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"There's no harm in telling you," Urthona said. "Especially since you won't know any more than you do now when I tell you. The only gate out is in my palace, which is somewhere on the surface of this mass. Or perhaps on that," he added, pointing at the reddish metamor-phosing body in the sky. "This planet splits up and changes shape and recombines and splits off again. The only analogy I can think of is a lavalite. This is a lavalite world."
Red Orc went into action then. His leap was prodigious and he almost went over Urthona's head. But he rammed into him and both went cartwheeling. The beamer, knocked out of Urthona's hands by the impact, flew off to one side. Anana dived after it, got it, and landed so awkwardly and heavily that Kickaha feared for her. She rose somewhat shakily but gri
"Start out where?" growled Urthona. "There's no place to go to. Nothing is fixed here. Can't you understand that?"
"If we have to search every inch of this world, we'll do it," she said. "Now get to work!"
"Just one moment," Kickaha said. "What did you do with Wolff and Chryseis?"
"I gated them through to this world. They are somewhere on its surface. Or on that mass. Or perhaps another mass we haven't seen yet. I thought that it would be the worst thing I could do to them. And, of course, they do have some chance of finding my palace. Although... ."
"Although even if they do, they'll run into some traps?" Kickaha said.
"There are other things on this world..."
"Big predators? Hostile human beings?"
Urthona nodded and said, "Yes. We'll need the beamer. I hope its charge lasts. And..."
Kickaha said, "Don't leave us in suspense."
"I hope that we don't take too long finding my palace. If you're not a native, you're driven crazy by this world!"