The Children of the Sky

gestured Jefri and Ravna to back away.

Now Ravna could hear the gobbling of multiple packs approaching. Riding above that noise was a little boy’s voice: “Hei Jefri. Hei Ravna. Look harmless!”

Then the stable door was slid to the side. Besides the two fellows who had been there all day, there were three other packs, one of them Amdi. They strolled in, each clumped together—the normal comportment of strangers. One of the visitors was a swaggering sixsome, with members as big as Amdi’s.

Amdi waved for Screwfloss to back off and give the visitors space. He was talking to the strangers, saying something grandiloquent. At the same time, he said in Samnorsk: “The six-pack is the Innmaster. He wanted to see you before the show. He’s fascinated by the whole concept of two-legs, but I think he’s a little frightened of you, too. If we can convince him you’re no danger, things could go a lot smoother.”

Jefri said, “You could order me forward, Amdi. Then let this guy get close.”

“Okay. But you gotta look meek.”

There was gobbling back and forth between Amdi and the other packs. Everybody was speaking more slowly than packs usually did. Ha. Ravna suddenly realized that Amdi had his own language issues with these fellows. The result was a substantial simplification in everybody’s speech. The words weren’t stacked quite as deep and there was some repetition. Amdi was assuring them there was no need to restrain the humans. Abruptly, he waved at Jefri. Jef came out of the shadows to stand just centimeters from the nearest of Amdi. Then he dropped to his knees. Now his face was just about at eye level with the largest pack members. “That meek enough?”

Amdi cocked a head in the direction the Innmaster. “I don’t see how we could do better.” He said something encouraging to the Innmaster—and then all of him stepped back and waved encouragingly for the sixsome to approach.

Ravna realized that she was holding her breath. She rarely saw any Tines who were unfamiliar with humans, and when she did, they were in no position to do harm. Here, now, Jefri was meeting a dangerous stranger.

The Innmaster had lost his swagger. His eyes had widened and some of him fidgeted with the jaw hatchets in his panniers. The prospect of getting closer to Jefri was clearly unnerving. But after a moment, the pack seemed to remember he had witnesses. He stood a little taller and—thank the Powers—stopped fiddling with the hatchets. He boomed something confident at the other packs and sidled around Jefri. Now he was making the sort of placating sounds that packs (some packs—not Screwfloss) made when they were trying to gentle a kherhog.

Jefri sat back on his heels and made no effort to track the members who were circling him.

The nearest of the Innmaster was well inside Jefri’s reach—and suddenly the critter seemed to realize as much. It stopped, licked its lips. Then it jabbed out a nose, tapping Jefri on the shoulder. Jefri just smiled back, not showing any teeth. The sixsome hesitated a moment more, then closed in all around, slapping Jefri on the back, almost as hard as one would pat a kherhog. At the same time, most of him turned to face the doorway and made loud conversation with the other packs.

Amdi provided some translation: “‘See,’ he’s saying, ‘it’s every bit as docile as I knew it would be.’”

The critter was grinning from one end to the other. If these people had had cameras, he surely would have been demanding the others take video of his triumph.

“Now he wants me to prove that you’re clever like a pack.” Amdi gabbled something at the Innmaster. “I told him that would have to wait for our big show tonight.”

The sixsome huffed impatiently. Two of him were pulling Jefri’s shirt out of his pants, examining the fabric. For a moment, Ravna thought the fellow was going to argue. But then the Magnificent Amdiranifani moved a little closer and delivered some kind of bombast. If Ravna hadn’t known him for ten years, she would have been intimidated. Certainly, the Innmaster was impressed. He gave Jefri a couple more patronizing thumps, at the same time surreptitiously trying to tear off some of his shirt—but then he stepped back.

Innmaster and maestro chatted amiably for a few moments. It wasn’t quite casual, since the Innmaster was still mostly watching Jefri, and two heads were aimed at Ravna; she’d finally been noticed lurking in the shadows. But he was no longer insistent. In fact, he looked downright thoughtful. He asked if Amdiranifani needed anything more. Amdi’s reply was something about privacy and … huh, toys?

In the brightness beyond the doorway, a crowd of locals had gathered, standing so close to one another that there was some actual pushing and shoving. They were so close and dense that Ravna could feel the buzzing. The Innmaster stepped out of the stable and jabbered rapidly at the crowd. Ravna heard the “big show tonight” chord several times.

As the crowd dispersed, the Innmaster’s assistant returned with a wheelbarrow piled high with colored balls and cloaks. He brought two more loads of mysterious gear. Then he and Amdi cooperated in sliding the door shut.

And they were alone, their guards presumably keeping the curious away from the stable. The secret preparations of the Magnificent Amdiranifani could begin.

Amdi unlocked the fetters that bound Jefri and Ravna. He and Jefri lit a couple mantle lamps and hung them above the wheelbarrows. Ravna was already digging through the “toys.” There were colored balls, four whips, cloaks, and wooden tines. All that was just in the first wheelbarrow. She looked up from the junk, at Amdi. “Jefri and I have been trying to imagine what this big show is going to be.”

The Magnificent Amdiranifani drooped. “Yes. Me too!”

•  •  •

As usual, Amdi was very short on confidence. However, he did have the beginnings of a plan. There was a purpose for the gear the Innmaster had left them. “It’s from the last circus that came through here,” said Amdi.

Jefri picked up one of the colored balls, tossed it at a nearby pillar. The rebound was lively; this must be Tropical latex. Such items should not be cheap in the local economy.

“Why would a circus just leave these things?” asked Ravna.

“Well, um, they went bankrupt. That’s what the Innmaster told me. He foreclosed on them.” Amdi looked nervously at Ravna and Jefri. “Maybe this gear couldn’t help a troupe of performing packs, but anything you do will be new and magical. I thought we could be something like those circuses that come through the Domain. I-I would introduce you and you’d come out and juggle, maybe tie knots…” His voice dribbled off into anxious silence.

Jefri gave the ball another bounce, then glanced at Amdi. “Your idea is lightyears ahead of anything I’ve come up with … but no matter what we do, do you think the Innmaster will let us leave afterwards?”

“I—maybe. I can see how much he’d like to steal you and Ravna. If he guessed Tycoon is looking for you, he’d grab you in an instant. But I think I’ve convinced him that we have Tycoon’s protection. If we do well, I really think he’ll make good on his promises. He’ll give us the circus wagon, these supplies, and half the admission fees.”

Ravna had a different problem: “Is this show going to be out of doors, Amdi?”

“Yes, there’s an arena behind the inn. You couldn’t see it from your side of the winch platform. Why—”

“I know this place isn’t on Chitiratifor’s maps, but since Nevil has moved the orbiter eastwards—”

“Oh yeah!” said Amdi. “I thought about that. The new position still doesn’t have a line of sight on us. I mean, unless he’s moved it again.”

Ravna pondered the foolishness of this chitchat. They didn’t really have a choice. Aloud, she said, “So let’s give this Innmaster a show. It sounds easier than playing with arrow trees and crusherbushes.”

That brought a weak smile to Jefri’s face. She could almost see him summon the appearance of confidence. “For sure. And when I was twelve years old, I was a really good juggler.”

Ravna smiled back. She remembered. For several tendays, little Jefri had been a frustrated and frustrating nuisance, bouncing beanbags and sticks in all directions. It had even strained his relationship with Amdi, since the pack of puppies had learned to juggle with ease.

“Okay,” she said. “We’ve cleaned up our outfits. Your costume is still in good shape, Amdi. You just have to come on strong. You’re the Magnificent. What else can you introduce besides the juggling?”

“Knot tying? Can you do that, Ravna?” Amdi was pulling cordage from one of the wheelbarrows.

“Sure.” Better than a Tinish singleton, anyway. “And what about the comic relief?” That was a big part of circus performances in Woodcarver’s Domain.

A glint came into Amdi’s eyes. “I’ve been thinking about that.” Three of him were fiddling with a leash, making idle loops of it. “There’s a certain singleton that has been has been making me look