Pug produced a scroll from inside the folds of his robe and Nakor glanced at it.
Pug said. ‘It’s not the first. They have been appearing on my desk from time to time for years now.’
‘How long?’
‘Since before we met. The first one gave me the instruction to tell Jimmy to say to you—’
‘There is no magic,’ finished Nakor. ‘I know. When I heard that, and from a magician no less, I knew I had to come to Stardock.’ He looked at the scroll again. ‘Where are they coming from?’
‘Not where, but when. These are from our future.’
Nakor nodded, then his eyes widened as he read it again. ‘This is … from you!’ he said, and for the first time since Pug had met him, the small Isalani was speechless.
Tad lay on the bed with his arm behind his head as Zane paced the floor. ‘You’re going to wear a groove in the stone if you keep that up,’ he said.
‘I can’t help it. Someone brings us our food this morning, and we’re told to wait. Then lunch. Then someone comes to fetch the chamber pot and bring us a clean one, and now it’s almost suppertime and still no one has come to tell us what we’re doing here.’
‘It’s obvious what we’re doing here,’ said Tad. ‘We’re waiting. What we don’t know is what we’re waiting for.’
Zane’s expression darkened, and Tad sat up on the bed. He knew that look. Zane was a thin excuse away from taking out his bad mood on his foster brother.
Just as Tad sat up, anticipating Zane’s pre-emptive attack, Nakor appeared at the door and said, ‘You two, come with me.’
He left so abruptly that Tad almost unbalanced himself trying to hurry after him. He caught up with Zane and the Isalani halfway down the hall and thought it odd how fast the little man walked.
‘Don’t stare,’ Nakor said.
A moment later, Tad hit a doorjamb. He had just walked past a large open door that led into a courtyard dominated by a huge pool. At the edge of the pool and in the water was a group of young women. Tad’s attention was diverted in equal measure by the fact that all the girls were remarkably beautiful, completely naked, and their skin was a pale green and their hair the colour of bronze wire.
Tad suffered another injury as he stepped backwards only to be knocked down as Zane turned around and came flying back to the doorway to verify if he had indeed witnessed the same scene.
The girls turned to stare at them and both boys realized that they had no irises and their eyes were pearl-white in colour.
Nakor helped Tad to his feet with one hand, and waved to the girls with the other. ‘I told you not to stare,’ he said, as Tad touched his nose to see if it was bleeding. ‘Come along.’
Tad said, ‘Ah …’
Nakor said, ‘They are six sisters of the Pithirendar. They don’t care for clothing much and they spend a great deal of time in water. They are not entirely human. Though they are human enough to get you boys into trouble, so stay away from them or I’ll give you even more to think about.’
‘Not human …’ Zane muttered, trying to convince himself that his eyes hadn’t betrayed him. Tad reached out and half-dragged him away from the door as they both followed Nakor.
They turned a corner and Nakor motioned them to stand to one side. A thing – for lack of a better word – came lumbering down the corridor towards them. It was half the height of the boys and twice as wide. It looked like a table with a black cloth hanging over it and it moved on legs that resembled a crab’s. It also made an odd murmuring sound as it approached.
As it passed, Nakor said, ‘Good morning,’ and the thing answered in a surprisingly normal-sounding female voice.
After she had moved around the corner, Tad whispered, ‘What was that?’
‘A visitor,’ Nakor replied. He led them to a room where Pug sat waiting behind a desk.
The short magician rose and motioned for them to sit in a pair of chairs that were opposite his own.
They did so and Pug returned to his seat. Nakor stood by a window to Pug’s left. Looking at the two young men, Pug said, ‘We’re at something of a loss about what to do with you.’
Tad’s face drained of colour and Zane flushed. He said, ‘What do you mean, “do with you”, sir?’
Pug smiled. ‘No harm will come to you, if that’s what concerns you.’ He sat back and regarded the pair. ‘You may have already concluded that this community is unlike any others.’
Zane just nodded, while Tad said, ‘Yes, sir.’
Nakor laughed. ‘You seem to be handling it well.’
Zane shrugged. ‘I’m not exactly sure what to think, but Caleb has always been good to our mother and to Tad and me, so if you’re his family, then I suppose … well, I think we’re safe here.’
Pug sat back. ‘I don’t pry in the lives of my children, but tell me something about your mother.’
Tad spoke up as Marie was his real mother, though she treated Zane as his equal. He started off with the usual praise – that she was a good cook and kept the poor hut that served as home as clean as could be – but after a moment it was clear to everyone that the boy not only loved his mother, but respected her too. ‘It was hard after Papa died.’ He glanced at Zane. ‘But she took Zane in because he was my best friend and had no one else, when others in town looked the other way. She made do, and kept us both out of trouble.’
Zane added, ‘I’ve known her longer than I knew my real ma, so I suppose that makes her my real ma, if you understand, sir. She never took sides with Tad against me and she held me when I was a little boy. She loved me like I was her own.’
Pug sighed. ‘Even without meeting her, I can understand why my son cares for your mother, boys, and I can see why he cares about you. You acted bravely going back to the wagon.’
Nakor said, ‘Foolishly, from what you told me. Didn’t Caleb tell you to make your way to the village if you eluded the bandits?’
‘Yes,’ said Tad. ‘That’s true, but we had killed two of them already, and thought maybe Caleb could use some help. We had gained two swords by then.’
Pug shook his head. ‘And I for one am glad you disobeyed, and admire your resolve, for had you not done so, I’d have lost my youngest child.’ His eyes grew unfocused for a minute as he looked away, seeing something in the distance, and he said, ‘It’s something I dread more than you can ever imagine.’ He then turned to face the boys again and asked, ‘So, then, what shall we do with you?’
‘Caleb was taking us to Kesh to become apprentices, or on to Krondor, for there’s no work at home,’ said Zane. ‘If you need any apprentices, we’re willing.’
‘Are you willing, Tad?’ asked Pug.
‘Yes,
