"It’s not the best," she said, moving the dishes to a nearby table. "But it’s better than what any slave gets."
Pup stood uncertainly by the door.
"Sit down and eat," Lizard said. "That muck about you serving us was just an excuse to keep you here. There’s more than enough for all three of us."
Pup’s face cleared and they all three sat down. When Tira came to take away the dishes, Lizard told her that Pup would sleep at the foot of his bed in case he or Bell wanted something in the night. Tira accepted this without comment and withdrew again.
"I don’t know how long we can keep it up," Lizard said, "but we may as well enjoy it now. Besides, the bed’s big enough for five!"
That night, Lizard lay awake in the deliciously comfortable bed. Pup had dropped off almost the moment his head hit the pillow, but Lizard found the silence kept him awake. The windows were shut, and he couldn’t hear the frogs, let alone the usual snores and sleepy mutters of the slaves in the barn loft. Soft moonlight slipped around the closed curtains, giving a dim illumination. Lizard turned on his side and watched Pup sleep. His near-white hair looked silver. The sheet had fallen away from his bare chest, revealing flat muscle and supple skin that moved with Pup’s steady breathing. He was a good friend, the best Lizard had ever had. And he was damned good-looking.
Lizard blinked. Where did that come from? he thought.
He watched the rise and fall of Pup’s chest and was seized with the sudden impulse to reach out and touch Pup’s hair, caress his forehead. Feelings churned inside Lizard, strange and unexplained. Pup was his best friend. Pup had been there for him from day one, had listened to him cry about his missing family, had conspired to avoid the managers with him. Lizard liked Pup a lot, didn’t know what he’d do without him. But what did that mean?
Lizard’s hand stole outward and his finger lightly touched Pup’s cheek. It was warm. Pup shifted. Lizard snatched his hand back as Pup’s eyes abruptly opened.
"What’s wrong?" he said in a sleep-blurred voice.
Lizard’s wits fled and he couldn’t answer. Pup blinked and woke up fully.
"What’s going on?" he said.
"I thought …" Lizard stammered. His heart beat fast. "I mean …it’s nothing."
Pup gave him a long look that Lizard couldn’t interpret. "Okay. Good night." He turned over and lay still.
Lizard swallowed hard. What had he been thinking? What had he been doing? There was no answer that made sense to him. Lizard turned his back to Pup and stared at the wall. So much was happening, changing so fast. He’d never get to sleep.
He fell asleep.
The wind was hot and dry, carrying the scent of dry vegetation and sun-baked rock. Overhead, a falcon screamed, a high, free sound. Under his feet, the earth was hot, sandy, and full of sharp stones, but in this place, his soles were hardened and impervious to such problems. He spread his arms to the wind, let it blow over him. This place was solid. This place was real. This place was-
Child.
He had never heard human voices in this place. These should have startled him. But he felt no fear. He turned calmly. Half a dozen people, men and women, stood beside him. They were as naked as he was, their dark hair bleached brown by the sun.
"Hello," he said.
Our time here is short, they said, and their mouths didn’t move when they spoke. The words appeared in his head and in his heart. And there are things you must know.
"What are they?" he asked.
A collective sense of shaking heads came over him. You must learn them on your own. We can only send you in the direction.
"What direction is that?"
The one within you. Follow your own self. The mutants are forcing your body down a path strewn with death and pain, but your mind remains your own. Draw strength from us. We are the Real People, and you are part of us. The mutants can take that from you only if you let them.
And they were gone. No track or broken blade of scrubby grass showed they had ever been there. The hot, cleansing breeze continued to blow, and the falcon called again. He turned to look up at the sky and saw a white canopy.
Lizard awoke, muddled and confused. He was in the wrong place. There should have been a hot wind, sandy soil. Or a lumpy pallet and frog calls? Either way, it was wrong. Everything was soft and white, and the light was dim. He heard a strange bubbling noise. Then Lizard remembered where he was and sat up. Pup’s place in the bed was empty, and the bubbling sound was coming from the bathroom. Lizard got up and stretched. Thin streaks of sunlight striped the floor around the curtains, leaving the room dim. Cool air drifted from one of the vents, and the carpet was soft on Lizard’s bare feet. He pulled on a pair of shorts, knocked once on the bathroom door, and pushed it open. Pup was sitting up to his neck in the whirlpool bath, which bubbled with white water. The room was heavy with steam.
"This is great!" Pup said. "You have to try it! Lots of room-come on in."
"Not the shower?" Lizard asked. For the first time in his life, he realized-truly realized-that Pup was naked in the bath. Memories from last night stirred, and Lizard found himself drawing back with uncertainty. Pup gave no sign that he remembered the previous night, but still. .
"Already tried that, too," Pup grinned, and he was beautiful. Lizard swallowed. "You coming in or what?"
"I’ll wait until you’re done," Lizard said, and splashed a handful of warm water at Pup’s head to cover his consternation. Pup retaliated with a great gout that soaked Lizard from chin to waist. Laughing, he wiped his face on his arm. "Now I don’t need a shower or a bath."
A few moments later, they had both finished washing up-Lizard opted for the shower-and had gotten dressed. Lizard actually had to dress twice because Pup found outside the bedroom door another set of clothes in Lizard’s size. These were a long tunic and trousers in a pale yellow, with sandals similar to the type the managers wore. Pup watched him put them on in awe.
"Y’see?" he breathed. "Light yellow, and the managers wear dark yellow. You’re almost at the same level they are."
"I guess," said Lizard. He held out the wrist with the metal band still encircling it. "But only almost."
"You think they’d assign you a body slave to, you know, lay out your clothes and stuff?" Pup asked tentatively. "Even someone who was a …a mucker?"
His eyes were so wide and his voice so hesitant, Lizard felt his throat thicken. His best friend thought it would be a privilege to wait on him? In a fit of emotion, he grabbed Pup in a rough hug. Pup didn’t immediately return the gesture and Lizard felt him stiffen for a moment before hugging clumsily back. Lizard let go.
"Sorry," he mumbled.
"It’s okay," Pup said in the same tone he had used last night. "Just startled me."
"It’s just-I’d rather have a friend than a slave. But if they want me to have a body slave, you know I’d get you out of the muck." Lizard paused thoughtfully. "Unless you’d miss that frog girlfriend you’ve been seeing."
Pup snorted. "Well, your ma’s waiting list is too long."
Lizard aimed a mock punch at Pup’s head. Pup ducked, and everything was back to where it had been before.
"Speaking of Mom," Lizard said, and knocked on the door connecting their rooms.
Bell, it turned out, had herself just finished dressing. Her new tunic and trousers were identical to Lizard’s. A moment later, breakfast arrived. They wheeled the cart over to a wide window and drew aside the curtains to let in golden sunlight. They ate and talked. It was a happy meal. Lizard saw the lines on his mother’s face had smoothed a bit, and she appeared much more cheerful. For a moment, it felt like a Sunday morning back in Sydney, in the days when there had been five of them around the breakfast table. The change had come because they were Silent. Lizard looked at his mother and knew the same thing was on her mind.