Part 23 (2/2)

”Behindpast her cheek, and then reappearing, triuhed

”Master Lute?”

”Yes, Lady Moonhawk?”

”You're a dreadful e, ”are an i, don't you think, that we are so very well matched?”

Certain Symmetry

THE MORNING OF the sixth and final day of Little Festival dawned in pastel perfection, prooers

Pat Rin yos'Phelium, Clan Korval, a faithful five-day attendee, had failed through press of pleasure to greet the dawn fro it from the far side, as he was most soundly asleep, and remained so for some hours beyond

When he did rise and betake himself to his study, he found the day's letters and packets piled neatly to hand, the screen displaying his preferred news service, and a pot of tea gently stea next to a porcelain cup

Pat Rin poured for hi the news summary

The results of yesterday's skimmer races at Little Festival were, inevitably, top news It could not be otherwise, with both the thodelm of yos'Galan and the nadelhed, gently, and sipped his tea One's mother was annoyed, however courteously she had accepted one's cousin's instruction in the aze to wander from the screen for a moment

One's cousin had provenunanticipated One encountered an edge-and a precision of cut-which had not been noted before cousin Val Con's departure for the Scouts Italteration in the unassu Pat Rin recalled Or, as one'sinto his own, that genes would tell, and by the Gods it had see moment as if her brother Daav himself had stood before her

Well

Pat Rin had some more tea, and set the cup aside He would need to acquaint himself with this new iteration of Val Con No doubt this skientle inquiries as to theavailabilityof the nadelm He made a note to speak-unofficially, of course!-to cousin Nova regarding Val Con's current standing with regard to the e mart In the ht his attention once more to the news screen, noted that several of hisefficiency; read with bored interest the listing of contract-otiated and consummated; learned of a brawl in hter and a Liaden tug; scanned the list of performances, contests and displays scheduled for this, the last day of Festival, and-blinked

Fal Den ter'Antod Clan Imtal had died

Pat Rin called for more information and quickly learned that Fal Den's kin had published a suicide to the council of clans and had declined, as was their right, to provide particulars Business partners and allies of Clan I; that the viewing box and pleasure tents held by Imtal would be closed for the reed in Balancing accounts with Fal Den should soon find themselves satisfied

Pat Rin closed his eyes

He could not name himself a close friend of Fal Den ter'Antod, but he had certainly known the reat beauty nor a great intellect, Fal Den possessed charreeable and even welcohtness of others and a rather thin skin, yet despite these he capably ed both an impeccable melant'i and the not-inconsiderable interests of his family on the Port To believe that Fal Den was dead, and by his own hand

Pat Rin opened his eyes, reached out and touched the discreet pearly button set into his desk

Fal Den dead He had seen him only three days past, on the arm of Hia Cyn yo'Tonin, which was deplorable of course, and had Fal Den been the sibling Pat Rin did not possess, he would have been moved to whisper a word in his ear

The door to his office slid open and the excellent pel'Tolian, his general man, stepped within and bowed

”Good day, Lord Pat Rin”

”Alas, I ularly distressing day”

”Perhaps matters will iested

”Perhaps they will Certainly, it is possible In thebasket and have it delivered to the House of Iood, sir” The ht nuncheon And a glass of the jade”

”Very good, sir,” Mr pel'Tolian said again and went away, the door sliding silently shut behind him

Pat Rin sat with his eyes closed for perhaps the count of twelve, then turned to deal with his mail

There were four letters and two packets Two letters were solicitations of funding for ventures so wonderfully risky that to describe thenitudes of wishful thinking Such letters originated with the sato invite him-as multi-season cha parties on distantoutworlds where he h underbrush for days and firethe co was more pleasurable He dropped both solicitations into the recycler

Next was an invitation from Eyan yo'Lanna to make one of her house party, proposed for the ood-sufficient ti new and appropriate, perhaps involving the yo'Lanna colors The sudden fashi+on of declaring a party within hours or even minutes-the ”express” mode, as it was called-ing the party'sdesirabilityall but i, correct without being stifling, and always inforht hand drawer of the desk, pulled out a stiff ivory card with Korval's Tree-and-Dragon eraceful acceptance He slid the card into an envelope, penned the direction with his own hand, affixed one of Korval's postage coupons, and placed it in the carved wooden tray that served as his outbox

The fourth letter was fro the pleasure of his coit's

Pat Rin sit's was a joke, by which Luken meant to convey that Pat Rin was arrears in visits In which co at the calendar, Luken was entirely justified

He pulled out a sheet of paper bearing only his name, wrote that he would be pleased to dine with his foster father this very evening and begged his pardon for being a light-ned himself ”Your affectionate son,” sealed, directed, stamped, and placed the completed billet in the wooden tray

The door of his study opened to adlass

This, he disposed upon the small table to Pat Rin's left, then picked up the completed mail and, cat-footed, departed

Pat Rin turned his attention to the first of the two packets The postage was Aragon's He had shared several delightful and adventurous Festival hours with a daughter of the House only yesterday As the adventure had been at the lady's initiative, Pat Rin assuratitude He broke the seal, unfolded the box, shook out the silken garroaned

He had expected Shan and Val Con's escapade to result in a rash ofVal Con's innovative cloak, the so-called ”ski effect in yesterday's races He had simply not expected the fashi+on to have taken so quickly

Aragon's third daughter had sent hi light orange-whichas one must have assuredly assumed that it would be The name of the tailor was impeccable-in fact, his mother's own tailor-and the material flawless Nor did it seem at all unlikely that the silk had been chosen to precisely , of which the lady had been hed and folded the wretched thing onto his keyboard, and turned back to the opened box There was no note, which was proper, and told hi, if not taste

He picked up the second packet, frowned at Imtal's postal mark, broke the seal, and for the second fine in a hour found himself at Point Non PlusFor the packet contained a leather book no larger than Pat Rin's hand, sta, he opened the volue and verified that what he held was indeed Fal Den ter'Antod's personal debt-book

There was no note, as of course there would not be, the Code being explicit upon this point By the act of sending this book, Fal Den had chosen the executor of his will He, Pat Rin yos'Phelium, was to tend all accounts left unBalanced at the ti justly where the fault had been Fal Den's; collecting fully where the debt ed No light task, this, nor deniable

And he had precisely thirty-six hours in which to co that all debts were on-planet, which seee Not yet With the patience of a true gambler he closed the book and settled back into his chair