away, for one thing. That was
reasonable, Taneem supposed, since they didn't know when any of the bad
people aboard might decide to come into their room. But it meant she
had to either rest on Alison's skin or else follow the girl around like
a baby linzling.
Alison didn't talk to her very much either. Partly, again, that
was because she didn't want anyone suddenly opening the door to hear
her talking to a room that was supposed to be empty. Taneem could
understand that, too. But mostly it was because Alison was spending
most of her time with her pack of tools and with the pieces of paper
from the bag she'd brought from the safe on Semaline.
Sometimes Taneem tried looking over Alison's shoulder as she
studied the papers. But most of the written ones were in a type of
writing Draycos hadn't yet taught her, while the pictures were of
places and people of which she had no knowledge.
It didn't seem as if Alison understood much of it, either. All she
ever did was scowl at the notes and pictures or lay them out on
different parts of the room's low table. Sometimes she gathered them
all together again and sorted them out into a different order.
It was on the fifth night of their journey when the routine
suddenly changed.
Alison had been asleep for nearly two hours, and Taneem was dozing
lightly against her skin, when across the room the door quietly slid
open.
Instantly Taneem went still, as Draycos and Jack and Alison had
all warned her to do whenever others were around. The blankets were
pulled up around Alison's chin, blocking any chance for Taneem to see
what was happening.
But she could hear just fine . . . and as Alison's slow breathing
continued unchanged she heard two of the bad people go across the room
to the table. There was a soft shuffling of papers, and then they went
back to the door again. It closed behind them, and they were gone.
Taneem counted slowly to twenty the way Draycos had taught her.
Then, she eased herself off Alison's skin and slid out from beneath the
blankets onto the floor at the side of the bed.
The bad people were gone. So were all the papers Alison had been
studying.
Taneem's first impulse was to wake the girl and tell her the bad
news. But she knew that wouldn't do any good. Early on in the trip
Alison had discovered that the room's door was locked from the outside,
and now that the bad people were gone there was no way for her to chase
after them.
She should have awakened Alison as soon as they had come in, she
realized glumly. Now, the papers were gone, with no way to get them
back.
At least, no way for Alison to do it.
Taneem tilted her long neck to look up. Along the wall just below
the ceiling was a rectangular grille covering an opening through which
cool, fresh air flowed into the room. Alison had said the opening was
part of a whole series of passages called ducts. Once, a couple of days
ago, Taneem had jumped up and hooked her front claws in the grille,
hanging there looking in until Alison had noticed and told her to get
off.
The duct had been dark, but Taneem was positive she could fit in
there just fine. If she could find where the men had taken the papers,
maybe she could get them back.
And best of all, inside all those ducts no one would see her. She
could do this without breaking any of Alison's rules.
The first task was to remove the grille. Fortunately, she had
noticed while she was hanging there that time that the plate was held
by four connecting devices called bolts, one in each corner.
An easy leap upward, and she had deftly sheared off the heads of
two of the bolts with her front claws. On the second leap, she took off
the heads of the other two, catching the grille between her jaws as it
fell.
She dropped back to the deck, making sure the grille didn't bump
against the floor. It was heavier than she'd expected, and now that she
had it off she could see the flat panels fastened to its back. Devices
to heat or cool the incoming air, she guessed, remembering
reasonable, Taneem supposed, since they didn't know when any of the bad
people aboard might decide to come into their room. But it meant she
had to either rest on Alison's skin or else follow the girl around like
a baby linzling.
Alison didn't talk to her very much either. Partly, again, that
was because she didn't want anyone suddenly opening the door to hear
her talking to a room that was supposed to be empty. Taneem could
understand that, too. But mostly it was because Alison was spending
most of her time with her pack of tools and with the pieces of paper
from the bag she'd brought from the safe on Semaline.
Sometimes Taneem tried looking over Alison's shoulder as she
studied the papers. But most of the written ones were in a type of
writing Draycos hadn't yet taught her, while the pictures were of
places and people of which she had no knowledge.
It didn't seem as if Alison understood much of it, either. All she
ever did was scowl at the notes and pictures or lay them out on
different parts of the room's low table. Sometimes she gathered them
all together again and sorted them out into a different order.
It was on the fifth night of their journey when the routine
suddenly changed.
Alison had been asleep for nearly two hours, and Taneem was dozing
lightly against her skin, when across the room the door quietly slid
open.
Instantly Taneem went still, as Draycos and Jack and Alison had
all warned her to do whenever others were around. The blankets were
pulled up around Alison's chin, blocking any chance for Taneem to see
what was happening.
But she could hear just fine . . . and as Alison's slow breathing
continued unchanged she heard two of the bad people go across the room
to the table. There was a soft shuffling of papers, and then they went
back to the door again. It closed behind them, and they were gone.
Taneem counted slowly to twenty the way Draycos had taught her.
Then, she eased herself off Alison's skin and slid out from beneath the
blankets onto the floor at the side of the bed.
The bad people were gone. So were all the papers Alison had been
studying.
Taneem's first impulse was to wake the girl and tell her the bad
news. But she knew that wouldn't do any good. Early on in the trip
Alison had discovered that the room's door was locked from the outside,
and now that the bad people were gone there was no way for her to chase
after them.
She should have awakened Alison as soon as they had come in, she
realized glumly. Now, the papers were gone, with no way to get them
back.
At least, no way for Alison to do it.
Taneem tilted her long neck to look up. Along the wall just below
the ceiling was a rectangular grille covering an opening through which
cool, fresh air flowed into the room. Alison had said the opening was
part of a whole series of passages called ducts. Once, a couple of days
ago, Taneem had jumped up and hooked her front claws in the grille,
hanging there looking in until Alison had noticed and told her to get
off.
The duct had been dark, but Taneem was positive she could fit in
there just fine. If she could find where the men had taken the papers,
maybe she could get them back.
And best of all, inside all those ducts no one would see her. She
could do this without breaking any of Alison's rules.
The first task was to remove the grille. Fortunately, she had
noticed while she was hanging there that time that the plate was held
by four connecting devices called bolts, one in each corner.
An easy leap upward, and she had deftly sheared off the heads of
two of the bolts with her front claws. On the second leap, she took off
the heads of the other two, catching the grille between her jaws as it
fell.
She dropped back to the deck, making sure the grille didn't bump
against the floor. It was heavier than she'd expected, and now that she
had it off she could see the flat panels fastened to its back. Devices
to heat or cool the incoming air, she guessed, remembering
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