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By Root 670 0

of the hair he had lost had already begun to grow back, and he regained nearly all of his muscular vitality. The deep melancholy, though gone, had taken some small part of him with it, for now, in his face, there was a series of subtle lines that made him look more mature. No longer did he weep for hours on end. In fact, I did not witness one tear after the ordeal. Neither did he laugh, though, and this small formality was like a troublesome pebble in my shoe.

I went one night to the gardens to release the bats and found him, sitting on the bench across from the Fountain of the Dolphins, staring up at the moon.

"Durst gave a lecture today on the nature of the universe. His belief is that it began with a giant explosion," I said, and laughed too hard, trying to get him to join me.

Ingess merely shook his head. "Poor Durst," he said. "I never told you but I had sent for some word about him to the asylum that he wandered away from. It seems he had a twin brother who drowned when he was

ten. He might have saved him but he was too afraid of the water."

"His Royal," I said, exasperated with his response, "why do you stare at the moon?"

"Don't call me that anymore, Flam. I'm not a king. Just a pirate's grandson who was left far too much gold."

"As you wish," I said.

He turned then and forced a smile for me. "I want you to have Saint-Geedon prepare a feast. I need to thank everyone for their efforts to save my life."

I nodded and left him.

Later that night, I sought out Frouch and found her on the terrace that overlooks the reflecting pond. She was sitting in the shadow of a potted mimosa, feeding breadcrumbs to the peacocks.

I pulled up a chair and told her about the feast that would be held in another two days. She brightened at the prospect of this.

"I have a gown I've been waiting to wear," she said.

"How do you feel now that everything is back to normal?" I asked.

"You were brilliant as the Conscience of the King," she said.

"I'd rather put that entire affair behind me," I said. "But there is one thing that I still wonder about."

"The picture at the end of the healer's strange spectacles?" she said.

I shook my head. "What became of that muddle that dripped from Ingess's ear?"

She clapped her hands to send the birds scurrying away and sat forward. "You mean you haven't seen it?" she asked.

"No."

"Come now," she said, and stood. "You've got to see this."

She actually took my hand as we walked through hallways, and it made me somewhat nervous to find myself behind the protective field of her dangerous laughter.

We ended our journey in the small chapel at the northern end of the palace. The Ministress of Sleep, old Mrs. Kofnep, was just lighting a last votive candle as we entered. Beyond her, resting on the altar atop a satin pillow of considerable size was a huge ball with fine white hair growing all over it.

"There it is," said Frouch.

"That thing?" I asked, pointing.

Mrs. Kofnep greeted us and then turned her own gaze on the strange object. "I haven't decided if it's an egg or a testicle or a replica of the world," she said with a self-mocking smile.

"It took that form of a perfect sphere the day after it came from His Royal's head," said the countess.

"The white hair wasn't there two nights ago," said Mrs. Kofnep.

"I had it moved here to protect it," said Frouch.

We stared at it for some time, and then the Ministress of Sleep left us with the usual complaint about her insomnia.

The next day I was busy with preparations for the feast, but before turning in, I went back to the chapel to have another look at the oddity. Changes had obviously taken place, for now it was stretched out and tapered at either end with a large bulge in the middle. The white hair had grown profusely, and wrapped itself around to swaddle whatever was there gently undulating at its core.

The feast was held in the grand ballroom and the Exalted Culinarity had outdone himself with the exotic nature of the dishes served. Crow-liver pate on paper-thin slices of candied amber was the appetizer. For the main course there was fowl,