He swore, slamming the book shut. Mere chance had kept Grass free of the plague until now! Mere chance. The virus hadn’t come here until now because … because it was remote. Because it simply hadn’t, yet. There couldn’t be anything on Grass that stopped it.
But … but if there were, no one could be allowed to learn of it. If they learned of it, they might stop the plague elsewhere. Mainoa and those from Opal Hill would have to be stopped. “Elder Brother?” Yavi murmured. “Yes,” he snarled.
“Could I be excused now? I’ve been here for a very long time.”
“Go,” he growled. “Go, for God’s sake, and send Shoethai here.”
“Shoethai, Elder Brother?” Shoethai had been dismissed an hour ago.
“Are you deaf? I said Shoethai.” Not that Shoethai would be of any help, but at least he would listen to Fuasoi talk.
Shoethai surprised his fellow Moldy by having an idea.
“You should send Highbones after them,” the misshapen Brother suggested. “Highbones and Ropeknots and Steeplehands and the two Bridges.”
“Who the devil are you talking about?” Fuasoi blurted.
Shoethai flushed. “The climbers. Those are some of the names they call themselves. Highbones is Brother Flumzee.”
“Why should I send climbers?”
“Because they hate Brother Lourai. Because he climbed better than any of them. Because some of the younger brothers called him Willy Climb.”
“Willy Climb?”
“That’s the name they gave him. It’s a better name than Highbones, even. When they made him climb the towers and he outclimbed them all. He got up and got down again without being caught. But High-bones had a bet he would die upon the towers, so Highbones hates him.”
“It would depend, wouldn’t it?”
“On what, Elder Brother?”
“On where Mainoa is.”
Shoethai shrugged, his gargoyle face twisting into a hideous grin. “Doesn’t matter so long as he’s with Brother Lourai. If he’s at Commons, Highbones would kill him there. If he’s at one of the estancias, Highbones would kill him If he’s out in the grasses …”
Highbones had been one of Shoethai’s most diligent persecutors. Shoethai loved the idea of Highbones out in the grasses, where the Hippae were, and the hounds.
Elder Brother Fuasoi put the book in the drawer of his desk as he mumbled to himself. “If Mainoa is out in the grasses, we needn’t worry about him. No. no. The first thing to do is find out where he went. And the most likely place is Opal Hill. I’ll try that first.”
Elder Brother Fuasoi reached Persun Pollut. Persun Pollut, with a caution which was natural to him, said that he believed Brothers Mainoa and Lourai might have gone away with Lady Westriding and some other persons but he did not know where,
Shoethai mumbled, “The daughter of that house vanished during the Hunt yesterday. Everyone is talking about it. She vanished somewhere near the bon Damfels estancia. Perhaps they went there.”
Elder Brother Fuasoi regarded his assistant with unusual interest as he keyed the tell-me once more Who would have thought that Shoethai had any interest in Grassian gossip? At Klive he reached a subordinate family member who verified that “some people from Opal Hill” had come to Klive and had gone again. “Out in the grasses,” the voice said with a breathless hint of laughter, as though hysteria waited backstage for its entrance cue. “Out in the grasses, to Darenfeld’s Coppice.”
“If they went in the grasses,” Shoethai mumbled, “there will be a trail” He sighed with pleasure. “Send Highbones and the others to follow them.”
“On foot?”
“No, no,” Shoethai amended thoughtfully. “In an aircar. To find the trail in an aircar.” He thought about aircars. It would be easy to fix an aircar so that it would fly quite a long way and then fall. “I’ll get one ready for them.”
“Who did you say?”
“Brother Flumzee. Brother Niayop. Brother Sushlee. Brothers Thissayim and Lillamool. Highbones, Steeplehands, Ropeknots, Long Bridge, and Little Bridge.”
Bones, Ropes, Steep, Long, and Little—who had tortured Shoethai too many times to be forgiven. Who didn’t need to wait for the plague because they hadn’t deserved the New Creation anyhow.
“Have they hurt you?” Elder Brother asked, suddenly aware of the flame burning at the back of Shoethai’s one good eye.