"Who's the new Sorter?"
"Woman name of Clodine," Lanzecki replied."Don't ride her, Killashandra.Her main fault is being new at the game."
Lars cocked an eyebrow at her and winked conspiratorially.She caught the warning that she would do more good to be patient.She shook her hair back over her shoulder in denial of the reminder and, on her mettle, strode out of the room.
Clodine greeted Killashandra with a nervous blend of gratitude and caution.Sorters, whose particular adjustment to the Ballybran symbiont affected their vision to the point where they did not need any mechanical aid to see intrusions and flaws in crystal, did not suffer the memory deterioration that singers did.Each of the other four Sorters on duty gave Killashandra a pleasant nod or wave as she made her way to Clodine's station-a station that had been Enthor's since before Killa had become a member of the Heptite Guild.She would miss him, too:they'd had some spectacular arguments over his evaluation of the tons of crystal she had presented for his inspection.But she had known him to be exceedingly competent, and fair.The opinion had survived throughout all her trips in the Ranges.Two faces she always remembered, no matter how crystal-mazed she was: Enthor's and Lanzecki's.
Clodine would have to be very good indeed to replace Enthor in Killashandra's estimation.Ironic to find herself in the position of teaching the woman all the skills she herself had learned from the old Sorter.But Killa did know crystal.
The tall, slender girl-Killa judged her to be young in real chronology-kept blinking, her eyes going from one state to the other.Involuntarily she shuddered when the magnification of her enhanced sight made what should have been ordinary images unnerving to behold.She was an attractive girl, too, which might be why Lanzecki had enlisted Killa's aid.There had been a time when Killa would have been intensely jealous of anyone who took Lanzecki's interest, but those days were a long time back in the decades that had not included Lars Dahl.Clodine had lovely blonde hair, a lot of it, neatly confined in a thick net.She had the fair complexion of the genuine blonde, and midbrown eyes with light flecks.Yes, very attractive.Some of Killa's unexpected anxiety for Lanzecki's aging dissipated.He still an eye for a pretty girl and a lissome shape.
"I'm Killashandra Ree," she said, holding out her hand to Clodine.That was a habit most humanoid worlds had adopted, and she had been doing it so much on Sherpa that it had become natural.Singers fresh out of the Ranges never touched anyone if they could help it.Crystal shock sometimes had an adverse effect on others.But Clodine was too new to Ballybran to notice anything out of the ordinary."Lanzecki sent me down as backup to this grimy lot on their way in.He doesn't want to scare you off the job at too early a date."
The crystal singer noticed that the worn scales and equipment that had served Enthor for so many decades had been replaced.Even the metal worktop, once scraped and scored by hundreds of thousands of cut crystal forms, was pristine.
Clodine gave a tentative smile, and her eyes flicked into the alter state and then back again."Oh, Gods, I'll never get the hang of it."
"Make your eyes very round when you want to stay in normal visual mode," Killashandra said in a low voice, aware that the other Sorters were watching them.
Clodine tried to smile and widen her eyes, then groaned because her eyes altered despite her efforts.
"It's surprising how soon you will become accustomed to the alteration," Killashandra said in her most sincere "buck up there" tone."Ah, here they come!"
"They do?"Clodine looked up at the wraparound screens that showed the as-yet empty Hangar where the singers' sleds would land.The latest batch of Guild apprentices waited there to help unload the precious crystal.The Met screens showed that the squall, having wreaked brief havoc in the Ranges, was passing harmlessly out to sea, half a continent away.The Hangar crew was lounging about.When storm systems raged close to the Guild's massive cube, their duties became far more urgent and perilous-even to closing the great Hangar doors to incoming singers rather than risk damage to those already safe within.More times than she cared to remember-probably many more times than she could remember-Killa had been the last singer to get in over the interlocking jaws of the great portal.
"See?"Killa said, directing Clodine's attention to the long-range screen where the first of the incoming sleds was just now visible as a speeding blip.
"Oh!"Clodine blinked nervously and, shaking her head in distress, looked about to weep.
"Relax," Killa drawled and pushed herself up to sit on the brand-new worktop."They're a good half hour out-unless they've had a good scare!"She grinned with amusement and saw Clodine relax a bit."Where you from?"
"I don't imagine you've ever heard of my home system…" the Sorter began apologetically.
"Try me," Killa replied with a laugh.
"A planet named Scarteen-"
"In the Huntsman system," Killashandra said, oddly pleased by the girl's delight in her knowing."Nice place.Good currents in the Great Oceans."
"You've sailed on Scarteen?"
"I've sailed-" Killa paused, censored the ennui in her tone, and smiled kindly at the child, "-on most worlds that are hospitable to our species."
"You sail?I mean, sheet-sail, not motor cruise?"
"Wind-sail, of course."She flicked one shoulder, consigning motor cruising to a suitable nadir."And you'll find there's good sailing here, too.In fact, if we've time before we go out in the Ranges, my partner and I would be happy to take you out on our ship, show you some of the tricks of sailing Ballybran's currents and coasts."
"Oh, would you?"
Once again, Lars's avocation won her unexpected friendship.Killa sighed and filled in the time until the sleds arrived with sea tales that were honorably unembellished.They didn't need to be!Sorters might not need to leave Ballybran as often as singers, but they took holidays-especially during Passover storms.It didn't hurt to reassure the girl that there was more to life as a Heptite Guild member than remembering to widen her eyes to avoid blinking to crystal-gaze.
Clodine was, as Lanzecki suspected, suffering only from inexperience in dealing with Range-crazed singers.Killashandra's presence quelled the other singer's urge to argue with Clodine's estimate of his crystals-which were a rather good midgreen, currently in scarce supply, so even without arguing he got a better price than Killa knew he had anticipated.He would have had no cause to berate a Sorter, new or experienced, but arguing price with your Sorter got to be an ingrained habit with singers.Some Sorters enjoyed persiflage, and/or getting the better of the singer.
Timing was so often the deciding factor in the value of a cut.If the market was glutted, the price was understandably low.Some colors were always worth the premium price, like black crystals, which were so valuable as communication links.The pale pinks were always low market, but a fine seven-shaft cut of even pink could be valuable in an industrial complex.
When the singer had left, grumbling desultorily, Killashandra touched Clodine's shoulder and grinned at her woeful expression.
"He's all wind and piss.Most of us are.You know your grading, the latest market price is what's on your terminal.Don't let 'em hassle you.Part of it's coming in sudden from the Ranges without as much as you thought you would cut this time out.I'm always sure I should have been able to cut longer and more.Most of it's pure singer cussedness.Ignore it, considering the source!Enthor train you up?" she added, for something of the way Clodine had handled crystal reminded her of the old man.
"Yes."Clodine's eyes widened in astonishment."How did you know that?"