The Evolutionary Void

by Peter F. Hamilton

  ‘Who are the new merchants?’ Edeard asked. He was getting a bad feeling about this.

  ‘They worked for a supplier here in the city called Uphal.’

  ‘What’s the matter?’ Kristabel asked. She was sitting up in bed, watching Edeard pull his silk pyjamas on. ‘And don’t say: nothing. You’ve been quiet since you got back this afternoon.’

  ‘Yeah,’ he said, and rolled on to the bed. The walls remembered nothing, Kiary and Manel had taken away the memory usually contained within the city’s substance. He was going to have to find out how to do that for himself. ‘Sorry, but it’s not good news.’

  ‘I’m a big girl.’

  He smirked. For once she was wearing a sheer black negligee with a plunging neck. Even after seven children she was still slim, and with her hair worn loose, very alluring. And she knew it. There was a calculating smile playing across her lips.

  ‘I’ll bear that in mind,’ he said, giving her figure an openly admiring look.

  ‘Did somebody die?’

  ‘No. There are some psychics in Makkathran who are at least as strong as I am. And there’s a lot of them.’

  ‘Oh. But you’ve found plenty of powerful psychics over the years; there’s Marcol, and Jenovan, and what’s that new girl who came to you last year?’

  ‘Vikye. No, darling. What they’re doing is a lot bigger than anything we can handle.’

  ‘Why, what are they doing?’

  ‘Same thing Ranalee and One Nation were trying. Except this isn’t about establishing good snobbish blood as overlords, this is about strength pure and simple. If you’re a strong psychic that means you have the right to rule everyone else.’

  ‘There’s a lot of us to try and quash.’

  ‘I know, and that’s what frightens me the most. Owain had guns and fear to keep people in line, the nest have dominance, which they haven’t been afraid to use. They also have the same skill I have with the city.’

  Kristabel gave him a sober look. ‘Oh. If their strength comes from numbers, then you pick them off one at a time.’

  ‘Won’t work,’ he said apologetically. ‘They call themselves a nest for a reason. They’re like a family of the mind. It’s quite weird to see them together. Back when old Chae was training us he made sure our farsight was always aware of where the others of the squad were. The nest have a more sophisticated version of that technique. I’d never be able to isolate one of them.’

  ‘Ladycrapit, what are you going to do?’

  ‘I don’t know. But they’re young and they want to forge ahead in their own fashion. They’ve never learned how to accommodate other people because they’ve never had to; if they’re allowed to carry on the way they are they never will. That means I might have a small opening.’

  ‘To do what?’

  ‘They asked me to be a bridge, between them and the “weaker” people.’

  ‘Weaker?’ she snapped indignantly.

  ‘Yes. That’s their way of thinking. That’s what has to be broken.’

  ‘Do you really think you can do that? Edeard, I know we never talk about Owain and Buate and all the others that vanished, and I never asked, but . . . You couldn’t make them change their minds, could you?’

  ‘No,’ he sighed. ‘But this time I really have to try.’ Lady, but I don’t want to have to do that kind of thing again.

  ‘So they share their thoughts all the time?’

  ‘Sort of. They claim it’s a development of democracy. They’re still all individuals, but for decision-making they communicate on a very deep level, they have their own mental language. I suspect that’s how they overcome anyone else with strength. They can gang up in perfect union. And the more they embrace, the stronger they become.’ He’d been intrigued by that union they had ever since the encounter. To share thoughts so easily must be a wonderful thing, except they’d perverted it, using dominance to rid the concept of all equality. He suspected Tathal to be the cause of that. If the nest could have started without that malign influence it might have had a chance to develop in a positive, beneficial manner. After all, he’d concluded years ago that psychic abilities in the newer generations were significantly higher than among his own age. People were changing, adapting to their easier life.

  Kristabel gave him a worried look. ‘Embrace or get subsumed?’

  ‘Good question. Dominance isn’t my specialty, and the Lady knows I never found out how to reverse it.’

  ‘No,’ she growled.

  ‘The one good thing is the way they’ve covered their tracks and set about amassing wealth.’

  ‘How can that be good?’

  ‘It shows they aren’t that different to the rest of us after all. They chase after wealth and power just like everyone.’

  ‘Taralee doesn’t,’ Kristabel said immediately. ‘And you’re the ultimate champion of democracy. After all, you could have been emperor.’

  ‘Yes, but . . . Once you become part of the nest you become part of what they are, what they aim for.’

  Kristabel wrinkled her nose up. ‘A blatant psychic aristocracy.’

  ‘Yes. And then what happens to those who won’t or can’t become a part of it? They lack any signs of compassion.’

  She stroked a hand across his cheek. ‘Poor Edeard. You have to find a way.’

  ‘Easily said.’

  ‘If you can’t, who will?’

  ‘I know. At least they’ve offered to listen to me.’ Which wasn’t quite what Tathal had said.

  ‘Are they really stronger than you?’

  ‘Who knows? Individually, I expect we’re about the same. Though Marcol certainly panicked when he was trying to contain Tathal. It’s this union of theirs that has me worried.’

  Kristabel was frowning as she considered what he was telling her. ‘It sounds like Tathal is the leader.’

  ‘He is.’

  ‘But if they have this mental democracy, surely they wouldn’t need a leader. If he’s as strong as you think, especially when it comes to dominance, isn’t this nest just another gang with him as the boss? The rest of them won’t even know, they just think they have free will. That’s always the worst aspect of dominance, how the victim just embraces it.’

  ‘They did seem to be contributing to the union. But to be honest, I couldn’t interpret any of their combined thoughts.’

  ‘He’s the key, isn’t he, this Tathal?’

  ‘I think so. But the chances of me ever getting him by himself are slim.’

  ‘He was on his own when Marcol confronted him.’

  ‘Yeah. You’re right.’

  She grinned. ‘Of course I am.’

  ‘So, perhaps you wouldn’t mind telling me how I watch someone who knows I’m going to be looking for an opportunity, and is in control of the city the same way I am.’

  ‘You’re the Waterwalker.’ She pulled him closer, arms twining round his neck. ‘You tell me.’

  *

  ‘You did it,’ Salrana said. ‘I didn’t believe you could, or you would. I suppose . . . Thank you, Edeard. I mean that.’

  ‘Timath has withdrawn his objection?’ a surprised Edeard asked. He’d completely forgotten, hadn’t even talked to the Grand Master of the Lawyers Guild.

  ‘Yes. It’s all over. Once Garnfal accepts the Skylord’s guidance, his estate passes to me.’

  ‘I see. That’s wonderful news. Er, did Timath say why he wasn’t going to challenge the will?’

  ‘Not really. Just that he’d changed his mind.’

  ‘Okay. I’m glad for you, really I am.’

  Changed his mind, my arse, Edeard thought. The nest couldn’t have been more blatant if they’d bludgeoned Timath with a wooden club. They want me to know. They want to see what I’ll do.

  *

  It was surprisingly easy to work out some of Tathal’s possible weaknesses. Edeard put Argain on tracking down Constatin’s final movements. The constables at Ysidro Station might not have made much of an effort (and why should they?) bu
t if he’d left any trace, any impression with people along his route to the Blue Fox, then Argain would find it. Edeard at least expected Argain to find out roughly at which point he’d vanished, the street at least. That would mean he could check the memory within the city structure. Any gaps would be as incriminating as seeing Constatin being abducted by members of the nest.

  His second possibility was the other missing people. Golbon and Jaralee had been bemused at first. It was an odd request, seeing if they could tie in anyone who had gone missing during the last few years to the nest’s business deals, but they soon set to cross-referencing files. It was what they excelled at, and they had begun to enjoy the scent of the chase again. They even talked about bringing back other members of the old committee.

  That just left the last two leads. They were the ones he needed to follow personally. And without a great deal of surprise, his first one only took three hours to confirm. After all, a station captain led a busy life. Especially Dinlay, who structured his days with meetings and inspections and appointments with civic notorieties and even made sure he went out on patrol with his officers three times a week. That left his wife with a lot of time to fill during the day.

  Edeard floated in the middle of a transport tube, eyes closed, drifting along slowly as he kept pace with Gealee. She moved through Lillylight’s central streets, wandering in and out of shops. Midmorning was taken up with meeting her girlfriends in a coffee house, for gossip and admiring each other’s morning purchases. Edeard didn’t use farsight, rather he pulled the images directly from the city’s substance, feeling the weight of her high heels walk along, receiving the splash of colour her bright orange and black coat made amid the throng, hearing her voice growing sharp with shopgirls, the scent of her perfume wafting through the air. Then just before midday she walked over Steen Canal into Abad, where she went into one of the little cylindrical cottages behind the Jarcon family’s mansion. It was the home of the family’s second farrier, a hulking twenty-three-year-old with thick ebony hair that tumbled down over his shoulders. Gealee particularly liked twining her fingers through that hair while her lusty beau pounded away on top of her on the bed, on the lounge floor, on the awkward stairs . . .

  ‘Missing your honeymoon already?’ Edeard asked.

  Gealee didn’t start or feign surprise when he emerged from the shadows of a deep alcove on Spinwell Lane, a dark narrow passage barely a couple of yards wide in some places. She was using it as a quiet shortcut back to Steen Canal.

  Instead she took the moment to adjust her wide-brimmed hat. ‘Did you enjoy watching?’ she retorted.

  ‘Not really. Dinlay is one of my oldest friends.’

  ‘And I’m his wife. I am quite devoted in that respect. He wants for nothing, I assure you.’

  ‘Did Tathal tell you to make sure of that? Did you even have a choice?’

  Her lips pushed together into a pout as she gave him a shrewd glance. ‘Clever,’ she said with a reluctant sigh. ‘But then I never did think you got to be Waterwalker by brute strength alone. How did you know?’

  ‘Tathal knew I was going to put myself forward for Mayor. I trust the people Dinlay has spoken to about making up my team, just as I trust Dinlay and the Master and Mistress of Sampalok. That leaves you.’

  ‘Well done. But it doesn’t really help you, does it?’

  ‘I’m not sure. How do you think Dinlay will react when I tell him you used domination on him?’

  Gealee laughed. ‘Oh but we didn’t, that’s the beauty of it. I’m his type. You know that well enough, you’ve seen all his wives and the girlfriends between. All we needed to do was put me in the same room as him, and wait. It was inevitable. Actually, he’s quite endearing – for someone his age. So dedicated, to the rule of law, to you.’

  ‘You leave Dinlay alone. Do you understand?’

  ‘You want me to leave him? To break his heart? Once more?’

  ‘I want you to wait a decent interval until he realizes he’s made another mistake.’

  ‘Why don’t you just tell him? A true friend would.’ She tilted her head to one side, regarding him thoughtfully. ‘You don’t know what to do about us, do you? Which means you know you can’t defeat us.’

  ‘You’re the ones who think in those terms.’

  ‘We’re the same as you. The only difference is that we’re family, not loners. Why don’t you join us? You know we’re the future. Why else are so many of us appearing? It is our time. You can’t argue against that. But you can play such a large part in birthing a new world, a new way of life. That’s what you were sent here to do, that’s why you’re the first: to lead the way.’

  ‘We cannot split society between those who have and those who don’t. People the Lady has blessed with an exceptional talent have a duty to use it for the greater benefit. I’ve seen what happens when the ruling group begins to think only of itself. You weren’t even born, but that’s what Makkathran was like when I arrived. Your way of thinking isn’t the future, it’s the dead past. You have despoiled your gift; that is what I will end.’

  Her smile became cold. ‘Join us.’

  The command was so strong Edeard’s eyes actually watered. It was like having a needle of ice penetrate his brain. ‘Ladyfuck.’ He staggered backwards, struggling to shield his mind.

  Gealee made no move, no attempt to follow up her demand. ‘You see, Waterwalker? That was just me, and I’m not even the strongest of us. Do you really think anyone can resist the entire nest?’

  He shook the stupor from his head, staring at her with a mixture of anger and fright.

  ‘Now you’ve found out what I am, I can hardly spy on you any more,’ she said in a chillingly level tone. ‘I’m going to return to the nest now. You’re Dinlay’s friend, you tell him why he doesn’t have a wife any more.’ She adjusted her orange and black coat, and walked off down the alley, her heels making loud clicks on the pavement.

  Edeard watched her go, still shaken. His trembling palm wiped cold sweat from his brow. So much for using her to expose a weakness. But it did illustrate the kind of lengths the nest would go to in order to find out what he was doing, what he was capable of. And he had one ability left, of which they had no clue. The ultimate sanction. If I have to use it, I won’t be so brutal as before. I’ll go back and try to reason with Tathal, to persuade him to share his talent before he becomes a selfish power-seeker. Somehow the notion didn’t leave him feeling as confident as it should have. Mainly because there was only one person left to ask about the origin of the nest’s leader. He really didn’t want to do that. But there weren’t a whole lot of choices left.

  *

  With three days left until the Skylords arrived, the throng around the towers of Eyrie was so tightly packed that any movement within the district was becoming difficult. Some families resolutely refused to move on, setting up camp with enough food to see themselves through the duration. Constables struggled to keep pathways open. Mothers and their Novices suffered abuse for not allowing the eager aspirants up into the towers. The Mayor’s appeals for calm and tolerance went completely unheeded. After all, none of the visitors had voted for him, or even against him. He wasn’t their authority figure.

  Edeard sat under a canvas awning and wove a seclusion haze around himself as his gondolier sailed past the edge of the district. It was early evening, and the smell of food cooking on open fires trickled across the canal. Open fires were of course banned in Makkathran. He gritted his teeth and ignored the violations. Something was going to have to be done about the stopover visitors before the next Skylords arrived. But right now he had something a lot more important, not to mention personal.

  The gondola travelled the length of Great Major Canal to Forest Pool. Edeard alighted at a mooring platform. He could just see the ships berthed at the docks, their sails furled amid a forest of rigging. Natran had confided to him that the number of passengers his ships were bringing in for guidance had risen sevenfold over the last eighteen months. Some flee
t captains were talking about commissioning a whole new class of ship, one without any cargo holds, just to bring people in from the furthest coastal cities.

  There were times when Edeard believed half of Querencia’s population was on the move to Makkathran so they might ascend from the towers. He watched the ships for a while before admitting to himself he was just finding excuses. So he turned his back on the docks and walked into Myco.

  The House of Blue Petals was open, but this early in the evening there were hardly any customers. As always, there were two burly men on the big front door. They gave him a very surprised look when he walked past them, but said nothing. He sensed their urgent direct longtalk up to the office above.

  His third hand pushed the door open. He wondered just how many times he’d come to this place over the years. How many confrontations had there been now? Weariness and malice mingled to produce a rogue thought: I should just demolish this place, get the city to make a park. But the nest would likely reverse the action.

  Ranalee was waiting. Hair perfectly styled in narrow curves; wearing a long pale-grey dress of fine-knit wool. The soft fabric clung to her, revealing a belly heavy from the fifth month of pregnancy.

  It was a sight which brought Edeard up short. All the words he’d rehearsed, ready to snap at her, withered away.

  She caught his surprise and smiled complacently. ‘Dear Edeard, is something the matter?’

  ‘I . . . didn’t know.’ He waved a hand towards her, embarrassed, mainly at himself.

  ‘And why should you? You have a city to run.’ She poured some wine and held the glass out to him. ‘It’s a lovely Sousax, try it; I can’t have any myself, not in this delicate condition.’

  ‘No thank you.’

  ‘Afraid I’m trying to poison you?’

  He sighed. ‘No.’

  Her smile turned mocking and she let out a theatrical moan as she sank down into a long settee. ‘Then why are you here? Kristabel not interested in you any more? I have several truly lovely girls at the moment, they’re all very discreet.’