Insider

The people in black and white uniform seated Ashinik in an armchair and left at a sign from their boss. The office doors slid towards each other behind their backs with a soft hiss; Ashinik and Giles were alone.

'Have you introduced the White Elder to Terence?' Giles asked.

It was useless to deny it.

'Yes.'

'Why haven't I been notified?'

'It's Mr. Bemish's prerogative,' Ashinik answered, 'If he had liked to, he would've let you know. When I came to work here, Bemish promised me that I didn't have to answer any questions and I haven't been asked anything so far.'

'That was under different circumstances. What did Bemish and the White Elder talk about?'

'I don't know.'

'What was discussed at your sect's meeting in Inissa?'

'I won't tell you.'

'Either you, Ashinik, tell me what happened in Inissa or I will tell Terence in whose bed you sleep every night that he spends outside of the spaceport, including tonight.'

Ashinik paled.

'And I can even show him some pictures.' Ashinik sat motionlessly.

'What happened in Inissa?

'We… we agreed not to consider Earthmen to be demons.'

'How interesting… Why?'

'It was my suggestion.'

'Did everybody support it?'

'The White Elder agreed. That was enough.'

'What about the others? Who was against it?'

'Yadan, Akhunna and a man nicknamed Garlic Dan were against it.'

'Why did the White Elder agree?'

'He said that he would make peace with the spaceport's boss if the latter broke up with Shavash.'

'Aha. So, who killed the White Elder, Shavash or Yadan?'

'I don't know.'

'What will happen to you?'

Giles was silent.

'Ashinik, have you received anything from the sect after the assassination?'

'No.'

Giles looked at the youth carefully.

'When you receive anything, let me know.'

Ashinik was silent.

'Ashinik, don't you understand? You were the one who supported making an agreement with Earthmen! You will be the next victim after the White Elder. They will kill you if you are not with us!'

'I know,' Ashinik said quietly.

Giles sighed.

'Listen, Ashinik,' he spoke suddenly, 'why have you gotten involved with Inis? She is a dumb broad; you can get a bunch of them for an ishevik.'

X X X

In the evening Ashinik sat at the same table again, together with Giles and Bemish. Wind and engines howled behind a huge dark window, the glares of the beacons darted across the landing field and chunks of pollen from blooming nut trees traveled back and forth over the landing space. Technicians cursed under their breath — the pollen found its way inside all the hardware. Superstitious locals said that it was a bad omen. Pollen whirlwinds were always considered to be witches and the places where they moved particularly high were known to be damned.

On the space field open to the winds and to the powerful blows from plasma engines the witches danced their best.

'When are you meeting Yadan?' Bemish asked.

Ashinik was silent. He had burned the note long ago but its words still flared inside his mind. Should he answer or not?

But here Giles entered the conversation.

'We know that a courier from Yadan arrived in the spaceport territory. He gave you a note. When did it happen?'

'Nobody has given me any notes. Where is your courier? Have you arrested or photographed him?'

'No,' Giles admitted.

'Why not?'

'Shavash's people saw him. They told me.'

'Don't you understand that Shavash lied to you,' Ashinik asked, 'and that you can't believe a single word of his?'

'Listen, Ashinik,' Giles said, 'I know that after the death of your sect's head, the new head has to be elected in two days. And I know that as a member of the upper circle, you have to be there because otherwise the meeting will be invalid. Where and when do you meet?'

'I don't know.'

Giles grabbed the youth by the lapels of his jacket.

'Idiot! Do you understand that they called you there to kill you? You will get out of there alive only if you agree to kill Terence!'

Ashinik paled. His pupils suddenly dilated covering his whole eyeballs.

'Don't touch me, demon!' the youth suddenly screamed.

Bemish leaped up. Ashinik's face was contorted and foam bubbled on his lips — a fit started.

X X X

Ashinik was carried away and then an inner door to Giles' office opened and a man, who had watched the conversation from the next room, walked out of it; it was Shavash.

'Are you sure that a meeting will occur?' Giles asked.

'I am three hundred percent sure,' Shavash replied. 'The top of the sect will be there. It's our only chance — to pick them all and cut them down to a demon's snot!'

'It's your only chance,' Bemish said through his teeth.

'Terence! We are both in the same shit here. Zealots are not like Galactic police. Nobody is gonna care whether it was you or me who sent the bomb to the White Elder. They will finish both of us off. Give me Ashinik.'

'What do you mean?' Bemish inquired.

'Are you a child?'

And a private jail's owner made a straightforward gesture with his hand as if he was squeezing water out of a sheet.

'No,' Bemish cut him off.

'Ronald will be very angry with you,' Shavash purred. 'He has already started the negotiations with the owners of large debt blocks. If you don't join BOAR stock owners…'

'I will think about it,' Bemish said in a suddenly low voice.

Shavash didn't insist. He knew that the Earthman had never exchanged a friend's life before for a certain — even if very large — amount of money and he thought that a man had to get used to such a thought.

He stopped talking and he excused himself soon. Giles stepped out to walk him down. On the space field where nobody could overhear them, Giles whispered several words to Shavash and the latter smiled at the spy with his eyes.

X X X

Ashinik woke up late at night. He was in the medical room on the fifth floor and the sky blinked red and blue behind the window.