fingers toward the purple-clad Koluwaian. “You know Mr. Sepik, of course.”
“Harrumph! Back from one of your long meditations, hey, Mr. Sepik!”
The Koluwaian bowed and said, in a whispery voice, “I serve best when refreshed, Colonel. My occasional withdrawals are a spiritual necessity.”
“Humph! If you say so, old thing! I can’t quite see how not being present makes you a better Servant, but there you are! There you are! And you’ve learned this new-fangled lingo, too, hey? Jolly good show! Fast work! What! And the togs?”
Brittleback gestured toward the tall islander and said, “Mr. Sepik suggested that, in keeping with the changes to our society, his kind should be represented in Parliament, which I thought was a bloody good idea, so I made him my aide. I have acceded to his suggestion that all Servants who work with those of us in public office should be masked. A symbol of their authority over their fellows, so to speak.”
“Splendid idea!”
“Now to business, old fruit,” the prime minister said. “How many new Aristocrats do you have?”
“Only three Yatsill,” the colonel replied.
Lord Brittleback shook his head. “By the depths of Phenadoor! I should rejoice at their arrival but I find myself bloody unsettled. The parties that preceded you did little better. I fear we’re fast approaching a time when all will be Working Class and there’ll be no one left to do the thinking. Mademoiselle Clattersmash, did you gain any insight while in the Valley of Reflections?”
“I’m afraid not, Prime Minister. We can but trust that this is the will of the Saviour.”
“And what of the dissonance? From whence did it originate?”
Clattersmash turned and indicated that Clarissa and I should step forward. I led my companion to her side.
“Not from whence but from whom. These two were found in the normal manner, but as you can see, they themselves are far from normal.”
“Saviour’s Eyes! They don’t look like the usual Servants! Were they the only ones?”
“That is correct, sir. Furthermore, this one—” she gestured toward Clarissa “—was made an Aristocrat.”
I saw Mr. Sepik start slightly at this revelation.
“Ah!” Lord Brittleback exclaimed. “So the recent advances are explained! I shall present our guests to the House at once.” He stepped forward and touched Clarissa on the shoulder. “I was given a rather baffling something-or-other by the leader of our Magicians. He saw you in a Dar’sayn vision and had the thing constructed. Not bloody sure what it is, but take it, please, with my compliments, and I hope it’s of use!”
He fished inside his jacket, pulled something out, and pushed it into Clarissa’s left hand.
“Clarissa!” I cried out. “It’s a pair of goggles!”
“Thank God!” she whispered.
“What—?” Brittleback began.
“She is blind without them!” I said.
The Yatsill and Koluwaians watched as I reached up and began to untie my friend’s blindfold. She held the goggles close over her eyes. I gave her a warning then pulled the material away, and she quickly pressed them into place and held them steady while I buckled the leather straps around her head.
“Done!” I announced. “Turn to face me, then open your eyes.”
Clarissa spun until I saw myself reflected in the black glass lenses. The two little bumps on her forehead protruded above the eyewear. After a moment, she smiled widely, reached out, and grabbed me by the upper arms.
“Aiden! You have no idea how good it feels to see you again! Heavens above! What a beard you’ve grown!”
She looked down at herself, released me, and clapped her hands to her thighs. “Straight!” she almost wailed. “My legs! They really are straight!”
Spearjab said, “Though with insufficient knees and numbers, hey? What! Ha ha!”
Clarissa wheeled around and saw, for the first time, the quadrupedal mollusc-faced colonel.
She said, “Oh!” and, for the first time since I’d met her, she did something typical of her gender.
She fainted.
° °
5. CITY AND HOME
Clarissa was unconscious for but a moment, then stood, leaned on me heavily, and said in a hoarse voice: “My goodness, Aiden!”
“Steady yourself,” I said. “You’ll get used to them, as I have.”
Lord Brittleback asked, “Who leads the Servants in this group?”
Spearjab pointed. “That one. Humph! Her name is Kata.”
“Much obliged, old fruit. Miss Kata! You’ll find the foreman’s office at the top of the main avenue. Will you take the Workers there, please? He’ll give them their assignments.”
Kata looked perplexed.
“Oops!” Brittleback exclaimed, realising he’d used English words to name things that had no meaning for the islanders—foreman’s office; avenue; assignments. “Hum!” he muttered. “This is bloody awkward!”