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.Keir s dolphin shape didn t lose sight of the fact that he was attending aformal dance: he still wore a bow tie. There s no need to be nervous, Bergold assured the Visitors, as they linedPage 147 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlup before the dais.Chuck kept staring at the empty chairs, wondering what the faces looked likethat belonged to the footwear.Bergold stepped forward and bowed. Yourgraces, I have the honor to present Visitors from the Waking World.MasterChuck Meadows. Bergold gestured, urging him to come forward. Chuck Meadows, His Grace theDuke of Oneiros, and Her Grace the Duchess of Oneiros. Uh, Your Grace? Chuck made a hasty bow before the grandest shoes in theroom; in fact, the grandest shoes he had ever seen, men s shoes in gleamingwhite leather with diamond buckles and high red heels, like ones said tobelong to Louis XIV he had seen in a history book.Resting on a pillow, theymoved slightly as though to acknowledge Chuck s presence.Chuck bowed to the other pair, very tiny, jeweled ladies shoes to the left ofthe man s shoes.Chuck bowed and said, Ma am. Bergold nudged him in the backand whispered, Your Grace. Chuck parroted the response, and backed away,red-faced, as Pipistrella was presented.Pip gathered her beautiful skirts inher hands, approached the dais, and sank a few inches in a delicate curtsy.Her beauty must have made a distinct impression on the duke.Thediamond-studded shoes stirred excitedly.One of the tiny, jeweled shoes besidethem swiveled over and kicked them in the heel.Persemid came next.She was much better at this presentation stuff than Pip.When Bergold pronounced her name, she swept a deep curtsy, brushing herostrich plume headdress on the floor as she bowed her head.Her gesture got anequally good response from both pairs of shoes on the dais.The duke and duchess didn t seem to have much of an attention span.WhenHiramus came forward to make his bow, the red-heeled shoes swiveled around asthough they were facing the rear of the dais, where several other pairs werewaiting.They didn t trouble to turn back when Keir was introduced, either.Shallow is right, Chuck thought, backing away from the platform as Bergoldinstructed him.His dance partner was waiting for him at the doorway to thesupper room.He d much rather spend the time with people who enjoyed hiscompany, even if he couldn t see them.* * *A clock somewhere in the palace struck twelve.Though the others were stillgoing strong, Chuck felt as though he was ready to go back.He caught Keir seye while the guide was chatting withHiramus and a dozen or so of the unseen courtiers, and gestured toward thedoor.Keir nodded understanding.Chuck walked down the marble steps, taking a deep breath of the cool nightair.It must have rained or, Chuck corrected himself, the sleepers who dreamedthis part of the world had been thinking of rain.His footsteps rang on damp flagstone pavement, making a lonely, late-nightsound that made Chuck think of film noir thrillers.He d had a terrific time.When he came out of his trance and told his wife and friends about hisexperiences, they wouldn t believe the half of it; dancing at a palace withinvis-ible women.If he got back.If he didn t come to pieces in the meantime.Allhis anxieties came roaringback.He beat them down, thinking of the palace he d just left.What a place.The night was a trifle chilly.Chuck pulled up the collar of his fancy coatand clutched it around his neck.There ought to be mood music, violins andoboes, following him.To his delight, just the right kind of pensive bluesrose around his feet like fog.A streetlight threw his shadow down on the wetconcrete.Chuck smiled and started walking to the beat.He heard footsteps a long way back.A glance over his shoulder showed no onein sight.If the other person was one of the duke s courtiers there d benothing but shoes anyhow.He kept going.The footsteps grew nearer.Chuck looked back.The sound was more ominous,Page 148 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlechoing louder than his own tread.Suddenly, more footsteps joined the firstpair.Chuck began walking faster.He heard more and more of them coming.Hewanted to see who was there.Stopping to take refuge in the oasis of anotherstreetlamp s halo, he waited for them to catch up.All the sounds ceased.Chuck started walking again, slowly at first.The footsteps began again,pacing him step for step.Chuck sped up.So did his pursuers.He started striding as quickly as he could, his shoes clattering as loud as asnare drum in the silence of the evening, but they were drowned out by thehorde of feet approaching from behind.They were after him!If only he could get back to the train.The conductor would send for help.Itwasn t far, now; only a few streetlamps distance.He could see the whitesteam rising from the smokestack.As he turned his head to try and catch aglimpse of his pursuers, he felt the first kick in the back.It knocked him tohis knees.Within moments, he was being attacked from every side bydisembodied insoles and shoe liners.They plastered themselves to him,immobilizing his hands.Chuck yelled a protest and kicked out, but theycovered any part of his body that moved.Then the thugs moved in.Disreputable-looking boots came out of the shadows to jab at him and grindtheir heels into his flesh.Chuck twisted and turned to avoid kicks in thebelly, but a whole gang of workboots took him in the chest, knocking him tothe ground.Chuck took a breath to call for help. Somebo One of the insoles slapped itself across his mouth.More followed.Soon, Chuckwas in a mass of boots, rolling to try and free himself from their bruisingassault.Screaming through his gag with frustration, Chuck flung his legsabout, trying to kick his attackers away.They had the force of numbers,though.Dozens of them stomped up and down on his body. Roll! cried a voice he knew to be Persemid s. Roll away! Now! Chuck waited until the boots were at the top of their arc, and rolled.Thenext thing he knew, a -sixteen-ton weight came crashing down on his attackers.Persemid came rushingup, her long hair flying, calling for Bergold.She helped Chuck sit up.His assailants hadn t finished with him.A stiletto heel came flying out ofthe darkness, stabbing right into his chest.Persemid let out a bansheescream, snatched the shoe out and threw it to the ground.Chuck was knockedbackward by the force of the kick.She pulled him into a sitting position,took the insole off his mouth and flung it away.Before he could prevent her,she threw up his shirt to look at the injury, and stopped dead, staring at thehole in his chest.She gaped at him, her eyes huge with horror in thestreetlight. It was like that before, Chuck said, desperately pulling his dress shirtback into place.The hole was larger than it had been before.No time to worryabout that now. Please don t tell anyone, he begged. It only exists here.Idon t have this at home. That s terrible! Persemid said.She looked sorry for him, but abashment justmade her more brusque than before. You had to go walking off by yourself, ina strange city.You could have been killed! And that, that. She pointedat his chest
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