The Echolone Mine (11 page)

“The network
bridges time,” Cassy stated.

“Then it is
more physical. Would the destruction of a site influence its
efficacy?”

Elianas looked
at Torrullin, who said, “What about taking out fourteen in one
gesture?”

Cassy stared
at him. “It would take a massive chunk from the net, and alter its
quality.”

Torrullin gave
a grim smile. “There is your answer.”

“Fourteen?”

“Make or break
worlds, as Elianas says of me. I took Akhavar’s fourteen sites out
before your father died. I think he died of the shock.”

Quilla gaped.
“Why would you do that?”

Torrullin
shrugged. “You know how you know something, but not the shape or
form of it? Well, Elianas and I were cursed and yet we attempted to
put everything back onto a smoother path. Part was the long hiding
we undertook and part was making Akhavar uninhabitable. By the time
Nemisin died most of his world was hot desert and it had not rained
for eight hundred years - my doing. Taking the sites away forced
the Valleur to leave and forced the mountain enclave from sight.
Looking back, it was to hide Nemisin’s remains, and, yes, it was
punishment.”

“You thought
he would return?” Cassy whispered.

“Not as
concrete thought, but the man could not be trusted even in death.
It was self -preservation, I guess. Elianas and I vanished soon
after.”

“If my father
was dead, how can Elianas claim to have been in the Throne at a
time my father heard.”

Elianas
murmured, “There was more than one cycle.”

She frowned.
“I do not understand your meaning.”

Torrullin
said, “We have to examine that another time, Cassy.”

Her eyes
narrowed, but she nodded.

“Did Nemisin
die of shock?” Quilla asked, unbelieving.

Torrullin
smiled. “No. I merely like to think so.”

Cassy frowned.
“I should have felt the destruction of fourteen sites.”

“You were
dead,” Elianas said.

“Ah, and
suicide darkened what I saw for a time. Yes, I understand.”

“I did not
know.”

“Nobody did.
Forget it.”

Quilla wagged
a finger. “How much time between your death and your father’s?”

“A century,
give or take.”

“How did he …?
Gods, you bloody Valleur, playing with the fates.”

Cassy laughed.
“Now you see why I needed the network.”

Elianas leaned
in. “Cassy, how did he take you with him into stasis?”

“He shrouded
the manner of my death and thus retained control. And when he knew
of the network, he exercised that control.”

“Bastard,”
Elianas muttered.

Torrullin
paced. “The fourteen sites of Akhavar were restored to power
recently, as recently as a few weeks ago. Some still require
repair, though.”

“It restored
the network. And it came to you,” Cassy said.

“No, it
happened by chance.”

“Torrullin,
chance - really?”

A beat of
silence and then, “The keepers maintained it despite being
dampened, is that right? They sensed the lesser grid?”

“Yes. It
remained in situ, with less reverberation.”

“Thank Aaru.
It did a lot of good.”

She smiled.
“Thank you. That is the first genuine compliment from you.”

“I am
sorry.”

Elianas’ gaze
was again unreadable.

Cassy laughed.
“Your change of heart does not entirely endear you to me,
Torrullin, know that.” Her amusement vanished. “You have a lot to
answer for.”

His gaze was
as unreadable.

Quilla decided
to take it in hand. “Now we need to celebrate success, my friends.
No more discussion. Cassy must be starving and you two have been
like soltakin the last three days, and I too have foregone a good
meal long. So, reason for celebration, we celebrate.”

“Farinwood,”
Elianas said. “Lowen probably needs perking up about now.”

“What is
‘Farinwood’?” Cassy asked.

Torrullin
grinned. “A town. Amazing food, great ale.”

“And Lowen is
there? Why is she not here?”

Quilla took
her arm, led her away and started explaining the purposes of the
Lifesource.

The two men
followed.

Second fiddle
never sounds quite the same, does it?

Tattle

Farinwood

Valaris

T
he inn was crowded.

All inns in
Farinwood were over-full, in fact. It was Istelgor, the icy month
of winter before spring thaw, and it was Farinwood’s annual
ice-skating competition. People in colourful gear crowded every
inn, tavern, eatery, all roads and streets, every park and bench.
Skates adorned doorways, window latches and all conceivable
spaces.

Laughter,
shrieks and talk flowed around the aging town. There were teams
from Xen, Beacon, Excelsior, Ceta, Fortani, Lax, Sanctuary, Ymir,
and from Valaris and Luvanor. They competed for a trophy, no more,
and thus competition was serious fun.

The frozen
lake was a relatively new addition to Farinwood’s attractions, one
built of necessity and then later used to entertain the youth of
the town during winter, entertainment that spread like wildfire
when two Xenians one day donned their skates and flew on ice.
Skates became the new thing to have. Now in its tenth year, the
competition went universal.

“Where is
Lowen in this?” Torrullin muttered.

Lowen was not
to be found and in the press of people they were soon separated.
Quilla was with Cassy; she would be fine, if agog over the sights,
sounds and smells.

“Let’s try the
lake!” Elianas shouted over six burly men.

Torrullin
waved understanding and headed that way.

Coming upon
her from different angles, they found Lowen giggling with a group
of women ranging in age from ten to eighty. Barring the young, the
women fortified themselves against the cold with warming
drinks.

She saw
Elianas first and patted a space beside her. He sat, accepted a
beverage and was soon the centre of attention.

Torrullin,
watching unobtrusively, smiled. Elianas seemed younger, more
innocent, like to the boy he was once. Lowen’s, however, was an
almost desperate gaiety. His smile slipped, looking at her.

He turned his
back on Saska for this woman, and now he did the same to her for
Elianas, but the precedent with Elianas existed in a time ages
old.

Enchanter,
where are you?

At the lake,
Quilla. We found her.

This place is
a madhouse.

A resounding
cheer raised the noise level. A team of skaters had taken honours.
Lowen looked up and saw him. Leaning over Elianas, she whispered
something, and stood to make her way unsteadily to him. She almost
fell into his arms, and he was disappointed when she caught her
balance in time. A moment later Elianas had laughingly excused
himself and followed.

“Lowen, having
fun?” Torrullin murmured.

“Two days ago
they started packing it in.”

“Skating
competitions, angling, marathons, skiing, hiking, sailing; who
would have thought Valaris would be this popular?”

Cassy and
Quilla joined them, and Cassy and Lowen fell into conversation
about women’s clothing and so forth.

Elianas rolled
his eyes.

Quilla had a
look on his face. “We will not find food here.”

“Gasmoor. It
has to be quiet there,” Torrullin offered.

They headed
out to a private space for transport.

Gasmoor

Despite the
years, Gasmoor retained its formality and remained a university
town.

It boasted
more suburbs in the present, and yet was quiet and restful. Roads
were wide and trees were old.

It also
boasted the finest restaurants on Valaris.

Torrullin
chose a place serving pasta and smooth red wine and they sat around
a table polished to a sheen. The owner recognised his patron and
led them to a private area. The wine came swiftly, and orders were
placed.

“Valaris is
modernising fast,” Torrullin remarked.

“You cannot
stop it,” Quilla murmured, sipping fastidiously.

“Pity.”

Quilla sighed.
“I must agree with you.”

The food came
- pasta with tomato and herb sauce and baskets of garlic bread -
and they ate with relish.

Cassy said,
“This is good.”

Elianas
grinned. “Not Valleur food.”

She gestured
at her plate. “Better.”

Quilla was
soon finished, his smaller stomach requiring less, and sat back
with a satisfied sigh. “Now I feel normal.”

Torrullin
grinned at him. “Never thought a birdman could love food so
much.”

“Bugger off,
Enchanter.”

Torrullin,
smiling, ate on.

“I must go to
the Dome from here. What are you four to do next?” Quilla
asked.

“We have
little purpose now,” Elianas said. “It feels odd.”

Quilla
murmured, “This could be a time to untangle personal, um,
problems.”

Elianas pulled
a face.

Lowen gulped
at her wine.

Torrullin
pushed his plate aside, declaring himself sated. He took to the
wine.

Cassy laughed.
“I do not think they fancy the thought, Quilla.”

“Obviously.
Idiotic.”

Torrullin
changed the subject. “How fares Tristan?”

“Well. He is
in his element.”

“What does the
Kaval work on at the moment?”

“We
concentrate on Lax. A large portion of the criminal element is
routed, which required a prison complex. The Kaval accomplished it
in the four years we were away. Weapons are confiscated daily, but
the number lessens, thank Aaru. Axel Red, remember him? He became
quite the civic leader, using his military skills to organise the
clean-up of cities. New buildings rise month by month and a number
of farms produce profitably.”

“Glad to hear
it.”

“Let us not
fool ourselves,” Quilla added. “Lax requires years of aid, policing
and sustainable development, and at least a generation to alter
mind-set, but it is a start, yes.”

“And
Ymir?”

“Better and
better,” Quilla said with a smile. “We monitor continuously in the
event.”

“Ymir is safe
from Nemisin.”

“I know, but
we shall go on watching. The exploitation of children has ceased
and some of the depravity Ymir is known for. The eye in the sky
keeps them on their toes. It remains a red-light world, but rather
where we know it than underground, I say.”

“True,”
Torrullin murmured. He did not dare look at Elianas.

“Excelsior, by
the way, has commenced full nuclear disarmament.”

“Excellent.”

Quilla was
quiet, staring at Torrullin.

“And now?”
Torrullin demanded.

“Enchanter,
there might be something you can help us with.” Quilla tapped at
the table. “Seeing Elixir himself may sort them out and you do find
yourself at a loose end, do you not?”

“Yes,”
Torrullin drawled.

“I think
Tristan will be relieved if you take this one.”

Elianas was
curious. “What is it?”

Torrullin
glanced at him. “Watch out; Quilla’s casual purpose-induced
missions usually hide underlying tensions we could do without.”

Elianas
grinned. “I like it.”

“Thought you
might,” Torrullin muttered. “Fine, Quilla, what is the problem
Elixir needs deal with?”

Lowen frowned.
“The mining thing, Quilla? We agreed to wait until we could
concentrate on it.”

“You, Elianas
and Torrullin could do it now,” Quilla said, “and Cassy can add a
connection to her network there. It certainly needs one.”

Torrullin
required details. “Tell us.”

Quilla was all
business, sidling forward to place elbows on the table. He pushed
his wine aside to make room. “Ever heard of Echolone?”

“Isn’t that
where shamans are trained?” Torrullin murmured.

“Correct,
although they have not much influence in the spirit world.”

“Which is why
we left them to it. What has mining to do with this?”

“Prospectors
recently discovered gold, which brought geologists and engineers
in, and found coal seams, underground gold, and diamonds. Within a
year Echolone has been overrun by miners of every persuasion and
major delving has commenced.”

“So? Beacon
does this all the time.”

“Beacon is
involved, yes. Politicking is underway, bribing for mineral rights
and concessions, and we have a host of environmentalists’ swamping
the place to prevent damage to natural regions. Very tense, and
about to explode. The Dome could find a solution, compromises that
will not destroy Echolone as a society, or we could send the miners
packing without their riches. That is not the real issue. That is
background.”

Torrullin
grimaced. “They found something in the rock.”

“Yes. We do
not know what it is. We already made it known we do not sanction
exploitation, which has sent folk to the negotiation table, and we
continue to monitor. The situation remains tense, particularly
regarding environmentalists …”

“Thank the
gods for green junkies,” Lowen interrupted. “They frequently alert
us to a problem with the environment.”

“Agreed,”
Quilla said, “but they also periodically go overboard.”

Elianas loosed
an exasperated sigh. “What did they find in the rock?”

Quilla grinned
briefly, knowing he had their attention. “We do not know who made
it, but folk act peculiarly. Erin and Shedo paid a visit and came
away perplexed. Declan wanted to go in, and then there was an
uprising on Lax. Tristan suggested we deal with Lax first before
entering as a team to Echolone.”

“But you are
concerned
now
,” Torrullin murmured.

“The miners
found a massive, sealed, underground door. Made of steel,
apparently old, and covered in glyphs.”