Half a staed below the palace of Hirz, the formal gardens gradually smoothed themselves into the curve of the lake shore. Here, where jade-green undulations of liquid broke on the pale gold sand, stood a golden young woman and her three attendant robots.
Apart from the Hirz Palace, no other building was visible above or along the arms of the shore. this portion of the Yunea, for twenty staeds along the ring in either direction, was the property of Hirz. Hest, lay the holdingof the Domms, Tohespa, the decadent estate of the Thars.
It was the fifth hour, as two or three singing clocks within the palace had just announced. It was also Jate, the walking time. Nevertheless, customs had changed. only the girl and her three robots occupied the scene, and before them the lake spread its empty, sun-flecked sheet under the wide green sky. Then the voice robot spoke.
"Vel Thaidis, your brother is coming"
Vel Thaidis did not bother to glance either way, since her sight could not match the optics of the robot. Instead, she looked at the robot itself in the form of Courteous Address. "you are certain that it's Velday?"
"I will check the patterns. yes, they are his. there are also companions."
"who?" Vel Thaidis said, and the inner polarizing lids of her eyes flickered as if with tension.
"there are altogether five extra persons of both genders shall i name all of them?"
"no. Is Ceedres Yune Thar among them?"
"yes. Vel Thaidis. He is riding with your brother."
Vel Thaidis turned and looked at the lake, adopting the Distant Address.
"Advise me. I wish to avoid Ceedres Yune Thar."
"You should return to the palace and shut yourself into your own apartments immediately."
"bad counsel, voice," Vel Thaidis sai sharply. "Velday will give Ceedres free rein in the palace. Ceedres will batten on our hospitality, as always. if I'm there, perhaps I can keep some control of the situation. I can't avoid him after all"
"Hespa, the sand cloud your brother's vehicle is creating is now apparent to the human eye," said the Voice Robot.
Vel Thaidis, angrily, turned once more and gazed to her left, hespaward, through the dark lenses of her polarized inner lids. The three robots also turned. They were of a blond matte plastum, creamily shinning in the unchaning sunlight. In shape they resembled women, with delicate doll-like features, blond spun hair and colored mineral eyes, to enhance thei aesthetic value. The voice of the voice robot was rather high, but pleasant and not unnatural. Yunea science had long perfected such matters
