Read A Song for Lya for Free Online

are one,” he said.
    “Oh,” I said. “Well, yes, but do you know any who look like us? Tall, you know, with hair and skin that's pink or brown or something?” I came to another awkward halt, wondering just how much Terran the old Shkeen knew, and eyeing his Greeshka a little apprehensively.
    His head bobbled from side to side. “Joined are all different, but all are one, all are shame. Shome look ash you. Would you Join?"
    “No, thanks,” I said. “Where can I find a human Joined?"
    He bobbled his head some more. “Joined shing and ring and walk the shacred city."
    Lya had been reading. “He doesn't know,” she told me. “The Joined just wander and play their bells. There's no pattern to it, nobody keeps track. It's all random. Some travel in groups, some alone, and new groups form every time two bunches meet."
    “We'll have to search,” I said.
    “Eat,” the Shkeen told us. He reached into the basket on the ground and his hands came out with two steaming meatrolls. He pressed one into my hand, one in Lya's.
    I looked at it dubiously. “Thank you,” I told him. I pulled at Lya with my free hand and we walked off together. The Joined grinned at us as we left, and started ringing once more before we were halfway down the street.
    The meatroll was still in my hand, its crust burning my fingers. “Should I eat this?” I asked Lya.
    She took a bite out of hers. “Why not? We had them last night in the restaurant, right? And I'm sure Valcarenghi would've warned us if the native food was poisonous."
    That made sense, so I lifted the roll to my mouth and took a bite as I walked. It was hot, and also hot , and it wasn't a bit like the meatrolls we'd sampled the previous night. Those had been golden, flaky things, seasoned gently with orangespice from Baldur. The Shkeen version was crunchy, and the meat inside dripped grease and burned my mouth. But it was good, and I was hungry, and the roll didn't last long.
    “Get anything else when you read the small guy?” I asked Lya around a mouthful of hot roll.
    She swallowed, and nodded. “Yes, I did. He was happy, even more than the rest. He's older. He's near Final Union, and he's very thrilled about it.” She spoke with her old easy manner; the after effects of reading the Joined seemed to have faded.
    “Why?” I was musing out loud. “He's going to die . Why is he so happy about it?"
    Lya shrugged. “He wasn't thinking in any great analytical detail, I'm afraid."
    I licked my fingers to get rid of the last of the grease. We were at a crossroads, with Shkeen bustling by us in all directions, and now we could hear more bells on the wind. “More Joined,” I said. “Want to look them up?"
    “What would we find out? That we don't already know? We need a human Joined."
    “Maybe one of this batch will be human."
    I got Lya's withering look. “Ha. What are the odds?"
    “All right,” I conceded. It was now late afternoon. “Maybe we'd better head back. Get an earlier start tomorrow. Besides, Dino is probably expecting us for dinner."
    * * * *
    Dinner, this time, was served in Valcarenghi's office, after a little additional furniture had been dragged in. His quarters, it turned out, were on the level below, but he preferred to entertain upstairs where his guests could enjoy the spectacular Tower view.
    There were five of us, all told: me and Lya, Valcarenghi and Laurie, plus Gourlay. Laurie did the cooking, supervised by master chef Valcarenghi. We had beefsteaks, bred on Shkea from Old Earth stock, plus a fascinating blend of vegetables that included mushrooms from Old Earth, groundpips from Baldur, and Shkeen sweethorns. Dino liked to experiment and the dish was one of his inventions.
    Lya and I gave a full report on the day's adventures, interrupted only by Valcarenghi's sharp, perceptive questioning. After dinner, we got rid of tables and dishes and sat around drinking Veltaar and talking. This time Lya and I asked the questions, with Gourlay supplying the