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.Hrotisft had brought many younglingsinto the schtann; it treated all the same way.That was something that Eschteef envied.There were no breeding ponds onOroga, no childgrowers.Eschteef would not have the joy of bringing a young one into the schtann formany years, not until it returned to Schriftalt.Page 14 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlThe feeling of coming danger grew; Eschteef quelled it with a louder mentalhiss.There was still ample time to pack up and be home before dark, beforethe t'Tant turned savage.But perhaps Hrotisft was right.Eschteef had a tendency to gather its thoughtswith the oncoming night, rather than prepare for it.Best to finish packingup.Eschteef turned and took its chrostith down from the wide shelf at the back ofthe booth.A fine piece of work, it was: a seamless silver pitcher, itssurface unmarked and unmarred.Not the kind of work that others of the schtannpreferred, not the incredibly detailed work of Sthtasfth or the grandiosecreationsYsthstht now built for the humans on Earth.Ysthstht, I do miss you, it thought, as it wrapped the chrostith in a velvet sheet, then put it awayin its own box.It is possible that I will never see you again, that we will never again speak.Cherat could not carry a structured thought over the kind of distance thatseparated Oroga's sun from Earth's.There was a quiet whisper of sound behind Eschteef; Eschteef spun around.Asit did, it saw an ankle disappearing under the rear curtains of the stall.Theankle moved with human slowness.Eschteef said, stooping to grasp the ankle and pull the human back intothe stall,Hrotisft signaled alarm; Eschteef quelled it with a mental hiss.There was noneed for help.Eschteef could handle the situation by itself.The human, a middle-aged, terrified male, squeaked some gibberish in its ownlanguage.Eschteef could understand the language that most humans seemed touse but there was no need for the effort, not now.This was not a business situation, and there was no trace of empathy with thishuman, no cherat.Eschteef emptied the human'stunic of the stolen scraps of silver by the simple expedient of holding thecreature upside down and shaking it.Then it turned the human right side up.Eschteef grasped the human's hair and pulled the head back, baring the neckfor its bite.It felt no remorse as it ended the thief's life, and then began to dine.The thief was, after all, not of the schtann.CHAPTER TWO:The TheftI tucked the corners of the blanket under Marie's feet, then-passed my handover the glowplate set into the wall, dimming it to a vague glimmer.Marieburied herself deeper in the blankets, her chest rising and falling slowly.She always slept well, if lightly.The sleep of the relatively innocent, Iguess&I turned; One-Hand had already retrieved a bottle from his winechest; hetucked it under his stump to free his hand, and then picked up the gameboard.He tossed it to the middle of the carpet."Let's play chess."I shook my head."I don't feel like a game." A wonderful piece of equipment,the gameboard Carlos had stolen it out of Elweré long ago, even before me butI wasn't in the mood to play."Some other time."I didn't bother keeping my voice low; Marie could sleep through loud talk, aslong as it was a familiar voice, though she would wake at the merest touch orany strange sound."You're too keyed up to sleep.A game will be good for you.Sit." One-HandPage 15 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlseated himself tailor-fashion."Board on.Standard chess."As I seated myself across from him, the board came alive, casting his faceinto wicked shadow as the squares flickered from white to black.The chessmen shimmered into being, then milled around the middle of the board.The knights squared off and ran through the Grand Salute.With raised arms andscowls, the queens and bishops harangued each other, while the rooks juststood still, looking bored
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