not as serene as it was supposed to
be among the different species. The cause for the flaw in the former
Eden might have puzzled him if he had not known the previous history
of _L'Bawfey_ and the fact that the situation had not changed for the
worst until the introduction of Human Changelings among the
Amphibians.

Then it had been that blood-drinking began among them, that Amphibians
began seducing Humans to come live with them by their tales of easy
immortality, and that they started the system of leaving savage little
carnivores in the Human nurseries.

When the Land-dwellers protested, the Amphibs replied that these
things were carried out by unnaturals or outlaws, and that the
Sea-King could not be held responsible. Permission was given to
Chalice those caught in such behavior.

Nevertheless, the suspicion remained that the Amphib monarch had, in
accordance with age-old procedure, given his unofficial official
blessing and that he was preparing even more disgusting and outrageous
and unnatural moves. Through his control of the populace by the Master
Skin, he would be able to do as he pleased with their minds.

It was the Skins that had made the universal peace possible on the
planet of New Gaul. And it would be the custom of the Skins that would
make possible the change from peace to conflict among the populace.

Through the artificial Skins that were put on all babies at birth--and
which grew with them, attached to their body, feeding from their
bloodstreams, their nervous systems--the Skins, controlled by a huge
Master Skin that floated in a chemical vat in the palace of the
rulers, fed, indoctrinated and attended day and night by a crew of the
most brilliant scientists of the planet, gave the Kings complete
control of the minds and emotions of the inhabitants of the planet.

Originally the rulers of New Gaul had desired only that the populace
live in peace and enjoy the good things of their planet equally. But
the change that had been coming gradually--the growth of conflict
between the Kings of the different species for control of the whole
populace--was beginning to be generally felt. Uneasiness, distrust of
each other was growing among the people. Hence the legalizing of the
Underground, the Philosophy of Violence by the government, an effort
to control the revolt that was brewing.

Yet, the Land-dwellers had managed to take no action at all and to
ignore the growing number of vicious acts.

But not