'Some of that was me, I think. Hold me tighter, won't you? I'm
really cold.'
'Your sunburn don't hurt any more?'
She shook her head. 'Not much. I'm starting to peel a little.
The bird was pulling on the peels before he left, only I made him
stop.'
Auk looked around. 'Where is he?'
'With Patera and Stony, I guess. That Urus beat the hoof and they
took off after him. Me, too, only we came to a split in the tunnel,
you know?'
'Sure. I've seen a lot of them.'
'And then I thought, they're not going to look for Auk anymore,
and that's what I want to do. So I sort of slowed down, and when
they went one way I went the other. I guess the bird went with
them.'
'That was you I heard calling me.'
Chenille nodded. 'Yeah. I yelled until my pipe gave out. Oh,
Hackum, I'm so glad I found you!'
'We found you,' he told her seriously. 'Why I ran off, Jugs...'
He fell silent, massaging his big jaw.
'You saw somebody, Hackum. Or anyhow you thought you did. I
could see that, and Patera said so, too.'
'Yeah. My brother Bustard. He's dead, see? Only he was down
here talking to me. I was going to say he wasn't really, I just sort of
dreamed it, only now I'm not so sure. Maybe he was. Know what I mean?'
The gray shiprock walls seemed to press in upon her. 'I think so,
Hackum.'
'Then he went away, and I missed him a lot, just like when he
died. So then when I saw him again, maybe it was a couple, three
hours later, I waved and yelled and tried to catch up, only I never
did. Then I got lost, but I didn't care because I was looking for
Bustard, and he could've been anywhere. Then I ran into this god.
Into Tartaros. Mostly I call him Terrible Tartaros, 'cause I can't say
the other right.'
'You met a god, Hackum? Like you'd meet somebody in the
street, you mean?'
'Sort of.' Auk sat down on the tunnel floor. 'Jugs, will you sit on
my lap, the way you used to do in the old days? I'd like that.'
'All right.' She did, laying her launcher flat, crossing her long
legs, and leaning back in his arms 'This is really better, Hackum.
It's a lot warmer Except I don't do it much any more because I
know I'm a pretty good load. Orchid says I'm getting fat. She's been
telling me for a couple of months now.'
He held her closer, reveling in her softness. 'She's fat. Real fat.
Not you, Jugs.'
'Thanks. This god you met. Tartaros, right? He's for you like
Kypris is for us.'
'Yeah, except he's one of the Seven.'
'I know that. Tarsday.'
'He's got a whole bunch of stuff besides us. The main thing is, he's
the night god. Anywhere it's dark, that's a special place for him.
Sleep and dreams, too. I mean, any god can send a dream if he
wants to, but the regular kind that seem like nobody sent 'em are
his. I call him Terrible Tartaros 'cause you had to say terrible or the
other, or Maytera'd stomp you. I'd lay he could cut up rough, but
he's been a bob cull with me. He came along to show how to find
you and get out of here, and all that. He's next to us right now, only
you can't see him 'cause he's blind.'
'You mean he's here with us?' Chenille's eyes were wide.
'Yeah, he's sitting right here with me, only I wouldn't try to reach
over and feel. Maybe he wouldn't do anything--'
She had already, waving her free arm through the empty space on
Auk's right.
He shook her, not roughly. 'Don't, Jugs. I told you.'
'He's not there. There's nothing there.'
'All right, there's nothing there. I was shaving you.'
'You shouldn't do that.' She got up. 'You don't know how shaggy
scared I am down here, or how shaggy hungry.'
Auk rose too. 'Yeah, it wasn't very funny, I guess. I'm sorry,
Jugs. I won't do it again. C'mon.'
'Where are we going?'
'Out.'
'Really, Hackum?'
'Sure. You're hungry. So am I. We're going to go out and get a
dimber dinner, probably at Pork's or one of those places. After that,
we can rent a room and get a little rest. He says I got to rest. After
that, maybe we'll do what Scylla said, only I don't know. I'll have to
ask him.'
'Tartaros? That's who you're talking about? You really met him?'
'Yeah. It's real dark in there and pretty wet. Water's sort of
raining through the roof. If you saw it, you probably didn't go in,
but there's nothing in there that'll hurt you. I don't think so,
anyhow.'
'I've still got this lantern that Gelada had, Hackum, only there's
no way to light it.'
'We don't have to,' he told her. 'It's not very far.'
'You said we were going out.'
'It's on our way.' He stopped and faced her. 'Only we'd be going
even if it wasn't, 'cause he's got something to show us. He just told
me, see? Now listen up.'
She nodded, drawing Incus's robe around her.
'This's a real god. Tartaros, just like I told you. My head's not
right 'cause I got a bruise in there and a big gob of blood, too, he
says. He's trying to fix it, and I been feeling better ever since he
started. Only we got to do like he says, so you're coming if I got to
carry you.'
'Wood girl,' Oreb called. 'Here girl!'
Silk sat up; the 'girl' might be Hyacinth. If there was the least
