Part 12 (1/2)

Tel straightened his arms.

”Put this hand over here.” She patted the bar on the other side of his leg. Tel transferred his grip. ”Now bring your leg off the bar.” Tel hoisted his leg back so that he was supported by just his hands. ”Now bend forward and roll over, slowly if you can.” Tel rolled, felt the bar slip from where it was pressed against his waist, and a moment later his feet were brus.h.i.+ng back and forth over the tar paper. He let go and rubbed his hands together. ”Why didn't you tell me what I was gonna do?”

”Because then you wouldn't have done it. Now that you know you can, the rest will be easier. You've got three stunts now in less than five minutes. The knee mount, back knee circle, and the forward dismount. And that was the best I've ever seen anybody do for a first try.”

”Thanks,” said Tel. He looked back up at the horizontal bar. ”You know, it feels real funny, doing that stuff. I mean you don't really do it.

You do things and than it happens to you.”

”That's right,” Alter said. ”I hadn't thought of it like that Maybe that's why a good acrobat has to be a person who can sort of relax and just let things happen. You have to trust both your mind and your body.”

”Oh,” said Tel. ”I was looking for you when I came up here. I wanted to give you something.”

”Thank you,” she smiled, brus.h.i.+ng a shock of white hair from her forehead.

”I hope it didn't get broken.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of something sinewy; he had strung the sh.e.l.ls on lengths of leather thong. There were three loops of leather, each longer than the one before, and the sh.e.l.ls were spread apart and held in place by tiny knots. ”Geryn gave me the thong, and I put it together this afternoon.

It's a necklace, see?”

She turned while he tied the ends behind her neck. Then she turned back to him, touching the green brilliance of one frail cornucopia, pa.s.sing to the muted orange of another along the brown leather band. ”Thank you,” she said. ”Thank you very much, Tel.”

”You want some fruit?” he said, picking up the globe and beginning to peel the rest of it.

”All right,” she said. He broke it open, gave her half, and they went to the edge of the roof and leaned on the bal.u.s.trade, looking to the street below, then over the roofs of the other houses of the Devil's Pot and up to the darkening towers.

”You know,” Tel said. ”I've got a problem.”

”No identification papers, no place to go. I should say you do.”

”Not like that,” he said. ”But that's part of it, I guess. I guess it's a large part of it. But not all.”

”Then what is it?”

”I've got to figure out what I want. Here I am, in a new place, with no way to get anything for myself; I've got to figure a goal.”

”Look,” said Alter, a.s.suming the superiority of age and urban training, ”I'm a year older than you, and I don't know where I'm going yet. But when I was your age, it occurred to me it would probably all take care of itself. All I had to do was ride it out. So that's what I've been doing, and I haven't been too unhappy. Maybe it's the difference between living here or on the seash.o.r.e. But here you've got to spend a lot of time looking for the next meal. At least people like you and me have to.

If you pay attention to that, you'll find yourself heading in the right direction soon enough. Whatever you're going to be, you're going to be, if you just give yourself half a chance.”

”Like a big acrobatic stunt, huh?” asked Tel. ”You just do the right things and then it happens to you.”

”Like that,” said Alter. ”I guess so.”

”Maybe,” said Tel. The kharba fruit was cool, sweet like honey, orange, and pineapple.

A minute later someone was calling them. They turned from the bal.u.s.trade and saw Geryn's white head poking from the trap door. ”Come down,” he demanded. ”I've been looking all over for you. It's time.”

They followed him back to the first floor. Tel saw that the scarred giant was still sitting at the table, his hands folded into quiet hammers before him.

”Now, everyone,” Geryn called as he sat down at the table. Somewhat reluctantly people left the bar. Geryn dropped a sheaf of papers on the table. ”Come around, everyone.” The top sheet was covered with fine writing and careful architectural drawing. ”Now this is the plan.” So were the other sheets, when Geryn turned them over. ”First, I'll divide you into groups.”