hough; and the general look of them as they scuttled around was very crablike, though Nita couldn t remember ever having seen any crab look quite so busy. Soon the wet gleam of the sand under the starlight was obscured by them, black with them. All up and down the length of that beach, from right in front of them to (it seemed) the edge of the world, the crabs started to dig, throwing the peach-colored sand up behind them in little showers. The whole beach became obscured by the haze created by sand in the air, sand kicked up by millions of little legs. What are they doing Nita whispered. Watch, said Quelt. They watched, while some of the tiny satellites that were all Alaalu had by way of moons went sliding by overhead, casting shifting shadows over the shapes on the beach. And slowly, slowly, the beach above the waterline began to be obscured by something that was not flat. The keks were building. What are they making Kit said, very quietly, as if he was afraid he might frighten them. We don t know, Quelt said. No one knows. They build these things in the sand…then they go back into the water by midnight. And the next night, they come and do it again. They ve always done it, as far as I know. Since our people began to notice things… They sat there and watched for maybe another half an hour. There, in the darkness, the crabs sculpted the sand. Shapes reared up mostly little cones with holes opening out of them. They would collapse, get built again, collapse once more. And, finally, the keks got tired of it, and slowly, one by one, they started going into the sea again. In the darkness, Kit said, That was so neat… And he let out a tremendous yawn. Quelt laughed under her breath. Come on, cousins, she said. It s late for all of us. No need to get up early tomorrow. They got up and walked back to the house along the rise, looking down at the strange shapes built on the sand, watching as the sea began to creep up and wash them slowly away. Before too long they were back at the Peliaens house, where here and there in an open window, a little lamp showed like a star. There s your building, Quelt said, leading them to it. It was thatched with ironwood, like the other buildings, and had several open windows that let the warm night breeze in. Screens partitioned it in half. You have a gender-separability thing at your age, don t you Quelt said. I thought so. Is this all right Kit yawned. This is fine, Nita said, and started to laugh at Kit, until she yawned herself. There s a big couch on each side, Quelt said. Some coverings and cushions if you need them. And then she bent down to each of them and took them gently by the shoulders. I m so glad you came! Quelt said. This is going to be fun. Nita reached up, did the same for Quelt. You have a good night, she said. Quelt smiled, slipped out of the building like a shadow. Kit, standing there and looking out the window, smiled, too. The coolness of this situation, he said, cannot possibly be overstated. And he yawned. Nita glanced at him and laughed. I wouldn t have put it quite that way, she said, but, yeah, you re right there. These people are really, really nice…and this is going to be a terrific holiday. Now go to bed! On either side of the screen, they went to sleep under strange stars and, for the first time, did it not on errantry, where anything might happen, but in safety, and at leisure. Nothing seemed strange about the stars, here, and that odd, high horizon somehow made the sky seem smaller, a cozier and more protected place. Nita fell asleep with the sound of the sea whispering in her ears. And later on, there were other whispers entirely, but all friendly ones. This is so great, she thought once in the middle of the night as she turned over and saw, not her own dark bedroom wall, with the occasional late-night car headlight flickering across it through the Venetian blinds, but the nearby low, wide window opening onto the sea, and through it, stars falling like rain, so many of them that she was somehow surprised not to hear them pattering on the roof. So great. I love being a wizard… And she fell asleep again, while all around her, cheerful, unperturbed, like the wind, the whispers went on. Everything s fine… * * * * Local Excursions A VOICE WAS SHOUTING SOMETHING indistinct through a roar of fire. After a while, she could just make it out: Dairiiiiiiine! She held very still, hoping they would just stop shouting her name and go away. But the roaring just got louder, an indistinct, crackling, rushing sound Dairiiiiiiine. The voice came from downstairs. Where arrrrrrrre they Dairine rolled over in her bed and clutched the pillow over her head. Then she jumped, a half-awake version of the falling-out-of-bed awakening. There was a tree next to her bed, rustling in no wind whatever. Uh, hi, she said. Uh, Filif. Yeah. Was there something you needed You were making a noise, Filif said. Snoring, Dairine said. That s called snoring. Usually, when Nita accused her of it, she tried to find a way around the accusation, but she and Filif were both using the Speech, so there was no point in trying. Also, Filif said, there is someone who wants you. Dairine sat up in the bed, rubbing her eyes and trying to become more conscious. Her body was resisting her: She felt wrecked. If I feel like this at home, she thought, what would I have felt like if I d gone away Maybe this whole excursus thing wasn t such a great idea… Dairiiiiiiine! Coming! she shouted at the top of her lungs. You re loud today, Filif said, sounding amused. Yeah, well, I m about to get louder, Dairine said, getting out of bed and scouting around her room to find a pair of jeans to get into. Then she realized that Filif was standing on them. Fil, she said, could I get you to move sideways a little Thanks. Filif backed away, looking around her room. This is interesting, he said. How Dairine went to her chest of drawers and rummaged in it for another oversize T-shirt. It s so…enclosed. You ve got to show me your home, Dairine said, when we have a moment. But I have a feeling that s not going to be for a while… She went into the bathroom, took care of some things, changed, and then headed downstairs. In the dining room, Carmela was sitting at the table, looking in astonishment at Sker ret. The Rirhait was mostly coiled up on a chair himself, but had draped the front half of his body over the back of it, and, in turn, was staring at Carmela with most of his eyes. Both he and Carmela glanced up at Dairine as she came in. Decide to sleep in this morning Carmela said. Dairine glanced at her watch. It was 9:30. I don t know if I would describe this as sleeping in, she said. Or maybe it would ve been, if some people hadn t been shrieking my name at the top of their lungs. Oh, come on, Carmela said. How can you sleep when you ve got all these wonderful people in your house She leaned across the table toward Sker ret and grabbed one of his clawed forelegs, wiggling it back and forth. Sker ret chuckled, a raspy, ratchety little sound. I mean, look at this guy! Dairine stared at Carmela. I thought you hated bugs! Bug bugs, yeah, Carmela said. But Sker ret s not a bug! I mean, look at the size of him! Nobody s going to have to worry about him going down their back or getting in their shoes! One of Sker ret s eyes came around to waver almost in front of Carmela s nose. She grabbed the stalk just behind the eye and wiggled it, too, playfully. And look at all these eyes he s got! He s just terrific! Thank you! Sker ret said. You re an amiable being, and I like you, too. As she rummaged in the kitchen cupboard for tea, Dairine had to smile: The attitude was so like him generally. It s a shame he can t stay around a while after this is over, she thought. Amiable, Carmela said. See that He s cultured. What a nice vocabulary you have! she said to Sker ret. You re really going to spoil these guys, Dairine said, filling the kettle and putting it on to boil. Sker ret, don t use hard words on her. She s still in the kindergarten level in the Speech. I don t think she s doing so badly, Sker ret said. It s not like we re going to start talking technical things out of the blue. The sound of rustling in the doorway brought Carmela s head around. And what have we here she said. Why, you re just a little shrub! Aren t you cute! She stood up and went over for a closer look at him. You re not bad-looking for a biped yourself, Filif said. Dairine gave him a look from the kitchen. You flirt! she said. It s true, Filif said. It was impossible to say how one perceived that a tree was winking at you, but Dairine perceived it. Maybe it s the berries, she thought. What made Dairine have to control herself very carefully for the next couple of minutes was Carmela s response…because she perceived the winking, too. You tease, she said, and ran an affectionate hand through Filif s needles. Dairine, is it possible to become an item with a tree Uh, Dairine said. Many, many possible responses went through her head. There might be a splinter problem, she said at last. Carmela burst out laughing. We ll see. I m just trying to resist the urge to take this kid home and decorate him. You and I, she said to Filif, we re going to spend lots of time talking, because I want to know all about you. That would be good, Filif said. I want to know about you, too. I thought you said that people here didn t know about wizards, Sker ret said to Dairine. The teakettle boiled and started whistling: Dairine got it off the stove and poured boiling water on the tea bag in her mug. Mostly they don t, she said. Carmela s an exception to the rule. Most rules, she added, smirking slightly. I heard that, and I m taking it as a compliment! Carmela said. Dairine heard footsteps on the basement stairs, and winced. The sound was too light to be her father s tread, and he was probably at the shop already, anyway. Let s give Roshaun another chance, she thought. Maybe I just got off on the wrong foot with him yesterday. Roshaun came into the kitchen, and at first sight of him, all of Dairine s good intentions evaporated. He was even more splendidly dressed than he had been the day before. Today the long overjacket that he favored was in blue, and it was richly, even thickly, embroidered with jewels, in all shades of blue and green, some of them the size of marbles or quail s eggs. Gauntlets, tunic, boots, all were in metallic blues and greens, and the fillet binding his brows was of some blue metal. The fillet was the only part of the costume that really interested Dairine. But no way am I going to show it! Good morning, Dairine said to Roshaun. Roshaun merely nodded at her and swept through the kitchen into the sunny dining room. It s hopeless, Dairine thought. I think all my feet with this guy are going to be the wrong feet. I wonder if the Powers would let me send him back and get another wizard Roshaun paused in the doorway, gazing in at his fellow wizards, and at Carmela. It was a second or so before Carmela turned, most casually, and looked Roshaun up and down. A little early for such a big fashion statement, she said, but maybe some of us need to start early. And you would be Roshaun straightened up even straighter and taller than he had been standing, if that was possible, and gazed at Carmela. That s Roshaun, Dairine said, doing her best to keep any kind of smile from showing. … ke Nelaid am Seriv am Teliuyve am Meseph am Veliz am Teriaunst am det Wellakhit, Roshaun began, and this time went on reciting names for at least twice as long as he originally had with Dairine. Carmela stood there watching Roshaun go through this performance with the vaguely impatient expression of someone who s arrived at the movies on time and then has to sit through ten minutes of commercials and previews. Finally, Roshaun trailed off and stood gazing imperiously at Carmela, waiting for her response. He means he s a prince, Dairine said, not entirely kindly. I m sorry, Powers That Be. I haven t had my breakfast yet; it s that pesky blood sugar again… Carmela regarded Roshaun in the most leisurely manner possible. No methane, she said at last. Two legs. She gave these a last noncommittal glance, which suggested that perhaps he d put them on backward that morning, but she wasn t going to embarrass him by mentioning it. Well, one out of four s not bad, Carmela said at last. Let s go for two. You wouldn t have a battle fleet on you, would you Peering out through the kitchen doorway while pretending to do something concerning toast, Dairine saw that even Roshaun was having trouble looking haughty and completely confused at the same time. We have not yet been formally introduced, in that I… Roshaun finally said, trying hard to sound chilly about it. Dairine opened her mouth, but had no chance to say anything, for Carmela was once again looking Roshaun up and down, this time with the expression of someone who s been asked a personal question by someone who should have been asking her Paper or plastic Formally introduced I ll let you know if and when I think we need to be, Carmela said. She turned her back on Roshaun with a grim look and the merest twitch of a wink at Dairine. Meanwhile, she said to Dairine, I need to use the bathroom. But make a note for me: When you next hear from my brother, tell him he and I are going to have a talk, because I see that he was pulling my leg, and I m already planning numerous ways to make him pay. She leaned over and whispered in Dairine s ear the whisper being something that could have been heard at twenty paces And whatever you do, get me a date with that bush! Carmela then walked away toward the back of the house with a demeanor of complete unconcern, leaving Filif and Sker ret sitting there exuding the pleasure of having met a wonderful being, while Dairine and Roshaun stared after her, both briefly mute with astonishment. The moment didn t last long for Roshaun. Her brother was pulling her leg Roshaun said to Dairine. Does this have some cultural significance I think it s gonna be significant for him when he gets back, Dairine said, making a mental note to be there when that happened. Who is she Roshaun said. She s Carmela. Our neighbor, Dairine said. One of those lesser life-forms you don t want anything to do with. There was a silence that lasted for several seconds, a noticeable period when dealing with Roshaun. She s magnificent, he said at last. Dairine burst out laughing. Oh, boy, she said, when she got enough breath back to speak, does her brother ever need to hear that you said that! If he does ever hear about it, she thought. How do I make best use of a piece of information like this The alien prince has the hots for Kit s sister. This is too funny What did she mean, Filif said, she wanted to decorate me Oh, lord, Dairine thought, as the humor of the moment abruptly evaporated. Some of us have a tradition here, she said. We bring trees into our houses she was not going to tell him that most of those trees had been severed from their roots and we put decorations on them. Pretty things…glass balls…lights… There was a surprisingly long silence from Filif, at the end of which he said, I want to see!! I ll find you a picture, Dairine said. It s a pity you weren t here at Christmas. Then she wished she could take the line back. To see thousands of slowly dying trees standing around in vacant lots waiting to be bought by my people and put on display until their needles drop off ! Do not put so much emphasis on this that he wants to come back someday and see this for himself! But if we, uh, if we go to the mall today, Dairine said, desperately trying to cover by manufacturing a plan for his and everybody else s distraction from the dangerous subject, we can decorate you with other stuff. Carmela reappeared in the dining room as if by magic. Did someone mention the mall she said. Let s go! Filif said. I want to see the decorations! You all need to put on your disguises first, Dairine said, because there will be no end of trouble if you go out the way you are. And I want to see the disguises before we go anywhere. I m sure I won t need anything to pass unremarked in this culture, Roshaun said. Carmela started to laugh. Oh, you are so funny! she said, and the dry way that she said it brought Roshaun up short. No, of course you don t need to do anything! You look just like everyone around here! Oh, my. She turned away, ostentatiously half covering her face with one hand and throwing a look at Dairine that Roshaun could not possibly have missed. He didn t miss it. Perhaps the lady would show me the correct manner of a disguise for this world, Roshaun said, all haughtiness again, since we have seen so few examples of this world s dress… Dai