The Dreaming Void

by Peter F. Hamilton

  ‘Towers?’

  ‘Yes. That’s where the Skylords alighted the last time they were here, the day they took Rah’s spirit to its rest in Odin’s Sea.’

  ‘Oh. Hey wait, you mean humans designed the Lady’s Church?’

  She gave a mock sigh. ‘See? If you’d ever bothered to turn up to church you’d have known that. It’s right there in the Lady’s scriptures.’

  He gave the mansion another suspicious look. ‘That’s like shaping genistars but with buildings. I wonder if the city builders brought the defaults to Querencia.’

  ‘If the Geography Guild turn you down you could always apply to the History Guild.’

  ‘Cheeky!’ He took a swipe at her.

  Salrana danced away laughing, and stuck her tongue out. Several passers-by gave her a curious look, unused to seeing a Lady’s novice behave in such a fashion. She pulled a contrite face and held her hands demurely behind her back, eyes and mind still sparkling with amusement.

  ‘Come on,’ he said. ‘The quicker we get to the Blue Tower the quicker we get you locked up in the novice dormitory where you belong – out of harm’s way and not causing any trouble.’

  ‘Remember our promise? I’m going to be Pythia and you’re going to be Mayor.’

  ‘Yeah,’ he grinned. ‘It might take a couple of years, but we’ll do it.’

  Her smile faded away as her thoughts grew sober. ‘Edeard, you won’t forget me, will you?’

  ‘Hey – of course not.’

  ‘I mean it, Edeard. Promise. Promise we’ll still talk each day, even if it’s just a longtalk hello.’

  He held up a hand, palm towards her. ‘I swear on the Lady, I won’t forget you. Such a thing is just not possible.’

  ‘Thank you.’ Her impish smile returned. ‘Do you want to kiss me again before we both get locked up in separate dormitories each night?’

  He groaned in dismay. ‘Maybe I should just leave with the caravan.’

  It was Salrana’s turn to take a swipe at him.

  The Blue Tower was in the middle of the Tosella district, standing at least twice the height of the biggest mansion they’d seen so far. For its walls, the city material had shaded down to a dark azure which seemed to soak up the sunlight, as if the facade possessed its own nimbus of shadow. Standing at the base between flying buttresses which resembled ancient tree roots Edeard felt quite intimidated by the heartland of his Guild. Surely such a structure had never been intended to house a profession which existed to lighten the load of people’s lives. It was more like a fortress which bandits would dwell in.

  ‘Are you sure you want to do this?’ Salrana asked uncertainly. She was just as daunted by the overpowering structure as he was.

  ‘Er. Yes. I’m sure.’ He wished the vacillation in his thoughts wasn’t quite so blatant.

  They walked in through a wide door whose resemblance to a giant mouth was uncomfortably obvious. Inside, the walls and floor changed to the darkest red with a surface sheen to match polished wood. Strong beams of sunlight from the high lancet windows cut through the gloom of the broad entrance hall.

  Edeard didn’t know where to go, there didn’t seem to be any kind of official to direct visitors to the appropriate room. His determination was fading fast, leaving him stalled in the middle of the wide open space.

  ‘I somehow don’t think this is where the apprentices have their dormitories,’ Salrana said from the side of her mouth. There were several groups of men in the hall, all talking quietly together. They wore fine clothes under flowing fur-lined gowns with the egg-in-a-twisted-circle crest of the Guild embroidered in gold thread on both collars. Disapproving glances were cast at Salrana and Edeard, followed by a surprising number of people focusing their farsight on the youthful pair.

  Edeard’s own farsight alerted him to three guards armed with revolvers marching across the entrance hall. They wore light drosilk jackets over their immaculate white cotton tunics. The Guild crest was prominent on their helmets.

  The sergeant glowered at Edeard, but was marginally less hostile to Salrana when he saw she was in her full novice dress. ‘You two,’ he grunted, ‘what’s your business here?’

  So much for the warm welcome to a fellow Guild member from far away, Edeard thought dourly. Then he realized he wasn’t at all intimidated by the guard. After bandits the sergeant and his little squad seemed faintly ludicrous. ‘I am a journeyman of the Guild,’ Edeard said, surprising himself by how level and authoritative his voice was. ‘I’ve come from Rulan province to complete my training.’

  The sergeant looked as if he’d bitten into a rotten fruit. ‘You’re very young to be calling yourself a journeyman. Where’s your badge?’

  ‘It’s been a long journey,’ Edeard said, suddenly not wanting to explain what happened to his village to someone who would never understand life beyond the city. ‘I lost it.’

  ‘I see. And your letter?’

  ‘Letter?’

  The sergeant spoke slowly, contempt colouring his thoughts. ‘Your letter of introduction to the Guild from your Master?’

  ‘I have none.’

  ‘Are you trying to take the piss, sonny? Your pardon, miss,’ he said grudgingly at Salrana. ‘Leave now before we take you to the Courts of Justice for trespass and theft.’

  ‘I have committed no theft,’ Edeard protested loudly. ‘My Master was Akeem; he died before writing a letter of introduction.’

  ‘The only reason to trespass here is to thieve something from us you little country shite,’ the sergeant snapped. ‘Now you’ve gone and fucked me off, and that’s not good for you.’ He reached for Edeard, then blinked in surprise as his hand slithered off an extremely strong telekinetic shield. ‘Oh … you asked for this.’ His third hand tried to grab.

  Edeard warded him off easily, then hoisted the sergeant off the ground. The man yelled in shock as his feet kicked about.

  ‘Take the little shite down,’ he cried at his men. Their third hands closed round Edeard, to no avail. They went for their pistols, finding their arms moving slowly through impossibly thick air.

  ‘Edeard!’ Salrana squeaked.

  Edeard couldn’t quite comprehend how things had turned so crazy so fast.

  ‘Enough,’ a baritone voice commanded.

  Edeard’s farsight showed him an old man walking across the hall towards them. Long robes flowed behind him as he strode forwards. He’d taken to weight in his latter years, ochre trousers cut high so his curving belly didn’t overhang, a baggy shirt to continue the discreet disguise, but his weight was still obvious from the podgy fingers to the rolling neck and heavy jowls. Yet he carried himself with the vitality of a man half his age. Even without sensing his regimented thoughts he was obviously a man of considerable authority.

  ‘Put him down,’ he ordered Edeard.

  ‘Yes, sir,’ Edeard said meekly. He just knew this was a Master equal to Akeem. ‘I apologize. I was left little cho—’

  ‘Be quiet.’ The man turned to the sergeant, who was straightening his clothes, not making eye contact with anyone. ‘And you, Sergeant, need to keep your temper in check. I am not prepared to have the Blue Tower guarded by petty-minded paranoia. You will learn a more rational attitude or you’ll see your days out guarding a Guild estate on the other side of the Donsori Mountains. Do I make myself clear?’

  ‘Sir.’

  ‘Away with you while I determine how big a threat this boy presents.’

  The sergeant led his men away, but not before managing a last look at Edeard which promised dire vengeance.

  ‘Your name, boy?’

  ‘Edeard, sir.’

  ‘And I am Topar, a Master of the Guild Council, and deputy to Grand Master Finitan. That should give you an idea of how deep you just dipped yourself in default crap. My Lady’s novice, may I enquire your name?’

  ‘Salrana.’

  ‘I see. And I judge that both of you have only recently arrived in Makkathran. Correct?’

  ‘Yes, sir,�
� Edeard said. ‘I’m really sorry about …’

  Topar waved an irritated hand. ‘I should be annoyed, but the name Akeem hasn’t been heard in our august Tower for a considerable time. I am intrigued. Did I hear you say he is dead?’

  ‘Yes, sir. I’m afraid he is.’

  For a moment the gusto vanished from Topar’s stance. ‘A shame. Yes, a very great shame.’

  ‘Did you know him, sir?’

  ‘Not I, no. But I will take you to someone who did. He will want the details, I’m sure. Follow me.’

  He led them to an archway at the rear of the hall, and began to climb the broad stairs beyond. As he ascended, Edeard knew he’d been right about whoever created the city not being humans. The stairs were cumbrous, more like a slope of solidified ripples. They curved enough to provide an unsure footing, while their spacing was awkward for human legs. Edeard soon found himself sweating as they continued to climb round and round; his calf muscles weren’t used to such strenuous exercise.

  At one point, when they must have been four or five storeys above the hall, Topar turned round to smirk at the two youngsters. He grunted as if satisfied by their tribulation. ‘Just imagine how much rounder I would be if I didn’t have to negotiate these five times a day, eh.’ He chuckled and carried on.

  Edeard was panting heavily when they finally stopped in some kind of large anteroom. He had no idea how high they’d climbed, but the top of the tower could surely only be a couple of feet above them. That altitude would explain how light-headed he’d become.

  ‘Wait here,’ Topar said, and went through a wooden door bound with thick iron filigrees.

  The walls of the anteroom were still red, but lighter than those of the lower floors. Overhead, the ceiling glowed a pale amber, turning Edeard’s skin an unpleasant shade of grey. He dumped his shoulder bag on the floor and sank into a large chair of curving wooden ribs. Salrana sat on one next to him, looking thoroughly bewildered. ‘Are we in trouble or not?’ she asked.

  ‘I don’t think I care any more. That pig of a sergeant. He knew we were harmless.’

  She smiled. ‘You’re not.’

  He was too tired to argue. His farsight was all but blocked by the tower walls; but he could just sense two minds behind the wooden door. There was very little to discern about their emotional composition, but then walking through the districts he’d noticed how adept city people were in guarding their feelings.

  Topar opened the door. ‘You can come in now, Edeard. Novice Salrana, if you would be so kind as to indulge us for a moment longer. Someone will be here to take care of you momentarily.’

  Even before he went into the room, Edeard guessed he was being taken to Grand Master Finitan. As he went in, he nearly faltered as a farsight swept through him like a gust of cold air. The hair on the back of his arms stood up in reaction. A little thought occurred to him that if anyone could see through a psychic concealment, it would be this man.

  Grand Master Finitan sat in a high-back chair behind a large oak desk, facing the door. His office must have taken up nearly a quarter of the tower at this level. It was huge, but almost empty; there was no furniture other than the desk and chair. Two of the walls were covered by bookshelves containing hundreds of leather-bound tomes. Behind him, the wall was mostly crystal window with thin lierne ribs, providing a view clear across Makkathran. Edeard’s jaw fell open. He only just managed to stop himself running over and gawping like a delighted child. From what he could see at this angle, the undulating rooftops swept away for miles, while the canals cut through them like blue-grey arteries. Looking at it like this, he knew for certain that the city was alive. Here, humans were nothing more than foreign bacteria living in a body they could never fully comprehend.

  ‘Quite a sight, isn’t it?’ Grand Master Finitan said gently. In many respects he was the physical opposite to Topar. Slim and tall, with thick hair worn down to his shoulders, only just beginning to grey. Yet his age was evident in the lines creasing his face. Despite that, his thoughts were tranquil, he was curious and affable rather than dismissive.

  Edeard shifted his gaze back to the Grand Master. ‘Yes, sir. Er, I apologize again for what happened downstai—’

  The Grand Master raised a finger to his lips, and Edeard fell silent. ‘No more of that,’ Finitan said. ‘You’ve travelled a long way, yes?’

  ‘From Rulan province, sir.’

  Finitan and Topar exchanged a glance, smiling at some private joke. ‘A long way,’ Finitan said sagely. ‘Some tea?’ His mind sent out a fast longtalk instruction.

  Edeard turned to see a door open at the base of one of the bookshelf walls; it was too small for a man, barely four feet high. Ge-chimps scampered out bringing a pair of chairs and a tray. The chairs were positioned in front of the Grand Master’s desk, while the tray with its silver tea service was placed on the desk beside a cradle which held a genistar egg.

  ‘Sit down, my boy,’ Finitan said. ‘Now, I understand you claim our colleague Akeem is dead. When did this happen?’

  ‘Almost a year ago, sir.’

  ‘Those are some very dark thoughts in your mind accompanying that memory. Please tell me the story in its entirety. I believe I’m old enough to endure the full truth.’

  Embarrassed at his mind being so transparent, Edeard took a deep breath and began.

  Both the Grand Master and Topar were silent when he finished. Eventually, Finitan rested his chin on steepled forefingers. ‘Ah, my poor dear Akeem; for his life to end like that is an unforgivable tragedy. An entire village slaughtered by bandits. I find that extraordinary.’

  ‘It happened,’ Edeard said with a flash of anger.

  ‘I’m not questioning your tale, my boy. I find the whole concept deeply disturbing, that there is some kind of society out in the wilds different to our own; and one which is so implacably hostile.’

  ‘They’re animals,’ Edeard growled.

  ‘No. That’s your instinctive reaction; and a healthy one it is, too. But to organize such a raid is quite an accomplishment.’ He sat back and drank some tea. ‘Could there really be a rival civilization somewhere out there beyond our maps? They have concealment techniques and fanciful weapons. I’d always believed such things were the provenance of this city alone.’

  ‘You have the repeat-fire guns?’ Edeard asked. In all his travels, no one had ever heard of such a thing. A year of constant dismissal had made him doubt his own memories of that terrible night.

  Finitan and Topar exchanged another glance. ‘No. And that is more worrying than knowing how to conceal yourself. But how lovely that Akeem knew the technique which is supposed to be practised only by Guild Masters.’

  ‘He was a Master, sir.’

  ‘Of course. I mean those of us who sit on the Council. Sadly, Akeem never achieved that. It was politics of course. I’m afraid to say, young Edeard, that you are going to learn life here in the city is all about politics.’

  ‘Yes, sir. Did you know Akeem, sir?’

  Finitan smiled. ‘Have you not worked it out yet, my boy? Dear me, I thought you quicker. We share a bond, you and I. For he was my Master when I was a lowly young apprentice here.’

  ‘Oh.’

  ‘Which means you present me with a very unpleasant problem.’

  ‘I do?’ Edeard said anxiously.

  ‘You have no formal letter of confirmation from your Master. Worse than that, with your village gone, we cannot ever confirm that you were taken in by the Guild.’

  Edeard smiled uncertainly. ‘But I know how to sculpt an egg.’ His farsight swept through the egg on the Grand Master’s desk, revealing the folded shadows of the embryo inside. ‘You have sculpted a ge-dog; I don’t recognize some of the traits, they’re outside the traditional form, but it is a dog. Two days from hatching, I’d guess.’

  Topar nodded in appreciation. ‘Impressive.’

  ‘Akeem was the best Master,’ Edeard said hotly.

  Finitan’s sigh was heavier than before. ‘You have
obviously received Guild training, and you clearly have skill as well as strength. And that is the problem.’

  ‘I don’t understand, sir.’

  ‘You say Akeem made you a journeyman?’

  ‘Yes, sir.’

  ‘I cannot accept you into the Guild at that level. I know this seems intolerably harsh, Edeard, but there are formalities which even I have to follow.’

  Edeard was aware of his cheeks burning. It wasn’t quite anger, but all he could think of was the pettiness of the Guild Master back in Thorpe-By-Water. Surely the Grand Master, the leader of the whole Eggshaper Guild, couldn’t be so small-minded; what he said was law to the Guild. ‘I see.’

  ‘I doubt it, but I do sympathize with the exasperation you must feel. I will be delighted to accept you into the Guild here in Makkathran, Edeard, but it must be as a junior apprentice. I cannot make exceptions, especially not in your case.’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘To acknowledge your journeyman status without a formal letter from your Master will lay me open to a charge of favouritism from others on the Guild Council.’

  ‘Politics,’ Topar said.

  ‘I understand,’ Edeard whispered. He was frightened he was going to burst into tears in front of them. To get to Makkathran, to be in the presence of the Grand Master, then to be told all he had achieved was worthless because he lacked a piece of paper … ‘Pardon me, but that’s stupid, sir,’ he said sullenly.

  ‘It’s much worse than that. But I appreciate your politeness, my boy.’

  Edeard sniffed and wiped his nose. ‘How long would it take me to get back to being a journeyman?’

  ‘Here at the Blue Tower, and assuming you have the appropriate talent: seven years. Appointing you a journeyman at your age was … ambitious, even for Akeem. But at the same time so very typical of him.’

  ‘Seven years,’ Edeard repeated numbly. Seven years of repeating every lesson and knowledge gift he’d ever undergone. Seven years of having to hold himself back. Seven years of obedience to journeymen less able than himself. Seven years!