Spellsinger 03 – The Day of the Dissonance by Foster, Alan Dean

and pushed.

The door opened silently. Mudge peered into a dark

dormitory. Against opposite walls stood beds, cots, mats,

and diverse sleeping stations for children of different

species. On the far wall windows looked down into the

courtyard with the trees and fountains. Unlike those on the

outside, these were not barred.

They tiptoed out of the closet and found themselves

walking between rows of silent youngsters. All of them

appeared to be neatly groomed and squeaky clean. There

wasn’t a hair or patch of fur out of place. The dormitory

itself was comfortably cool and as spotless as the dining

room and entry hall had been.

164

Alan Dean Poster

“I don’t see any indications of abuse here,” Jon-Tom

whispered as they went from bed to bed.

Mudge was shaking his head doubtfully. “Too neat,

mate. Too perfect.” They reached the end of the long

chamber without finding Folly. The door at the end was

also locked from the outside. “And another thing, mate.

Too many locks ‘ere.” He used the tool to pick it.

Beyond was a short hall. A stairway led downward off

the the left. Mudge picked the lock on the door across the

hall and they entered a second dorm.

Grunts and whistles and snores covered their footsteps

as they commenced an inspection of the new group of

beds. Halfway down the line they found Folly. Jon-Tom

shook her gently awake. She rolled over, woke up.

She was gasping with fright. There was no mistaking

the look in her eyes, the tenseness of her body, the

expression on her face. It reminded Jon-Tom a little of the