They were approaching the South Pole now; the vortex lines, deceptively orderly, were beginning to converge. Dura studied the Crust. The elegant, pretty farms and gardens of the ceilingscape here had largely been spared the Glitch's devastation, but there was something odd: the Crust had a fine texture, as if it were covered by fine, dark furs — furs which Waved in slow formation toward the Pole.

Dura pointed this out to Deni. "What's that?"

Deni glanced up. "Refugees, my dear. From all over the devastated hinterland. No longer able to work on their farms, they are converging on Parz City, hoping for salvation."

Dura stared around the sky. Refugees. The Crust seemed black with humanity.

The children started to cry again. Dura turned to comfort them.

—

When Hork heard that the two upfluxers — the boy from the Harbor and the woman, Dura — had been located and were being returned to the Upside, he called Muub and the old fool Adda to another meeting in the Palace anteroom.

Adda settled into his cocoon of rope, his splinted legs dangling absurdly, and he swept his revolting one-eyed gaze around the anteroom as if he owned the place.

Hork suppressed his irritation. "Your people are safe. They are inside the City. Now I would like to continue with our discussion."

Adda stared, eyeing him up as if he were a coolie in the Market. At last the old man nodded. "Very well. Let's proceed."

Hork saw Muub sigh, evidently with relief.

"I return to my final question," Hork said. "I concede the existence of the Xeelee. But I am not concerned with myths. I don't want to hear about the awesome racial goals of the Xeelee... I want to know what they want with us."

"I told you," Adda said evenly. "They don't want anything of us. I don't think they even know we're here. But they do want something of our world — our Star."

"Apparently they wish to destroy it," Muub said, running a hand over his bare scalp.

"Evidently," Adda said. "Hork, the wisdom of my people — handed down verbally since our expulsion from..."

"Yes, yes."

"...has nothing to say about any purpose of the Star. But we do know that humans were brought here, to this Star. By the Ur-humans. And we were adapted to survive here."

Muub was nodding at this. "This isn't a surprise, sir. Analogous anatomy studies have come to similar conclusions."