The Noris's head jerked, the red gem flickering in the pearly light coming from the room behind him, then flickered again as his mouth twitched into a ghost of a smile.  "So it is.  Serroi," he said.  "Come, Serroi, I want to show you where you'll sleep."

Rebellion melting away for the moment, she walked carefully past the raised tapestry and into the corridor, glancing repeatedly up at him, surprised at having surprised him, trying to fit his reaction into what she knew of people.  The Noris spoke a WORD and the stone to her right gapped suddenly.  Stone seemed as malleable as water to him.  Light crawled up stairs folding in a tight spiral as the Noris dropped the tapestry and urged her forward with a hand on her shoulder onto steps that seemed to be driving into the stone, forcing it open as they climbed.  Serroi trudged reluctantly up those unreeling stairs, feeling very strange.  The narrow space made her skin itch; she didn't like being so enclosed, was glad the Noris followed close behind.

She came around the last curve of the spiral and stepped into a short hallway with an arched roof, little more than an alcove shut off by a large panel of bronze.  She turned and looked up at the Noris, puzzled.

"Open the door."  His voice filled all the space, stroked her like a caressing hand.

"How?"  She scowled at the metal.

"Examine it."

She marched up to the slab of bronze and looked it over.  A little higher than her head a bronze hook stuck out of a slot.  She pulled it down and pushed.  Nothing happened but a metallic clunk.  She rubbed at her nose, then pulled the hook down again and tugged the door toward her.  It slid smoothly open.  She pushed it against the wall and swung around with a wide grin.  "I did it."

"So you did.  Now, go inside."  The Noris folded his arms over his chest, his eyes twinkling at her.

She stepped into the room, eyes wide with excitement.  There was a bed set up on legs like a cart without wheels.  She had no trouble guessing what it was though she'd slept most of her five years on piled-up vinat skins only inches from the frozen earth.  She crossed to it and touched the shimmer-soft coverlet, then stroked her hand over the bright blue-green smoothness, oohing her delight.  Still petting the cover she looked around at the other strange things in the room.  With great zest she trotted from wall to wall, touching everything she could reach.  There were two tapestries, simplified plant forms in strong rhythmic designs, worked in threads that gleamed richly in the brilliant light pouring in through the open window.  A bronze chair and a table with a marble top and bronze legs stood next to the window, on the table a bottle of ink, several sheets of paper, two pen-holders with silver nibs.  She lifted the holders, touched the points to the tip of her forefinger.  "What are these?"

"For writing."  At her blank look, he joined her at the table, took a pen from her, dipped it into the ink, pulled a sheet of paper close and wrote SERROI on it.

"What's that?"  She touched the first letter with the tip of her finger, pulled the finger away and scowled at the small blue-brown stain on it.

"Your name, child."

"Show me how to do that."  She fumbled with the pen, started to plunge the end into the ink bottle.

The Noris caught her hand and took the pen from her.  "Later.  Come here."  He led her to a rack on the wall a little way from the table.  "These are books."  Slipping a roll of parchment from the top of the small pyramid, he unrolled it in front of her.  She stared at the black marks on the smooth cream-colored surface, touched them tentatively, exclaimed with delight at a delicately painted design on the border.  After returning the parchment to its place, he slid a section of the wall aside.  Serroi gasped with surprise as she saw her own clothing hanging on hooks and a spare pair of boots pegged to the back wall.  "The servants will keep these clean for you.  You can dress yourself?"

"I'm not a baby," Serroi snorted with disgust.