Then bull fighting, lion fighting, and rhino fighting, followed by the more modern events. Fights from behind barricades with bow and arrow. Duelling on a high wire.

The evening pa.s.sed pleasantly.

Frelaine escorted the girl home, the palms of his hands sticky with sweat. He had never found a woman he liked better. And yet she was his legitimate kill.

He didn't know what he was going to do.

She invited him in and they sat together on the couch. The girl lighted a cigarette for herself with a large lighter, then settled back.

"Are you leaving soon?" she asked him.

"I suppose so," Frelaine said. "The convention is only lasting another day."

She was silent for a moment. "I'll be sorry to see you go."

They were quiet for a while. Then Janet went to fix him a drink. Frelaine eyed her retreating back. Now was the time. He placed his hand near the b.u.t.ton.

But the moment had pa.s.sed for him, irrevocably. He wasn't going to kill her. You don't kill the girl you love.

The realization that he loved her was shocking. He'd come to kill, not to find a wife.

She came back with the drink and sat down opposite him, staring at emptiness.

"Janet," he said. "I love you."

She sat, just looking at him. There were tears in her eyes.

"You can't," she protested. "I'm a Victim. I won't live long enough to-"

"You won't be killed. I'm your Hunter."

She stared at him a moment, then laughed uncertainly.

"Are you going to kill me?" she asked.

"Don't be ridiculous," he said. "I'm going to marry you."

Suddenly she was in his arms.

"Oh, Lord!" she gasped. "The waiting-I've been so frightened-"

"It's all over," he told her. "Think what a story it'll make for our kids. How I came to murder you and left marrying you."

She kissed him, then sat back and lighted another cigarette.

"Let's start packing," Frelaine said. "1 want-"

"Wait," Janet interrupted. "You haven't asked if I love you."

"What?"

She was still smiling, and the cigarette lighter was pointed at him. In the bottom of it was a black hole. A hole just large enough for a .38 caliber bullet.

"Don't kid around," he objected, getting to his feet.

"I'm not being funny, darling," she said.

In a fraction of a second, Frelaine had time to wonder how he could ever have thought she was not much over twenty. Looking at her now-really looking at her-he knew she couldn't be much less than thirty. Every minute of her strained, tense existence showed on her face.

"I don't love you, Stanton," she said very softly, the cigarette lighter poised.

Frelaine struggled for breath. One part of him was able to realize detachedly what a marvelous actress she really was. She must have known all along.

Frelaine pushed the b.u.t.ton, and the gun was in his hand, c.o.c.ked and ready.

The blow that struck him in the chest knocked him over a coffee table. The gun fell out of his hand. Gasping, half-conscious, he watched her take careful aim for the coup de grace.

"Now I can join the Tens," he heard her say elatedly as she squeezed the trigger.

RITUAL.

Akeen.o.bob trotted up to Elder Singer's hut and began dancing the important-message dance, making the appropriate sounds by slapping his tail rhythmically on the ground. Immediately, Elder Singer came to the door, arms folded on his chest, tail coiled on his shoulder in the listening position.

"A G.o.d-ship has come," Akeen.o.bob said, dancing the correct accompanying measure.

"Indeed?" said Elder Singer, squinting approvingly at Akeen.o.bob's dance step. Here was good form! None of the sloppy, simplified movements of the Alhona heresy.

"In the divine and actual metal!" Akeen.o.bob cried.

"Praised be the G.o.ds," Elder Singer said formally, concealing his excitement. At last! The G.o.ds had returned! "Summon the village."

Akeen.o.bob went to the village square and danced the dance of a.s.sembly. Elder Singer burned a pinch of sacred snuff, rubbed sand on his tail and, thus purified, trotted out to lead the welcoming dances.

The G.o.d-ship, a great cylinder of blackened, pitted metal, was lying on a little plain. The villagers gathered a respectful distance from it, arranged in the figure of General Welcome To All G.o.ds.

The G.o.d-ship opened, and two G.o.ds stumbled out.

Elder Singer recognized their appearance at once. In The Giant Book of G.o.ds, written nearly five thousand years ago, all possible types of deity had been described. There were G.o.ds who were big and G.o.ds who were small, winged G.o.ds, hooved G.o.ds, one-armed, two-armed, three-armed G.o.ds, tentacled G.o.ds, scaly G.o.ds, and the many other forms that G.o.dhood was pleased to take.

Each type had to be greeted with his own, unique Welcoming Ceremony, for so it was written in The Giant Book of G.o.ds.

Elder Singer observed at once that these were two-legged, two- armed, tailless G.o.ds. Quickly he formed the people in the correct figure.

Glat, known as Younger Singer, trotted up.

"Which are you using?" he coughed politely.

Elder Singer stared at him. "The Dance of Landing Clearance," he said, p.r.o.nouncing the ancient, meaningless words with dignity.

"Really?" Glat rubbed his tail along his neck in a gesture of casual defiance. "Alhona prescribes the feasting before anything else."

Elder Singer made the gesture of negation and turned away. As long as he was in charge, there would be no compromise with the Alhona heresy, which had been written a mere three thousand years ago.

Glat, the Younger Singer, returned to his place in the dance. It was ridiculous, he thought, having an old conservative like Elder Singer lay down dance-policy. Utterly absurd, when it had been shown- The two G.o.ds were moving! They balanced on their thin legs, swaying. One walked forward, stumbled, and fell on his face. The other helped him up, then fell himself. Very slowly he pulled himself to his feet It was amazingly realistic.

"The G.o.ds dance their acceptance!" Elder Singer called. "Begin the Dance of Landing Clearance."

The people danced, pounding their tails on the ground, coughing and barking joyously. Then, according to ceremony, the G.o.ds were placed on a platform of sacred boughs, and brought to the Sacred Mound.

"Let's talk this over," Glat said, catching up with Elder Singer. "Since this is the first appearance of any G.o.d in thousands of years, certainly it would be wise to use the Alhona ceremonies. Just in case-"

"No," Elder Singer said, trotting briskly along on his six legs. "All the correct ceremonies are described in the Ancient Books of Procedure."

"I know," Glat said, "but it would do no harm-"

"Never," Elder Singer said firmly. "For each G.o.d, there must be the Dance of Landing Clearance. Then comes the Dance of Field Approval, and the Dance of Customs Inspection, and the Dance of Cargo Unloading and the Dance of Medical Inspection." Elder Singer rolled out the ancient, mysterious names with unction. "Then and only then can the feasting begin."

On the platform of boughs, the two G.o.ds were moaning and waving their limbs listlessly. Glat knew that they were dancing an imitation of human pain and suffering, to reaffirm their kinship with their worshippers.

This was as it should be, written in the Book of Last Appearance. But Glat was amazed at how well the G.o.ds could imitate human emotions. To look at them, one would really think they were dying of thirst and hunger.

He smiled at the thought. Everyone knew that the G.o.ds could feel none of those things.

"Look at it this way," Glat said to Elder Singer. "The important thing is to avoid the fatal mistake our ancestors made in the Days of s.p.a.ce Flight Right?"

"Of course," Elder Singer said, bending his head reverently to the ritual name for the Golden Age. Five thousand years ago, his people had been rich and prosperous, and many G.o.ds had visited them. Then according to legend, a mistake had been made in the ritual, and an Avoidance was placed on the people. After that, the G.o.ds came no more.

"If the G.o.ds approve our ceremonies," Elder Singer said, "they will lift the Avoidance. Other G.o.ds will come, as it was then."

"Exactly. And Alhona was the last to see a G.o.d. Certainly he must know what he was talking about, when he prescribes the feasting first, and then the ceremonies."

"The writings of Alhona are heresy," Elder Singer said.

Younger Singer considered, for at least the hundredth time, of a.s.serting himself, and commanding the village to provide the Water Ceremony and Feast at once. Many villagers were secret Alhona converts....

But he decided against it, for the moment. Elder Singer was still too strong. What he needed, he thought, was a sign from the G.o.ds themselves.

But the G.o.ds were still lying on the boughs, doing their marvelous twitching dance in imitation of human thirst and suffering.

The G.o.ds were placed in the middle of the Sacred Mound, and Elder Singer led the people in the dance of Landing Approval. Messengers were sent to the outlying villages, to call all men to the Dances.

In the village, the women began to prepare the feast. Some of them danced out of sheer joy, for wasn't it written that when the G.o.ds returned the Avoidance would be ended, and there would be prosperity and riches for everyone, as in the Days of s.p.a.ce Flight'

On the mound, one G.o.d was lying p.r.o.ne. The other had raised himself to a sitting position, and was pointing into his mouth with an artfully shaking finger.

"It is the sign of good will!" cried Elder Singer.

Glat nodded, perspiration rolling down the folds of his hide as he danced. Elder Singer was strong on interpretation. He had to admit that.

Now the other G.o.d was sitting up, clutching his throat with one hand and gesturing with the other.

"Faster!" Elder Singer coughed at the dancers, responsive to every move of the G.o.ds.

One of the G.o.ds was shouting now, in a terrible, cracked voice. He shouted, and pointed at his throat, and shouted again in imitation of a suffering man.

All this was in strict accordance with the G.o.d's Dance in the Book of Last Appearance.

Just then, a troop of young men from the next village galloped in, and took their places in the dance. Younger Singer was relieved of his position. After catching his breath, he walked over to Elder Singer.

"Are you using all the dances?" he asked.

"Of course." Elder Singer scrutinized the dancers carefully, for there could be no mistake this time. This would be their last chance to redeem themselves in the eyes of the G.o.ds.

"The dances will continue for the full eight days," Elder Singer said sternly. "If any error is made, we will begin again."

"Alhona says that the Water Ceremony should come first," Glat said, "followed by-"

"Get back to the dance!" Elder Singer said, making the sign of complete negation. "You have heard the G.o.ds cough their approval. Only in this way can we lift the ancient Avoidance."

Younger Singer turned away. If only he were in charge! In the ancient days, when the G.o.ds were constantly coming and going, Elder Singer's way had been correct. Glat remembered reading in the Book of Last Appearance how the G.o.d-ship had come down. The Field Clearance Ceremony (they didn't call them dances then) had begun.

The G.o.ds had danced their dance of suffering and pain.

Then the Landing Approval Ceremony was performed.

The G.o.ds danced a hunger dance, and a thirst dance, as they were doing now.

And then there had been the Ceremony of Customs Inspection, and Cargo Unloading, and Medical Inspection. During all this time, food and water had been kept from the G.o.ds, as part of the ritual.

When all the ceremonies were done, one G.o.d had, for some reason, imitated a dead man. The other had taken him back to the G.o.d-ship, and the G.o.ds left for the last time.

Sometime after that, the Avoidance began.

But none of the ancient writings agreed on the reason for the Avoidance. Some maintained that an error in one of the Dances had offended the G.o.ds. Others, like Alhona, wrote that the feasting and drink should have come first, and then the ceremonies.

Alhona was not generally believed. After all, the G.o.ds knew neither hunger nor thirst. Why should the feast precede the ceremonies?

But Glat accepted Alhona's word on faith, and hoped someday to find out the real reason for the Avoidance.

Suddenly there was an interruption. Glat hurried back to see what it was.

Some fool had left a common water jug near the Sacred Mound. One of the G.o.ds had crawled toward it. His hands were just about to grasp it.

Elder Singer s.n.a.t.c.hed the jug away, and the whole village sighed in relief. It was blasphemy to leave a plain, unadorned, unpurified water jug near a G.o.d. Had he touched it, the G.o.d might have destroyed the village in his wrath.

The G.o.d was angry. He shouted, and pointed at the offending jug. Then he pointed at the other G.o.d, still lying on his face in heavenly ecstasy. He pointed at his throat, his dry, cracked mouth, and at the water jug again. He took two off-balance steps and fell down. The G.o.d began to sob.

"Quick!" Younger Singer shouted. "Start the Dance of Reciprocal Trade Agreement!"