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If this was the real world, I thought, I wanted no more of it. In my
innocence I
then imagined that I had really begun to understand what the real world was
like.
After the figure in the monstrous costume had been driven out into the outer
darkness, the young soldier Alex, who was in the room but taking no part in
the
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fighting, recognized the slave-girl who served the princess that he
worshipped
from afar.
She had run out into the street, following the costumed Minotaur, and Alex
ran
out after her.
"Clara?"
The sound of her name stopped her in her tracks. She stood looking over her
shoulder, waiting fearfully. In the distance sounded the whistles and rattles
of
the Watch. Alex knew he had a little time in which to act before they could
arrive.
"You serve the Princess Ariadne, don't you? I've seen you with her more than
once."
"Yes." Now Clara turned fully around.
"How lucky you are!"
"Why do you say that?"
"Why? Because because you can be near her, every day."
The girl paused for what seemed a long time, as if she were unsure just what
to
make of that. At last she said: "Your name is Alex, is it not? A soldier of
the
Palace Guard."
"Yes." Then, as if involuntarily, the secret that had been poisoning him for
half a year burst out. Still, his voice was so low that no one but the girl
standing directly in front of him could hear. "Tell your mistress I must see
her."
"Why?"
"There is something of great importance that she needs to know."
"What?"
"Something about her father, and the way he died."
"You must see her. Very well, I'll tell her that."
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"And, slave-girl repeat to no one else what I am telling you!"
Clara nodded, wide-eyed. The young soldier got the impression that what he
had
just said had frightened her, perhaps more than the fight itself.
Clara had already screamed, and run away in the direction of the palace. She
had
seen that I was loose, and knew I could certainly run fast enough to overtake
her.
Some man with a loud voice was bellowing, "The Watch is coming. Look out for
the
Watch!"
I ran, my very manlike feet in sandals pounding the pavement in the direction
where I had seen the young girl who was my escort disappear. I can move very
quickly, and I had no fear that they would catch me, unless they came on
cameloids.
How ironic it would be, I thought, if I became bewildered, lost my way in the
city, and had to ask directions back to the Labyrinth. But once I was out in
the
street, I looked up to see the familiar stars and moon. They had followed me
out
of the Labyrinth as if they intended to stay with me, and now they were on
hand
to guide me home.
Six
On returning to the palace, the slave-girl Clara found, as she had expected,
that her mistress was waiting up in their shared bedroom for her report on
Asterion's adventure.
As Clara closed the door behind her, the Princess Ariadne pushed aside the
small
harp on which she had been practicing, and jumped to her feet. "What
happened?
Come in and tell me everything!" She blew out the single candle, leaving the
room to the moonlight that entered by the high window.
With the doors closed, the two young women were as safe from being overheard
as
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it was ever possible to be inside the palace. While discarding her costume
and
mask, Clara hastened to pass along what the young soldier had said to her in
town.
Ariadne was immediately fascinated, but wary. "It couldn't be some kind of
trap,
could it?"
"I really don't see how, my lady. That would mean someone knew I was going to
be
there, and arranged for Alex to tell me what he did. But neither the Lord
Asterion nor I were sure where we were going, until we were well on our way."
"Did anyone recognize him?"
"I really don't know, my lady. I couldn't tell. Many people looked at him
strangely, of course . . ."
"Of course."
Quickly the princess decided to take the risk of arranging a secret meeting
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