"You never were a Mummer: I wonder why."
"I have none of the right skills."
"No more did I, or Aries. Floreste made us into Primordials and Ogres and Thunder-demons, where no great skill was required. Yes, those were good times! No doubt it's much the same now. Different faces, different voices, but the same larks and laughter." Kirdy's expression became remote and soft.
"Of course I couldn't perform worth a whisker anymore."
Kirdy continued with his memories until Glawen became bored and changed the subject.
"Tomorrow should be an important day."
"I hope we learn more than we did today."
"Today wasn't a total loss. We discovered another actor in the drama."
"Oh? Who is that?"
"A young off-world woman who buys tickets to Cadwal in blocks of six."
"You should call her an 'actress' in the drama, not an 'actor."" "I want to know her name; her gender can wait. Who can she be? Perhaps Sir Mathor will know."
Kirdy grunted.
"Sir Mathor won't tell you whether it's day or night that's my guess. IPCC means nothing to the Patrunes; they make their own law."
"We shall see," said Glawen.
In the morning Glawen dressed with care, using his own garments rather than the casual local wear furnished by the hotel.
Kirdy knocked on the door; Glawen admitted him'. Kirdy had dressed in the local garments and looked at Glawen in perplexity.
"I can rely on you always for perversity! Will you kindly explain why you act this way?"
"Are you referring to my clothes? Perversity has nothing to do with it."
"Do you plan to explain?"
"Certainly. The Famines have no great opinion of the locals;
we'll get more serious attention if we approach Sir Maihor in our own clothes."
Kirdy blinked and reflected.
"Do you know, I think you are right. Give me two minutes, and I'll change."
"Very well," said Glawen.
"This time only I'll wait for you.
But hurry."
Immediately after breakfast, Glawen and Kirdy rode the omnibus to the airport. They boarded a flyer and were whisked off over the Mirling, to land at Halcyon after a flight of half an hour.
The time was now midmorning. A milky overcast swathed the sky;
Blaise, a great blue pearl, seemed to swim with films of prismatic light:
orchid, rose, pale green.
At the exit from the Halcyon airport Glawen and Kirdy found a cab rank where vehicles controlled by internal computer systems were on hand for those persons requiring transportation.
A placard provided instructions:
1. Select a vehicle. Board this vehicle and be seated.
2. The control mechanism will request that you state your destination. Respond in this fashion: "The residence of such and such a person" or "The offices of such and such an enterprise." Usually this will suffice.
3. A fee will be quoted; drop coins into the proper slots.
Pay for waiting time in advance. The vehicle will refund any surplus.
4. You may issue the following orders: "Go faster."
"Go slower."
"Stop."
"Change destination to such-and-such a place." Other directions are unnecessary. Vehicle will proceed at what it calculates to be the most appropriate speed along the most expeditious route. Please do not abuse the equipment.
