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The immense building, glimmering with white metal and glass, the wide halls and the panoramic viewfrom each corridor window of the Darkovan city below and the mountains beyond, almost took hisbreath away. The Legate’s office was high up, bright and filled with lowering red sunshine; for a moment,as he stepped into the brilliant glassed-in room, a curious thought flashed through Larry’s mind:
 
He seesmore of this world than he wants anyone to know about
 
.

The Legate was a stocky man, dark and grizzled, with thoughtful eyes and a permanent frown. Nevertheless he had dignity, and something which made Larry think quickly of Lorill Hastur.
 
What is it? Is it just that they’re used to power, or to making decisions that other people have to live with
 
?

“Commander Reade—my son Larry.”

“Sit down.” It was a peremptory command, not an invitation. “So you’ve been roaming around in the

city? Tell me about it—tell me everything you’ve done there.”

His face was unreadable; without anger, but without friendliness. Reserving judgment. Neither kind norunkind. But there was immense authority in it, as if he expected Larry to jump at once to obey him; andafter ten days of sulking in Quarters, Larry wasn’t feeling especially humble.

“I didn’t know it was against any rules, sir. And I didn’t hurt anyone, and nothing happened to me.”

Reade made a noncommittal sound. “Suppose you let me decide about that. Just tell me about it.”

Larry told the whole story: his wanderings in the city day after day, his meeting with the gang of toughs,and the intervention of Kennard Alton. Finally he told of his last visit to the Alton house, making it clearthat he had gone without his father’s knowledge and consent. “So don’t blame Dad, sir.
 
He
 
didn’t breakany laws, at least.”

Montray said quickly, “Just the same, Reade, I’ll take the responsibility. He’s my son, and I’ll beresponsible for his not doing it again.”

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Reade gestured him to silence. “That’s not the problem. ”We’ve heard from the Council—on behalf ofthe Altons. It seems that they are deeply and gravely offended.“

“What? Why?”

“Because you have refused your son permission to pursue this friendship—they say you have insulted

them, as if they were unfit to associate with your son.”

Montray put his hands to his temples, wearily. He said, “Oh, my God.”

“Exactly,” Reade said in a soft voice. “The Altons are important people on Darkover—aristocrats,

members of the Council. A snub or slight from a Terran can create trouble.”

Suddenly his voice exploded in wrath. “Confound the boy anyhow! We aren’t ready for this sort ofepisode. We should have thought of it ourselves and made preparation for it, and now when it hits us, wecan hardly make good use of it! How old is the boy?”

Montray gestured at Larry to answer for himself, and Reade grunted. “Sixteen, huh? Here, they’re menat that age—and we ought to realize it! What about it, young Larry? Are you intending—have you everconsidered going into the Empire service?”

Puzzled by the question, Larry said, “I’ve always intended that, Commander.”

“Well, here’s your chance.” He tossed a small squarish slip of paper across the table. It was thick and bordered, and had Darkovan writing on it, the straight squarish script of the city language. He said, “I understand you can read some of this stuff. God knows why you bothered, but it makes it handy for us. Figure it out later when you get the chance; as it happens, I can read it too, though most people in Administration
 
don’t
 
bother. It’s an invitation from the Altons—coming through Administration as a slap in the face: they don’t like the way Terrans tend to go through channels on every little thing—for you, Larry, to spend the next season at their country estate, with Kennard.”

Montray’s face went dark as if a shutter had dropped over his eyes. “Impossible, Reade. I know whatyou have in mind, and I won’t go along with it.”

Reade’s face did not change. “You see the position this puts us in. The boy’s not prepared for thetremendous opportunity this opens up, but we’ve still got to grab this chance. We simply can’t afford tolet Larry refuse this invitation. For God’s sake, do you realize that we’ve been trying to get permissionfor someone to visit the outlying estates, for fifteen years? It’s the first time in years that any Terran hashad this chance, and if we turn it down, it may be years before it comes again.”

Montray’s mouth twisted. “Oh, there have been a few.”

“Yes, I know.” Reade did not elaborate, but turned to Larry. “Do you understand why you’re going to

have to accept this invitation?”

Suddenly, with the visual force of a hallucination, Larry saw again the tall figure of Valdir Alton, andheard him say, as clearly as if he had been in that white Terran room with them,
 
I have a feeling we’llsee you again before long
 
. It was so real that he shook his head to clear it of the abnormally intenseimpression.

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Reade persisted. “You
 
are
 
going to accept?”

Larry felt a delayed surge of excitement. To see Darkover—not only the city, but far outside the Terran Zone entirely, the real world, untouched by Terra! The thought was a little frightening and yet wildlyexciting. But a tinge of caution remained and he said warily, “Would you mind telling me why you are soeager to have me, sir? I understood that the Terrans were afraid of any—fraternization with Darkovans.”

“Afraid of it causing trouble,” Reade said. “We’ve been trying to arrange something like this, though, for years. I suppose they felt we were a little too eager, and were afraid we’d try something. Larry, I can explain it very easily. First of all, we don’t want to offend Darkovan aristocrats. But more than that. This is the first time that Darkovans of power and position have actually made an advance of personal friendliness to any Terran. They trade with us, they accept us here, but they don’t want to have anything to do with us personally. This is like a breach in that wall. You have a unique opportunity to be—a sort of ambassador for Terra. Perhaps, to show them that we aren’t anything to fear. And then, too—” He hesitated. “Very few Terrans have ever seen anything of this planet except what the Darkovans wanted us to see. You should keep very careful records of everything you see, because something you don’t even realize is important might mean everything to us.”

Larry saw through that at once.

“Are you asking me to
 
spy
 
on my friends?” he asked, in outrage.

“No, no,” Reade said quickly, even though Larry felt very clearly that Reade was thinking that he was a little too clever. “Just to keep your eyes open and tell us what you see. Chances are they will be expecting you to do that anyhow.”

Montray interrupted, pacing the floor restlessly, “I don’t like having my son used as a pawn in powerpolitics. Not by Darkovans trying to get next to us—and not by the Terran Empire trying to find outabout Darkover, either!”

“You’re exaggerating, Montray. Look, at least a few of the higher Darkovan caste may be telepaths; we couldn’t plant the kid on them as a spy, even if we tried. It’s just a chance to know a little more about them.”

He appealed directly to Larry: “You say you liked this Darkovan youngster. Doesn’t it make sense—totry and build friendly relations between the two of you?”

That thought had already crossed Larry’s mind. He nodded. Montray said reluctantly, “I still don’t likeit. But there’s nothing I can do.”

Reade looked at him and Larry was shocked at the quick expression of triumph and power in the man’sface. He thought,
 
He enjoys this
 
. He wondered, suddenly, why he could see into the man this way. Hewas sure he knew more about Commander Reade than Reade wanted him to know. Reade said softlyover Larry’s head to Wade Montray, “We’ve got to do it this way. Your son is old enough, and he’s notscared—are you, Larry? So all we have to do is tell the Altons that he’ll be proud and honored to visitthem—and say when.”

Back again in their own apartment in Quarters A, Larry’s father swore under his breath, ceaselessly, foralmost a quarter of an hour. “And now you see what you’ve gotten yourself into,” he finished at last,viciously. “Larry, I don’t like it, I don’t like it, I don’t
 
like
 
it! And damn it, I suppose you’reoverjoyed—you’ve got what you want!”

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Larry said, honestly, “It’s interesting, Dad. But I am a little scared. Reade wants me to go for all thewrong reasons.”

“I’m glad you can see
 
that
 
, at least,” Montray snapped. “I ought to let you hang yourself. You got yourself into this. Just the same—” He grew silent; then he got up and came to his son, and took Larry by the shoulders again, looking very searchingly at him. His voice was gentler than Larry could remember hearing it in years.

“Listen, son. If you really don’t want to get into this, I’ll get you out of it, somehow. You’re my son, not just a potential Empire employee. They can’t force you to go. Don’t worry about their putting pressure on me—I can always put in for a transfer somewhere else. I’ll
 
leave
 
the damned planet before I let them force you to play their games!”

Larry, feeling his father’s hands on his shoulders, suddenly realized that he was being given achance—perhaps the last chance he would ever have—to return to the old, protected status of a child. He could be his father’s son again, and Dad would get him out of this. So the step he had taken, indeclaring himself a man, was not quite irrevocable after all. He could return to the safe age, and the pricewas very small. His father would take care of him.

He found himself wanting to, almost desperately. He’d bitten off more than he could chew, and this washis chance to get out of it. The alternative would put him on his own, in a strange world, playing a strangepart, representing his Terran world all alone.

And the Altons would know that his man’s decision had been a lie, that he clung to the safety ofbeing a Terran child hiding behind his society—
He drew a long breath, and put his hands up over hisfather’s.

“Thanks, Dad,” he said, warmly, meaning it. “I almost wish I could take you up on that. Honestly. But I have to go. As you say, I got myself into this, and I might as well get some good out of it—for all of you. Don’t worry, Dad-it’s going to be all right.”

Montray’s hands tightened on his shoulders. His eyes met his son’s, and he said, “I was afraid you’d feelthat way, Larry—and I wish you didn’t. But I guess, being who you are, you’d have to. I could stillforbid you, I guess”—a wry smile flitted across his face—“but I’ve found out you’re too old for that, and I won’t even try.” He dropped his hands, but then a wide grin spread across his worried face.

“Damn it, son—I still don’t like it—but I’m proud of you.”

V

«^»

THE MORNING mist had burned off the hills, but still lay thick in the valley. Above the bank of pinkishcloud, the red sun hung in a bath of thinning mist. Larry looked down at the treetops emerging from thetop of the cloud, and drew a deep breath, savoring the strange scents of the alien forest.

He rode last in the little column of six men. Ahead of him, Kennard looked round briefly, lifted a hand inacknowledgment of his grin, and turned back.

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Larry had been at Armida, the outlying country estate of the Altons, for twelve days now. The journeyfrom the city had been tiring; he was not accustomed to riding, and though at first it had been a pleasantnovelty, he found himself thinking regretfully of the comfortable ground-cars and airships of Terran travel.

But the slow trip through forests and mountains had gradually won him to its charm: the high rocky trailsreaching summits where crimson and purple landscapes lay rainbow-lovely below them, the deepshadowed roads through the forests, with here and there tall white towers rising high against the horizon,or glowing faintly luminescent in the night. At night they had either camped along the roadway, or nowand again been guests in some outlying farmhouse where the Darkovans had treated Valdir and Kennardwith extreme deference—and Larry had come in for his own share of this respect. Valdir had told no onethat his son’s guest and companion was one of the alien Terrans.