'That is almost correct. And you wonder how you and I could be family, keh? But Schtann is more than family, little human. It is...'

I didn't understand the next words. I knew some Schrift, but I wasn't all that proficient in the language.

The schrift switched back to Basic. "Very well. The schtann is the group of beings with which one is... in communion. A part of the whole, losing nothing by the commonness, gaining much. There are many schtanns among the schrift: the childgrowers, those who bring younglings through their final transformation into adulthood; the producers-of-meat-and-drink, those who cause food animals and fruit trees to flourish and grow; the builders, who dig in the ground and lay one block on another... and my schtann, the metal-and-jewel-workers, we who create beauty from gold and diamond.

"But there is always one thing in common: cherat. A... meeting of the minds-"

"Telepathy." I shrugged. Except for the common latent sensitivity to psi, telepathy is a rare gift among humans; maybe one in ten million has it. I'd never met a telepath; the Thousand Worlds sweeps in all nonlatent human telepaths to be trained by, and part of, the Contact Service. "I'm not a telepath."

"No. Not simply telepathy. Cherat is more subtle; a sharing of emotion, not only of gross thought.

Members of my schtann share the beauty of our work together; we care with one another."Like that tickle in my mind when I'd looked at the pitcher.

I shook my head. "It can't be."

'We shall see... Tell me, what were you doing here? And with this?' Eschteef held up the brooch.

The truth couldn't hurt. "I stole it from Elren Mac Cormier." But why should I tell it all of the truth? "She must have bought it from whoever stole it from Amos van Ingstrand."

The schrift hissed. "A poor lie. What did you plan to do with it?"

"I was going to sell it to Benno the Exchanger. Figured to buy a ticket off Oroga."

"Ah. Benno the Exchanger. I have dealt with it. A shrewd man; it does not give very good value. Why did you choose it?"

"He's the father of a friend of mine, a girl on Joy Street. I know he wouldn't turn me in."

"True. But not for that reason. It is discreet, is Benno."

The blunt fingers stroked my brow. "But why are you here? Risking robbing a schrift? If not to avoid Amos van Ingstrand, then why?"

I wept. Marie... Carlos...

"These others, you hurt for them."

"No. I don't. I don't care about anyone, about anything." You can't care about people, not if caring means that you see them lying on the floor, their flesh flayed from their bones, the remains of a face turning upward toward you, saying make it stop hurting, David, please make it stop hurting, David, please...

I'll kill you, Amos van Ingstrand. I swear that I'll kill you.

"Be silent, little one. Rest. You begin training tomorrow. If you are of my schtann, you'll learn to care."

'This is a circle of sheet silver-'

"I know what silver is."

Eschteef set the disk down on the table in front of me, laid the rubber hammer gently between it and the concave stone bowl form, then grasped me by the hair with one hand and gave me a firm slap with the other. It gave out an almost human sigh, then picked up the hammer and the silver.

This had been going on, off and on, ever since it woke me, fed me, brought over a stone bucket for me to use as a chamber pot, then unbolted my chain from the wall and brought it and me over to the work table.

I hadn't tried to escape. Yet. Eschteef was always there, and it was stronger than me. But it'd have to sleep sometime, and even if I didn't have the strength of a schrift, I was sure that with a few hours to work in, I could use its tools to free the chain from the wall, if not the cuff from my ankle.

But where would I go? Gina would probably hide me for a while, but that wouldn't solve anything. I'dneed money or silver, and plenty of it.

Best to wait for a while. See if I could spot where it cached the brooch, and the rest of its silver, gems, and gold. Just a matter of time.

'This is a circle of sheet silver, and this is a hammer, keh?'

"Yes. This is a circle of silver, and this is a hammer." And that is a knife over there, and if you move just a little bit, I'll see what color your liver is, you filthy, stinking lizard.

It must have seen me look at the knife, although I swear I only glanced at it. 'No, little one, it would not be wise, even if you could cut through this thick hide of mine. The schtann would come.' It picked up the knife and set it down farther down the table, well out of my reach. 'Best not to tempt you.'

It set the bowl form and the silver disk in front of me again, then placed the hammer in my right hand, wrapping my fingers around the smooth handle. 'The grip must be sufficiently tight for control, but not too tight, or the hand will tire; tired hands make mistakes. ' It moved to my side, squatting next to me, then picked up a duplicate of the hammer I held, and took the silver disk in hand.

'Now. We incline the circle of silver so'-it fitted the edge of the disk into the bowl-'and strike it with the hammer thus.' It struck the disk firmly, halfway between the center and the edge.

'You try.' It gestured at my disk. 'Try to strike it as I did, your blow overlapping mine.'

I gripped the disk, resting the heel of my hand on the table; no point in putting in any more effort than necessary. I gave the disk a solid whack.

"Oww!"

Eschteef caught my hand, my aching thumb just inches from my mouth. ' Never put your hand in your mouth. This time, it would be harmless, but you will be handling many substances. Most pickling solutions are poisonous to me. Do humans drink sstraszta?'

"Sstraszta? I don't know that word."

Eschteef paused for a moment. "Acids." 'Do humans drink such?'

I wasn't sure whether or not it was making fun of me, but I didn't want to get slapped again. "No."

' Perhaps that is something else you would not care to learn how to do. Now, try again.'

It adjusted my fingers around the now-bent silver disk, keeping my thumb well away from the striking area. 'Do not worry; everyone hits itself now and again. Even Hrotisft, who taught me, has a scarred thumb. And it is as great a member of the schtann as ever there was.'

Eschteef had started rambling on again. Just like Carlos, Eschteef was always talking. But with Carlos, I'd learned to use that: while he was telling me how great a thief he was, he'd usually leave me alone.

Maybe...

I spoke in Schrift. 'What do you mean, that the schtann would come?'

Eschteef took the hammer and disk from my hand, then set them in front of itself. 'So, your finger-thumb, keh?-hurts enough that you would rather talk than work.

'Cherat is the transfer of emotion, keh? Among the emotions are fear'-it used the Schrift word kstak,of course-'and ryvathkstak, the fear-of-oncoming-death. Were I to feel ryvathkstak, others of the schtann would hear me, would come to my aid. Cherat was how I called Hrotisft when I heard you in this outer room. I had intended to deal with you myself, but there was that flash of what might have been cherat. So I called Hrotisft. I could have called the whole schtann, but...'

"You didn't figure to need more than one other to help you chain a human. Maybe you should have called for more," I said, eyeing the knife.

'It was not necessary. You have rested enough, try again. '

I took up the hammer and hit the disk again, not denting it as much as Eschteef had.

'Better. But strike more firmly. Your purpose is to mold the metal, not simply to attract its attention.'

As I kept banging at the disk, it kept talking. 'If you can become part of the schtann, you will always feel cherat with the others, appreciate the work of their hands, feel their love for the work of yours. When you can do work worth loving. Not this.'

Eschteef took the battered disk from me and began to shape it with its own hammer. 'If this is the best you can do, I will have to sell you and the brooch to Amos van Ingstrand. This is not the work of even a youngling member of the schtann. Observe."

In a few moments, it had shaped the battered disk into a round-bottomed bowl, covered with the scaling of the indentations of the hammer strikes. Working with another form, it bent the lip inward, curling it over.

'You see? So now we have a bowl. We may inscribe its sides, or flatten the bottom as a base, or make a separate base and weld it on. I think we will both flatten the bottom and then inscribe it-but first, we shall place it in the oven, to smooth the marks from its side. We will have done this together, little one.'

Eschteef's hand was oddly clumsy as it patted me on the head. 'And when you can do this all by yourself, drinking in the beauty of the work and the working, sharing that with others... you will be part of your schtann. You will not be so alone anymore.'

I nodded. Not that I meant it. Everyone is always alone. If someone feeds you, it's because he wants you to steal for him, or he wants to b.u.g.g.e.r you. If someone smiles up at you, trusts you, looks up to you, you come home to find her dead. Or worse.

Eschteef lit the finishing oven and set a pot on top of it. 'You may use my spoon and eating p.r.o.ng today.

But you must make your own bowl-if you wish to eat.' It pointed a claw at the stack of silver disks.

'Begin.'.

CHAPTER SEVEN:.

"This Is What Eschteef Teaches You?"

I started learning the next morning. There was a lot to learn; it sank in like water into sand...

'Seaming is the process of joining two or more edges to form a cylinder, loop, or cone. The key to any seamed work is the joint, which must be prepared as follows...

'When raising a vessel from a silver or copper circle, the first issue is to decide on the size of the initial blank, keh? You must begin with a perfect physical or mental model of the finished vessel. The general rule is this: take the height of the finished vessel, then add to it the average diameter of the finished vessel.

That will give you the diameter of the blank you will require. This rule is not useful for vessels which will have a broad, flat base and a narrow neck-you will require a larger blank...

' Burns are a hazard which are sometimes unavoidable when working close to hot metal. Most burns can be prevented by foresight; all can be minimized by proper safety procedures. Being a human, you will be tempted to overestimate the value of valda oil. Do not: it eliminates pain, not damage. Nerve tissue will not grow back, and some loss of dexterity is likely...

'The objective in diamond-cutting is to maximize the number of visible facets, while minimizing the amount of wasted diamond. This brings out the brightness and life of the gem. Cutting may also be used as an opportunity to remove a localized flaw...

'Stainless steel is one of the most difficult alloys to work with. Damages to the surface are difficult to repair to the point where the flaw will no longer be visible; they are impossible to repair to the point where the flaw will no longer exist- 'Steamcasting is not an effective technique for bronze. The metals react together and create escaping hydrogen " gas; the cast becomes pitted at least, craterous more likely...

'Enameling silver is an alloy of unusual purity; its high melting point will allow you to heat enamels applied to it until they are able to cure. Do not use enameling silver for normal applications...

'Gold is the most forgiving metal; mistakes are easy to correct. The purer the alloy, the more this is so...

'Wires have three basic uses. First, they can be functional-as in a bezel, for instance. Second, they can be decorative-as ornamentation welded on to a ring. Third, they can be both functional and decorative.

This is the highest use...

'You must never clamp metal with metal. Use wooden or plastic blocks in the vise. For very delicate work that requires clamping, carving or casting a negative is suggested...

'Small holes in a piece are best polished by string. You insert one end of the string-like so-and work it back and forth...

'The interior of a piece should be finished before the exterior. There are no exceptions to this rule...

'There are innumerable techniques available for texturing of surfaces. They include carving, engraving, polishing, flame texturing, etching, chasing, stamping, planishing, piercing, sawing, shotting...'

I never left Eschteef's burrow in the next year. I slept when I was sleepy, ate when hungry, and spent the rest of the time learning to bend, raise, anneal, fold, engrave, and planish metal; to cut, polish, and mount gems; to work wire into useful and decorative shapes.

I never stopped thinking of Carlos and Marie, of killing Amos van Ingstrand, or of escape.But escape was impossible; Eschteef never slept while I was awake. When it had to go out-to bring its work to the stall in the marketplace, to buy food or supplies-there was always another schrift dropping by, just as it was about to leave.

I didn't mind that much. It was nice to see another person. Even Hrotisft, with its constant, barely veiled threats.

'This is what Eschteef teaches you? I know that humans are clumsy, but this is ridiculous. Better it should sell you to Amos van Ingstrand. Better that, than disgracing the schtann with this work.'

'This is good,' I snarled, "you stupid old lizard."

I held the carved silver box inches from its eyes. 'What is wrong with you, old one? Are you losing your sight, as well as your deftness?' Hrotisft was old, even for a schrift; it could barely keep a riffler steady in its hands.

I had a right to be angry. I'd spent the better part of twenty waking periods just making the hidden hinges perfect, so that the jewelbox would whisper open or closed at a touch, and much more time than that carving the designs on all twelve faces, inside and out.

'I lose nothing! I am of the schtann. You are outschtann-and nothing but a thief. ' It pushed me over to the table. 'Look, outschtann!' It slammed the box down on the table with one hand, grabbed the back of my neck with the other, almost grinding the tip of my nose into the top of the box.

'Look! You have carved the gem mountings too shallowly, you lazy human; were any gems set, they would have bounced out just now. You must add raised bezels, not think yourself finished.

'See! Can you not see that you have carved lines across the face of the box just to take up s.p.a.ce, not to create beauty? Have you eyes, or have you not?

'Observe!' It picked me up by the neck and threw me halfway across the room, ignoring the sounds from the tunnel.

The door opened, and Eschteef stood behind Hrotisft, lowering its packages to the floor. 'And if I say that the human can be of the schtann?'

'Then you lie. Or mislead yourself. ' With that, Hrotisft left.

Eschteef helped me to my feet. 'Do not be angry with it, David. It is old, and frustrated.'

'Frustrated?' I slammed my fist against the wall. "What right does it have to be frustrated? It isn't the one chained here like an animal. It isn't the one who has to perform or be turned over to van Ingstrand. It isn't-"