"Where do you do this stuff?" Kit said. "Down the coast a ways," S'reee said, "off the edge of the plateau, in the Great Deep past the Gates of the Sea. Ae'mhnuu was getting ready to call the Ten together for a Song in three days or so. He was training me for the Singer's part—before they blew him in two pieces and boiled him down for oil."Her song went bitter, acquiring a rasp that hurt Nita's ears. "Now I'm stuck handling it all myself. It's not easy: You have to pick each whale wizard carefully for each part. I don't know who he had in mind to do what. Now I have to work it out myself—and I need help, from wizards who can handle trouble if it comes up." She looked up at them. "You twocan obviously manage that. And the Ten will listen to you, they'll respect you, after what you went through up in the High and Dry. You've fought the Lone Power yourselves and gotten off—""It was luck," Kit muttered. Nita elbowed him. "Singing, huh," Nita said, smiling slightly. "I don't have much of a singing voice. Maybe I'd better take the Silent One's part." S'reee looked at Nita in amazement. "Would you?" "Why not?""Not me," Kit said. "I'm even worse than she is. But I'll come along for the ride. The swim, I mean."S'reee looked from Kit to Nita. "You two are enough to make me doubt all the stories I've heard about humans," she said. "HNii't, best check that book' thing and make sure this is something you'ie suited for. The tempera-ments of the singers have to match the partsthey sing—but I think this m ight suit you. And the original Silent Lord was a humpback. The shapechange would come easily to you, since we've shared blood—" "Wait a minute! Shapechange?" Nita cried. "You mean me be a whale?" Kit laughed. "Why not, Neets? You have been putting on a little weight lately. …"
