'Keh. Hrotisft is not the one. Hrotisft is not many things, anymore. Mostly, it is not young. Metals and gems used to obey its wishes, as though of their own volition; now, Hrotisft can barely control its own hands.

'And it resents you, little human. You are not of the schtann, yet your clever Fingers have learned quickly.

'But Hrotisft feels no cherat with you. Your work just lies there. It has value, yes, but you are greedy;you h.o.a.rd your appreciation, you do not share what you have done, what you are.

' Hrotisft is old, and tired, and lives only for the schtann, David. It should be bringing younglings into the schtann, educating them, but that is not possible on this world. There are few better places for a metal-and-jewel-worker to practice its trade than outside of Elwere, but there are no breeding ponds here.'

I shrugged. 'So build some. The schtann has money.'

'And who would raise the younglings? There are no childgrowers here; should we import that schtann?

Should they trust us not to take advantage? Should we trust them? No. Schrift will always be alien to this world; we live here only for a time, to produce beauty and earn credit. And then we go home, back to Schriftalt.'

'So why doesn't Hrotisft go home?'

Eschteef stood silently for a long moment. 'I don't know. It won't say anything more than that it is needed here, for now. And that gives me hope, David, but also worry. '

I didn't understand, but I didn't say anything.

Eschteef went on, as though to itself. 'Hrotisft has always had a better feel for the way of things than I.

But if you are to be of the schtann, I can teach you. Unless...' Eschteef shook itself all over. 'But enough of that. You must learn to feel more deeply, David, to become part of your work, and let your work become part of the whole. You only do; you feel nothing, and are poorer for it.'

"That's not true, and I wouldn't care if it was!"

'Then why do tears stream down your face? Sit, David. You must get back to work. Hrotisft was wrong about your box; it has... possibilities. Now, what sort of gems had you intended to mount, and where? Those mountings will not do, though. Let us try...'

I looked at the box. Not bad at all. Matter of fact, it was d.a.m.n good. And it felt good, too, like lifting a pouch off a sober, sharp-eyed inspector, the kind who always keeps his hand on his money...

The lines curving all over its outside faces made a pleasing contrast, as though denying that the box was really rectangular.

It was nice, except for the firestone in the middle of the cover. A fine stone, yes, but inappropriate. Its fiery reds clashed with the gentler hues of the onyx and emeralds.

Eschteef stood across the table from me. It's hard to tell what a schrift is thinking when the creature is silent; their facial muscles aren't used for cues, and the body language was too subtle even for me, someone who can tell whether or not a victim is conscious of his dangling purse by the set of the shoulders, position of the head.

'It is almost right, David. Except for that firestone. It throws off the color balance. The purpose of decorating with gems is not merely to add colors and shapes, but to add the right colors and shapes, each in its proper place.'

'I know.' I bit my lip. "Dammit. It needs something powerful right there, but not that colorful. It just looks... gaudy, that's all."'What would you like to subst.i.tute?) 'An aqua, I suppose. Not as riveting as it should be, but it would be in accord with the color balances I raised an eyebrow.

'You do not need additional colors. Consider something relatively color-neutral. '

Not a bad idea. "Maybe a yag?"

'Why settle for yttrium aluminum garnet? It is only a false diamond. You might as well use a piece of cut gla.s.s. If the piece requires a diamond, then use a diamond. '

"Great idea." I caught myself. Eschteef didn't understand sarcasm. 'No, it is not a good idea. Where would I get a diamond that size?'

'From midair, I suspect.' Eschteef's hand moved suddenly. The diamond caught the light of the oil lamp and shattered it, almost hanging in the air in front of my eyes.

Thief's reflexes took over; I caught it before it even came near the table. "Where did... ? The brooch."

'Yes.'

'Then you are not-'

'I broke it up the day that I told Hrotisft that you might become part of the schtann, David. The day I caught you thieving. '

My hands shook as I gentled the Firestone out of its bezel, replaced it with the diamond, then crimped it into place. Not quite perfect: I'd want to cut a deeper well, use a smaller bezel.

'It is fine as it is, David.' Eschteef just sat there, its I appreciation of my work washing over me.

We were both silent for a few minutes, just sitting; there, appreciating. As though I was part of the schtann, M almost.

Which I wasn't; I couldn't feel the others. Eschteef was in my mind with me, but only Eschteef.

'Eschteef?'

'Be silent, little one.' It rose and walked over to the tool bench. Without a word, it took up a chisel and hammer and proceeded to remove my cuffs rivet.

The cuff fell to the floor with a clang; I rubbed at my ankle, eyeing the doorway.

But I didn't run; I couldn't move. Eschteef walked to the niche in the wall, drew the curtain, and took down its chrost.i.th, and turned about to face me.

'This is my chrost.i.th, David,' it said. 'Only one of my schtann may touch it, only one who will share its appreciation with me.'

It held the pitcher on the palms of two outstretched arms.

'You will hold it, David,' it said.

"But..." what could I say? But I'm crippled, r.e.t.a.r.ded. I'm not of the schtann, Eschteef. I can't be part of anything. That wasn't cherat I felt; I could only feel your appreciation, your love of the work ofmy hands. I couldn't feel the rest of the schtann with me. Not the way you do, every time you touch a bar of stiver, feel an onyx's smoothness.

'The rest will come, David. In time. We will have to bury your past, but we will do it. Take it.'

'But, Eschteef-'

'You are of my schtann, David. You will hold my chrost.i.th.'

I held the pitcher in my arms.

And wept.

CHAPTER EIGHT:.

"You Will Return..."

The six schrift formed a half-circle, six pairs of eyes focusing like a lens on the foot of the table.

Guess who got to be at the focus of the lens?

'Try again, David,' Eschteef said. 'Let yourself feel; let us into yourself.'

"I don't remember volunteering to be the subject of a schtann inquisition," I said.

Hrotisft sniffed. 'I do not recall asking whether or not you cared to volunteer. You are here for us to determine, on behalf of the entire schtann, whether or not you can become a member of the schtann.

Your wishes in the matter are not relevant. '

'Please try again,' Eschteef repeated. 'I know you can be part of us.'

I looked at Eschteef's chrost.i.th again. It was still beautiful, of course, and I felt that.

In the back of my mind, there was a vague reflection of Eschteef; of it feeling a tingle of acknowledgment of my appreciation, but that was all.

'I feel no cherat,' Sthtasfth said, its voice flat, expressionless. 'If the human can become part of the schtann, this is no evidence.' Sthtasfth was the largest of the schrift, a gray monster half again Eschteef's size. Eschteef had shown me some of its work; curiously enough, Sthtasfth produced the most finely detailed work of any of the hundred or so members of the schtann within Lower City. Sthtasfth was a precisionist-grafthisth, in Schrift. In order to fully appreciate the pendant that Eschteef had shown me, I'd had to use a magnifying gla.s.s.

Rhathsfoosf held itself perfectly still.

'Neither do I.'

Eschteef pounded the table. 'You can feel cherat with me, can you not?'

Rhathsfoosf turned to it. 'Of course. '

'Then observe. 'Eschteef took my box down from a wall niche and set it in the middle of the table.

It was a strange feeling. Eschteef's appreciation washed over me like a warm benediction. And, for just a moment, I could feel distant reflections of the others joining in its feelings.

But only for a moment. The feeling pa.s.sed.

I was alone inside my head, as always.

Hrotisft took the box in its hands. 'The work is good, but lifeless. The child has potentials.

Staring at me, Rhathsfoosf spoke up. 'But there is no cherat between the child and us. Perhaps there is none at all. Eschteef could be deluding itself, only wishing to feel cherat, for reasons known to all of us: it has yet to bring any younglings into the schtann; the human child is perhaps but a subst.i.tute."

'I do feel cherat with the human,' Eschteef said. 'And if you doubt me, then-'

Hrotisft toyed with a piece of sc.r.a.p silver. 'Eschteef, this is not the way. We must accept that you feel what you say, and you must accept that we feel no cherat with the human child. '

'So? What do we do? You wish to turn it over to Amos van Ingstrand? I will not permit it; the human is part of the schtann.'

'We will not turn in the child,' Hrotisft said. 'That is not an issue. For now.'

'Then-'

'But it is not established that the child can be part of the schtann.' Hrotisft sat silently for a long moment.

' David ?'

"It's about time you stop treating me like I'm just an object. You-"

'Silence. You are here to be examined, not to vent your anger. Tell me about'-it worked its mouth awkwardly, fumbling for the Basic word-"fhamily."

I shrugged. "Family? What do you want to know?"

'Why is this concept important to you? Eschteef says that you are distressed that you do not know who provided your genes. '

Distressed. I guess I would have been offended if Hrotisft's voice had held even a trace of condescension. But it didn't; only curiosity. "Wouldn't it bother you not to know who your parents are?"

'No. It does not. It distresses none of us. Our species lays both kinds of eggs in breeding ponds; none of us know who provides such.' It hissed. 'It is possible that Hrotisft could be a mother of Eschteef-'

'No,' Eschteef interrupted, with a light hiss, 'you are what the humans call male, keh?'

'Yes, but-'

'The male is the father, not the mother. The mother provides the motionless part of the egg.'

'I do not understand, ' Rhathsfoosf said, gesturing apology for the interruption. 'Humans have a different word for the providers of each part of the egg. What is the importance?'

'They breed while in the same place; it is necessary to pair a provider of the moving part of the egg witha provider of the motionless part. That one contains its own hatching grounds in its belly.'

Air whistled through Sthtasfth's teeth. 'It keeps a pond in the belly? How terribly unsanitary. Humans are disgusting.'

Hrotisft gestured for silence. 'The point is that what is normal for us may not be normal for this human.

The relationship between the two providers of genes and the youngling seems to be central to humans.'

'Disgusting,' Sthtasfth repeated.

'Perhaps. But it is the way of their species. This family .seems to serve some of the same functions of schtann: protecting the young, as the childgrowers do; teaching of skills; and the giving a sense of belonging, as all schtanns do. But this human does not know who its providers were. Eschteef says that seems to distress it.'

Rhathsfoosf made a pushing-away gesture, as though to dismiss the subject. 'The human child is fortunate not to know in whose belly its growing pond lies. Sthtasfth is right; these habits are disgusting.

What has this to do with whether the human can become part of the schtann?'

'I think that I see.' Eschteef held up a hand for silence. 'If there is a bond between child and parents, that may be what is holding David back. It cannot sever the bond, because it cannot see it.'

'Precisely,' Hrotisft hissed. 'It may be that what needs to be done is for the human child to discover who its providers were, so that it can cut that connection.'

That didn't make any sense to me. Not at all. What did one have to do with the other? Even if I knew who my father was, it wouldn't make me part of the schtann. I couldn't be part of anything; I couldn't allow myself to feel part of anything.