He didn’t pull it off though, started laughing, too, and the others followed his example.

"I"d like to talk about business," Orel said at last.

Tol hiccupped. Nikto lit a cigarette leaning against the back of the chair.

"What we told each other before was not true or partly true. What we learned about you from others needs to be confirmed," Orel said. "I don"t want to go deeper into it but there are some things we need to clarify here and now."

"I can tell of myself," Nikto said, "if you tell me of yourselves. And if you are honest about it."

"All right, what do you want to know?" Orel said. "We have nothing to hide."

"You start."

"What is your real name?"

"Not again," Enriki moaned. "Aren"t you tired of it, Orel?"

Orel glanced at him in annoyance. "Shut up."

"Orel, it"s silly."

"Shut. Up."

"My name is really Nikto¹, as funny as it sounds. I have a nickname instead of a name. There was time when it angered me deeply but then I got used to it. I don"t have a family name or father"s name either."

"No name, no family name, are you a commoner?"

"I don"t know my real parents."

"Who named you then?"

"My foster mother."

"She was a jolly woman, it seems," Enriki said.

"She was a witch."

It was Lis"s turn to choke. He whispered shaking his head. "A foster mother, indeed."