''You need to change, don't you?'' Kris said.
''Mama knew that. Great-grandmama, too. I think if Mama had lived, Grandmama and she would have worked this out years ago. But then Mama's and Papa's canoe was swamped ten years ago, and the stroke took Great-grandmama. We've kind of been treading water, waiting until I could get older. I don't think Grandmama can float much longer. The old woman was right. We do need two Dancers to Dance up the Moon.''
''Can't your grandmother help?''
''Grandmama never got along with Great-grandmama. Her second husband was from the Big Island, and she moved there and let her skin go pale. Her third husband was a trader among the stars, and she left Hikila, and we don't know where she is and don't care. No.'' The young girl squared her shoulders. ''This is the challenge that I will have to decide when I come to sit on the judgment stone, if Grandmama does not find a way to decide it before she goes to join all the other queens and consorts.''
So, Grampa, there are a few things you didn't mention when you asked me to make this little trip, Kris thought. Why wasn't she surprised? Aholo and Afa left for a dance that seemed to involve about half of the islanders, but she didn't ask Kris to join her, and once it got going … with everyone seeming to do something different as they went along … Kris was glad to just watch.
''So, now that you've met the snake,'' Jack said, ''You willing to let me have your gun?''
''Abby talks too much.'' Kris gave Jack a sly, sideways look. ''Where's your gun?''
''That's no question for a young lady to ask. And you know I don't like my primary to go armed.''
''I thought you were on terminal leave.''
''Terminal for me. Not you.''
''Kris, do you know that this whole area is covered by a security system?'' Nelly asked.
''No.'' Beside Kris, Jack was eyeing her leis seriously.
''Very high-tech. There's a secured vault under the Long House. I calculate the odds are 95 percent that the video camera there is showing a loop of the last hour. The security service has not taken note of it yet.''
Kris looked down at her lovely yellow, pink, and turquoise paint scheme. ''Not exactly the camouflage for going covert.''
''Good.'' Jack stood. ''I'll handle this.''
''I can darken your colors, Kris,'' Nelly said, and suddenly Kris was as dark as the night.
''How'd you do that?'' Kris and Jack both said as Kris's paint went back to flowers.
''The paint is in contact with my lead-ins and controllable. If we hadn't been so rushed, I had meant to tell Abby I could touch up some of her over-paints, but there was little time, and I was not sure she'd appreciate the offer.''
''She is learning tact,'' Jack said as the two of them headed back to the Long House, keeping available bushes between them and the dancers. Kris was busy checking their path and didn't notice when Jack's automatic appeared in his hand.
''Where was it?''
''I'm not telling. Where's yours?''
Kris pulled it out from the hair at the back of her neck.
''Figured it. You're going to have to ditch the flowers.''
''At the Long House. Nelly, make me black again.'' In a moment, Kris was in black… except her face.
''Here, put this on,'' Jack said, producing a small vial.
Kris smeared her face black. She'd worry about later, later. I CAN CHANGE THAT, and in a moment, Kris's face was flowers, then black again.
''Thanks Nelly. Now, is there a way down?'' Jack said.
''One on this side, one on the other. Go past this azalea bush.'' Jack did. There were steps leading down to a concrete basement wall with a thick steel door. Clearly, not all of the Big Island tax money had gone off world, something Aholo had skipped over.
''Can you open the door?'' Kris asked.
''Don't need to,'' Jack said. ''It's already jimmied. Now, you stay back, damnit.''
''Yeah, right.'' Kris muttered, and slipped out of her flowers, leaving them beside the steps.
The door opened on well-oiled hinges; the room beyond was dimly lit. Row upon row of tables were covered with what Kris could only describe as the makings for the weirdest rummage sale she'd ever seen at any political fundraiser. Wooden masks, statues with very prominent sexual features … male and female, stone and wicker doodads were heaped on the tables and lay beside them. And this was under lock and security camera!
To each their own idea of junk.
Jack, with her behind him, moved silently to crouch beside one table and a statue with a particularly long, ah, tongue.
SOMEONE IS WORKING AT THE RIGHT END OF THE BUILDING, TWO ROWS OVER Nelly informed Kris. Kris touched Jack's shoulder and waved him in that direction. So there. You do need me and Nelly.
Several quiet steps later, they crouched in the aisle between tables and studied one intent person in black, rigging plastic explosives to a moss-covered, volcanic rock about the size of a footstool.
Jack crossed the aisle, checked the other side of the room, then took aim and said, ''Put your hands up and step away from the rock.'' Kris drew a bead, too.
The dark figure froze, but otherwise took its time obeying Jack's orders. As it stood, Kris had the impression it might be a woman, but in the dim light, black on gray was hard to make out. Hands up, it opened its mouth …
And the room went pitch-black.
Jack fired. Kris fired. In the small flash from their guns, all they saw was vacant air where they were aiming.
NELLY?
IT IS RUNNING. TO THE LEFT.
CAN YOU TURN ON THE LIGHTS?
JUST A MOMENT.
The lights came on as a door opened and slammed to the left of them. ''I did say there were two doors,'' Nelly said.
''And whoever that was just used the second one,'' Jack's voice held acid as he eyed the rock and the wires connecting the blocks of plastic. Carefully, he stepped closer to it.
''Nelly, are you familiar with this kind of a bomb setup?'' Kris said to explain her continued presence.
Jack reached the rock and immediately pulled one dangling bare wire. ''That was very likely the antenna,'' Nelly said.
''Thank you,'' Jack answered dryly.
''Put your hands up,'' came with belated authority from the right-hand side of the room, the door they'd entered by.
''Could we at least disarm the bomb?'' Kris said, putting her automatic down carefully beside Jack's.
''Bomb?'' said one plaintive voice.
''No, you might set it off,'' ordered the more authoritative one.
''Standing right beside it,'' Kris said, raising her hands.
''Maybe we ought to let them, you know, disarm it, Kalikau.''
''No, they could be on a suicide mission, Malu.''
''Nelly,'' Jack said, ''I don't think the arming circuit is complete. What's your call?''
''That was the antenna, and the circuit was not completed. It is not a danger. Yet,'' the computer agreed.
''Who's talking?'' the authority demanded.
''My computer. Now, will you take us to Princess Aholo so we can get this straightened out? But you better leave someone guarding that rock, or whoever was trying to make a bomb might come back and finish it. And why blow up a little rock, anyway?''
''You don't know?'' The timid one said.
''Follow me. Malu, you stay and guard the Coronation Stone.''
''Coronation Stone?'' Kris said.
''Why me?'' Malu said.
''You might want to rip off that biggest block of explosives,'' Nelly said. ''That would really break the circuit. We should take that with us,'' she finished helpfully.
''Don't,'' said the officious one, but Malu already had. He handed it to Jack.
''And if you'd been wrong?'' Jack said to Kris's chest.
''The odds on that were minimal. Much lower than those of whoever that was returning.''
Kris paused as they reached the stairs. ''Can I put my flowers back on? You know, the crown your elders gave me and the leis from Princess Aholo.
''Flowers?'' came from Kalikau somewhat less officiously.
''Be careful,'' Jack said as Kris started shimmying into leis. ''She's wanted for destroying private property on Turrantic, misuse of government property on Wardhaven. She could be adding destruction of national treasures on Hikila to her long criminal dossier.''