Valhai (The Ammonite Galaxy) (26 page)

The three of them turned and started to make their way in the same direction that the five Coriolans had taken. Each became aware, as they were walking away, that a slim ring of orthogel had
appeared. It was light and smooth, hardly noticeable. On Grace, it was round her neck. On Diva it was around her wrist. On Six, he felt it fasten lightly around his ankle.

It took them only about an hour to walk into Mesteta, and find the palace where Diva had been brought up. It was a beautiful white low building, totally alien to anything Grace had ever seen. She had been intrigued by the whole town, almost able to forget her own problems for a while.

Diva marched right past the main gate, taking no notice of the shouts that followed their progress up to the house. Many men could be heard scuttling into action around them. Still, Diva took no notice. Arms were raised menacingly in their direction, but she swept on. Then they found their way blocked by three enormous servants, each carrying firearms.

“Let me pass!” Diva said. Six grinned. He knew that imperious tone well.

“Who has . . . by Sacras! It is the Lady Divina. Move, you fool! Sound the return bell. Run, bonehead!” He nearly prostrated himself in front of Diva. “My lady. My lady. Welcome back!”

A dull, sonorous tone began to sound off to one side. The bell had been found. People began to pour out of the building, until there were about fifty of them standing gaping. Diva didn’t move, simply standing in front of them all, upright. Waiting.

Finally a man and a woman came out of the building. The crowd parted, and they glided through them in a stately manner.

“Mother. Father.” Diva inclined her head.

“Diva.”

Some welcome, thought Grace.

“Welcome to you and your friends. May Sacras illuminate your way.”

“And Lumina protect Coriolis,” replied Diva. They all moved towards the door. Diva and her parents in silence, only stopping to nod regally to one or two of the attendant group.

“Wow!” whispered Six to Grace. “You can really tell they are glad to see her!”

“Shut up!” retorted Grace. “I don’t think we’re supposed to talk!”

“I don’t think we’re supposed to exist!”

“Shh!”

“I keep expecting to see Atheron appear at any moment.”

“Shh! I tell you!”

“Stop shushing me! You just wait until they find out they have the three blackest sheep in the whole system in their palace. I bet we come out a whole lot faster than we’re going in.”

“She is their daughter! What do you know about it, Six?”

He preened. “I just have a feeling for these things. It comes from a long life of being an untouchable.”

“Anybody ever tell you how irritating you are?”

“Maybe.”

“Huh!” At last they fell into silence, bringing up the rear of the procession as ceremoniously as they were able.

The room they were finally led into was opulent, covered with velvet shrouds on the upholstered chairs and tapestry hangings on the magmite walls. The floor, also magmite, was littered with Xianthan carpets, a real luxury for a race still without the capacity for space travel. It meant that Diva’s family had ordered them through the Sellites. Six gave a silent whistle. That was real money!

“And how is the apprenticeship progressing?” inquired Diva’s father in a soft voice.

“It is not,” Diva said bluntly. She went on to explain some of the things that had happened, and her father’s face grew steadily blacker and blacker.

“You have broken your indentures?” It appeared that this was the one part he had grasped. Six gave Grace a meaningful glance.

“Well, of course.” Diva was indignant. “They tried to kill me.”

“Yes, yes, but what will this mean to Coriolis?” her father said. “You have served us a poor turn, Divina. I expected more of you.”

Diva bristled. “I was supposed to lie down and die for Coriolis, was I?”

“I am simply saying that you should never have broken your apprenticeship vows. This will be considered a grave fault of conduct by the population.”

“And I suppose your altering my score and fiddling the results of the test wasn’t a grave fault?”

“How do you . . . that is . . . I have no idea what you mean.”

“I think you know exactly what I mean, Papa. That is partly what caused all the fuss. That is what made them operate on me—” She broke off in consternation.

Her mother stood up. “What is this? What operation are you talking about?”

Diva put her shoulders back and looked both parents in the eye. Now the moment was here she would not shirk it. “I am sterile. They removed all my genetic material.”

There was a gasp from her father, and her mother put a hand over her mouth. “Barbarians!” she whispered to herself. But her eyes went to her husband, and they were white with fear.

“You can no longer have descendency?” His whole body was rigid with distaste.

“No, Papa. Your daughter can no longer have descendency.” Diva’s voice was icy-cold. “Does that make me one of the untouchables? Are you going to disinherit me?”

“I have no choice. The laws are clear.”

Diva got to her feet. “It seems you were right, Six.”

“
Six
?” Her father was scandalized. “You have brought a no-name into my house? How dare you! You have dishonoured your family. This cannot be tolerated!”

Six slid another glance at Grace. “What did I tell you?” he said. “I never make a mistake about humiliation. I am an expert in the subject.” He got to his feet and began to make discrete steps towards the door.

Diva’s father went to the wall, where he tugged at an ornate rope. A bell sounded, and instantly the room was filled with guards.

“These are tainted people. Imprison them.” The Elder ordered, averting his gaze from his now tainted daughter. “Get them out of my sight. Quickly, I tell you!”

“You never do listen to anybody else, do you Diva?” Six blew a sigh. “As stubborn as a Cesan mule! Now look where you’ve landed us. They will probably toast us for breakfast.”

“Then whoever ate you would be sure to get indigestion!”

“Look who’s talking! You aren’t exactly a pot of honey yourself.”

“Fool!”

“Cretin!”

“Moron!”

They both felt a bit better after that, until Grace pointed out that they seemed to be in a bit of a tight corner. They had been marched into the nether parts of the palace, and locked firmly into a room with metal bars as thick as a wrist across all possible exits.

“What is going to happen to us, Diva?” Grace asked.

Diva considered. “I guess we will be interrogated . . .”

“Again?” groaned Six.

“. . . and then we might be thrown to the Tattula cats.”

“Might?” snapped Six. “What do you mean, ‘might’?”

“Probably will be?”

“Tattula cats?” Six was disbelieving. “You still throw people to Tattula cats? I always did say Coriolis was a backward little planet.” He was scandalized. “Tattula cats!”

There was a contemplative silence for a few minutes, and then Six swung back again to Diva. “Well, you had just better get us out of here, sunshine, because if you think I am going to become Tattula cat food two days before we find my sisters again you have got another think coming!” He snorted. “As if!”

Grace saw Diva’s white face, and took pity on her. “Don’t worry, Diva, we will get out of here. Arcan will help us.”

“No. I got us in here and I will get us out of here. I forbid you to sign Arcan asking him for help!” she said.

“I have news for you, Diva,” said Six. “You don’t order me to do anything!”

Diva stamped her foot. “Please, then. Whatever! Just give me a chance to get us out!”

“Did you say please?” Six was incredulous.

“And?” Diva snapped.

“No, nothing. Just surprised, is all.”

“Well don’t be!”

“No, ma’am!” He brought his feet together with a click and stood to attention.

“Children, children!” Grace felt very old. “Can we concentrate on getting out of this mess?”

They both swung around on her. “What do you think we
are
doing?” they said in unison.

Grace shrugged her shoulders. “My mistake,” she murmured. “Sorry.”

INTERROGATION WAS NOT much fun. It turned out to be a chemical process. Grace was taken first, tied to a medical trolley, and then a white-coated figure came in to administer an injection. That was all she knew of her interrogation. Presumably she spoke while under the drug, but she could remember nothing. She felt ashamed when they took her back to the cell and she had to face her two friends.

“I don’t know what I told them,” she said glumly, explaining the process.

Diva laughed. “Everything,” she said. “They use extract of quenera root. You will have answered all their questions.”

“What, no torture?” said Six.

“We are not savages!” exclaimed Diva.

“Excuse me? Tattula cats, remember?”

“That is a tradition . . . an archaic custom.” Diva seemed to think that explained everything.

“Oh fine. So much better to be eaten by an archaic custom, I find, don’t you Grace?”

“You should know about archaic customs, being a Kwaidian,” said Diva.

“Sure. But I wasn’t expecting to find them on your wonderful Coriolis.”

Diva looked rather rueful. “As a matter of fact, neither was I!” she admitted. “I was a bit short-sighted.”

“No sweat. You haven’t seen Kwaide yet. Kwaide makes this place look like a safe haven!”

“Treat in store, then?”

“Absolutely.” All three of them grinned, and Six got up almost eagerly to be taken to interrogation.

Some three hours after Diva was brought back from interrogation, her father appeared outside the cell, flanked by five minions. He was dressed in somber, but rich robes. He took out a document, and began to read from it. It was written in boringly long and involved legalese, and Six lost interest until the man finally got to the end.

“. . . tomorrow morning taken out and given to the Tattula cats.”

The Elder finished on that happy note, rolled up the document with out more ado and then turned and disappeared again, still flanked by his minions.

“Time for you to solve the problem!” Six told Diva.

She bit her lip. “I know.”

“Got a bubble to catch, places to go,” he said.

“I got it, Six. No need to insist.”

“You do know tomorrow morning is soon, don’t you?”

“If you would shut up for a moment, I might be able to concentrate on finding a way out!”

“Might isn’t going to stop Kwaide from falling into Lumina!” he retorted, stung, and then lapsed into silence.

It was the middle of the night when they heard rustling near their cell. None of them was asleep, so they made their way quickly to the cell door. There was a rattling of keys, and then the door slid open.

“Mother!” For a moment it seemed as if Diva might run into her mother’s arms, but then she contented herself with a respectful inclination of her head.

“I will not let them feed my only daughter to the cats,” said her mother calmly. “It is not at all agreeable.”

“Thank you, Mother.”

“Do not think that this means I forgive you, because I don’t. You should have stayed where you were and fulfilled your sworn oath to the Sellites.”

“I would be dead!”

“Sacras is kind!” her mother intoned. “We are not permitted to know the ways of the gods.”

Six raised his eyes to the ceiling.

“You know,” said Diva slowly. “I never really looked at my society before. It is a bit . . . err . . .”

“Backward?” suggested Six.

Diva nodded, and then laughed. “It is a bit, isn’t it? I didn’t really notice when I was here, but now we have lived through all those things . . . well . . . it’s just that they could listen a bit more, couldn’t they? They could take terrific advantage of all the knowledge we have locked up in our heads, but they just aren’t interested.”

“Thank Cian for that!” said Six. “Or we would have been lobotomized by now!”

“In your case it would have been an improvement!”

“In yours nobody would have noticed!” As usual, Six had to have the last word.

“Come, quickly.” Diva’s mother signaled to three men who were waiting in the shadows behind her, and they stepped forward with dark cloaks, one for each of the three of them.

They slipped the cloaks on, and Diva’s mother led them through many corridors until they were in a tiny antechamber. Here, she made Diva sit down in front of her, leaving Six and Grace to make themselves comfortable on a sofa against the wall. Six gave a meaningful look at Grace.

Grace was amazed at the collected way both Coriolan women faced each other. There was no sign of emotion. Both were composed. They could have been complete strangers. She found the situation just now most curious. There was no sign of the passionate, sarcastic Diva that she herself knew.

“Mother.” Diva inclined her head.

“Daughter.” The rite was repeated. “I have set you free. I have no wish to see you dead. Your father . . .” she waved a dismissive hand, “. . . your father has his ways, and I respect them, as a good wife should. However in this instance I am not in accord with those ways, and so I have deemed it fitting to release you of your bonds.”

“I am most grateful, Mother, but won’t there be repercussions?”

“This misbehaviour on the part of a wife will lead your father to repudiate our marriage.” The woman nodded. “I am, nevertheless, quite prepared to accept this punishment. I have found myself tiring recently of your father.”

“I would not wish to cause you discomfort, Mother.”

“It will be a very great relief,” the woman said. “As he has become older his shape has altered most grossly, and his fine mind has recently dwelt only on libidinous matters. He has shown a lamentable proclivity for low-life haunts and, worst of all, he has recently proved recalcitrant to my recommendations on policy.”

“Wow!” Six hissed. “Can’t say I’m surprised, if she speaks like that all the time. Never heard so many long words in the same breath.”

“Shh!”

“I have therefore decided to go into retreat in Mount Palestron, accompanied only by these three guards and two personal dressers. They will provide all of my needs.” The look she exchanged with one of the guards made Six sit up suddenly.

“I . . .”

“Don’t even dream of saying it!” shushed Grace.

“But I was going to tell you what I think!”

“I know what you think. Shh!”

Now it was Diva’s turn to speak. “In that case we will accept your generous act with gratitude for your sacrifice. May Sacras never flare!”

“Some sacrifice!” scoffed Six. “If you ask me . . .”

“We didn’t,” said Grace. “Do shut up, please.”

The Kwaidian fell into an offended silence.

“I have taken the liberty of transferring some adequate funding into an account in your name in the business centre, Daughter.” She passed over some documents to Diva. “There will be enough for your needs, I believe. Needless to say, you will now have nothing from your father in the future, nor when he dies. Be parsimonious with your funds, therefore. I can give you no more.”

“You are more than munificent, Mother.”

“I will have little need for so much in Mount Palestron. We will be living a retired life.” She looked again towards the three guards. “I am looking forward to it.”

“Then I will wish you well, and remove my unworthy self from your sight.” Diva got to her feet.

“Since you have been released by a Coriolan noblewoman your sentences will be commuted.” Her mother told her. “You may even visit with safety, but neither you nor your friends will ever be made welcome on Coriolis.”

“What a surprise!” said Six.

“
Will
you shut up!” said Grace.

“Daughter. I wish you well.”

“Mother. I will think of you often.”

The two women touched cheeks, and then Diva signed to Grace and Six. They followed one of the guards, who led them furtively through corridor after corridor until they reached a back entrance to the palace. He opened the gate with an ornate key he wore around his neck, and ushered them out. The gate clanged to after them, and they were outside.

“That went well!” said Six

“She has made a great sacrifice for me.” Diva lowered her head.

“Some sacrifice!”

“You don’t understand. She will lose one of the most prestigious positions on the planet.”

“Well, she doesn’t seem unhappy about it. Seems to me she was just leaping at the chance to get away to her Mount Whatever,” Six said.

“She will have to forego many ostentations. I am amazed that she would do this altruistically. I am beholden.”

“Yeah. Come down off that dictionary, will you. Grace can’t understand you.”

“Speak for yourself!” Grace said.

“Come on. Let’s get back to Arcan. There is a little matter of a trip to Kwaide awaiting us.” He thought for a moment. “And I sincerely hope my homecoming goes better than yours, Diva!”