“It is my duty to aid the magicians whenever and wherever possible. This is precisely the type of situation in which I must arbitrate.”
“Lant is right,” said Purple. “Go ahead, Lant.”
Lesta glared at me. “Let’s hear what you have to say first,” he grumbled.
“Go on, Lant.”
“Well —” I said. “It is quite obvious to me what the situation is here. Purple is the magician, Lesta is the weaver. Purple has shown Lesta how to weave a cloth of a quality so fine that hitherto it has been unknown to men. Purple is now demanding payment for such knowledge, correct?”
They both nodded.
“However, Lesta has charged that he owes Purple nothing. Purple was merely performing his sworn duty as village magician to uplift the way of life of all men. Still correct?”
Again they nodded.
“Well, it is all quite simple,” I said. “It is obvious; Lesta is right.”
“Huh?” Purple’s jaw fell open with a snap.
Lesta beamed. “You are right, Lant. I will abide by your decision.” He threw a mocking glance at Purple.
“Now wait a minute, Lant —” Purple began.
“You heard him,” rapped out Lesta. “And you said you were willing to abide by his decision!”
“No, I didn’t — I said I’d wait to hear what he had to say cried Purple. “Lant, what are you doing?”
“Wait a minute!” I shouted again, “Wait a minute!”
Again they looked to me.
“I have not finished speaking,” I said.
They quieted.
“Lesta is right,” I repeated. “He owes Purple nothing. However,” I said slowly, “he does owe me —”
“Huh?”
“For the loomteeth,” I said. “You are using my loomteeth. I carved them, they belong to me.”
“You?” he said. “What would you use them for?”
I pretended to shrug nonchalantly. “Oh, I don’t know,” I said. “I might rent them out to various weavers; or I might become a weaver myself.”
“We would smash your looms!” he snarled.
“And risk the wrath of Shoogar?” I said. “No, you wouldn’t. Instead, you will pay me a fair price for the use of the teeth — as any other weaver would.”
“I am not any other weaver!” shouted Lesta. “I pay no price. You should be willing to do this out of sheer graciousness and goodwill for being allowed to settle here in this region.”
“It is a poor region,” I said. “I do not need it. Come, give me my loomteeth — I must go and talk with Hinc the weaver.”
“Uh — wait a minute,” said Lesta. “Maybe we can work something out —”
“I’m sure we can. You will be making profit beyond your wildest dreams. You should not begrudge me a fair price for my labor.”
His eyes narrowed. “And what is your so-called “fair price?”
Purple was gaping open-mouthed at this exchange. I said:
“Enough cloth for Purple to build his flying machine, plus five per cent more for me, for my own uses including trading.”
“
“I have made it possible for you to weave a cloth better than any you have ever woven before!! Do you want to use these loomteeth or not?”
He eyed the flat bone pieces I held. I could see that he wanted them badly — and he knew that I would not hesitate to deal with some other weaver. Already the word was out about this fine cloth — there was not a weaver in the land who would not jump at the chance to make it.
“Humph,” he said. “I will offer you half that —”
“No. It is either all or nothing.”
“You ask too much! I cannot —”
I turned and started to walk away. “I think I saw Hinc over by the river —”
“Wait!” he called. I kept walking. “Wait!” He hurried after me, grabbed at my arm. “All right, Lant, all right. You win, you win. I will weave the cloth for Purple, and five per cent more for you.”
I stopped walking. “Fine. I will take a guarantee of it.”
“Huh?” He stared. “Is not my word enough?”
“No,” I said. “Else we would not have had this argument. I will take a guarantee. Two syllables of your secret name.”
“Two — two — syllables??” His mouth worked soundlessly. He swallowed hard, “You jest?”
I started up the hill again.
Again he caught my arm, “All right, Lant. All right.” He was subdued now, almost chastened. He looked around warily, then whispered into my ear. Two syllables.
“Thank you,” I said. “I hope you will never betray me. If you do, I will see that those secret syllables are no longer secret. The first person I’ll tell will be Shoogar.”
“Oh no, Lant, you have nothing to fear.”
“I am sure of it. Thank you, Lesta, I am glad that we could come to such a pleasant agreement. I will expect the first consignment of cloth within a hand of days.”
“Yes, Lant; certainly, Lant; anything, Lant-ah —”
“Yes?”
“The loomteeth that you’re holding?”
I looked down. “Oh, yes. You’ll need them, won’t you?” I handed them over.
Purple came up to me then, “Thank you, Lant.”
“For what? I was merely doing my duty.”
“Yes. Well, thank you for doing that. I appreciate it.”
I shrugged. “It was nothing. I am just as eager to see you leave in that flying machine as you are to do it”
I think he misunderstood. He said, “Oh, it will be a sight to see, all right.”
“Yes,” I said, “I can hardly wait.”
Wilville and Orbur were grumbling.
“We’ve built four bicycles, Father, since we’ve arrived here — and now we can’t use or trade any of them because of your deal with Gortik.”
I sighed, “Gortik will tire of his new toy soon enough.
Besides, you have more than enough to keep you busy with the flying machine.”
“Hah! grumbled Wilville testily. “Gortik is such a lunk, he cannot even ride the machine. Seven times already Orbur and I have tried to teach him.”
Orbur shook his head, “He keeps crashing into trees.”
“He doesn’t steer very well,” explained Wilville.
“And besides, the flying machine cannot feed us. The bicycles are to trade for food and cloth and tools. Unless we are allowed to ply our trade, we may starve.” Orbur shook his head again and sat down on a rock. “And there will never be any profit in flying.”
“Well,” I said, “I will see what I can arrange. You build your bicycles — I will figure a way for you to trade them.” I added, “Besides, I do not believe that Gortik’s injunction prohibited you from trading bicycles in your own village, only in his.”
They looked dubious, but at my insistence they returned to their work. They spent their mornings on the flying machine and their afternoons on their bicycles, although lately they were spending more and more time on the flying machine.
Purple had decided that they should line the hull with aircloth inside and out — it would make it more
