"Yes."
"A madhouse?"
Shiny Head frowned. "The madhouse is an ancient figment from the father planet. I was speaking of a specialized hospital where—"
"Impossible." Hairy Head rubbed its eyes, glanced at Kind Lips, and said to Shiny Head, "That is quite impossible, father."
"I assure you the facility is very discreet and—"
"Discreet? My family and I are in the public eye, father. Outside my estate there is no such thing as discretion, and damned little within it." Hairy Head took a deep breath and let it out in a sigh. "I apologize for my language, father."
"There's no need."
"I cannot accept the risk. I have a responsibility to the Reformists and to my good friend Mikael Yucel. Aside from that, there is my position to consider. My son Rahman will inherit my estates, my position, my investments, and influence on this and other worlds, and the responsibilities for all of them. I cannot risk it being known that his mother is troubled."
Hairy Head fell silent for a moment. Hairy Head resumed speaking with a low voice. "You know what can be made of such things by the news, by the off-world traders, by the orthodoxy—especially by the orthodoxy."
"Perhaps a visiting therapist, then?" implored Shiny Head.
Hairy Head stared at Silent for a long time before looking at Hard Mouth. "Very well. I will leave it to you to find someone who can keep our confidence." Hairy Head looked at Shiny Head. "There are only a few persons who know about this, and I know who they all are. If any of this gets out, I'll know to whom to send my operatives."
"I understand," answered Shiny Head.
"Make certain your therapist understands as well."
"Yes, minister."
"Make any arrangements with my secretary, Razi." Hairy Head nodded toward the door and there was a figure standing there with a glittering thing hanging from its neck.
"As you wish, minister."
Hairy Head went out of view and Glitterneck followed. There was a noise. Kind Lips bent over and tucked in Silent's cover as Shiny Head returned.
"Here," said Shiny Head as Shiny Head handed a small vial filled with blue liquid to Kind Lips. "Rub it on the bruised area. It will reduce the swelling, relieve the pain, and remove the discoloration. Do you understand?"
Kind Lips nodded.
Shiny Head nodded toward Hard Mouth. "Keep that one away from the baby. I'm going to tell the minister's secretary to have her locked up where she will no longer be a danger to the child, or to herself. After the therapist sees her …" Shiny Head seemed to get angry. "Look who I'm talking to." He pointed to where Hard Mouth was. "Just keep her out of this room. Can you do that?"
Kind Lips placed hands over her face and bowed toward Shiny Head. Shiny Head reached down and moved his hand as he said, "In the name of Alilah and his Messengers, in the name of the Enlightener, bless and protect this female. Amen."
Shiny Head went away. Kind Lips poured some of the blue liquid onto a hand and reached toward Silent. Silent was afraid for the arm, but as the delicious coolness touched it, the pain went away.
Silent lifted up a hand to touch Kind Lips's face—
Suddenly the world turned over and Silent fell, a cold hard surface striking Silent's cheek. It was dark and Silent could hear crashes and thumps. Silent hid in the darkness and cried for the pain.
The light invaded Silent's hiding place and Silent could see Hard Mouth and Kind Lips struggling. Hard Mouth picked up something and struck Kind Lips in the head. Kind Lips fell to the floor.
Hard Mouth knelt and began coming closer and closer. Hard Mouth pulled the black mist off its yellow hair and came to a stop. Hard Mouth looked down, moved fingers, and pointed at Silent. Then Hard Mouth reached down and slapped Silent's face right where the cold hard surface had hit it.
Silent cried and screamed, but she made only the same quiet hiss that Hard Mouth made as Hard Mouth continued to slap and slap at Silent's face. An edge of dark softness came as Glitterneck rushed into the room. Glitterneck's arm went around Hard Mouth's throat and pulled Hard Mouth away. Glitterneck bellowed angrily at Hard Mouth as the world became very dark.
In the wonderful-smelling room with the great hot iron cookers, she waved her arms and cried without voice as Kind Lips put the filmy black veil over her head.
Twice she had pulled it off, and twice Kind Lips had replaced it, each time making signs with her fingers. There were signs she could read and signs she couldn't. The signs that stood for her, the single finger to the lips followed by the downward-held fist, she could read. The man in white who made the cooking smells and banged the huge silver pots said the signs said "Silent Her." She did not believe him because no one had such a silly name.
Kind Lips wasn't making those signs. Kind Lips was holding up fingers, holding down fingers, making fists, and looking very worried. She thought Kind Lips was playing, so she reached out and pulled the veil from her head once again. She laughed without voice as Kind Lips sat back upon her heels.
She felt a hard slap upon her buttocks. It stung and she cried. The veil was placed upon her head by an unseen hand, and she cried as she saw the tall one in white dusting off his hands as he went back to the sink. The one in white had a word-name, and it was Onan. The other man, Nabil, had called him that.
Onan turned and looked down at Kind Lips. "It's the only way Silent'll ever learn." Onan dried his hands and returned to the huge silver pots he was supervising as he gave orders to three helpers with names and four helpers without names.
Kind Lips reached within the folds of her black dress and withdrew something. She held it out, but the one whose name was a finger held to the lips followed by a downward-held fist could only look through her tears and hold her hands upon her bottom.
After a moment she sniffed and looked at the object in Kind Lips's hand. It was a beautiful golden thing with a six-pointed star enclosing a cross with a curved point on the bottom. There was a thin golden chain with it. She wanted to look at it more closely and she drew it beneath her veil. It was so shiny. Kind Lips reached beneath the child's veil and put the chain around the child's neck.
"If you keep giving that brat presents every time it gets paddled, she'll never learn anything."
Kind Lips stood up and walked away. Onan stirred at a pot and soured up his face as he said, "Fuzzywriggles! May the Messengers carry word of my suffering."
He took a wooden spoon and dipped it into one of the silver pots. Bringing the spoon out, he sniffed at it, wrinkled up his nose, and blew upon it.
"Here, girl." Onan lifted the front of her veil and touched the spoon to her lips. She tasted the hot liquid and it was sharp-flavored, but sweet. It filled her nose with heady aromas.
"I guess you like it. I suppose it's all right then for the Fuzzywriggles." He placed the spoon in a drip boat and went to a counter where he began chopping things with his huge, wicked-looking knife. In the middle of his chopping, he stopped and glared at her.
"Girl, have you ever laid eyes on one of those fuzzywriggles?"
She shook her head.
Onan nodded. "You pray from Abraham to Kamil that you never meet one. They eat little girls."
She shook her head. That was too horrible to be true. No one ate little girls.
The cook raised his eyebrows. "We can't keep a veil on her head, and now she questions a man's word. You have Magda's salt in you, and that's the truth."
Onan dried his hands on a cloth and said, "Come with me, girl. I'll show you what the fuzzywriggles eat."
He went to another counter. "You see, tonight your father is entertaining many important men, including his friend the new first minister, Mikael Yucel." His hands swept together some things on the counter. He glanced over his shoulder at the girl. "There'll be five fuzzywriggles there, too, and I've been given my orders to feed 'em proper."