentacle. The poor Gen was in such a hurry, he hadn t
time to scratch his own nager. If this stuff doesn t work, I ll never get
another chance to scratch him.
Azevedo caught at her hand, his tentacles made of clear blue sparks. They
hurt where they touched.
She flinched away, impatient for the confirming hallucinations. It had surely
been nearly two hours since she d swallowed the stuff. The sun was shining
directly into the window; the brightness was unbearable, and it was increasing
rapidly. The sun is falling!
There was panic in Yuan s nager now as he fled past her. He knows, too. The
sun is falling!
Suddenly, it was unimportant to wait for the hallucinations to begin or for
the chemical to make her sick. People had to be warned.
With a mighty tug that nearly unrooted one of the tentacles Azevedo was
holding, she broke away and pounded after Yuan, augmenting with all her
strength.
Giddy, she flew down the stairs, crashed through the gawkers piled around the [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]