THE GUEST RITES

It was time for the after-meal meditation. Marik, First Priest ofCarthule, finished his frugal meal and went outside to sit in themid-day breeze and watch the sands blowing gently over the bare flatplains. The problem of the Revelation occupied his reveries: why hadCarthule, in His infinite wisdom, waited so long to reveal to Hispeople that they were not alone in the universe?

Marik looked up at the glowing dot behind the gray wall of the sky.That, he knew, was the Sun. And there were other planets, someinhabited, some not. Carthule was not alone; He was one of nine. AndHis people had never suspected the truth until the flaming ships of thethird planet—Earth, was it?—had broken through the skies, and thesmall white people had told them of the other worlds.

The problem was one which the greatest theologians of the time—inwhose number Marik, without pride, deemed himself—had discussed atgreat length, never coming to a solution. Marik and Polla San, of theneighboring temple, had finally concluded that Carthule moved in waystoo complex for His mortal people to understand.

Marik lowered his gaze from the sky and looked out across the dryexpanse of desert. He could make out, dimly, Polla San's temple faracross the sands. Polla San was due to visit him shortly, he recalled.Or was it the other way around? Marik frowned; he was getting old, andsoon would have to relinquish his duties to one of the younger acolytesand spend his remaining decades sitting dreaming in the afternoon.

Calmly Marik settled into the semi-somnolence of the after-mealmeditation, fixing his gaze on the far-off temple of Polla San butturning his vision inward. The sand blew in widening circles, until itseemed to Marik that there was a small, dark figure wandering out inthe desert. Sleepily he watched the circlings of the small figure as itpursued a crazy path through the desert.

Then perception broke through his meditation and he realized somethingwas in the desert that had no business there. Carefully he lifted thetransparent nictitating lid that protected his eyes from the sand andfocussed sharply on the figure in the desert.

It was an Earthman! Lost in the desert, apparently. Marik, somewhatannoyed at this interruption of his meditation, rang for Kenra Sarg.

The young acolyte appeared immediately. Marik nodded. "Look out there,"he said.

Kenra Sarg turned and stared. After a moment he turned back to Marik.

"That's an Earthman lost out there! We'd better bring him in herebefore he gets buried by the sand. What do you say, Father?"

"Of course, Kenra Sarg, of course. Bring him here."

The younger priest bowed and trotted out to the desert. Marik watchedhim as he ran. He was tall and powerful, and his skin was deep blue,almost purple. His powerful thigh muscles clenched and unclenchedas he ran. He reminds me of my younger self, Marik thought, as hewatched Kenra Sarg pound effortlessly over the sand. He will be a finesuccessor when I am ready to go.

He sank back into reverie, hoping for some repose before Kenra Sargreturned with the Earthman.