Antagonist - Childe Cycle 11 (120 page)

CHAPTER
39

Stepping
down
from
the
shuttle,
Bleys
found
himself
on
the
resilient
surface
of
a
very
small
landing
pad.
Its
edges
were
outlined by
snow
that
was
falling
beyond
its
weather-control
field;
which told
him
they
were
now
near
one
of
the
warm
planet's
poles.

From
one
side
a
vehicle
was
approaching,
its
passage
raising
a cloud
as
it
skimmed
above
the
surface
of
the
loose,
new-fallen snow;
and
as
Bleys
watched,
it
passed
through
the
weather
curtain and
onto
the
pad,
heading
directly,
and
silently,
for
him.
As
it
drew up,
a
door
opened;
and
as
he
moved
toward
it,
he
could
see
that
the vehicle's
surface
was
wet;
snow
that
had
accumulated
on
its
back deck
was
beginning
to
slide
off
in
clumps,
as
its
bottom
layers thawed
down
to
water
faster
than
the
upper
layers,
providing
a
lubricating
effect.

Twenty
minutes
later
the
vehicle
moved
out
of
a
stand
of
bare, snow-caked
trees
to
pass
through
another
weather
barrier
and
draw up
before
a
grass-surfaced
ramp
that
sloped
gently
up
to
a
place where
a
shadowy
wall
had
apparently
been
cut
into
the
side
of
a
small hill.
The
hill
itself
was
crowned
with
more
snow-laden
trees,
and
a small,
conical
tower
of
a
sandstone
color
stuck
up
from
behind
them.

Two
figures
appeared
out
of
the
shadowed
cut
in
the
hillside
and began
moving
down
the
ramp.
Bleys
recognized
the
smaller
one
as Nonne,
the
Exotic
he
had
spoken
to
earlier.
She
was
now
dressed
in a
green
set
of
the
robes
that
were
what
most
of
the
Younger
Worlds believed
Exotics
wore
all
the
time.

Bleys
climbed
out
of
the
vehicle
and
walked
to
the
ramp,
to
meet the
figures
moving
toward
him.
The
grassy
surface
was
smooth
and soft,
comfortable
to
walk
on,
and
it
provided
all
the
traction
he needed,
despite
its
upward
grade.

The
taller
figure
moving
toward
him
was
also
female,
an
unusual-looking
woman
with
copper-colored
skin
and
a
shaven
skull.
Her robes
were
light
blue
in
color,
and
to
Bleys'
unpracticed
eye
they appeared
to
be
draped
on
her
form
in
a
different
manner
than
those worn
by
Nonne;
but
he
could
not
tell
if
the
differences
had
any meaning.

"Welcome,
Bleys
Ahrens,"
Nonne
said,
stopping
at
a
distance
of almost
two
meters
in
front
of
Bleys.
He
took
an
extra
step,
and
then stopped
also.

"My
companion
is
Sulaya,"
Nonne
went
on.
"She'll
be
your
guide, if
that
suits
you—I'm
afraid
I
have
other
duties."

"I'm
honored,"
Bleys
said,
speaking
to
Nonne
but
looking
at
Sulaya.
"It
was
good
of
you
to
meet
me."

While
he
spoke
Nonne
was
turning,
to
stride
swiftly
up
the
ramp and
through
the
shadow-wall.
Bleys
and
Sulaya,
after
another
brief, polite
exchange,
followed
her
more
slowly.

Bleys
was
led
through
the
shadow-wall,
which
he
found
to
be some
kind
of
pressure
barrier,
and
beyond
it,
down
several
long
passageways,
to
a
kind
of
patio.
Unless
his
direction-sense
had
been scrambled
somehow,
he
was
sure
he
was
still
under
the
hill,
but
the patio
seemed
to
open
on
the
edge
of
a
snowbound
glade.
Bright light
poured
out
of
a
sky
from
which
the
snow
clouds
had
drawn
off; it
made
tiny
diamond
-
like
sparkles
dance
out
of
the
crystals
of
the snow
on
the
ground.

And
yet,
seated
on
the
cushioned
bench
he
had
been
shown
to, Bleys
felt
comfortably
warm.
A
gentle
breeze
breathed
on
his
face, carrying
with
it
a
faint
scent
like
some
mild
spice.
Sulaya
sat
quietly nearby,
perched
atop
what
seemed
to
be
a
lichen-speckled
stone wall.
The
entire
patio
before
him
and
to
his
sides
was
filled
with stone
walls
of
varying
heights,
that
bent
and
turned
about
him
as
if he
were
in
the
center
of
a
maze.
.
.
.
When
he
found
his
eyes
making
the
same
circular
scan
of
their
top
surfaces
for
the
fourth
time, he
pulled
his
gaze
away.

Catching
a
slight
movement
out
of
the
corner
of
an
eye,
Bleys turned
in
time
to
see
a
drinking
vessel,
apparently
of
gray
glass,
rise out
of
one
arm
of
the
bench.
It
contained
apple
juice,
he
discovered.

Discounting
his
initial
suspicions,
he
took
a
long
drink
of
the cool,
sweet
fluid;
and
realized,
when
he
lowered
the
glass,
that
two more
people
had
moved
into
his
line
of
sight—it
seemed
almost
as if
they
had
popped
into
being
in
front
of
him.

One
was
a
woman
of
medium
height,
with
bronze
skin
and
curly brown
hair,
wearing
a
honey-colored
robe;
Bleys
found
her
age
difficult
to
estimate.
She
gave
him
a
welcoming
smile,
but
said
nothing
while
Bleys
looked
at
her
companion,
a
man
who
seemed
to hold
his
attention
without
word
or
motion.

This
man
was
more
than
elderly,
Bleys
realized;
in
fact,
he
was quite
probably
the
oldest
person
Bleys
had
ever
seen.
His
skin seemed
relatively
unwrinkled,
but
there
was
a
stillness
in
his
face above
the
amber-colored
robes,
and
something
about
the
way
he held
himself....

"We
are
pleased
to
have
you
here,
Bleys
Ahrens,"
the
bronze-skinned
woman
said
now,
somewhat
formally,
as
Bleys
rose
to
his feet.
She
nodded
slightly
as
she
spoke,
and
her
face
became
more
serious,
although
she
maintained
a
gentle
smile.
"My
name
is
Chavis."

She
turned
slightly,
gesturing
with
a
flowing
movement
of
her left
arm
in
the
direction
of
her
older
companion.

"And
this
is
Padma,
the
InBond."

InBond
No one really understands the offices the Exotics give eac
h other, but that's one I haven’t
heard before.

"I'm
honored
to
meet
you,"
Bleys
said,
as
the
elderly
Exotic bowed,
very
slightly,
in
his
direction.
Padma's
eyes
stayed
on
Bleys' face,
but
he
said
nothing.

The
silence
continued
for
a
long
moment,
and
as
the
three
sets of
Exotic
eyes
watched
him,
Bleys
found
himself
becoming
a
little uncomfortable.
He
covered
it
by
taking
another
drink;
but
in
a
moment
the
glass
was
empty.

"Would
you
like
some
more?"
Chavis
asked
as
Bleys
turned
to put
it
down.