Part 12 (1/2)

”No, they're not quite the same,” Lain announced after several minutes.

Tinker grunted. ”What do you suppose it means?”

”I don't know,” Lain said. ”But you seem to be in good company. This is the royal majesty herself and her court. They're the world leaders of Elfhome.”

Good company or not, she didn't want to be part of it. In her book, elves made colorful neighbors but she was glad not to be one of the family. She'd seen enough of their stiff formality and causal cruelty between castes to know it would drive her nuts.

Tinker started at another familiar face. ”This is Windwolf.”

Lain leaned over to check the photo. ”Yes, it is.”

Tinker realized that despite a growing awareness that Windwolf was important in the local politics, she didn't know exactly what his t.i.tle was. ”This might be a silly question, but who exactly is Windwolf?”

”Lord Windwolf is the viceroy of the Westernlands.”

Viceroy? Before Tinker could ask what that meant, the doorbell rang.

”Looks like I have company,” Lain said, reaching for her crutch.

”What am I? Sauerkraut and kielbasa?” Tinker muttered.

”Hush, my little pierogie,” Lain called back as she limped up the hallway to the front door.

Tinker considered the photo of Windwolf as Lain answered her front door. Tinker had thought him stunning the few times she had seen him, but now she knew she hadn't yet seen him at his best. The creature in the photo seemed as untouchable as a G.o.d.

Lain's visitor, in a deep raspy male voice, introduced himself as the son of her fellow crew member who had died in the training exercise that crippled Lain. ”I don't know if you remember me at the memorial. I was about five at the time.”

That drew Tinker out of the kitchen. Lain stood, apparently rendered speechless by the sudden appearance.

The man was in his early twenties, tall with a shock of black hair and a long sharp nose. He was in biking leathers, wore a pair of sungla.s.ses, and had a helmet tucked under his arm.

Tinker recognized him with a start. He was the motorcyclist she and Oilcan had seen nearly hit on Shutdown Day. ”I thought you might be a half-elf.”

He looked at her, frowning, and the frown deepened. ”No. I'm not, lady. You're mistaken.”

”Tinker!” Lain admonished with a single word, then turned her attention back to the man. ”I remember you. My, how you've grown, but children do that, I suppose. You were such a grieving little boy; I don't think I heard you say a single word that day.”

”It was long ago. I've moved past that,” he said.

”Riki was your name, wasn't it?”

He nodded. ”Yes, you do remember me. I was afraid that you wouldn't.”

”Your mother spoke a lot about you before the accident.” Lain indicated Tinker. ”This is Tinker, who is very worth knowing.”

Riki turned to look at Tinker. She reflected in his sungla.s.ses. He nodded and turned back to Lain. ”I was hoping you could tell me about my mother.”

”You stranded yourself on Elfhome just for that?”

”No. I'm going to be attending the University of Pittsburgh once fall cla.s.ses start. I've got a grant from Caltech as part of my graduate studies. I showed up a little early so I'd have a chance to experience Elfhome fully. It would be exploring an alien world, just like my mother hoped to.”

Lain clicked her tongue over what she certainly considered the folly of youth. Tinker had heard the sound often enough to recognize the thought behind it. ”Pitt is a shadow of what it was; it's barely more than a community college right now. Well, there's not much to be done about that now. You're here. The question is, what is to be done with you now? Do you have a place to stay? Money enough to last?”

”I have the grant money.” Riki tapped a breast pocket, making paper inside wrinkle loudly. ”It's supposed to last me six months, but I've got to make it stretch to nine. I'm hoping to find a job, and a cheap place to stay.”

”Housing shouldn't be too hard; it's summer-just find someplace that looks empty and squat,” Lain said, and limped back to the kitchen. ”Come have something to eat and drink, and we'll consider work.”

Riki followed Lain, glancing around with vivid interest, pausing at the doorway of the living room to scan it fully. ”It's a nice place you have here. I expected something more rustic. They talk about how backward Pittsburgh has become, cut off as it is. I half expected log cabins or something.”

Lain laughed from the kitchen.

Tinker had stayed in the foyer. She picked up her helmet and called, ”Lain, I'm going to go.”

Lain came to the kitchen doorway. ”You! Stay! Into the kitchen.”

Tinker put down the helmet and obediently went into the kitchen. One didn't argue with Lain when she used that voice. ”Why?”

”All the positions up here on the hill are government funded; all hiring has to be written out in triplicate and approved in advance. You have more contacts than I do down in the city.”

Tinker winced. ”Lain, I'm not an employment agency.”

Riki regarded Tinker with what seemed slight unease. It was hard to tell with the sungla.s.ses. ”You seem too young to be anything but a high school student.”

Tinker stuck her tongue out at him and got smacked in the back of the head by Lain.

”Behave.” Lain filled the teakettle and set it onto the gas range. ”Tinker is much more than she seems. She's probably the most intelligent person in Pittsburgh. Now if she could learn a bit of common sense and get a more rounded education...”

”Lain,” Tinker growled. ”I don't want to beat that horse right now.”

”Then be nice to my guest. Offer him a job.”

”I doubt if he wants to do demo work at the yard,” Tinker said. ”He certainly doesn't know anything about magic, and it's nearly as unlikely that he knows anything about quantum physics.”

”I've got a master's degree in quantum physics,” Riki said.

”Eat crow, little girl!” Lain cried, laughing at the look on Tinker's face.

Riki startled at Lain's reaction.

”You're kidding,” Tinker said.

”I'm going to do my doctorate on the quantum nature of magic. No one has done research on magic in its natural state. That's why I'm studying at Pitt.”

”If you want to learn about magic, you need to work with Tinker. She's the expert.”

”No, I'm not; elves are.”