She gave me a child's trusting smile, a reversal of her old haughty brush-off that gave me the devil of a jolt until I remembered Cora in the Annabelle's cabin. Cheryl was as deep under Cora's spell now as she must have been under Joey's before—
"Never mind that," I said. "How did you get away from Shanig's smiley? Is Shanig out of his trance, too?"
She looked puzzled, as if she were trying to remember something tremendously important.
"I came alone," she said. "I traced you through Joey, after Mr. Shanig sent Perry away with him. I remembered then how Joey always faced toward the east when he was quiet. He used to crouch for hours in his cage when no one was near him and stare in this direction. After he was gone it came to me that he sensed another smiley somewhere was calling to it. And if there was another smiley on Mars...."
"Then I had brought it and I'd be with it," I finished for her. "Neat enough. I only hope no one else thought of it."
She gave me that trusting smile again, and my conscience dealt me a sharp nudge. I went over and gave her a khiff root.
"Chew it," I said. "Never mind the taste. It'll make you as good as new."
She took it obediently, and a couple of minutes later something like horror chased the contentment out of her face. She stared at me, her green eyes turning angry.
"You must have enjoyed seeing me like that," she said acidly. "It never occurred to me that I'd fall under the other smiley's influence if I found you or I'd never have—"
"You'd never have dared come at all," I said. "You'd have been afraid I'd bring up that Phobos jaunt again, and you couldn't have said no with Cora around."