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  The eyes were sunken deep under hairy brows. As he drew closer another aspect of his person was made clear. Here was the first really fat tran they'd encountered.

  “Darmuka Brownoak,” announced the herald, rather after the question. “Prefect of Wannome!”

  “What's all this mean?” September whispered to Hunnar.

  “Darmuka is prefect of the city and a powerful member in Council besides,” the knight replied. “A very forceful and stubborn individual. Also ambitious and greedy. And very wealthy, which in the long run 'tis more important than all the others. There are few richer than he. The Landgrave is one, of course. Of the others, some support him, some Darmuka.”

  “Hmm. Political conflict,” murmured Ethan to no one in particular. “I thought the Landgrave had absolute power?”

  “In all decisions the Landgrave has final power,” said Hunnar. “This does not mean he imprudently acts against the wishes of a majority of influential citizens.” The knight quieted as the prefect came within hearing distance.

  Darmuka put one foot up on the dais and surveyed the gathering with interest and undisguised contempt.

  “So these are the strange ones who come on a raft of flying metal, eh?” be said almost challengingly. “They surely are strange strangers.”

  “You're no interstellar sex god yourself, fatso,” countered September. Ethan winced, but the prefect merely grunted satisfaction.

  “There will be no insulting of guests in my presence,” declared Kurdagh-Vlata rather lamely.

  “Insult?” The prefect put both paws delicately on his chest and drew himself erect. “I, insult a visitor to the Council Chamber? I?” He turned and looked intently around the room then, so hard that the herald and even the Landgrave couldn't resist doing the same. The prefect stared at the ceiling and even raised the corner of a throw fur to glance beneath it.

  “By the by,” he continued in mock surprise, “where is the Council? I do believe a quorum is not present. Here we have six alien creatures of unknown power and intentions. They bring with them a ship of more forged metal than Wannome has seen since the Great Sack. And not a member of the Council present ... other than my poor, hastily arrived self, of course.” He looked innocently at the Landgrave. “Is this in accordance with the Charter of Council? Perhaps the Council should be called into session, to discuss their absence. Since they are not here, it cannot be debated. Dear me, a paradox.”

  “I did not feel it necessary yet to trouble the full Council with such an odd matter,” replied Kurdagh-Vlata. It sounded mighty feeble to Ethan.

  “I see,” said Brownoak. “As is well known, his Lordship's wisdom exceeds all of ours combined. I bow to his decision.” Darmuka executed a sloppy half-bow. “However, as I entered, I think 'twas mentioned something about ‘dealing with the Horde.’ Would you say, milord, that anything which relates to that matter is of more than odd nature? Worthy perhaps even for discussion by Council, as it does affect every adult and cub in the great land of Sofold?”

  “Yes, surely,” Kurdagh-Vlata responded.

  “Then might it not be prudent to postpone any discussion of matters relating to such until full Council has been gathered?” Kurdagh-Vlata said nothing and Darmuka prompted, “Is this agreed, milord?”

  “I ... oh, very well, Darmuka! Confound your impudence!” He stood abruptly and struck the floor twice with the base of the jeweled staff. Sir Hunnar and Darmuka both bowed. The humans copied them. The Landgrave then retired, taking his daughter and advisor with him.

  “'Tis good to see you returned safe and whole, Sir Hunnar,” said Drownoak. “Did your expedition include any successful massacres?”

  “We met no one, so we fought with no one, spineless messenger,” replied the knight stiffly. He smiled slightly at the other. But this time a flash of white was visible between his lips. Clearly he was controlling himself with an effort.

  “How very fortunate. I should be distressed to see one of our finest knights injured over such an odd matter. Especially with a crisis approaching. Good day to you, outlanders.” He bowed toward Ethan. “We shall undoubtedly see more of each other.”

  With a fluttering of sea-colored silk and rich brown hides, the prefect stalked off down the hall.

  “Well,” said Hellespont, “I may not have the grasp of the local language that you gentlemen possess, but that chap is of a type I need no words to recognize.”

  “He's a character, all right,” September commented in Trannish, nodding. He looked over at Hunnar and grinned. “You two aren't exactly blood-brothers, I take it.”

  “The Brownoak has less blood for battle than a jelly-moss,” spat the knight, staring after the other. “That one so bereft of heart should wield so much power... Worse, he is an unconscionable butcher who would dress the whole province for rape, content in the rightness of his way!”

  He sighed. “Come. I will take you to rooms. And there is something of great significance you should be informed of before we can discuss your journey any further. Or before you are put before the Council ... I will see to the transfer of your food to your apartments. The Council, however, will expect you to dine with them. Can you eat our food?”

  “It's a long way from the Honeybucket Room in the Grand Hotel on Hivehom, but I think we can manage,” replied September.

  “That one,” said Ethan, reminding Hunnar of Walther's presence, “should dine alone in his room, with a guard in attendance. One who is not susceptible to bribery.”

  Walter shook his head but said nothing. “I'm even smaller than the lady du Kane and you're all frightened of me.”

  September just laughed.

  “I will see to it,” said Sir Hunnar.

  Chapter Six

  Ethan's room was neatly furnished. He suspected his accommodations were fancy by local standards. If Wannome was a typical province capital, then the trade prospects for the planet were far better than anyone had guessed. Why, in precious metalwork alone ... and these marvelous coats.

  Now, if he could only find a way to file a report!...

  The big canopied bed had damask-like draperies and covers. He wondered how such material was made. All of the wealthy tran they'd encountered so far had been clad in similar material. Neatly worked, too. He doubted the material came from silkworms. If there were insects on this world they kept themselves scarce. Any self-respecting silkworm would turn to a small lump of frozen flesh in a short day. And they didn't seem advanced enough for artificial fabric. Another mystery to unravel.

  The bed was probably intended for a single occupant, but it was three times the width of any single bed he'd ever slept on. The wooden chest at its foot was intricately carved. A huge mirror covered much of one wall, no doubt just the right size for an adult tran.

  A real double bed must be an ocean of morphean comfort.

  The door bolted solidly — from the inside only, he noted although the bolt itself was made of hardwood and not metal. Wannome's designers had left nothing to chance in creating their guest suites. The door would hold well enough to keep out the casual thief, but not well enough to resist a concerted charge from a couple of well-muscled guardsmen.

  He also noticed a small but elaborately set whetstone. It was placed near the foot of the bed and could be operated with one foot. Its purpose escaped him for a moment. It was too low to conveniently sharpen a knife, for example. Then he realized it was for putting an edge on one's own chiv.

  That must be the normal routine on awakening, he mused. Rise early, wash, clean, and sharpen your feet.

  Something else was troubling him more, until he chanced to open the heavy chest. It was filled with thick, wide furs. They weren't as smooth-looking as the odd diaper-like coats everyone wore, but they were heavy and warm. There was no fireplace in the room, and the single window was open to the sky. Without the furs there would be no way he could sleep through the temperature drop at night.

  He walked over to the window, which was high and narrow. There was a complic
ated wooden shutter arrangement that would serve to keep out the wind if not the cold.

  It wouldn't keep out a determined enemy, though. Then he looked out and down. He'd forgotten how many steps they'd mounted.

  The south side of the island was precipitous here, and the castle of Wannome was built right to the edge. It was a killing fall to the ice below. With a little imagination he could almost see waves breaking against the cliff. Perhaps they had once, millions of years ago. This side of the castle, at least, was invulnerable.

  Leaning out into the biting wind, he squinted and saw that the high cliff continued westward for a fair distance before dropping down to the ice. An occasional flash of green broke the whiteness.

  A look at the sky. Let's see, he thought. The tran have their evening meal at sunset. That should leave him a couple of local-time hours before he'd be expected to put in an appearance. When he had time it might be a good idea to revisit that tailor. Maybe he could make underclothes as well as coats. The outfit he'd been wearing on the Antares when he'd been abducted — was that one or two thousand years ago? — was not conducive to strenuous living.

  The special survival parka he was wearing was holding up beautifully. But below the surface, so to speak, things were beginning to get a bit raunchy. There was a knock at the door.

  “It's open,” he said without turning.

  The voice that replied did make him turn. It said, “Good wind,” and wasn't human.

  The Elfa Kurdagh-Vlata, heiress to the throne of Wannome, closed the door gently behind her. Her caution was disconcerting. She bolted it. That was ominous.

  “I apologize for these rooms.” Her speech was husky. “They were the best father could do on such short notice. And we've little idea of your needs.”

  Ethan walked away from the window and not incidentally put the bed between them. If that was supposed to faze her she didn't show it. She walked over and sat on the end. The human contour analog was astounding. She drew swirls in the silken coverlet.

  “Do you really come from another world?” she asked breathlessly. Her outfit was done up like holiday packaging by a clumsy six-year-old. The fact that the skin beneath was covered with light gray fur made it appear no less naked. Excepting the feline head and broad feet, and those piercing vertical pupils, she might have passed for a tridee starlet clad in skin-tight mink.

  “Yes, we do,” he replied eventually, with some emphasis on the “we.” If she was expecting him to prolong the conversation she was sorely mistaken. He couldn't for a moment forget that her father was not only a grouch with a reported short temper, but also had the power to remove head from shoulders with a wave of his hand. Until he knew a great deal more about local mores, he was going to be as quiet as a monk. This was no place to depend on mestaped information.

  Besides, she was as tall as he was and much broader, which made for rather an intimidating personality.

  “It's surprising. You're not so terribly different from us, it seems,” she said, her flashing yellow eyes fixed on him.

  Dammit, if only she weren't so farking attractive! Now watch that, he told himself. She isn't even of the same species. Of course, there were aberrant humans who had a thing for other species. He knew one chap who...

  Quit that!

  “I think this is all very exciting,” she said finally into the growing silence. The finger paused in its silken whirlpool. “You don't even have any fur on your bodies, except on top.”

  “Actually,” Ethan responded, trying to be scientific, “that's not entirely true. We do have some elsewhere.” He was about to mention “chest” when she interrupted him.

  “Really? Let me see.” She made a spring that carried her halfway across the bed.

  In dream-troubles most folk are the epitome of suaveness and sophistication. Ethan was no exception. Reality — cold reality, to say the least — had too many improvisations.

  First of all, he couldn't quite decide whether she was trying to kill him or kiss him. Apparently loveplay on this world was as aggressive as its climate.

  He'd have told her to stop it, but his mouth kept getting full of gray fur. It seemed certain she was trying to bite him. At least, those four major canines gave that impression. Now, if someone like that Darmuka fellow or her father were to stroll in, bolt or no bolt...

  He redoubled his efforts. Putting both hands out to push her away, his palms encountered something soft and warm. Human or not, it wasn't a shoulder. She moved even faster. Shifting his hands, he shoved frantically.

  The result was both gratifying and educational.

  She seemed to fly off the bed, land on her feet, and slam into the far wall, where she crumpled slowly to the floor. For a horrible moment he thought she'd hit too hard. If he'd killed the Landgrave's only cub, that would remove all the uncertainties from their immediate future.

  Fortunately, she was only shaken, and stayed conscious.

  “M ... my, you are strong!”

  He was torn between offering her a hand up and refusing further body contact. “Are you okay?”

  “Y ... yes, I think so, good knight.” She rose slowly and felt the back of her head and neck. Then she did some rearranging on her clothing, which had become delightfully disheveled. With a shoulder against the wall for support, she looked at him oddly.

  “I hadn't expected quite so ... overwhelming a rejection,” she murmured.

  “I'm sorry,” Ethan replied, unable to forgo some sort of apology. “Our situation is very serious and it's hard for me to take anything lightly right now. I'm afraid, I, uh, don't know my own strength.”

  “Well I certainly do.” She blinked. “I shall retire and consider this further,” she said cryptically. “I will see you again, Sir Ethan. Good day.”

  Putting hand to forehead to wipe away the freezing sweat, he became aware that it was shaking badly. He grabbed the offending member. That only made the whole arm shake. Its companion was none too steady either. He let out a long breath, then put both hands under his backside and sat on them. That stopped the shaking and kept them warm too boot, but now he couldn't do anything about the sweat.

  Hopefully he'd handled the situation correctly. Now he'd worry about Elfa's reaction and future feelings toward them. It was a damnable thing to have happen.

  He was still pondering and sitting when September walked in.

  “Well, young feller-me-lad,” he began, glancing back the way he'd come, “I just passed her highness in the hallway. Seems you've made something of a conquest, what?”

  “Or a mortal enemy. I'm not sure. It was more on the order of an opening skirmish. Hey, how come you're sure she came from my room?”

  “You've just confirmed it.”

  “It might have been a veiled murder attempt, too, you know.”

  “I understand the penalty for playing around with the offspring of nobility is—”

  “Dammit, Skua, I wasn't playing around!” he said indignantly. “She was playing around with me. That is—”

  “—death by slow torture, with all sorts of intriguing local variants on time-honored themes. Hunnar's been filling me in on some blanks, since you were occupied.”

  “Oh God. Does he know too?”

  “I don't think so. Someone was sent to fetch you, tried your door. Finding it bolted, they assumed you wanted privacy. Good thing, too.”

  “Phew! Say, I found out something interesting, too. We were right about body composition. Almost certainly their skeletal system is less solid than ours, or whatever the proper medical term is. I gave her what I thought was a sharp shove and ended up throwing her halfway across the room.. Scared the hell out of me.”

  “Really?” grinned September, the gold ring in his ear flashing. “Tell me more. Are they covered with that fur all over? Or are there certain places where—”

  “For Harmony's sake, Skua!” Ethan said disgustedly, “nothing happened.”

  “Then why'd you find it necessary to toss her across the room?” he pressed, lee
ring.

  “I didn't find it necessary,” Ethan continued patiently. “That's what I'm trying to tell you. She was so much lighter than I expected.”

  “That ought to be interesting.”

  “Will you stop, already?”

  “Okay, young feller. Relax. I'm just joshing you,” September continued in a serious tone. “So despite their greater size, their actual body weight is less. Then a good-sized human like yourself is probably as strong as most of 'em.”

  “Not necessarily,” said Ethan. “Just because they're lighter doesn't mean they're not stronger. There's an awful lot of muscle on those frames. I just took her by surprise.”

  “Still,” considered September, “in any kind of wrestling match, you'd have a tremendous advantage. Useful.”

  “What did Hunnar tell you?” Ethan sat back on the bed and curled his hands behind his head. “By the way, did everyone get single rooms?”

  “Yes. Except the du Kanes. Colette refused to be alone, so they arranged for her to have a bed in with her father. That mold Walther has equally sumptuous quarters — only his door bolts from the outside and there are bars on the windows. Not that he's going anywhere that way. Have you looked outside? I wouldn't care to try a descent without a good strong cable and crampons.”

  “In this wind?” said Ethan. “I wouldn't like to try it even then.”

  “Hmm. Now according to Hunnar, most of the people on his world, hereabouts anyway, are peaceful. Aside from fun things like swiping someone's daughter now and then or bashing in a few heads. Fine, upstanding folk.”

  “Me, I want a nice quiet bar or nullball course with my old clubs and shooting companions,” said Ethan dreamily. A blast of frozen air cut his cheeks. “Okay, they're all charming fellows. So?”

  “I said most,” September continued, inspecting the wooden chest at the foot of the bed, “There are also, it appears, bands of nomadic barbarians. Usually these do no more than attack an occasional raft, sometimes successfully, sometimes not.”