The Silent Ones neither spoke nor
moved, but through a thin place in the gray veiling I saw a speck which
might have been a phosphorescent eye, moving back and forth as if
scanning the things laid out for their inspection.
Then I smothered a gasp, for suddenly blank spaces appeared in the rows
of merchandise. Certain small tools--wirecutters, calipers, surgical
scissors--had vanished, and all the coils of wire had disappeared.
Blanks equally had appeared in the rows of lenses; all of my tiny,
powerful microscope lenses had vanished. I cast a quick glance at Kyral,
but he seemed unsurprised. I recalled vague rumors of the Silent Ones,
and concluded that, eerie though it seemed, this was merely their way of
doing business.
Kyral pointed at one of the tools, at an exceptionally fine pair of
binocular lenses, at the last of the coils of wire. The shrouded ones
did not move, but the lenses and the wire vanished. The small tool
remained, and after a moment Kyral dropped his hand.
I took my cue from Kyral and remained motionless, awaiting whatever
surprise was coming.
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