“He may still be the same,” Ildefonse pointed out. “Who found his corpse? No one! Haze here declares that electricity to an archveult is like water to a fish.”
“This is the case,” declared Haze of Wheary Water, a hot-eyed wisp of a man.
“In that event, the damage done to my property becomes more irresponsible than ever!” cried Rhialto. “I demand compensation before any other general adjustments are made.”
Hurtiancz frowned. “I fail to comprehend your meaning.”
“It is elegantly simple,” said Rhialto. “I suffered serious damage; the balance must be restored. I intend to claim the IOUN stones.”
“You will find yourself one among many,” said Hurtiancz.
Haze of Wheary Water gave a sardonic snort. “Claim as you please.”
Mune the Mage came forward. “The archveult is barely dead; must we bicker so quickly?”
Eshmiel asked, “Is he dead after all? Observe this!” He displayed a linden leaf. “I found it on my blue tile kurtivan. It reads, ‘NOTHING THREATENS MORREION’.”
“I also found such a leaf!” declared Haze.
“And I!” said Hurtiancz.
“How the centuries roll, one past the other!” mused Ildefonse. “Those were the days of glory, when we sent the archveults flitting like a band of giant bats! Poor Morreion! I have often puzzled as to his fate.”
Eshmiel frowned down at his leaf. “‘NOTHING THREATENS MORREION’ — so we are assured. If such is the case, the notice would seem superfluous and over-helpful.”
“It is quite clear,” Gilgad grumbled. “Morreion went forth to learn the source of the IOUN stones; he did so, and now is threatened by nothing.”
“A possible interpretation,” said Ildefonse in a pontifical voice. “There is certainly more here than meets the eye.”
“It need not trouble us now,” said Rhialto. “To the IOUN stones in present custody, however, I now put forward a formal claim, as compensation for the damage I took in the common cause.”
“The statement has a specious plausibility,” remarked Gilgad. “Essentially, however, each must benefit in proportion to his contribution. I do not say this merely because it was my Instantaneous Electric Effort which blasted the archveult.”
Ao of the Opals said sharply, “Another casuistic assumption which must be rejected out-of-hand, especially since the providential energy allowed Xexamedes to escape!”
The argument continued an hour. Finally a formula proposed by Ildefonse was put to vote and approved by a count of fifteen to one. The goods formerly owned by the archveult Xexamedes were to be set out for inspection. Each magician would list the items in order of choice; Ildefonse would collate the lists. Where conflict occurred determination must be made by lot. Rhialto, in recognition of his loss, was granted a free selection after Choice five had been determined; Gilgad was accorded the same privilege after Choice ten.
Rhialto made a final expostulation: “What value to me is Choice five? The archveult owned nothing but the stones, a few banal adjuncts and these roots, herbs and elixirs.”
His views carried no weight. Ildefonse distributed sheets of paper; each magician listed the articles he desired; Ildefonse examined each list in turn. “It appears,” he said, “that all present declare their first choice to be the IOUN stones.”
Everyone glanced towards the stones; they winked and twinkled with pale white fire.
“Such being the case,” said Ildefonse, “determination must be made by chance.”
He set forth a crockery pot and sixteen ivory disks. “Each will indite his sign upon one of the chips and place it into the pot, in this fashion.” Ildefonse marked one of the chips, dropped it into the pot. “When all have done so, I will call in a servant, who will bring forth a single chip.”
“A moment!” exclaimed Byzant. “I apprehend mischief; it walks somewhere near.”
Ildefonse turned the sensitive Necrope a glance of cold inquiry. “To what mischief do you refer?”
“I detect a contradiction, a discord; something strange walks among us; there is someone here who should not be here.”
“Someone moves unseen!” cried Mune the Mage. “Ildefonse, guard the stones!”
Ildefonse peered here and there through the shadowy old hall. He made a secret signal and pointed to a far corner: “Ghost! Are you on hand?”
A soft sad whisper said, “I am here.”
“Respond: who walks unseen among us?”
“Stagnant eddies of the past. I see faces: the less-than-ghosts, the ghosts of dead ghosts … They glimmer and glimpse, they look and go.”
“What of living things?”
“No harsh blood, no pulsing flesh, no strident hearts.”
“Guard and watch.” Ildefonse returned to Byzant the Necrope. “What now?”
“I feel a strange flavor.”
“What do you suggest then?”
Byzant spoke softly, to express the exquisite delicacy of his concepts. “Among all here, I alone am sufficiently responsive to the subtlety of the IOUN stones. They should be placed in my custody.”
“Let the drawing proceed!” Hurtiancz called out. “Byzant’s plan will never succeed.”
“Be warned!” cried Byzant. With a black glance towards Hurtiancz, he moved to the rear of the group.
