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ivilization, and art is the midwife of the civilized soul We are perfors and players of scenes, catahtest and best-dressed of all of these For a coin ill show you the world on our stage, for till teach its ways to you I aler, and superlative knight of the cart!”

We introduced ourselves shyly, but neither of our hands went to the hidden purse We could not afford to spend my body on this colorful man, no reen eyes As we looked closer,that the silver stars were simply bits of tin suspended froly dark and vivid cobalt to pale turquoise The effect was very pretty all the sa sound in the breeze

“Wouldn’t you like to have a little dance?” he trilled, hopping from one hoofed foot to the other “A little scene—‘The Princess and Her Faithful Cat,’ perhaps? ‘The Huldra, the Bull, and the Tree’?” Oubliette looked stricken, and Taglio hurried on “Or sos such as yourselves? ‘The Murder of King Islio’? Or perhaps just a song, a card trick, a coin from behind your ear? We are flexible, we are amenable, amicable, and ary for sparrow pies and blueberry cordials, and barter our talents for such reasonable fees”

A large red paw eed fro its scarlet claws and retracting theain

“Who is that, Taglio my pet?” a low voice carowl to it, but was not unpleasant, like rubbing fur against the grain

“That will be my erie, reen round and gallantly opening one of the moon-round doors of the spectacular cart

Out of the blue stepped a Manticore

I know this now, because she has since carefully shown ins and uses, but then she seemed an outlandish vision, and I could not have named her for a hundred bone coins She was a lion, of sorts Her pelt was red as leaves, and oiled to a glossy shine—but her head was that of a woman with enormous blue eyes, the same blue as the cart, her aristocratic face fra her head like a enteel shawl As she exited the cart coreat serpent, reen like old copper, scaled and scabrous At its tip was a scorpion’s barb, hard and shiny as a beetle’s carapace

“Grotteschi the Red,” Taglio crowed, “actress, beast, mezzo-soprano!” The Manticore inclined her head h and lovely There was soe about the line of her jaw—it did not close quite right, like a child’s broken enerous, her lips like a swipe of blood In her jaere three rows of sharp yellow teeth “Will you not hear her sing? It is worth five tiht pay to listen, I swear by azelle-s, and flush with others That which I do not possess are naturally absent from me, and thus, in polite company, I refer to them as my Absentia We must all be allowed our little eccentricities If you will sit yourselves down on the grass—a cushion fit for lords and ladies of twice our collected ranks!—I will tell you the tale, should it please you The first taste is always free”

The Manticore rolled her bright eyes

“How can they decide if they want the whole show if they do not get a taste of us?” he protested

“Go on, then, and don’t coain,” the red beast retorted

Taglio s s two-step, and began

THE TALE

OF THE EUNUCH