Sharpe paused at her words and looked at Alice.
Alice was still pondering the look Cattleya and Alger had exchanged. She had a vague idea that Cattleya intended to use Sharpe as bait. After a moment, she said:
"You're not taking him with you? Then once 'The World' reaches Sequence 4, I'll give him to 'The World,' all right?"
Give him to "The World"...?
Alger and Cattleya glanced at Sharpe. Instinct told them that could not mean anything good.
Hope appeared on Sharpe's face. He knew the consequences of believing in an evil god, of course. As he saw it, if he could not secure a Grounded Angel's protection, he would be safer—and better suited—among the Primordial Moon's believers.
Of course, if a genuine Grounded Angel stood before him, he would not give up hope.
Cattleya had no wish to complicate matters. She nodded calmly, then said to Sharpe:
"But I hope to establish a lasting partnership with you. For that, I need a few drops of your blood. They'll help me find you whenever I need to."
Just as I thought!
Alice's eyes lit up. Realizing that Sharpe really was bait, she warned Cattleya:
"I want my gift alive."
Cattleya nodded steadily. Sharpe glanced at Alice, then answered "All right" with a bitter expression and picked up a nearby paper knife.
The matter concluded after Cattleya asked Sharpe for his surname. She and Alger discussed what had happened for a little longer, but Alice grew bored listening. She asked about what truly interested her:
"Are there any of those mushrooms left?"
After a few seconds' pause, Cattleya replied:
"Frank had a new idea and abandoned that experiment. The ones we used just now were the last. He won't be making any more of those mushrooms."
Disappointment showed plainly in