At precisely the Hour of Thanksgiving, an acolyte stepped into the tower of the Great Temple and swung a heavy mallet with ponderous dignity. The huge bronze gong that hung there sounded its mellow note across the city, and the crowd in the Square of Holy Light became silent, waiting expectantly.
Then the shutters of the balcony drew slowly aside, revealing the assembled Council of Elders in full ceremonial array. The bronze chains of their high office were draped across their blue and white robes, and their bronze coronets shone brightly in the glow of the Great Light from the eternally clouded sky.
At the left of the balcony stood the Earthman, Smith. He was simply clad, wearing a pearl gray shirt and trousers. The long sleeves and trouser legs made the clothing unlike any normally seen on Nidor.
But it was not his clothing that drew Kris' attention. It was Smith's physical appearance. This was the first time Kris peKym had ever seen an Earthman, and the sight startled him.
In spite of the fact that the Earthmen had been on Nidor for nearly a hundred years, they were not often seen by the public. They kept themselves secluded at the School—and, while most Nidorians were aware of the presence of the alien men on their planet, few had seen them, except for the students at the Bel-rogas School of Divine Law.
Kris studied the Earthman carefully. He seemed unusually big, as he stood there on the balcony near the Grandfathers. Kris had always thought of himself as an exceptionally big man, but it seemed to him that Smith was yet somewhat taller than he was. It was a depressing thought.
People said that the Earthmen actually did have body hair, but, if they did, none was visible to Kris. Smith's hands and face looked naked and pink, while his chin and the top of his head had, if anything, too much hair.
His topknot was dark except for the graying at the temples, and his beard was long and straight and thick. It covered his chin completely. The whole effect was oddly grotesque, but somehow impressive. It gave an appearance of great power to the craggy features.
Kris stood silently, his arms folded, waiting for the hearing to begin. He felt uneasy in the Earthman's presence, sensing someone even stronger than himself.
Another sound of the giant gong echoed across Gelusar. Kris' ears shook at the impact of the sound wave. The gong was a mighty one; it was likely that it went unheard nowhere in the Holy City.
It rang a third time, and then Elder Grandfather Kiv peGanz Brajjyd, Leader of the Council, stood up. He held out his arms and crossed them in blessing.
"The peace of your Ancestors be with you always!"
"And may the Great Light illumine your mind as He does the world," Kris found himself mumbling in response.
Kiv stepped forward. "My children," the Eider Grandfather said, "We are gathered here together in the Temple of the Great Light to deal with a difficult and trying matter. The Elder Kovnish will conduct the inquiry."
At Kiv's gesture, a tall, ascetic-looking Grandfather arose and took Kiv's place.
"As the Elder Brajjyd has made clear, the matter at hand is a delicate one, and we are hesitant to expose our guides from Earth to the indignity of a public trial. Yet the Council of Elders—after due deliberation—has settled upon this method of clearing the reputations of the Earthmen and of the Bel-rogas School, whose name we all revere. I call upon the Elder Yorgen to sum up the reasons for this inquiry."
The Elder Kovnish stepped down and another Grandfather arose. Kris felt a little twinge of half-suppressed pride at the impressive sight of the head of his own clan. The Elder Yorgen was the third oldest member of the Council, and his down was silvery-gray in color.
"My children, not long ago a strange and frightening thing happened in the Province of Dimay. Unknown persons entered the bank, and took from it eight million weights in cobalt." The Elder Yorgen paused for a moment, as if the energy required to deliver a speech of two sentences had sapped his feeble strength. "Where this money is, we do not know.
"However—rumor has become widespread that our friends of Bel-rogas, the Earthmen themselves, have taken this money. You all have heard these rumors. It is the opinion of the Council that such words border on blasphemy, inasmuch as the Earthmen have long been recognized as emissaries of the Great Light Himself. We are gathered here today to hear the public denial of the rumors from the lips of the great Earthman Smith."
Kris' eyes flashed across the balcony to where Smith stood, impassive and aloof—Smith, the archdemon who had guided the School for more than forty years.
"Thank you, Elder Yorgen," said the Grandfather Kovnish. "The case has been stated. I call upon all of you present to witness the words of the Earthman Smith, here on this sacred ground."
Kris smiled. The Elders were playing right into his hands! Smith would be called on next—and, naturally, he would deny the charge, here in the Temple. What an uproar there would be, Kris thought, when the money turned up on the Bel-rogas grounds after all!
The Elder Kovnish gestured at Smith. "Earthman, we call upon you in the name of the Great Light to speak."
The Earthman rose.
Chapter XII
He stood there, staring mildly at the assembled Elders. It seemed to Kris that Smith was looking right through the Elders, gazing contemptuously off into the distance.
It was possible to count to ten before he spoke. Finally, he said, "Just what is it you want me to tell you?" His voice was deep, well-modulated, commanding, and there was something strangely alien about his accent.
The Elder Kovnish recoiled as if he had been struck. "What we ask of you," he said slowly, "is that you deny the charge now current among the people of Nidor that the Earth men were responsible for the robbing of the Bank of Dimay."
Smith seemed to frown. "I'm afraid, I can't do that," he said. "Is there anything else you want?"
What the devil is this? Kris thought bewilderedly. Why doesn't Smith just deny it and get this farce over with?
The Elder Kovnish said, "Perhaps you misunderstand, Ancient One— (hough I hesitate to imply that. The belief is that you of Earth caused The robbery of the Bank of Dimay. I ask you to tell us this is not so."
"How can I do that?" Smith asked.
A ripple of astonishment ran through the crowd this time. What was happening was utterly unbelievable.
"Am I to understand," the Elder Kovnish said sharply, "that you therefore admit the truth of the rumor that the Earthmen robbed the bank?"
"I didn't say that," replied Smith. "You neither admit nor deny guilt?"
Smith shrugged. "As you please, I hardly think the Bel-rogas School should be held accountable for its actions in so public an inquiry."
Exasperation was evident on the Elder's face. The hearing, Kris thought, had taken a bizarre twist. The Council of Elders appeared to be in great distress.
"How are we to interpret your answer?" the Elder cried.
"As you please," Smith said again.
"You may draw what conclusions you wish. The Great Light guide you. Grandfathers—and now I must leave you."
Grandfather Kiv stood up, his face dark with anger. "Hold, Smith! You have left us in doubt—and it is not fair. We have asked you for a simple answer."
"And I have given one," Smith said boredly. "I'll repeat it, though: it is, simply, that I don't care to discuss Bel-rogas matters in public. Nor," he added, "will I answer your questions privately, Elder Brajjyd. I must go now."
And Smith nodded, stepped around Kiv, and quitted the balcony, leaving the Elder Grandfathers standing in a confused semicircle, their mouths opening and closing slowly in utter consternation.