He felt terribly weary. As he entered the city, he was not surprised to see Spahl coming toward him.
"Hello," he said, dismounting.
"We expected your return," the seal-like creature said without preamble of formality. "We knew when we asked you to leave that you would be back."
"I want to rest," Kesley said. "This time don't throw me out."
He allowed Spahl to lead him to the room he had occupied on his earlier visit. A group of mutants congregated; he recognized Foursmith and Huygen. There were some others, stranger and more bizarre than any he had yet seen.
It was odd, Kesley thought, that the one place on Earth he could go for sanctuary was to this repository of freaks. Angrily, he brushed the thought away. The mutants were—well, people.
"I've been to the Colony and to Wiener," he explained. "I couldn't stay there. Winslow's hunting me all over the country."
"We know these things," Spahl said quietly. "We have followed your path, Kesley."
"And—?"
"We have decided the time has come for you to go home. You've been long awaited and we'll make sure you get there safely."