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"They will see the same things I saw."
The old man shrugged. "Perhaps not. They are younger. Perhaps they will be able
to see beyond a vision of a sideshow."
Tayla laughed. "What can you tell me about what they would see, old rider?"
"I think they would see that fortune telling has changed since the days Momus
was first settled. Riders, flyers, train-
ers we are the same as we were. But fortune telling has changed. It ha£ grown.
Great men and women of business come and sit before your table to hear the
future and make their plans. You have outgrown the circus. I think they will see
that."
The old woman frowned, then reached beneath her table and withdrew a clear glass
sphere. She placed it on the table and adjusted the oil lamp. She sat for only a
moment, staring deep within the glass, then closed her eyes and nodded. "I did
not look beyond that vision. Understand my loyalty to the fortune tellers,
Hamid. I saw this, and..."
"And lied!" Hamid gripped the edge of the table and pushed himself to his feet.
He took his crutches, placed them under his arms and turned toward Tayla. "You
will tell Allenby?"
Tayla looked into the old man's angry face. "Yes, I will tell him." Hamid
hobbled toward the door. "Hamid?"
He turned to face her. "Yes?"
"I am ashamed. But tonight in Great Allenby's quarters, I saw an old cripple
prepared to destroy an entire people, just to put his son on a horse. Is my
shame any greater than his?"
Hamid looked at the old woman, then bowed his head. "No, Great Tayla. You see
better into my own heart than I do."
"It is my trade."
Hamid looked at her and smiled. "Do I owe you for this visit?"
The old woman smiled and shook her head. "No, Hamid, I think we are even. Must
you go?"
Hamid laughed. "Yes. I must see a man about a horse."
Allenby bid Koolis, Master of the Ring, good-bye and turned his attention to the
tiers packed with Montagne soldiers, civilians, and, best of all, hordes of
excited, wide-eyed children. The Ring stood brightly in the glow of eight
searchlights General Kahn supplied to replace the rows of oil lamps, while from
the bandstand, the musicians delivered a lusty march in preparation for the
Great Parade. Disus, Allenby's chief-of-staff, walked up and stood beside him
next to the Ring. "A marvelous spectacle, is it not?"
Allenby nodded. "The man behind this, however, is the real marvel. Koolis told
me that Hamid began this without
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a movill in his purse; yet look at the acts he has assembled and the audience he
has attracted."
Disus shrugged and waved an idle hand at the soldiers. "If Hamid cannot go to
Montagne..."
"Don't finish that if you value your life. See to our seats." Grinning, Disus
bowed and went off to negotiate for seating space.
Opposite the entrance, high on the last tier, an old man leaned on a crutch and
surveyed the amphitheater. Before the night's show, Koolis had stood before him
shaking his head. "Every last percentage of the gate has been exchanged for
acts, food, materials, ^nd supplies. I keep the accounts, Hamid. No matter the
success, you will not find yourself a movill richer."
"I have my reward, Koolis," he had said.
The Master of the Ring shrugged and shook his head. "A high price to pay for
sentiment, my friend."
"It is not sentiment."
"What then is your reward? I do not understand." Koolis left, shaking his head
and fondling his fat purse.
As the Great Parade began, the old man leaned forward to see four brothers in
silver-spangled tights mounted on four gleaming white stallions enter the Ring
at the head of the parade. Four brothers whose sons and daughters will ride,'and
all their sons and daughters after them.
"Yes, Koolis," the old man whispered, "my fortune is made."
Dueling Clowns
Lord Allenby raised his eyebrows at the newstelfer's apprentice, but the
apprentice only shrugged. Allenby looked back at the master newsteller. His eyes
fixed on the fire, Boosthit sat cross-legged, elbows on his knees, chin on his
hands and a black scowl on his face. "Come, come, Boosthit. I've known you too
long for this." The newsteller sat unmoving.
The apprentice scratched his head. "It's no use, Lord Allenby. He's been that
way for a week."
Allenby shrugged. "I came by this fire and saw my old friend and expected to
have grand times getting reac-quainted. When I first came to Momus as the
ambassador of the Ninth Quadrant, it was Boosthit who took news of my mission
and played it in Tarzak."
The apprentice nodded. "He won't even talk to me."
Allenby looked closely at the apprentice. "You're one of the Montagne soldiers,
aren't you?"
"Yes. In a year I'll be taking my retirement here on Momus. I'm on leave now
looking into newstelling as an occupation for when I get out."
"Your name?"
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"Forgive me. Sergeant Major Gaddis. I'm top soldier at orbital fighter base
twenty-six."
Allenby nodded. "I'm pleased to meet you, Sergeant. Has newstelling been to your
liking?"
The apprentice turned toward Boosthit, shook his head and turned back to
Allenby. "I have no idea* Lord Allenby. I've been with him for a week, but I
haven't heard any news yet."
Allenby looked at Boosthit. "Come, old friend, you haven't hit a dry spell, have
you?" Boosthit's scowl deepened. "Why, there's news of galactic significance
transpiring this very moment, with the commission from the United Quadrants
coming to Momus. Then, there's the military buildup of the Tenth Quadrant forces
to counter the Ninth's defense of this planet, and the ambassador from the Tenth
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