travelling cloak in the front hall. Hanging it on a peg, he joined the Jinnjirri. «Spoons,» replied Barlimo, lugging an enormous bag of garbage out of Podiddley's room. Pausing to smile at the professor, she added, «Those Asilliwir and their damned tea. When Po comes back, I'm going to make him buy his own tea ice.» «If he comes back.» corrected Tree. Rowenaster chuckled. «Wishful thinking, wouldn't you say?» Barlimo scowled at the Jinnjirri and the Saambolin. «Po will be back, fellows. You can count on it.» «Why?» asked Tree, making a mournful gesture that included the entirety of Podiddley's pig pen—better known in the house as «Room O.» Rowenaster walked closer, trying not to breathe. Like Tree, he had never seen the inside of Podiddley's lodgings. The professor's eyes widened. Po's room was littered with dirty clothes, the mass of them literally reaching a height of calf deep. Mugs with souring milk added a unique, foul, pungence to the existent mustiness of month-old unwashed underwear. The window was open, but even that did little to alleviate the odors here. «Incense,» said the professor. «Does anyone have any?» «Janusin probably does. But he's out at some pub drowning his sorrows,» said Tree. «His hair was so blue, it frosted.» Barlimo met Rowen's inquiring glance. «I told Jan about Cobeth stealing the 'Panthe'kinarok Series' title. He was none too happy about it.» «I can imagine,» muttered Rowenaster. Picking up a couple of books with broken spines, the Saambolin professor added, «I don't suppose anyone's come across my library card, have they?» Barlimo shook her head. «That was the first thing I looked for, Rowen. No sign of it.» Rowenaster sighed. «Blast. That just means I have to spend all of tomorrow morning riding the infamous 'Saambolin-Paper-Go-Round.' Better known as the Bureaucratic Bunglebush.» Tree smiled sympathetically. «You'd think the Saam would be nicer to their own kind than they are to us mere rabble,» he added to Barlimo. The Jinnjirri architect snorted. «As was so clearly pointed out to me this afternoon at the Great Library, Tree—the Saam don't make such exceptions.» «What a tedious lot,» remarked Tree. «No offense intended, professor,» he added with a quick smile. Rowenaster chuckled good naturedly. «Believe me—I think they're pretty tedious, too. That's why I live here with you Jinnjirri dullards.» This brought laughter from both Tree and Barlimo. Rowenaster went into the kitchen and rummaged in the cold storage for a piece of fruit. Finding a pommin, he smiled with delight. Like young Yafatah, pommins were the professor's favorite luxury fruit. «Who else is home?» he asked returning to the dauntless Jinnjirri duo in Room O. «Nobody but us fools,» said Tree, carrying out a soup bowl covered with a fine layer of gray-green mold. «Timmer and Mab stopped to get something to eat on the way back from Cobeth's play,» said Barlimo. «They were going to the same place where you and I had lunch today, Rowen. Timmer said she could get meals there for cheap since she was playing for the restaurant.» Rowenaster shook his head. «Can't be that place, Bad. The Piper's Inn serves lunch only. They must've said something else.» «Very possibly,» agreed Barlimo, starting to strip Po's bed. «There were a lot of people talking around us. It was very hard to hear.» «What did you think of Rimble's Remedy?» asked Tree, passing Rowen as he returned to Room O, sponge and pail of suds in hand. «Were you utterly embarrassed by all those acknowledgments on the playbill?» Rowenaster gave the green-haired Jinnjirri a disgruntled scowl. «I would've preferred that Cobeth had given most of them to you, Tree. I'm surprised your friend Rhu didn't make Cobeth put in a good word for you. She was listed as being the editor for the playbill.» «I think,» said Tree, knocking spider webs out of the upper corners of Po's room, «that The Merry Pricksters as a whole have been 'won over,' shall we say? Especially Rhu. The cast party is at her house, tonight. Rumor has it that Cobeth and she are lovers—and don't tell Janusin I said that, okay? Cobeth's hurt him too much already. Add something like this, and I'm not sure Janusin will finish that blasted Trickster statue in time for the Museum's deadline.» Barlimo sneezed as a cloud of dust settled around her head. Taking out a handkerchief, she mumbled, «I sound like Timmer.» Rowenaster looked at Barlimo strangely. Then out of the blue he said, «You're sure Timmer went out to eat?» Barlimo shrugged. «That's what she said she was going to do. Although at the time, I did think it was odd. Before the play, she had been talking about going to the opening night cast party. She had even tried to get Mab to tag along with her. I guess Mab must've talked Timmer out of it entirely. Timmer and Mab were laughing together during intermission.» Rowenaster peeled the pommin in his hand, his expression uneasy. Finding an unused bag of penis sheaths under Po's pillow, Barlimo chuckled and said, «Oh, Po—do dream on.» Catching sight of the condoms, Tree wrinkled his nose. «Can you imagine bedding Po? In this mess?» Rowenaster bit into the sweet, orange meat of the pommin. He chewed slowly, his face a frown. Barlimo looked up. «Isn't that pommin any good? I just bought the batch yesterday. The Asilliwir trader swore they were fresh.» Rowenaster met her eyes. «There are drugs at the cast party, Barl. And not the usual variety.» He paused. It was a well known fact at the 'K' that Timmer had more than a passing interest in drugs. «I wonder,» continued the professor, «if Timmer knew there would be drugs at Rhu's? You keep a very clean household here, Barl. Would Timmer be likely to want you to know she was going to a party of this nature?» Tree stopped cleaning. Barlimo's good-humored hair paled. The Jinnjirri ran to fetch her wool shawl from the peg in the front hall, muttering, «Damn, Timmer!» Tree joined her, his face stricken. «I'm coming with you.» «We don't know that Mab's there,» said Barlimo as calmly as she could manage. Her hair betrayed her, however; it turned a mottled, worried gray. Tree touched a strand of it. «Yes, we do.» Chapter Twenty-Seven The holovepsa Mab had ingested came on in fifteen minutes. During the wait, Cobeth had regaled Mab with first-hand stories of the Rimble's Revels he had attended in Suxonli. Feeling no ill effects from the holovespa at this point, Mab had listened with genuine interest. Cobeth, who had spent years at his sister's knee—specifically Kel's—now spoke of the coming Jinnaeon. Using Kel's native Tammirring understanding of the Greatkin as his own, Cobeth reinterpreted his sister's vision of Rimble's Shifttime. The inspiration belonged to Kelandris, but the words were Cobeth's: «It's time, Mab. It's time to sing with a new voice. It's time to dance a new dance.» Cobeth fondled Mab's belly, placing his hand on top of her womb. «It's time to dream a new dream for the world. Choose, Mab. Choose the color of your fate.» Mab frowned at Cobeth, unsure of what he meant. The Jinnjirri actor laughed. Turning over on his back, he began singing a lively little tune. Written by Kelandris, it was now a Suxonli drinking song: When the Wasp's ascendant in the northern sky, As above, so below—patterns go awry! So choose, choose, choose The color of your fate, Make it Yellow Jacket yellow Rimble's at the gate! Sing it—ah ya, Rimble, As we turn contrary-round, Be nimble boy, be nimble girl While we shake the foundations down! While we shake the foundations down! Cobeth finished the tune and grinned. «We're going to tear this city apart, Mab. And rebuild it. From the foundation up.» He kissed her on the mouth. «You can help, Mab. You can help spread the good news of the sacrament,» said Cobeth glancing at the dildo on the floor. «You can give initiation.» He spoke softly. «This is such important work, my darling. Would you turn down the chance for real purpose in your life? There's a whole new order of things a-borning. Join us, Mab. Join Rimble's Own, and we'll give birth to a new way of thinking and being.» Mab swallowed, tears unexpectedly coming to her eyes. Something ancient stirred in her draw—a distant memory, a gentle call. Unknown to Mab, Cobeth addressed the genuine Contrarywise potency in herself—addressed and irritated the potency into premature wakefulness. Psychic pressure intensified. Mab stared at the dildo on the floor, feeling disoriented. «That aphrodisiac in the wineskin? It's very—uh—strong.» Mab coughed hoarsely. The room had suddenly taken on a larger-than-life reality, and she wasn't sure she liked it. Mab raised her eyes, looking at herself in the mirrors above her in the ceiling. She watched her half-clothed body change proportions. Then her face shifted. «Wh—what?» she whispered. «Wh-what?» Memories of Jinnjirr
i changing gender that frightened her as a child flooded her mind. Mab's pulse raced. She began to sweat. She sat up abruptly, her skin pale. Making weak fists with her hands, Mab whimpered. «This is no aphrodisiac! This is a—» Cobeth grinned at Mab, sinking back into the pillows. He made faces at the mirror above him, giggling wildly. «It's great, isn't it?» Mab's breathing became very shallow. «Make it stop, Cobeth! Please,» she begged, her voice becoming shrill with panic. Cobeth stopped playing with himself in the mirror, turning his head to look at Mab. «Don't be ridiculous, girl. You can't stop holovespa once it's got started. That would be like trying to stop a horse who's just been let out of the racing gate. Crazy—and it can't be done. So relax. Sit back and enjoy the show,» he said, his attention returning to the mirror above them. «This is only the beginning,» he added with a shiver of eager anticipation. Mab staggered to her feet, clasping her hands to her head. «I can't do this, Cobeth. I can't, I can't, I can't—» Giving her a bored look, Cobeth got to his feet nimbly. Grabbing Mab by the arm, he dragged her into the bathroom. «Get in there,» he said, pointing to the empty showerstall. Mab did as she was bid, wondering if she would ever survive this—wondering, in fact, if she were still breathing. What if she forgot how? Mab consulted Cobeth on this point. The Jinnjirri rolled his eyes. «You Piedmerri,» he grumbled, turning on the hot and cold water simultaneously. «I hope Trickster doesn't call many of your landdraw. You Pieds really know how to spoil a good time.» Then, without a backward look, Cobeth left Mab standing alone in the shower at Rhu's house. Grabbing the leather dildo from the play, he went downstairs to share his good time with a more appreciative audience. Upstairs, Mab fell to her knees under the running water. Clutching her head in her hands, she began to rock. The shower drenched the skirt she still wore. It also drowned her terrified sobs. Barlimo and Tree rode in a happincabby to Rhu's house. Sticking her head out of the slowly moving coach, Barlimo yelled at the driver: «Can't you go any faster?» «Too much traffic, ma'am,» he yelled back. «There's a lot of people out tonight. And a mist besides.» Barlimo sat back in her seat heavily, her hair turning a darker shade of gray. Sitting opposite her, Tree watched Barlimo's hair change color in silence. Then, looking out the window, Tree stared at nothing, his feelings tangled. There was only one thing he was certain of: if Cobeth or anyone at that party had harmed Mab in any way, Tree would personally thrash the crap out of them. He made a fist unconsciously, his jaw clenching. Barlimo interrupted Tree's thoughts: «There really is a lot of traffic out there.» She peered into the gently moving mist. «And most of them seem to be mounted Saambolin Guildguard. I wonder why that is.» Tree stiffened. «How close are we to Renegade Road?» «We've just turned on to it,» replied Barlimo. She paused. «Are you thinking what I'm thinking?» Tree nodded. «A Saambolin raid on a Jinnjirri party?» Barlimo grunted, running her hands raggedly through her hair. After considering their options, Barlimo said, «All right. I'll tell you what I think we should do.» Tree leaned forward, his eyes on hers. «I figure it this way. If it is a raid—then, we've probably got only the slightest headstart on the Guildguard. When they arrive, the party will scatter—the Guildguard picking up as many Jinn as they can. We've got to have found Mab and Timmer before that point.» Barlimo touched Tree's furious red hair. «That means, my friend, that we can't waste time beating Cobeth—or anybody else—into the ground. Do you understand? And do you agree?» Tree remained motionless, his eyes smoldering. Barlimo waved her hand in front of his face. «Tree, are you listening to me? We've got big trouble on our hands. If you or anyone else from the Kaleidicopia gets caught by the Saambolin Guildguard on the premises of a drug raid—the house is finished. Gadorian is just itching to throw the book at us. Rowen said Gadorian and Sirrefene's response to Cobeth's play was negative. All we need now is for either the Guildmaster or the Master Curator to find out that Cobeth's a former Kaleidicopian.» Barlimo smiled at the Jinnjirri sitting opposite her in the carriage. «I'm sure Cobeth'll show up at our Trickster's Hallows, Tree. You can beat the piss out of him then. I'll even help.» «Maybe the Saambolin will do it for us tonight,» Tree muttered. Barlimo laughed sardonically. «Have you ever known Cobeth to get caught doing something he shouldn't? He's the master manipulator. You can be sure Cobeth will have an escape route out of Rhu's house. And I bet he smuggles all of The Merry Pricksters along with him. How many are there now, anyway? With you gone, I mean?» «Nine.» Barlimo stared at Tree. «Something wrong with that?» he asked. «No. No—nothing's wrong with it. It's probably just a coincidence,» she added with a shrug. Just the same, a chill went up her spine. Tree smiled without enthusiasm. «Rimble-Rimble.» Barlimo said nothing, wondering where Zendrak was tonight. Coming out of the back room briefly where she had been smoking Royal Sabbanac and nibbling on the ear of a Jinnjirri woman, Timmer noticed Cobeth's presence—and Mab's absence. After making a few hasty inquiries, Timmer learned that Mab had last been seen going up the stairs with Cobeth—the actor's arm around her waist. Much to Timmer's horror, she also learned what Cobeth liked to do upstairs. Besides make love, he liked to initiate people into some arcane religion through the ingestion of holovespa. And no, Cobeth did not use small dosages of the drug. He believed—they said—in going for the jugular of the Presence. The more intense the trip, the more valid the religious experience. Timmer swore. Mab might be a pain in the ass—but she wasn't deserving of this. Taking the stairs two at a time, Timmer ran toward Rhu's room. She found the door ajar. Hearing the sound of weeping coming from the bathroom, Timmer winced. «That's got to be old tear-ducts Mab,» she murmured and walked hastily toward the bathroom. As she reached the open door, Timmer heard the sound of a man's voice. «Now what?» she added, entering the steamy room slowly. Timmer's jaw dropped. «Doogat!» cried the Dunnsung. «What in the world are you doing here?» The Mayanabi Master flinched. «Not so loud, Timmer—please. I've got a terrible headache.» Turning his attention back to Mab, Doogat coaxed the trembling nineteen-year-old out of the showerstall. Mab stared at Timmer stupidly while Doogat threw a dry towel around her bare breasts and shoulders. Timmer crept closer to Mab. Looking at the Piedmerri's dilated pupils, Timmer said, «Is she going to be all right?» Doogat grunted. «Should be. Mab's had quite a scare though—haven't you, old girl?» he asked Mab amiably, wrapping a second towel over Mab's dripping brown hair. Mab didn't answer. Timmer swallowed. «I feel awful about this, Doogs. It's all my fault that Mab's even here at this party. I talked her into it.» Doogat shrugged. «It hasn't been a good night all the way around, Timmer. Take what blame is yours in this matter, but please—leave the rest of it. The negligence isn't all yours to shoulder.» He sighed sadly. Timmer looked away, feeling embarrassed about her earlier impatience with Mab. It had probably been an act of courage for the Piedmerri to come to this party at all. An act of courage that Timmer knew she'd never understand from the outside. The blonde musician took a deep breath. Bringing her attention back to Doogat and the shivering young woman next to him, Timmer said, «So—uh—what can I do to help?» Doogat smiled at Timmer and told her to fetch a bathrobe of Cobeth's from the next room. «If the Jinnjirri wants it back, he can come and get it at the Kaleidicopia. Leave him a note to that effect, will you, Timmer? I'll finish drying Mab in here.» Timmer did as she was told. A few moments later, Doogat heard a soft cry of surprise from the next room. Craning his head around the corner of the bathroom, he called, «Is everything all right in there?» Timmer reappeared, a purple bathrobe draped over her shoulder and an envelope in her hand. Timmer's face was pale. «You're not going to believe what this is,» she said hoarsely. «You're just not going to believe it.» Doogat took the bathrobe and put Mab into it. Then, meeting Timmer's expectant gaze, the Mayanabi Master said, «Janusin's rent money?» Timmer's mouth opened. «How did you know?» Doogat smiled, picking Mab up in his arms. «There are different kinds of thieves in the world, Timmer. Cobeth's one kind. And Po?» Timmer's face turned scarlet. «I guess I owe Po an apology.» «I guess you do,» agreed Doogat, his dark eyes twinkling. T
immer held up the lavender envelope. Its wax seal was broken. «I saw it while rummaging for a pencil on Cobeth's desk. Money's all here. Every cent.» She swore. «Cobeth's really got it in for Janusin. The 'K,' too, apparently. Now we know what was behind Rowen's overdone playbill kudos. They were a half a page of pure guilt. Or mockery. Rowen's library card is in here.» Doogat encouraged Mab to relax against his chest. Then, his expression curious, he said, «What library card?» Timmer reached into the envelope and pulled out a tattered piece of paper. «Rowen was grousing about it over dinner at the Kaleidicopia. I wasn't paying much attention.» On the word «attention,» Doogat suddenly stiffened. Listening intently for a few moments, he turned to Timmer and asked, «Is there a back way out of this house?» Timmer nodded. «Yeah—I was out on the porch earlier. Why?» Doogat walked swiftly out of the room, clasping Mab firmly in his arms. «Come on!» he yelled at the Dunnsung. «Quickly, Timmer, quickly!» Muttering under her breath about the weird ways of the Mayanabi, Timmer followed Doogat out of Rhu's house without further delay. As she exited out the back—the Saambolin Guildguard entered from the front. The night was cool, the mist eerie. Timmer's eyes widened with surprise. Before her stood Tree. Glancing at the happincabby to his left, she observed Barlimo motioning the driver to wait. «I don't believe it,» Timmer mumbled, and felt grateful for this coincidence. Barlimo walked quickly toward Doogat. As she reached him, she touched Mab's wan, sleepy face with a kind hand. Raising her eyes to meet those of Trickster's Emissary, Barlimo whispered drily, «I thought you were supposed to prevent this kind of thing.» Doogat replied in Zendrak s voice, his tone equally as dry, «I was.» «Wonderful.» He shrugged, his head still throbbing with a hangover. Part III: Recognition Ceremony By the venomous sting of his Chaos Thumb, Trickster pricks nine, one by one, His circle of genius for the turn to come; Back pocket people for that rainy day When the weave of the world pulls away.
Contrarywise Page 18
