Escape (36 page)

“Is that a basic tenet of your beliefs? To live as naturally as possible?”

“It is
the
most basic tenet. And the most important.”

“So I guess it would be too much to hope that you have a hover car around here somewhere
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”

“Your sarcasm is understandable, but not appreciated. We are a simple people, and we live simply in the hopes that history would not repeat itself. Your casual disrespect for all that the Elementals have provided will eventually be your undoing. As it was once, a long time ago.”

Kieran shook his head. “I mean no disrespect.”

“And yet that is exactly what you offer. Every alteration to your environment, every device you use to make your life supposedly less complicated
—
these can only send one message: that which the Elementals have provided is not enough. You are ungrateful, and ignorant, but these are not permanent conditions.” Segurion met Kieran's narrow-eyed gaze. “You can still change.”

“What if I don't want to?”

“I cannot force you to see the truth; I can only show it to you. This was Keeper Deswin's heresy, for which he chose exile. The Elementals will eventually lose their patience and allow your technological marvels to turn against you. When that happens, you will have no one but yourself to blame.”

Kieran sighed, and a faint grin touched his lips. “I don't suppose they'd give me a break, on account of ignorance.”
You crazy hermit
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If you can't provide transport, then you're just wasting my time.

“Willful ignorance is not ignorance, Mister Hawker. It is stupidity.”

“Well, color me stupid, then. How far to the nearest city?”

“Crater City, the nearest settlement of changers, is a full day's journey from here. And you will never make it past the wolvins alive.”

“They seem pretty friendly with you. Come to think of it, they didn't bother Keeper Deswin, either.”

“We have an understanding with them. They bring wanderers in search of enlightenment to our temple, and in exchange we feed them the portion of our food stores which spoils.”

“They must be intelligent to keep such an agreement. So if they're meant to bring the wanderers to you, why did they try to kill us?”

“Keeper Deswin must have given them the signal to attack. Again, I appologize for his behavior. He will be punished accordingly.”

Kieran snorted. “Easy for you to say. Those beasts almost killed us.”

“Yes. Tell me, Mister Hawker: how did you and your companions survive the attack? You have startlingly few injuries to show for an encounter which would have killed even a party of our most heavily armed and armored hunters. I see that you have no weapons and no armor.”

Kieran smiled. “Appearances can be deceiving. And We did suffer a few serious injuries. Speaking of which, we would greatly appreciate access to whatever medical supplies and provisions you have. Of course, we would compensate you for whatever
—
”

“You have nothing of value to offer us, but we will help you in the spirit of hospitality.”

“Thank you.”

“First you will meet the Excelcius.”

“Lead the way.”

Kieran concentrated on Segurion as they walked, trying to read the man's thoughts. All he managed to read was a steady hum, like white noise. He frowned. It had been effortless with Dimmi, Ferrel, and Jilly.

So much for that. Looks like we're going to have to test his intentions the old-fashioned way. I can't read his thoughts.

Neither can I,
Dimmi replied.

The dark, flickering corridor branched out again. This time Segurion went left. The way before them immediately widened into a cavern, along the walls of which lay a honeycomb of smaller passages. Unlike the cavern itself, which was lit by the same flaming wall sconces as the previous corridor, the smaller passages were impossibly dark. They stared back at Kieran like the pupils of a great, many-eyed beast. A soft, whistling wind shuddered through the air, evoking a quick shiver from Kieran. Given the frigid air, and the fact that his arms and one leg were exposed, Kieran considered it a miracle that he wasn't shivering uncontrollably.

Segurion stopped in the middle of the cavern, and Kieran had a brief mental impression from him of some kind of rhyme being rehearsed.

Take a left just before the cleft, follow the drift of the air if you dare, and you will come to the Chamber of the Wise and Fair.

“This way,” Segurion said, starting forward once more
.

“You're sure?” Kieran asked, eyeing the shadowy depths of the particular passage which Segurion had picked.

His question went unanswered as Segurion reached up to the flickering wall sconce just before the passage. He withdrew a flaming torch, fashioned in the shape of a rusty goblet.

“I am sure. Watch your step. The catacombs are not lit.” The flame in Segurion's torch flickered wildly as he stepped into the darkened passage. Kieran could both feel and hear the wind whistling at his back as he followed Segurion. Dimmi and Ferrel, quiet up till now, began to unleash an echoing hail of curses on the walls of the passage, its designers, and the universe in general as they stumbled along. Segurion's torch could only do so much. Jilly kept remarkably quiet, so much so that Kieran had to stop and check that she was still with them.

Something hard collided with his forehead, and Kieran winced.

Jilly exclaimed: “Did you have to run into me?”

“No. You ran into me.”

“So I did. Ouch.”

“We'd better keep up with our guide, or we're going to start running into walls, too.”

As they walked
—
side-by-side, now
—
Kieran considered their situation: lured underground by a strange cult; all of them tired, injured, and hungry; Kieran's prize ship being flown away by a former member of his team; strange, impossible things happening to all of them; a day's hike from the nearest settlement, not counting the stone-age clan they'd stumbled upon
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Not the most promising set of circumstances.

Kieran felt a hand on his arm
—
Jilly's.
Don't worry. We'll get to the bottom of it
.

I hope so.

There was a long, anxious silence in her thoughts. Kieran caught only the barest flickers of what she was thinking about. Shapes and colors, images and emotions, but nothing he could make sense of, or clearly see.

Kieran, I have to ask
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Ask what?

Did you
 
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Suddenly, Kieran realized what Jilly had been thinking about as a lurid image of him and Dimmi flashed through his mind. His thoughts reacted violently:
No! I didn't.

Is that the truth?

You can read my mind; can't you tell that it is?

If you didn't rape her, why does she think you did?

I thought you knew me better than that.
The tone of Kieran's thoughts turned bitter.

Their mental conversation ended there, but Kieran could sense regret, mingled with suspicion pouring off Jilly.
She can think whatever the kefick she wants to.

I heard that.

So stop listening, for kefick's sake.

Silence.

Kieran I'm
—

Save it.

At length, after countless twists and turns, they came to another rusty door, like the one that served as the entrance to the Constantic Temple. Segurion walked up to the door and gave three hollow, resounding knocks. Then he turned to them from the door and said, “Welcome to the Chamber of the Wise and Fair
—
home of the Constantic Circle.”

Chapter 18

“Tell us your names.”

Kieran stepped forward, into the proper center of the circular cave. To all sides in a perfect radius sat ancient-looking men and women, with flowing white hair, or in some cases, no hair at all. There were 14 chairs, carved from solid gray rock, and all but one of them were occupied. Kieran cleared his throat before speaking, and cast a nervous glance toward the ceiling where stalactites hung with deadly regularity. “My name is Kieran Hawker.” Kieran saw something flicker across the wrinkly, impassive face of the one who had spoken. His long, straight, white hair appeared to shiver where it fell across his shoulders, and he exchanged glances with the woman to his right
—
as though his name meant something to them.

The wizened man turned back to him and gestured to the rest of his party. “And the others?”

Kieran half-turned and gestured to each in turn, introducing them.

The elder nodded. “I am the Excelcius of the Constantic Order. The others you see here are all Paladians. Together we make up the Constantic Circle. Before we offer you our hospitality here, we would like to know more about you, and what you think you know of us.”

“Speaking for myself, I know very little about your order,” Kieran replied. “And most of what I know, I learned in the past few hours from those of you whom I've met.”

The Excelcius nodded. “I'm not surprised. Very few people know about us. Even fewer wish to live as we do, with so few of the modern comforts and conveniences that changers like yourself have allowed to replace the Elementals' gifts.”

Kieran frowned. “I'm sorry Excelcius, but please don't try to convert me. Prime Segurion
—
” Kieran shot the man an accusing look that he completely missed. Segurion was kneeling to one side with his hands clasped behind his back, his head lowered in obeisance. “
—
already tried on the way here. I mean no disrespect, but I do not share your beliefs.”

“Surely you do not speak for your companions as well?” The Excelcius's gaze traveled briefly over each of them, meeting each pair of eyes, and finding no contradiction there. “Very well, Mister Hawker.” The Excelcius's tone turned frosty. “Like father like son it would seem.“

Kieran's eyes narrowed suddenly. “What do you mean by that?”

The old man's lips drew into a tight grin. “Yes, I knew your father. Not very well, but we met. I also knew of his heretical work on the Origins Project.”

“The what?”

The old man's head cocked to one side. “Surely he told you. No? Well, well. It would seem we have much to discuss, but first I'm sure you and your friends would prefer a hot meal and some time to treat your wounds.”

Kieran opened his mouth to object to that, to say that he wanted answers
—
now
—
but the Excelcius was already gesturing for Segurion to rise. “Please show our guests to the Chamber of Rest and Healing.”

Segurion, now standing, nodded once, quietly, and turned to leave.

Speaking to Kieran once more, the Excelcius said: “Think about the questions you wish to ask me, and we will discuss the answers over dinner.”

Kieran frowned, then mimicked Segurion's nod, and turned to follow him from the chamber. Outside the chamber, as they were crunching through the catacombs back the way they'd come, Jilly caught his arm.

What was that about? He knew your father?

I don't know, but I think we're about to find out.

* * *

Lystra Deswin oozed out of the shadows along the far back wall of the chamber. He stepped forward to take his place in the circle, filling the empty stone chair.

The Excelcius turned to him with a look of grave consternation. “You were right not to bring them here immediately. To test them first.”

“Did you notice their eyes? How red they are?”

“Yes. It would appear we have failed. The Origins Project succeeded despite our best attempts to thwart it.”

Lystra Deswin began nodding. “That was my conclusion as well. Prime Praxis, however, concluded otherwise.”

The Excelcius arched a snowy-white eyebrow at him. “Prime praxis? Explain.”

“He was the one who dropped them here. I asked him about the Origins Project. To my relief, he said it was failing miserably.”

“And yet now we see that this is not the case.”

“We suspect,” said an old man to the Excelcius's right.

The Excelcius's waved a hand dismissively at him. “If you are right,” he said, still speaking to Paladian Deswin. “If you saw what you say you saw, then there can be no doubt about it. They have all been changed. Red eyes, unnatural strength, recovery from mortal wounds
 
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these are just the beginning.”