The Green Odyssey | Page 8

glass up and said, "Here's to
the Duchess. May demons carry her off."
"You'd better be careful, saying that before the children. You know that if they innocently
repeated that to someone and it got back to the Duchess you'd be burned in the next
witchhunt."
"Not my children!" she scoffed. "They're too clever. They take after their mother. They
know when to keep their mouths shut."
Green gulped his wine and stood up. "I must go."
"You'll come home tonight? Surely the Duchess will let you out one night a week?"
"Not one single night. And I can't come here this evening because I'm to meet Miran the
Merchant at the House of Equality. Business, you know."
"Oh, I know! You'll dillydally about the whole matter, and put off acting for one reason
or another, and the first thing you know, years will go by, and----"
"If this keeps up I'll be dead in six months," he said. "I'm tired! I have to get some sleep."

She changed instantly from anger to sympathy. "Poor dear, why don't you forget that
appointment and sleep here until time to go back to the castle? I'll send a messenger to
Miran telling him you're sick."
"No, this is something I just can't pass by."
"What is it?"
"It's of such a nature that telling you, or anybody, would spoil it."
"And just what could that be?" she demanded, angry again. "It concerns some woman, I'll
bet!"
"My problem is keeping away from you women, not getting into more trouble. No, it's
just that Miran has sworn me by all his gods to keep silent and of course I couldn't think
of breaking a vow."
"I know your opinion of our gods," she said. "Well, go along with you! But I warn you,
I'm an impatient woman; I'll give you a week to work on the Duchess, then I'm launching
an attack myself."
"That won't be necessary," he said. He kissed her and the children and left. He
congratulated himself on having delayed Amra that long. If he couldn't carry out his
scheme in a week he was lost, anyway. He'd have to walk away from the city and out
onto the Xurdimur, even if packs of wild dogs and man-eating grass cats and
cannibalistic men and God knew what else did roam the grassy plains.
4
EVERY CITY AND VILLAGE of the Empire had its House of Equality, within whose
walls distinctions of every type were abandoned. Green did not know the origin of the
institution, but he recognized its value as a safety valve to blow off the extreme social
pressure put on every class. Here the slave who did not dare open his mouth in the
outside mundane world could curse his master to his face and go unpunished by the
authorities. Of course, there was nothing to keep the master from retaliating in kind, for
the slave also cast off his legal rights when he entered. Violence was not unknown here,
though it was infrequent. Blood shed within these walls did not, theoretically, call for
punishment. But any murderer would find that, though the police paid no attention to him,
he'd have to deal with the slain one's relatives. Many feuds had had their origin and end
here.
Green had excused himself after the evening meal, saying that he had to talk to Miran
about getting some spices from Estorya. Also the merchant had mentioned that on his last
trip he'd heard that a band of Estoryan hunters were going after the rare and beautiful
getzlen bird and that he might find some for sale when he returned there. Zuni's face lit
up, because she desired a getzlen bird even more than a chance to annoy her husband.
Graciously she gave Green permission to leave.

Inwardly exultant, though outwardly pulling a long face that was supposed to suggest his
sadness at having to leave the Duchess, he backed out of the dining room. Not very
gracefully, for Alzo chose that moment to refuse to get out of Green's path. Green
tumbled backward, sprawling over the huge mastiff, who snarled with anger and trembled
with hypocritical indignation and bared his fangs with the intention of tearing Green apart.
The Earthman did not try to rise, because he did not want to give Alzo an excuse for
jumping him. Instead he bared his own teeth and snarled back. The hall roared with
laughter and the Duke, holding his sides, tears running from his bulging eyes, rose and
staggered over to where the two faced each other on all fours. He clutched Alzo's
spike-studded collar and dragged him away, meanwhile choking out a command to Green
to take off while the taking off was good.
Green swallowed his anger, thanked the Duke and left.