Venera's own destination was clear. Spyre being a cylinder, it had ends, and one of those was only half a mile away. There the artificial land curved up hundreds of feet in a gesture that would close off the end if continued. The curve ended in a broad gallery above and beyond which the winds of Virga shuddered. She had only to make it up that slope and hop off the edge and Venera
Only fair-sized rocks inhabited the area behind it. As she watched, a stone the size of her foot rolled up the metal and spun off into the air. A few more yards and the wind would take her, too.
Her foot sank into the slope and Venera fell in ridiculous slow-motion. As she pried herself upright again she saw that the metal plate bent by her foot was vibrating madly in the square hole it had made. Then with a loud pop it disappeared and suddenly a hurricane was howling into the bright aperture it had left.
Venera was sucked down and slid forward until she was right over the hole. She reached out and braced her hands on either side while the air screamed past her. It was trying to escape Spyre with even more passion than hers. For a few seconds she could only stare down and see what faced her if she made it to the edge and jumped.
Many long flagpole-like beams thrust out below the edge of the world. They trailed wire nets into the furious wind; anyone caught on those nets would suffocate before they could be pulled up. Far beneath the nets, where scudding clouds spun past, Venera glimpsed thousands of black specks and grayish veins in the air. Mines? More razor wire? Diamandis had not been lying, after all.
"Damn! Shit! She tried to scream more cursesevery one she could think ofbut the air was being pulled out of her lungs. She was about to faint into the hole and die.
Strong hands took her by the arms and legs and hauled her back. Venera was hoisted onto someone's back and unceremoniously toted back down the slope. With every jolting step escape, and home, and Chaison receded past the frame of her grasping fingers.
3
wasThey recognized each other, this vagabond prince in his motley and the pouting princess in clothes she systematically tattered as soon as she was in them. So maybe it was natural that when the time came, it was in her bedroom that Albard barricaded himself.
He only noticed her after he had dragged her wardrobe across the door and piled some chairs and tables around it. Damn, girl, what are you doing here?"
Venera had cocked her head and squinted at him. This is my room."
"I know it's your room, dammit. Shouldn't you be at lessons?"
"I bit the tutor. Banished and bored, she had (not out of anger but a more scientific impulse) been beheading some of her dolls when Albard swept in. Venera had assumed that he was there to talk to her and had politely waited, limp headless body in one hand, while he proceeded to move all the furniture. So he wasn't there to see her? What, then, was this all about?
"Oh, never mind, he said irritably, just stay out of sight. This could get ugly."
Now she could hear shouting outside, sounds of people running. What did you do? she asked.
He was leaning back against the pile of furniture as though trying to propel it out the room. I bit someone, too, he said. Or, rather, I was about to, and they found out."
Venera came and sat down on the fuchsia carpet near him. My father, right?"
His eyebrows rose comically. How did you guess?"
Venera thought about this for a while. Then she said, Does that mean that everybody who makes Father mad has to come to this room?"
Albard laughed. Niece, if that were true, the whole damn kingdom would be in here with us."
"Oh. She was slightly reassured.
"Give it up, Albard! someone shouted from outside. It sounded like her father. There was some sort of mumbling discussion, then: Is, uh is Venera in there with you?"
"No! The prince put a finger to his lips and knelt next to her. The one thing I absolutely will not do, he said gently, is use you as a bargaining chip. If you want to leave, I will tear down this barricade and let you go."
"What will they do to you?"
"Put me in chains, take me away then it all depends on your father's mood. There's a black cloud
straightened up. You're n-not in p-p-prison, my lady."
"Then what is this place? She gestured around at the sound-deadening plaster walls, the smoke-stained light sconces and battered benches. Why am I here? When do I get my things back? They'd gone through her jacket and taken its contentsjewelry, key, and bullet. She wasn't sure which loss worried her most.
Moss's face never changed expression as he spoke, but his eyes radiated some sort of desperate plea. They always did, even if he was staring at the wall. Those eyes seemed eloquent, but Venera was beginning to think that nothing about Moss's looks or demeanor meant anything about his inner state. Now he said, in his intensely flat way, This is the im-immigration department of the g-g-government of Liris. You were brought here to't-t-take your citizenship-ip exams."