"State your belief," said Matlin. "Kill me." A barely audible whisper. "State your belief, Felg." Felg's eyes riveted on the mace. His face was gray. His eyes pleaded with the mace, as if cold metal, death-dealing metal, might heed the message Matlin would not. Silence was a wall between this room and the rest of the world. And Felg screamed, "I don't want to die! I don't want to die!" His eyes blinked. Tears streamed down his cheeks and he rolled over to fall on his knees before Matlin. "If you had killed me at once," he sobbed bitterly. "If you would have killed me. Damn you, I don't believe, I don't believe...." "Then live," said Matlin indifferently, all at once not caring if Felg lived or died. A roar went up from the crowd of extra-Kedaki, but the Kedaki themselves were sullen. Highborn like Felg, they also did not believe in reincarnation. They saw themselves on the floor, craven before what seemed to be a lowborn member of their race, lives spared and honor destroyed. The beautiful woman who had been with Felg took Matlin's elbow. "They're ugly now," she said. "You'd better get out of here." "What difference does it make to you?" "Difference? No difference. Felg is a fool and you gave me pleasure." "Come with me," Matlin said on impulse. It was very hot outside and for the first time when they reached the street Matlin knew that he had been close to death. CHAPTER VI "Listen," said Matlin. "You don't have to come with me." "You told me to." "That was before." They had walked a long time through the hot damp stillness of the Kedaki night. They had not spoken. Matlin's thoughts drifted aimlessly; the woman was content to share his silence. "Listen," he said again as they passed the bright glowing lights of the Junction City bus depot, where the big gas-turbine-driven busses snarled as they turned out of the streams of traffic. "I'm going somewhere." "You're walking, yes." "I don't mean that. Somewhere. And I don't even know your name." "It's Haazahri. Where are you going?" Matlin said, "Balata 'kai." "The ruins of the First City? Why in the world...." "I don't know why. It doesn't matter why. Something in me says go there to open the tombs of memory." "You don't have memory?" "The Earthquake," said Matlin. "I remember nothing before it." "Well, you can't go to Balata 'kai." "You don't have to come with me." "I didn't mean that. It's against the law." "Since when?" demanded Matlin. "Since the quake. Until they are rebuilt, the ruins are no place for tourists. Until they are rebuilt, the ruins are a fine place for thieves. Since the records of the birth of our civilization are among those ruins, the police have orders to kill any trespassers. That's why you can't go. Is it terribly important to you?" "I feel that it is. I don't know why. As if--as if something's waiting there for me." "You shouldn't tell me. I'm supposed to report you. I--"