Hellspark. Part 36

"Not as far as the government knows. And since we all traveled here for a sentience hearing"-a wave of her hand ran the range, from smiling Mirrrit to scowling Windhoek-"the government pays our travel expenses, not you."

"Oh," said Maggy, "that's good! That means we have lots of money left over for more memory!"Darragh laughed and Tocohl laughed along with her. "As for who told me," Darragh said, "it was Maggy herself. It was clear from her behavior that she'd gone well beyond what we normally think of as standard behavior, even for an extrapolative computer. I asked her for the details."

"I told you she was a mean trader," Maggy volunteered.

Tocohl eyed the arachne curiously. "And what did you get in return?"

"Nothing," said Maggy, hunching the arachne, "unless you count the experience."

"Taking advantage of children, Nevelen?" said Om im. "I'm surprised at you."

"So am I," said Tocohl. "Maggy, what exactly was the deal?"

"I wanted to know what had happened to other people who had claimed to be byworld judges. She offered to trade a complete file on judges and judgments for information about me-but she said I couldn't open it until after the four of them had judged you. And they didn't, so I can't and I got nothing, and I promise you, Tocohl, I'll know better next time."

Darragh wiped a hand across her face, her shoulders shaking.

"Maggy," said Tocohl, "they did judge me. You have every right to open that file."

"I do?"

Tocohl looked pointedly at Darragh who said, "Yes, Maggy, you do."

"Oh, good," said Maggy, "then I'm not such a bad trader after all!" She fell silent, probably to examine the information Darragh had given her.

"I have one last message, Tocohl," Darragh said. "Your father invites you to join him for a little 'on the job training.' I suggest you take him up on the offer. The talent may run in the family, but experience always fines it. I'm headed that way myself. Perhaps you and Maggy would like to tag along?"

"Yes," said Tocohl, "I think that's a fine idea."

"Me too," said Maggy, emerging from her studies momentarily. "We didn't see Tocohl Sisumo at the Festival of Ste. Veschke." And, mirroring Tocohl's sentiments exactly, she added, "I miss him."

Tocohl and Maggy made their good-byes. Alfvaen returned them in perfect Jenji. Bayd grinned and promised to keep up her lessons, at least until the team's pickup arrived, and sent Tocohl off with a pile of tapes for Sisumo.

Somehow Tocohl found it was hardest to take leave of layli-layli calulan, who had lost so much on Flashfever. But the shaman smiled her brilliant smile. "May the threads of our lives twist together again and again," she said, "and may the two of you always dream as well as you did here."

Then Tocohl gestured Darragh and Geremy into Maggy's skiff. "We have, as usual, a storm to run,"

she reminded them.

Om im stopped her with a gesture. "There's nothing more I can do here, Ish shan," he said. "Do you have an opening for a seasoned judge's aide?"

The question surprised her but not greatly. At last, she said, "Om im, I'd like that very much, but not just yet. Maggy and I have a great deal to work out between us and I think-I know-you'd be something of a distraction."

He laughed and bowed. "I understand. And I heard the 'not just yet.' I'll see you at the Festival of Ste. Veschke in a few years, Ish shan, and I'll ask you again."

"Done." Tocohl snapped her fingers and climbed in, glancing back for one last sight of the merry eyes that glittered beneath gilded brows.. She found herself still chuckling after she had delivered Geremy and Darragh to their respective ships.

Then all three were on their way and there was nothing much to do except to consider all that had happened. Once again, Om im's impish cheer sprang to her mind.

A seasoned judge's aide! she thought suddenly.

"Maggy," she said, "I think I've been had."

"You?" said Maggy. Tocohl looked down: the arachne sat at her heels, still activated.

"Me," said Tocohl. "I think I may just have been thrown in that situation deliberately-to see what I would do. I don't know the extent of the setup involved, but I'm going to find out."

"I can't tell from Judge Darragh's files but maybe you could," Maggy offered.

"Good idea, Maggy. What would I do without you?""You'd be bored," Maggy said authoritatively, as she presented an index on the spectacles for Tocohl to examine.

Tocohl laughed. "Much better that I be in trouble?" she suggested.

Maggy gave a thoughtful pause. "Well, as long as we're both in trouble, I suppose that's all right."

"Yes," Tocohl said, "that's very much all right."