Nightside the Long Sun

“I mean that we should inter it as other women’s bodies are interred,” Silk explained patiently. “There must be a memorial sacrifice for her at my manteion first, of course. Tomorrow’s Scylsday, and I can combine the memorial service with our weekly Scylsday sacrifice. We’ve a man in the neighborhood who has a decent wagon. We’ve used him before. If none of these women are willing to wash and dress their friend’s body, I can provide one who will take care of that as well.”

Grinning, Blood thumped Silk on the arm. “And if some shaggy hoppy sticks his nose in, why we didn’t do anything irregular. We had an augur and a funeral, and buried the poor girl in respectable fashion—he’s intruding on our grief. You’re a real help, Patera. When can you get your man here?”

“As soon as I return to my manteion, I suppose, which will be as soon as I’ve exorcised this house.”

Blood shook his head. “I want to get her out of here. What about that sibyl I talked to yesterday? Couldn’t she get him?”

Silk nodded.

“Good.” Blood turned to the handsome young man beside him. “Musk, go down to the manteion on Sun Street and ask for Maytera Marble—”

Silk interrupted. “She’ll probably be in the cenoby. The front door’s on Silver Street, or you could go through the garden and knock at the back.”

“And tell her there’s going to be a funeral tomorrow. Have her get this man with the wagon for you. What’s his name, Patera?”

“Loach.”

“Get Loach and his wagon, or if he’s not available, get somebody else. You don’t know what happened to Orpine. A doctor’s looked at her, and she’s dead, and Patera here is going to take care of the funeral for us, and that’s all you know. Get the woman, too. I don’t think any of these sluts could face up to it.”

“Moorgrass,” Silk put in.

“Get her. You and the woman ride in the wagon so you can show this cully Loach where it is. If the woman has to have anything to work with, see that she brings it with her. Now get going.”

Musk nodded and hurried away.

“Meantime you can get back to your exorcism, Patera. Have you started yet?”

“No. I’d hardly arrived when this happened, and I want to find out a great deal more about the manifestations they have experienced here.” Silk paused, stroking his cheek. “I said that I’d just arrived, and that is true; but I’ve had time enough to make one mistake already. I told Orchid that I didn’t care what the devils—or perhaps I should say the devil, because she spoke as though there were only one—had been up to. I said it because it was what they taught us to say in the schola, but I believe it may be an error in this case. I should speak with Orchid again.”

The burly man grunted. “I can tell you. Mostly it’s breakin’ mirrors.”

“Really?” Silk leaned forward. “I would never have guessed it. What else?”

“Rippin’ up the girls’ clothes.”

The burly man looked toward Blood, who said, “Sometimes they’re not as friendly as we’d like them to be to the bucks. The girls aren’t, I mean. A couple times one’s talked crazy, and naturally the buck didn’t like it. Maybe it was just nerves, but the girls got hurt.”

“And we don’t like that,” the burly man said. “I got both those culls pretty good, but it’s bad for business.”

“You have no idea what may be doing this?”

“Devils. That’s what everybody says.” The burly man looked toward Blood again. “Jefe?”

“Ask Orchid,” Blood told Silk. “She’ll know. I only know what she tells me, and if an exorcism makes everybody feel better…” He shrugged.

Silk rose. “I’ll speak to Orchid if I can. I realize she’s upset, but I may be able to console her. That, too, is a part of my work. Eventually, I’d like a talk with Chenille as well. That’s the tall woman with the fiery hair, isn’t it? Chenille?”

Blood nodded. “She’s probably gone by now, but she’ll be back around dinner. Orchid’s got a walk-up upstairs over the big room out front.”

* * *

Chenille opened the door to Orchid’s rooms and showed Silk in. Still wearing the pink peignoir, Orchid was sitting on a wide green-velvet couch in the big sellaria, her hard, heavy face as composed as it had been when they had talked in the cramped office downstairs.

Chenille waved toward a chair. “Have a seat, Patera.” She herself sat down next to Orchid and put her arm around her shoulders. “He says Blood sent him up to talk to us. I said all right, but he’ll probably come back later if you’d rather.”

“I’m fine,” Orchid told her.

Looking at her, Silk could believe it; Chenille herself seemed more in need of solace.

“What do you want, Patera?” Orchid’s voice was harsher than he remembered. “If you’re here to tell me how she’s gone to Mainframe and all that, save it till later. If you still want somebody to show you around my place, Chenille can do it.”

There was a glass on the wall to the left of the couch. Silk was watching it nervously, but no floating face had yet appeared. “I’d like to speak with you in private for a few minutes, that’s all.”