«I am,» she said.
«We wound up below,» I continued, «in the chamber of the Pattern. She'd expressed a desire to see it.»
«Many visitors do. It is pretty much a matter of judgment whether to take them. Often they lose interest, though, when they learn about the stairway.»
«I did tell her about it,» I said, «but it didn't discourage her. When she got there, she set foot upon the Pattern-»
«No!» she cried. «You should have watched her more closely! All that other trouble with Begma… and now this! Where is her body?»
«Good question,» I responded. «I don't know. But she was alive the last time I saw her. You see, she claimed Oberon was her father, and then she proceeded to walk the Pattern. When she'd finished, she had it transport her somewhere. Now, her sister - who is aware that we went off together - is concerned. She was pestering me through dinner as to where Coral might be.»
«What did you tell her?»
«I told her that I'd left her sister enjoying some, of the beauties of the palace and that she might be a bit late to dinner. As things wore on, though, she seemed to grow more concerned and made me promise to search for her tonight if she didn't turn up. I didn't want to talk about what had really happened because I didn't want to go into the business of Coral's parentage.»
«Understandable.» she replied. «Oh, my.»
I waited, but she said nothing more. I continued to wait.
Finally, «I was not aware of the late king's affair in Begma,» she said, «so it is difficult to assess the impact of this revelation. Did Coral give you any indication as to how long she intended to stay away? And for that matter, did you provide her with any means of return?»
«I gave her my Trump,» I said, «but she hasn't been in touch. I got the impression she didn't intend to be away for too long, though.»
«This could be serious,» Vialle decided, «for reasons other than the obvious. How does Nayda strike you?»
«She seemed quite sensible,» I said. «Also, I believe she rather likes me.»
Vialle brooded a moment, then said, «If word of this gets to Orkuz, he could well get the impression that we are holding her hostage against his proper performance in any negotiations which might arise out of the situation in Kashfa.»
«You're right. I hadn't thought of that.»
«He will. People tend to think of such matters when dealing with us. So what we need to do is buy some time and try to turn her up before this begins looking suspicious.»
«I understand,» I said.
«Most likely, he will send to her quarters soon - if he hasn't already done so - to discover why she was not present at dinner. If he can be satisfied now, you will have the entire night in which to try to locate her.»
«How?»
«You're the magician. You figure it out. In the meantime, you say that Nayda is sympathetic?»
«Very much so.»
«Good. It seems to me that the best course of action then would be to attempt to enlist her aid. I trust you to be tactful and do this in the least distressing manner possible, of course-»
«Naturally-» I began.
«-because of her recent illness,» she went on. «All we need to do now is give the second daughter a heart attack.»
«Illness?» I inquired. «She hadn't mentioned anything about that.»
«I'd imagine the memory is still distressing. She was apparently quite close to death until very recently, then rallied suddenly and insisted on accompanying her father on this mission. He's the one who told me about it.»
«She seemed fine at dinner,» I said lamely.
«Well, try to keep her that way. I want you to go to her immediately, tell her what happened as diplomatically as possible, and try to get her to cover for her sister while you search for her. There is, of course, the risk that she will not believe you and that she will go directly to Orkuz. Perhaps you might employ a spell to prevent this. But we have no other choice that I can see. Tell me whether I'm wrong.»
«You're not wrong,» I said.
«Then I suggest you be about it… and report back to me immediately if there are any problems, or any progress, no matter what the hour.»
«I'm on my way,» I said.
I departed the room in a hum but shortly came to a halt. It occurred to me that while I knew the general area of the palace in which the Begman party was quartered, I did not really know where Nayda's rooms were located. I did not want to go back and ask Vialle because it would make me look stupid for not having found out during dinner.
It took me the better part of ten minutes to turn up a member of the palace staff able to give me directions - along with a smirk - and then to follow them at a jog until I stood before Nayda's door.
I ran my hand through my hair, brushed off my trousers and jacket, wiped my boots on the backs of my pants legs, took a deep breath, smiled, exhaled, and knocked.
The door opened a few moments later. It was Nayda. She returned my smile and stepped aside.
«Come in» she said.
«I was expecting the maid,» I told her as I entered. «You surprised me.»
«Since I was expecting you, I sent her off to bed early,» she replied.
She had changed into an outfit that looked like a gray sweat suit with a black sash. She also had on a pair of black slipper, and she had removed most of her makeup. Her hair was now drawn back severely and tied with a black ribbon. She gestured toward a couch, but I did not move to seat myself.
I clasped her shoulder lightly and stared into her eyes. She moved nearer.
«How are you feeling?» I asked.
«Find out,» she said softly.
I could not even permit myself a sigh. Duty called. I slipped my arms around her, drew her to me, and kissed her. I held the pose for several seconds, then drew away, smiled again, and said, «You feel fine to me. Listen, there are some things I did not tell you-»
«Shall we sit down?» she said, taking my hand and leading me toward the couch.
Vialle had told me to be diplomatic, so I followed her.
Immediately, she continued our embrace and began to add refinements. Danm! And me constrained to rush her out to cover for Coral. If she would, I'd be happy to cover her afterward. Or any other interesting position Begmans might go in for. I'd better ask quickly, though, I decided. A couple of minutes more and it would be very undiplomatic to begin talking about her sister. Today was just a bad day when it came to timing.
«Before we get too involved here,» I said, «I've got to ask a favor of you.»
«Ask me anything,» she said.
«I think there's going to be a delay in turning up your sister,» I explained, «and I'd hate to worry your father. Do you know whether he's sent to her rooms yet, or been by them, to check on her?»
«I don't believe so. He strolled off with Gerard and Mr. Roth after dinner. I don't think he's returned to his apartment yet.»
«Could you possibly find a way of giving him the impression that she hasn't strayed? Buy me some time to find out where she's off to?»
She looked amused.
«And those things you haven't told me…?»
«I'll give you the whole story if you'll do this for me.»
She traced my jawline with her index finger.
«All right,» she said then. «We have a deal. Don't go away.»
She rose, crossed the room, and passed out into the hall, leaving the door a few inches ajar. Why hadn't I
