Palace by Katharine Kerr, Mark Kreighbaum Page A

You didn’t say I had to wait in The Close.’
    ‘You stupid little cull! Of all the times to disobey, this is the worst. Half of the damned Peronida Fleet is on shore leave, drinking and roaming around the Sect during festival. You might have been killed, or worse, out there.’
    Vida dodged back, but Tia snatched her arm with a strong hand and looked her up and down.
    ‘You’ve got grass stains on your leggings, you smell of insecticide and daalenerry flowers, and your hands are full of scrapes. Where have you been?’
    ‘I got chased into a roof park by a Lep disguised as a Lifegiver.’
    ‘Don’t lie to me!’
    ‘I’m not. It’s true. I swear ... by the Eye of God.’
    Tia’s eyes widened, but before she could speak, another Marked girl trotted up to them in a clatter of high-heeled gold sandals -Lera, wearing a purple, nearly transparent smartgown programmed to cling. She was in her thirties, still a Not-child, and likely to remain one forever, too, since she never let ambition overrule her laziness.
    ‘Tia, Aleen’s not back yet, and we’ve got clients waiting. What’ll we do?’
    Vida felt a flare of hope. Maybe she’d escape Aleen’s punishment after all.
    ‘Send some of the girls to the receiving area to entertain them,’ Tia said. ‘If Aleen isn’t back by the end of seventeens, I’ll help them choose, I guess. How many are waiting?’
    ‘A dozen. One of them’s that Cyberguild master you told us to look out for. I put him in the special room, like you said we should. He’s bringing his nephew for his first time. The boy’s kinda cute.’ Lera giggled and winked.
    ‘Fine,’ Tia said. ‘I’ll attend to Se Hivel myself. Wait for me inside, Lera.’
    Lera clattered off. Tia gave Vida’s arm such a hard shake she whimpered.
    ‘I don’t have time for this right now, but you’ve got to tell Aleen everything when she gets back. Now, go clean up and change, then come back down here and help in the kitchen. You are not to leave the kitchen for the rest of the night. You got that?’
    ‘Yes, Tia.’
    ‘You didn’t tell the Protectors about this, did you?’
    ‘No, course not!’
    ‘Good. Smart girl. Now, go!’
    * * *
    Rico and Hi had arrived at The Close just before sixteens, just as the sun was setting in earnest, turning the swirling fog red and bronze. In the brassy light the brothel’s plastocrete spires looked like engraved and burnished metal. As they headed toward the front gate in the synthistone wall, Rico noticed what seemed to be writing, big ugly letters scrawled in black, up high on the wall. He paused, then pointed them out to Hi.
    ‘Lep loving bitch,’ they spelled out. ‘Lep filth must die.’
    Hi swore under his breath with a growl of pure venom.
    ‘This kind of thing has got to be stopped,’ Hi snapped. ‘Well, I suppose you can understand why this racist crap would spread to Pleasure. Some of the people here really need someone else to look down on. That’s who joins political groups like UJU.’
    ‘UJU? I didn’t think anyone really believed in them. It doesn’t make any sense, hating Leps.’
    ‘Yeah, I agree, but I’m afraid a lot of people don’t. Look at that big rally they’re advertising.’
    ‘No-one’s going to really go to that, are they?’
    ‘I bet they get a decent crowd. Someone’s got to write those lousy pamphlets, don’t they?
    And someone’s got to download them. Well, come on. I’ll mention this to Aleen’s staff, and they can come out and clean it off before she has to see it.’
    Behind the lacy metal gates stood a pair of burly human men, wearing pale blue trousers and shirts cut like a military uniform. Rico felt profoundly squeamish when he realized that they recognized his uncle for a long-time regular customer.
    ‘Come in, Se,’ one said, bowing. ‘Good to see you. Madam’s holding a little party out back in the gardens.’ He glanced Rico’s way. ‘Good evening to you, Se.’
    Rico mumbled good evening with a dry