There was a long speech from the sorcerer. The djinnee turned around until it faced the trio.

'My Master Abu Ibn Infra Presents His Compliments And Welcomes You To His Humble Abode And A Lot Of Stuff Like That. If You Want To Eat, Just Tell The Table. Your Wish Is Its Command. There's A Lot Of That Sort Of Thing Goes On Around Here,' he added.

Kin hunkered down beside the table and looked at it more closely. It was one block of crystal, but now that she paid close attention there seemed to be something else in there too, something like a moving wisp of faint smoke.

She thought of cucumber and green paprillion salad, and the cinnamon ice-cream she used to buy from Grnh's Olde Drugge Store in Wonderstrands, the one with the recipe that Grnh had refused to sell to the dumbwaiter programmers. There was always a black Treale cherry on the top. The memory of that taste welled up until she drooled.

It grew out of the table. There was an impression of swirling movement in the crystal and then it was there, smoking with frost.

There was a black Treale cherry on the top. And -- Kin picked up the carton and stared.

It was in a familiar blue, black and white and showed an anthropomorphic penguin in a chef's hat. Around the side was: The Olde Drugge Store, corner of Skrale and High, Upperside, Wonderstrands 667548. Tregin Grnh and Siblings, reg. WE FREEZE TO PLEASE.

Marco stared at the carton, then looked down at the teasing shadows in the tabletop.

'I don't know how you managed that,' he said carefully, 'but what I have in mind is the Blue Plate special they serve in Henry Horse's Kung Food Bar in New--'

He stopped, because it was already there. There was one bowl, heavy pottery containing something under an orange-yellow crust that rumbled with internal eruptions.

'It must be telepathy,' he said uncertainly. 'It's just a telepathic dumbwaiter. Come on, Silver. I'm hungry.'

'You're hungry,' said Silver. She drummed heavy fingers on the table edge, then doubtfully:

'I have in mind a dish of ceremonial truduc.'

The shadow swirled, disappeared. Silver's fingers drummed on.

'Smoked guaracuc with grintzes?' she suggested.

A vague shape appeared above the crystal, then faded.

'Dadugs in Brine? Chaque sweetbreads? Xiqua? Dried qumqums?'

Kin sighed, and pushed the ice-cream away untasted.

'There Is A Problem?' said Azrifel.

'The table can't handle Shand proteins,' said Silver, sitting down heavily and drawing her knees up to her chin.

'What Is A Protein?'

Abu Ibn Infra seated himself comfortably by the far side of the table and put out his hand to grasp a crystal glass of pinkish liquid as it materialized beside him. Azrifel stirred, and nodded as the man spoke.

'My Master Wishes To Talk About Your Flying Clothes And Similar Matters.' More consultation. 'My Master Presents His Compliments To His Fellow Collectors And Offers, In Exchange For All Three Items, A Mirror-To-See-All-Things-Be-They-Never-So-Far And Two Bottomless Purses.'

Kin was aware of the other two looking at her. She said, 'Leaving aside for a moment his somewhat derisory offer,' -- she had a feeling that a lack of the haggling spirit might be regarded as signs of general weakness -- 'we come from a far-off land and do not quite understand the reference to Collectors. Collectors of what?'

Abu Ibn Infra frowned as he listened to the translation. He spat out a reply. Kin wouldn't have thought it possible for anyone to spit several lengthy sentences, but he managed, he managed.

'My Master Is Puzzled. You Possess Gifts Of God But You Do Not Know Of The Collectors. He Says: How Can This Be?'

'Listen, demon,' said Kin, 'you know. You're a projection, like Sphandor. Aren't you?'

'I Find Myself Forbidden To Answer That Question At This Moment In Time,' said Azrifel smugly. 'You Are In The Shit, That's All I Know. If You Think You're Coming Out Of This Alive, My Reaction Is Ho Ho Ho.'

'I will kill it,' said Marco, half rising. The guards behind Ibn Infra stirred.

'Sit down,' hissed Kin. 'You, demon, answer the question. What is a collector?'

'My Master Says It Is No Secret. He Himself Was Once A Humble Fisherman Until, Upon Gutting A Fish, One Day, He Discovered Inside It A Gift Of God, To Whit, The Lamp To Which I Am Shamefully Enslaved. I Am Azrifel Of The Ninth Dominion Of The Damned. I Can Find Anything -- Even The Power To Talk To You. That Is My Power.

'For Five Years I Have Laboured Mightily For This Jumped-Up Pig Of A Nouveau Riche Former Fisherman, Spiriting To This Somewhat Pretentious Palace Such Gifts Of God As Are Unclaimed By Other Collectors Or In The Possession Of Collectors Unfortunate Enough To Have Demons Weaker Than I. I Have Combed The Depths Of The Sea And The Bowels Of Volcanoes, I Have--'

'Hold it,' said Kin. 'The flying carpet, the table, these damn money purses -- they're Gifts of God?'

'Aye. The Carpet I Liberated From A Merchant In Basra, The Table I Found Encrusted With Barnacles On The Sea Floor--'

'But your master doesn't know how they operate? I mean, they're just magical items to him?'

'Aren't They, Then?' said the demon, grinningly.

'Just as I thought,' snapped Marco. 'He's just an ignorant man who doesn't know any more about the nature of the disc than does anyone else in these parts. I'll take out these guards, then we'll grab him and ride the carpet out of here.'

'Wait a minute,' said Kin sharply.

'What for? He knows nothing except how to operate the toys this creature finds for him.'

Kin shook her head. 'Just once, let's try diplomacy,' she said. 'Demon, tell your master we are not Collectors. We will give him these flying belts for his collection if he transports us on his magic carpet to the circular island that lies off the coast to the south-east of here.'

She knew she had said something wrong as soon as the words were out of her mouth. When Azrifel's translation died away Abu's face went white.

Marco sighed, and stood up. 'OK, so much for diplomacy,' he said. He sprang. So did Azrifel. There was a grey and yellow blur in mid-air and a small thunderclap. Then the demon was back, unruffled. Marco had vanished.

'What have you done with him?' said Kin.

'He Has Been Deposited In A Place Of Safety, Unharmed Except Maybe For A Few Friction Burns.'

'I see. And his ransom is our flying belts, right?'

Abu spoke. The demon said: 'No, My Master Says He Knows Now That You Come From Another World.

There Was Another Such Traveller, Some Time Since Who--'

'Jago Jalo?' said Kin. Abu glared at her.

'Crazy fool,' hissed Silver.

'That Was His Name,' agreed the demon. 'A Madman. He Abused Our Hospitality. He Stole From Our Collection. He Sought The Forbidden Island Too.'

'What happened to him?' said Kin. The demon shrugged.

'He Escaped From Here With A Carpet, A Bottomless Purse And A Cloak With Unusual Powers. Even I Have Been Unable To Locate Him. My Master Feels, However, That All Is Not Lost.'

'No?'

'He Has Three New Flying Devices, Two Captive Demons And You.'

Kin sprang round. More guards had appeared on the balcony, and they were archers. She considered taking a dive for the open air with the belt on full throttle. She might get hit. She doubted whether the disc's medical facilities were satisfactory. Anyway, that wouldn't solve Silver's problem.

So she collapsed into tears of inconsolable grief.

She heard a brief conversation between the demon and his master. Then two servant women were summoned to take her away.

She had one glimpse of Silver's impassive face before she was escorted out of the room and into a maze of ornate arches and screens. A male guard walked behind her with a drawn sword.

The women chattered at her solicitously. When they reached one arched doorway the guard left them, and took up a post outside the door. Kin was briefly surrounded by a gaggle of small dark-eyed women in scanty clothing before the older of her escorts shooed them away. She felt helpful arms guiding her to a bench. She sat and stared.