winked at his men this time. A few of them winked back, grinned. "While ye's talkin' about the city, perhaps I should say we'd like ye to persuade yer father to reward us, if ye knows what I mean."
Tohm looked blank.
"With a conkeebine o' our own, ye ninny!" Hazabob roared.
Tohm swallowed. "Certainly. My father always has a broad selection o' women. Ye may have yer pick."
"Heh, heh," Hazabob wheezed. "Fine. Fine indeed. The ship is yers to explore. Just stay out o' the cargo hold, cause we got a load o' delicate spices there. Yer breath might contaminate them if ye have a cold or something."
"Sure. O' course."
Hazabob snapped two brittle fingers together. "Jake, show Mr. Tohm to his cabin. Be quick about it!"
Jake lumbered forth, a seven foot, three hundred pound giant. "Sure, Cap. This way, Mr. Tohm."
Tohm followed the man, listening to the faint rumble as the captain rolled away to see about the launching of the ship. He would have to make his getaway quickly when they reached the capital. These men wouldn't show any mercy to an impostor, especially one who promised them a concubine and then reneged.
"This is the guest room," Jake said, shoving the door open.
Tohm peered in. There was little luxury to the place. It was strictly utilitarian. The commode and shower were unconcealed. The bed was bolted to the wall, a wilted foam mattress and ratty woolen blanket draped across the springs. Springs, Tohm thought, which were probably broken and bent. But it was a way to the capital and Tarnilee.
"Meals are at seven in the evening and five-thirty in the morning. Ye makes yer own lunches when ye have a chance."
"Sounds perfect."
"Ain't bad." He lingered at the doorway, shuffling his huge, bucket feet.
"Thank ye, Jake," Tohm said, reclining wearily on the bunk.
Still Jake did not move. He wiped his left foot back and forth through the thin coat of dust that covered the floor plates.
"Is there something on your mind?" Tohm asked at length.
"Now that ye ask," Jake said, a dinnerplate-sized grin on his face, "there is something I wanted to ask ye."
"Well?"
"Ye see, I know what kinda conkeebine they's going to pick, them others. She's going to be tiny and delicate— awful pretty, mind ye—but awful tiny and terrible awful delicate. I was wondering if—"
"Ya, Jake?"
"Well, I got a hunnert creds saved up, and I was wondering whether yer father could maybe have a tall… hell, a sorta large… a girl with… well…"
"An Amazon?"
He grinned, flushed. "I know a hunnert ain't much—"
"I'm sure my father can find ye someone, Jake. Someone ye'd be just crazy about. And at yer price."
"Gee, Tohm," the ox said, blushing even brighter, "really?"
"Really."
"Jake!" Hazabob called.
"I gotta go," he said. "Thanks, Tohm."
"Yer welcome, Jake."
The shadow that had been flooding the room was gone.
Tohm stretched back on the bed and found it to be more comfortable than it had looked. Trying to untense every muscle and nerve, he took a moment to think about the events of the last day or so. What were the Muties trying to do? What exactly were the Muties? What was the Fringe? What was the quasi-reality? The Realities? What had the Muties been attempting with Basa II's capital city, and why had they failed? His nerves grew tenser than before as the confusion boiled in his mind. He never had liked to be confused. His curiosity had always driven-him to find the answers to things that confused him in the village of his people. This world, however, was far more complex than anything he had ever found in that tiny settlement of dark people. Yet all of the things that perplexed him here were taken as common knowledge by the people who lived in this insane universe. But to him, coming barefoot from a land of thatched huts, it was a riddle. The library material took a basic understanding for granted too, and thus they were only more confusing, not clarifying.
He closed his eyes, blotting out the stained, gray ceiling and the
Tohm looked blank.
"With a conkeebine o' our own, ye ninny!" Hazabob roared.
Tohm swallowed. "Certainly. My father always has a broad selection o' women. Ye may have yer pick."
"Heh, heh," Hazabob wheezed. "Fine. Fine indeed. The ship is yers to explore. Just stay out o' the cargo hold, cause we got a load o' delicate spices there. Yer breath might contaminate them if ye have a cold or something."
"Sure. O' course."
Hazabob snapped two brittle fingers together. "Jake, show Mr. Tohm to his cabin. Be quick about it!"
Jake lumbered forth, a seven foot, three hundred pound giant. "Sure, Cap. This way, Mr. Tohm."
Tohm followed the man, listening to the faint rumble as the captain rolled away to see about the launching of the ship. He would have to make his getaway quickly when they reached the capital. These men wouldn't show any mercy to an impostor, especially one who promised them a concubine and then reneged.
"This is the guest room," Jake said, shoving the door open.
Tohm peered in. There was little luxury to the place. It was strictly utilitarian. The commode and shower were unconcealed. The bed was bolted to the wall, a wilted foam mattress and ratty woolen blanket draped across the springs. Springs, Tohm thought, which were probably broken and bent. But it was a way to the capital and Tarnilee.
"Meals are at seven in the evening and five-thirty in the morning. Ye makes yer own lunches when ye have a chance."
"Sounds perfect."
"Ain't bad." He lingered at the doorway, shuffling his huge, bucket feet.
"Thank ye, Jake," Tohm said, reclining wearily on the bunk.
Still Jake did not move. He wiped his left foot back and forth through the thin coat of dust that covered the floor plates.
"Is there something on your mind?" Tohm asked at length.
"Now that ye ask," Jake said, a dinnerplate-sized grin on his face, "there is something I wanted to ask ye."
"Well?"
"Ye see, I know what kinda conkeebine they's going to pick, them others. She's going to be tiny and delicate— awful pretty, mind ye—but awful tiny and terrible awful delicate. I was wondering if—"
"Ya, Jake?"
"Well, I got a hunnert creds saved up, and I was wondering whether yer father could maybe have a tall… hell, a sorta large… a girl with… well…"
"An Amazon?"
He grinned, flushed. "I know a hunnert ain't much—"
"I'm sure my father can find ye someone, Jake. Someone ye'd be just crazy about. And at yer price."
"Gee, Tohm," the ox said, blushing even brighter, "really?"
"Really."
"Jake!" Hazabob called.
"I gotta go," he said. "Thanks, Tohm."
"Yer welcome, Jake."
The shadow that had been flooding the room was gone.
Tohm stretched back on the bed and found it to be more comfortable than it had looked. Trying to untense every muscle and nerve, he took a moment to think about the events of the last day or so. What were the Muties trying to do? What exactly were the Muties? What was the Fringe? What was the quasi-reality? The Realities? What had the Muties been attempting with Basa II's capital city, and why had they failed? His nerves grew tenser than before as the confusion boiled in his mind. He never had liked to be confused. His curiosity had always driven-him to find the answers to things that confused him in the village of his people. This world, however, was far more complex than anything he had ever found in that tiny settlement of dark people. Yet all of the things that perplexed him here were taken as common knowledge by the people who lived in this insane universe. But to him, coming barefoot from a land of thatched huts, it was a riddle. The library material took a basic understanding for granted too, and thus they were only more confusing, not clarifying.
He closed his eyes, blotting out the stained, gray ceiling and the
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