At the first corner Gim stopped and peered around cautiously. Then he strode off again into the wind.
"Who's Inka?” she asked.
"My girlfriend, of course."
"Pretty?"
"Gorgeous!"
"You love her?"
"Course!"
"Does she love you?"
"Very much! You scared?"
"Yes. You?"
"Horribly."
He was supposed to be a strong, comforting supporter! He had not studied his role very well. “You weren't scared on the dragon, were you?"
Gim turned into a narrow alley. “Yes I was—and Holy Tion had shown me that bit! He didn't show me this at all. Along here. Besides, all I had to do was shout Choopoo! and close my eyes and hang on. I'm a painter, not a hero!"
Of course he was brave! Of course he must be a hero if the god had chosen him. She decided Gim Sculptor's modesty was more admirable than Klip Trumpeter's pretenses.
"And I'm an actor, not a Historic Personage."
He chuckled. “I wouldn't believe you were either if the gods didn't keep saying so. What you need instead of me, Eleal Singer, is someone like Darthon Warrior."
"You came?” she exclaimed.
"Dad took me. Just the Varilian. Couldn't follow half of it. Wish you'd done a masque."
"So do I. I get to sing three songs in the masque."
He did not ask for details, so she prompted, “Was I a convincing herald?"
"You were all right,” Gim conceded, “if heralds were ever girls."
Eleal did not say another word to him for quite some time.
He led her along narrow lanes, down smelly alleys, across cramped, sinister courtyards. Soon she was hopelessly lost, but he insisted this was a shortcut. She kept thinking of Kollwin Sculptor's warnings about the guard, but the streets seemed to hold no people, only windy darkness. Bats flittered overhead and a couple of times she noted small eyes glinting in garbage-strewn corners.
Ysh shone bright blue in the east and that should be a good omen if the Maiden was supporting Tion's rescue efforts. But Eltiana dominated the sky, glaring red, and that was bad. There was no sign of Trumb, who must be due to eclipse one night soon. That was always a bad omen, and it would be especially scary now.
When the green moon turns to black,
Then the reaper fills his sack.
"What's a lovers’ gate?” Eleal asked.
"A way over a city wall. You'll understand when you're older.” Gim stopped at a dark archway.
"I understand now."
He hissed. “Sh! Watch your step in here."
"Here” was a black tunnel. He felt his way, leading her by the hand.
They emerged into a well enclosed by sheer walls stretching up to a tiny patch of sky where two bright stars were visible. There was no visible exit except the tunnel arch and one stout wooden door that looked very determinedly shut. The smell was nauseating.
"Made a mistake?” Eleal inquired in a whisper.
"Not if you can climb like my sisters. Hold this a moment. And be careful with it.” He handed her his lyre case while he removed his pack. Then he showed her the handholds and footholds in the walls, leading up to a patch of not-quite-so-dark darkness. She had missed it because it was higher than even his head and a long way above hers.
"I'll pass the pack up,” he said, taking his lyre back for safer keeping.
"What's on the other side?"
"Kitchen yard. Private house. Don't expect they're hanging out washing at this time of night."
"Can you fit through there?"
"Could last fortnight. Up with you."
Leggings did have some advantages over long skirts when it came to climbing. Eleal scrambled up, feeling the stones icy cold in her hands, but it was an easy climb, as he had said. The opening had once been a barred window, although which side had been “inside” and which “outside” she could not tell. Now it was a gap between two yards, only one bar remained, and there was room for a child or a slim adult to squeeze through—the sort of illegal shortcut every child in the city would know about and love to use. She wriggled her head and shoulders through and then stopped.
The yard was small, not large enough to hang very much washing, just house on one side and sheds on the other. No lights showed, but moonlight revealed that the way was definitely not clear. She looked back down at Gim, his face a barely visible blur.
"There's a small problem,” she whispered.
Gim said, “What?” impatiently.
"A dragon."
"What?” He sounded as if he did not trust her to know a dragon from a woodpile. She was blocking the preferred route, but he stepped on his pack, leaped up with long arms and legs and a scrabbling of boots on stone, catching a grip on the bar and hauling himself up beside her, dangling by one hand and one elbow.
"I'm so sorry,” Eleal said in his ear. “I see it's only a watchcat after all."
It was Starlight. He was crouched directly below her, and he knew she was there, for he was snuffling inquiringly. With his neck almost straight up, the soft glow of his eyes seemed close enough to touch. Any minute now he might decide to recognize her and issue an earsplitting belch of welcome. He would probably dislike having people drop packs and lyres and themselves on him.
Gim grunted. “Better take the long way round.” He let go and dropped. He had forgotten his pack. The sounds of body parts thumping stone seemed to go on rather a long time.
Eleal clambered down cautiously. By then he had stopped using bad words and was sitting up, trying to rub his head and an elbow at the same time.
"You didn't dirty your coat, I hope?” she inquired solicitously.
"Shuddup!"
"Whose house is that?"
Gim clambered painfully to his feet, rubbing his hip. “Gaspak Ironmonger's."
"Do you suppose he has a private shrine, too? Do you think T'lin Dragontrader belongs to another mystery?"
"Probably. Most men do."
Interesting! She'd suspected that. “Not Tion's, though? Then whose?"
"Why do girls talk so much? Keep quiet.” Gim hoisted his pack again, but he made no objection when Eleal slung the lyre strap over her shoulder.
They crept back to the tunnel. This time the way was easier, for Ysh's eerie beams shone in from the street entrance.
Now Eleal had a whole new problem to consider. T'lin had said he would give thanks to the gods in his own way. That suggested that he had gone to seek out the Narshian lodge of whatever god bore his particular allegiance.
Would he be giving thanks or seeking instructions? And what god would he favor? Obviously not Tion, or he would have prayed at Sculptor's shrine, nor Eltiana, or he would not have aided in Eleal's rescue. She could not imagine T'lin dedicating himself to the Maiden. Astina was the patron goddess of warriors, true, and athletes, oddly enough, but her attributes included justice and duty and purity. None of those sounded like T'lin Dragontrader's preference. Visek was the All-knowing, of course, but he was rather an aloof god, and not easily swayed, god of destiny and the eternal sun. T'lin ought to be more concerned with commerce and domesticated animals, and the gods for those were avatars of Karzon, the Man.
Who was also Zath, who had told his reaper not to let her reach Sussland alive.
Who was also Ken'th.
Daddy.
Gim grabbed Eleal's arm and pulled her back into a doorway.
She waited, but he did not explain what he had seen, or thought he had seen. Of course the guard would not necessarily parade around on dragonback with bands playing. It might be skulking in alleyways just as she and Gim were.