Maia

"And the curse of the Streels on that bastard of an elder who picked on me," she added. "He had a down on my father, Surdad did. I wasn't well when we started and it was all of sixty miles. Once we got here I went down delirious-didn't know where I was for four or five days.

That's why I haven't been sold yet, see? I'm supposed to be getting my health back. You'll be all right," she said, looking enviously at Maia. "Don't know why you're here, really. Girls like you don't become slaves as a rule-not where I come from, anyway. Who d'you think's going to want me? Washing-up girl in some pot-house'll be about the size of it, I dare say."

Maia had felt sorry for her and invited her to sit down and eat with Occula and herself, which she seemed glad enough to do.

Now they had all three dragged their beds side by side and were chatting in the fading evening light.

"You know, dearest," said Maia to Occula, "I thought you were going to say some more to Zuno 'bout that young prince-nobleman-whatever he was. Don't you think he might buy us, if Lalloc was to put it to him?"

"Well, he might," said Occula, "but I'm not goin' to, all the same. If Lalloc's already got his own ideas for sellin' us, it woan' do us any good to start havin' our own. And then again, that's only a young man, even if he is a high-up Leopard. Young men like that doan' usually buy girls. In a city like this they doan' need to. And s'pose he did, then p'raps he suddenly goes off to a war or somethin'- decides to cut down on his household while he's gone and sells you off. Oh, no, he's not at all the sort of man we ought to be hopin' for."

"Then what is?"

"Well-if we're lucky-an older man's house, where girls are kept as part of the household-you know, for style as much as for pleasure: that's often the way in a rich house; I've seen it. Then we know where we are and what's expected of us, and once we've found our feet we can start lookin' round for friends and opportunities to better ourselves. Tell you the truth, banzi, I can tell you what I doan' like the idea of, even if I can't tell you 'zactly what I do: and I just didn' altogether fancy your prince. Bit too good to be true, somehow. Sort of-I doan' know-well, unreliable. I could be wrong. It's only a hunch. But one thing's for sure-it's no good actin' as if we weren't Lalloc's property, because we are."

She turned to Chia. "What was that you said before supper-somethin' about the curse of the Streels?"

Chia colored. "I shouldn't have said it."

"What is the curse of the Streels?"

"I can't tell you. No Urtan can tell you. Forget I said it."

"Can you put it on people?"

"Great Shakkarn, no! It's something far, far more dreadful. But don't worry, Occula; you'll never come to the Streels."

Occula received this in silence. At length, shrugging her shoulders as though to dismiss the subject, she said, "By the way, banzi, I doan' want anyone else to know where I come from or to hear the story I told you the other night. All right?"

Maia nodded.

"Oh, can you tell stories?" asked Chia. "You're a sort of trained entertainer, aren't you? You've worked in a pleasure-house, haven't you? Did you tell stories there?"

Occula laughed, as though relieved by the change of subject brought about through what she had said to Maia being taken up in this way. "Oh, Cran! I know plenty of stories."

"Come on, then, tell us one now! Tell us about Lespa, or one of the other goddesses." And thereupon, without waiting for Occula's assent, Chia called out to the rest of the room, "Occula's going to tell a story!"

Most of the other girls gathered round. It was plain that Occula was already regarded as an exotic character, possessed of style and magnetism.

For a few moments she remained silent, looking round the little group and tantalizing their eagerness and expectancy. At length she said, "Looks as if I'll have to, doan' it? What did you say-Lespa?"

"Yes, tell us about Lespa," said Chia. "The time when she was just a village girl on earth, same as we are. Or same as we used to be," she added bitterly.

At this there were murmurs of sympathy and fellow-feeling from the others, and as they died away Occula began.

16: THE TALE OF LESPA'S SACRIFICE

"Well, as you all know, there was a time long ago when Lespa-she that dwells among the glitterin' stars and sends us her precious gift of dreams-was a mortal girl on this

earth. Where she lived none knows for certain, but everyone claims her for their own. Men from Kabin-and I've been with a few-will tell you that it was near Kabin that she dwelt: yet a man from Ikat will tell you that Lespa was a Yeldashay girl. But as I've always understood, she was born in a village of lower Suba, near where the Valderra runs into the Zhairgen."

"Why, so she was!" cried one of the girls. "My mother was from those parts, and anyone will tell you that's where Lespa grew up."

"It's a lie!" said a second girl, furiously. "Lespa came from Sarkid of the Sheaves. My mother told me-"