“Why, this is wonderful, my friend,” said the Napatan with a smile brighter than the mauve glow as he bent over the cleared patch.
Tjainufi beamed and added, “There is no good deed save a good deed done for one who has need of it.”
“We’re not outta the woods yet,” said Samlor with a dour glance at the walls around them If they had to clear all the stucco-or even half, if their luck were average-which it probably wouldn’t be-it was going to take a lot longer than the caravan master wanted to spend in this place
“No, that’s all right,” explained the Napatan with the uneasy hint of mindreadmg which he had displayed before. “I’ll use a spell of release and the covering will come away at once He must use the ancient writ- ings because they focus the power with which the years have imbued them.”
Maybe that was what Setios used to do with them, Samlor thought as his companion knelt before his upright staff again, but he’d bet Setios hadn’t much use for them or anything else in the world just now.
Khamwas was whispering to himself and his gods Samlor looked at him, looked at the dagger-saw that the watered steel blade was only that, only metal, probably all it ever was, except in his mind.
“Star?” he called toward the rectangular opening. “You all right, sweetest?”
He could barely hear the reply, “All right . . ,” but a couple of the pastel jellyfish were drifting over him in placid unconcern. She’d be fine, Star would.
If any of them were, she’d be fine.
Samlor squatted and squeezed up dust from the floor on the tip of his left index finger It was colorless (save for the mauve light it reflected) and much too finely ground for him to be able to tell the shape of the individual crystals