No One felt the coils and loops again and again, registering the shapes, the textures, the cries of the fortune teller. At a place on one of the coils, he wrapped his fingers around and squeezed. He felt the walls of the tube collapse until his fingers pressed against each other. "Does that hurt, Tarzaka?"
"No. I can feel it, but it doesn't hurt."
He nodded, then moved his fingers and squeezed again. "Now?"
"No."
He moved his fingers, squeezed, and met resistance as the fortune teller screamed and drew up her knees closer to her chest. He released the pressure on the coil, but kept his fingers in place. "Tarzaka. Your knees. Why did you draw them up?"
She gasped at the air. "It lessens the pain."
He moved his fingers along the coil until he met resistance. He frowned, then held his breath as he forced his fingers between the coil and the resistance. Again the fortune teller screamed. "Stretch out your legs."
"I cannot! The pain!"
"Stretch them out!"
The fortune teller cried out, then began lowering her knees. No One felt the pinch against his fingers just as she screamed and brought up her knees again. With her knees up, the pressure against his fingers was reduced. With an effort, he withdrew his fingers, then began feeling the outlines of the resistance.
"No One, what is it?"
"I am not certain. There is a loop of gut here. And it seems that there is... yes! Another loop of gut around the first!" He opened his eyes and looked at Tarzaka. "It is almost as though your gut is tied into a knot. It winds tightly about itself and it tightens when your legs straighten out. It loosens when you draw up your knees." He shook his head. "What do I do now?"
"Untie it."
Again he shook his head. "I cannot. I don't have the strength."
Tarzaka reached out a hand and placed it upon No One's arm. "You must try. That was our bargain."
No One swallowed, shook his head, and swallowed again. "Even if I could, what would happen? Would your gut be like that if it wasn't supposed to be like that? What if I injured something, or released some terrible poison? I just don't know." He waved his hand at her middle. "The loop at the point within the twist—it is very hard. It is full of something."
"That is what is making me sick."
He nodded. "Yes, but it also makes the gut stiff..." No One pursed his lips as he studied his memory. "Perhaps."
"What is it?"
He rose on his knees until he hovered over her. "Stretch out your legs as far as you can." Gingerly, she lowered her knees until she cried out. No One sucked in and bit his upper lip as he closed his eyes and made his fingers enter the fortune teller's body. More rapidly this time, he located the loop. Keeping his fingers in the same area, he felt around the location. He felt more loops, a hardness. "Where is that?"
"It is deep—I don't know—a bone? Yes. The top of my hip."
He nodded and drew the fingers forward and up. He reached out his left hand, put it beneath the robe that covered the fortune teller, then moved the fingers of his hand between the folds of her robe until his fingers rested on Tarzaka's hot, rigid skin. He placed his hand, fingers extended, flat upon her belly. He took a deep breath, then tried to press the fingers of his mind against his hand through the fortune teller's skin. He grunted with the exertion, but felt a tiny pressure against the heel of his palm. Moving his hand until his fingers were where the heel of his hand had been, he pressed again. The pressure went against his index finger. "The fingers of my mind—so tiny. Didn't realize."
"Perhaps you should rest, No One."
He shook his head. "No." He breathed heavily for a few moments, then opened his eyes and looked at her. "When I tell you to, raise your knees toward your breast as far as you can. Understand?"
"Yes."
Again he closed his eyes. He grunted as he again checked the position of the pressure against his index finger. With the fingers of his mind, he reached toward the loop and located it immediately beneath the fingers of his hand. His mind-fingers felt their way along the loop until they came to where the gut looped and crossed itself. The position of the knot was left, and he moved to the draw end of the slip knot. Carefully he wrapped the fingers of his mind around the gut and took several deep breaths.
He nodded. "Now."
Tarzaka drew up her knees, trapping No One's left hand between her thighs and belly. No One set his jaw, grimaced, and pulled. They both screamed. "Your knees! Draw them up farther!"
"I... can't—" Again she screamed.
No One felt the gut loosen, then move slightly, then stop as the fortune teller's legs slumped to the ground. "Tarzaka!" He looked at her face to find her unconscious. "By damn, woman! Wake up!" His breath came hard. No One paused for a moment, then reached down with his right hand and placed it beneath the fortune teller's knees, keeping his left hand in place. He lifted her knees toward her breast, bent over, then placed the weight of his chest upon her knees.
The fingers of his mind renewed their grip, and pulled again. "Almost... almost." He eased off, took several breaths, then pulled again, pressing down against her belly with his left index finger with all of his strength. His words came out in strained gasps. "Now!... Move, damn you, move..." The veins stood out on his neck and temples, his face became bright red. "... Moving. Moving!" He screamed with the effort, and screamed again. Before the echoes of his last scream died, No One was face down in the dirt, unconscious.
It swims. It all swims. My feet flying over my head; the world in chaos... What is it down there. Mother. Mother! It's me! It's me, Mother! Johnjay!
... until the last bull dies. They were silent as he walked from the ring. Silent! Damn their silence! Damn them their bulls! Damn them Reg! Reg! Reg!...
His eyes opened to find himself looking up at a clear sky colored with evening's dying orange. No One tried to sit, but he winced with the effort. "I feel as if I had been whipped with bull chains."
"No One?"
He pushed himself to a sitting position and looked at the fortune teller. She was on her side, facing him. No One cocked his head to one side. "Well? How are you feeling?"
"Pain. But different pain; good pain."
No One again looked at the sky. "A day. We have lost an entire day."
"Two days. You slept all through yesterday and last night."
He pushed himself to his feet, letting an involuntary groan escape from his lips. He moved to the site of the campfire, squatted down, and spread the fingers of his right hand above the bed of ashes. He nodded. "Umm. It is still hot." He blew at the ashes, exposing a few glowing coals, then he picked up a twig and gathered the coals together. He added twigs and sticks, blew air at the coals, and in moments the flames lit his face as they crackled the wood. No One glanced around, located the jug of sapwine, and picked it up. He drank deeply, letting the liquid ease his aching head and muscles. He drank again, then sat next to the fire.
Tarzaka got up, moved next to the fire, and sat down across it from No One. "Upon what are you thinking?"
He shook his head. "Nothing." His hand held up the jug. "A friend of mine from Miira—" He paused, then lowered the jug, shaking his head. "—a former friend. He calls this medicine." No One felt the tears tempting his eyes. "He is called Mortify, and he is an apprentice to old Mange." No One drank again.
"Mortify is no longer your friend?"