Moon moved slowly around her own chair and sat down. The man came back with three mugs of beer and set one down on the hearth. Moon watched the tracing tentacles of the sea-demon caress the mug, wrap it, and lift it to drink. She picked up her own mug and drank, in long gulps. The man sat down on the other side of her, grinned. “You sure put away the brew, young mistress.”

The old woman clucked disapprovingly, sipping at her own mug. “Never mind. Tell us about yourself, dear. I don’t think you’ve told us your name. I am Elsevier, of course, and this is Cress. And that is Silky, my late husband’s — business partner. Silky is not his real name, obviously. We simply can’t say his real name. He is a dillyp, from Tsieh-pun; from another world, as we are,” with quiet reassurance. “Are you one of Miroe’s — colleagues?”

“I’m Moon. I…” She hesitated, aware of their hesitations; still not sure of them, not sure whether a lie or the truth would be a worse choice. “I just met him. He gave me a ride.”

“And then he brought you here?” Cress leaned forward, frowning. “Just like that. What did he tell you?”

“Nothing.” Moon drew away from him, toward the old woman. “And I don’t care, really. I’m just going to Carbuncle. He — said that you’d understand.” She turned to Elsevier, met the astringent indigo eyes set in a web of age lines.

“Understand what?”

Moon took a deep breath, pulled the sibyl sign out of her sweater. “This.”

Elsevier started visibly; Cress sat back in his chair. The thing on the hearth hissed a question, and Cress said, “She’s a sibyl!”

“Well… I” Almost a sigh. “We are honored.” Elsevier glanced at the others, Cress nodded. “I understand that this half of Tiamat is not the best place for a sibyl. That would be like Miroe, to go getting involved.” She smiled suddenly, deeply, but with great weariness. “No, it’s nothing — simply that seeing you who are so young and so wise makes me feel old and foolish.”

Moon looked down at her fingers twisting on the wood. “I am only a vessel for the Lady’s wisdom.” She repeated the traditional words self-consciously. These were off worlders and yet their reaction, like Miroe’s, was the respect-that-was-almost-awe a Summer would feel. “I — thought that no off worlder believed in the Lady’s power. Everyone says you make the Winters hate sibyls. Why don’t you hate me?”

“You don’t know?” Cress said, incredulous. He looked at El sevier, around at the alien on the hearth. “She doesn’t know what she is.”

“Of course she doesn’t, Cress. The Hedge wants this world kept in the technological dark, and sibyls are beacons of knowledge. But only if someone knows how to use their light.” Elsevier sipped her beer thoughtfully. “We could bring our own little Millennium, our own golden age, to this world. You know, Cress, we may just be the most dangerous people ever to visit this planet…”

Moon half frowned. “What do you mean, I don’t know what I am? I’m a sibyl. I answer questions.”

Elsevier nodded. “But not the right ones. Why are you going to Carbuncle, Moon, if you only expect to be met by hatred there?”

“I — have to find my cousin.”

“That’s the only reason?”

“It’s the only thing that matters.” He belongs with me. She looked down at the trefoil.

“Then it’s not just a kinsman you’re looking for, is it?”

“No.”

“A lover?” very gently.

She nodded, swallowing to ease the sudden cramp in her throat. “The only one I’ll ever love. Even if I never find him…”

Elsevier put out an age-stiffened hand, patted her own. “Yes, dear, I know. Sometimes you find one that you’d walk barefoot through the fires of hell for. What makes that one so different from all the rest, I wonder… ?”

Moon shook her head. And what made him different from me?

“Are you from Carbuncle?” She looked up. “Maybe you’ve seen him there. He has red hair…”

Elsevier shook her head. “No, alas. We’re not from the city. We’re just — visiting, temporarily.” She glanced toward the door, as if she suddenly remembered why they were waiting.

“Oh… What did you mean, about not asking the right ques—”

The door of the inn burst open with enough force to slam it back against the wall. Moon looked up with the others, her question left hanging in the air.

Two figures came in out of the darkness: a slender man of medium height, and a tall sturdy woman, both off worlders heavily dressed in matched clothing, wearing helmets. Holding weapons.

“Blues!” Cress muttered, his mouth barely moving. Elsevier’s hand rose to her throat, drawing the slicker together over the orange beneath it. She looked down at the darkness of her skin, let the hand drop.

“What is it?” Moon controlled a desire to leap up as Silky took refuge beside her. “Who are they?”

“No one you should know any better,” Elsevier said mildly. She picked up her mug before she looked back at the intruders. “Well, Inspector. This is unexpected. You’re a long way from home tonight.”

“Not half as far from home as you are, I expect.” The woman moved forward, searching them with her eyes, the weapon still showing in her fist.

“I’m afraid I don’t know what you mean.” Elsevier glittered with controlled indignation. “This is a private party of responsible Hegemony citizens, and I consider your bursting in like this highly—”

“Spare me, tech runner The woman gestured with her gun, her mouth set. “Your ship was spotted coming in, you’re on this planet illegally. I charge you further with suspicion of smuggling contraband items. Stand up, all of you, and put your hands on top of your heads.”

Moon sat frozen, looking from Elsevier to Cress and back; but their eyes were only for the strangers. The trefoil cut into her tightening hand; understanding just enough to be afraid, she stuffed it into her sweater.

But the uniformed woman spotted the motion and came forward; as she came Moon saw the frown on her face change into the same incredulity that had shown on the faces of the two Winters on the quay. The man behind her began to move watchfully to the side, as Elsevier and Cress got to their feet together. Moon felt Elsevier nudge her elbow and rose awkwardly, her chair grating on the floor.

“Now, Silky!” Elsevier murmured, jerking Moon back as the alien bolted away from the table, scrambled toward the doorway they had all come through. Moon came up against the chimney wall as the two officers wavered between targets, as Cress swept a mug from the table and hurled it, as the mug struck the light fixture suspended from the rafters and smashed it. A shower of electric sparks and foam rained down in the sudden darkness.

“Run for it!”

“BZ! Nail him!”

“Moon, stay out of this!” Moon felt Elsevier shove her ungently away, stumbled blindly over her own chair and fell against the table. There was noise and a cry behind her; dimly she saw the woman officer leap to catch Elsevier by the slicker. Moon’s hand closed over another mug on the tabletop; she brought it around and down with all her strength on the woman officer’s arm and heard a gasp of pain. Elsevier broke free, herded her ahead toward the way out. “Never, never hit a Blue, my dear—” breathlessly, next to her ear. “But thank you. Now run!”

Moon bolted through the doorway, her mind a white blur like the brightly lit room beyond, then through another door into a dark alley.

“This way!” Cress materialized beside her, pointing left. “That’s a dead end. Elsie?”

“Here.” The door banged behind them. “Don’t talk about it, get to the LBf”

They ran; Moon caught the old woman’s hand, lending her strength and speed. Up ahead she saw the alien in a band of reddish gold starlight, disappearing into a bolt-hole of shadow; behind them she heard the door fly open and a shout of discovery. Her free hand went dead suddenly up to the wrist; panic gave her wings.

Cress slid to a halt where she had seen the alien disappear. She saw a night-gilded board fence, saw him duck through the space between two rotten planks. She followed him through, pulling Elsevier with her, and almost fell over a peninsula of piled driftwood on the other side. “Get to the LBf” Cress waved them on frantically. “I’ll plug the gap.”