Youth. So much of what they learned from Elli came back to that.
"We think of the family relationship in terms of parents raising children until they're old enough to care for themselves," Dorland went on. "But at the same time, the parents have jobs and other interests outside the family. Raising the children is handled rather casually. To the Tal Tahir, nothing is as important as caring for the young." He looked up at Paul. "In fact, the closest thing to a Tal Tahir religion is the worship of the young."
"They . . . worship the young?"
Dorland nodded. "They don't have external gods like humans do. Our fear of the unknown is basic to us, and we created deities to give us answers and make us feel safe in our confusing environment. But the Tal Tahir don't need that kind of security. They know their security lies in their young. Everything their race will be depends on the youth. That's why the kra'ith is so sacred to them. It is where the young are reared and worshipped."
"Did the heretics really have a Godstone?" Wayne Lightfoot asked. "There's talk that—"
"Never mind the talk," Jonny Ironfist said sternly. He and Wayne were crouched behind the partial remains of a curved dome wall. Jonny had just come from the temple, where he had received his orders from Elder Jacowicz. Confusing orders, but Jonny was prepared to carry them out. Jonny was nervous and—yes, he had to admit—afraid. Not of the heretics who waited in the strange building by the river or of the crowd that had gathered behind them, but of the Holy City. The city seemed to engulf him, and the pulse of its life beat with the pulse ofJonny's blood. "Some people thought they saw the Godstone. They spread the word and
caused much confusion. Elder Jacowicz says we have to calm them before they get out of control."
"Calm them? How?"
"Select half of the brothers and go out to talk to the people. Try to get them to return to Fairhope. Under no circumstances are you to let them get closer to the heretic stronghold." Jonny could hear the muttering of the crowd behind him. It seemed to be getting louder. "Tell them that when this is over. High Elder Brill will call a special service at the temple and explain everything."
Wayne nodded and moved away to make his
selection.
Jonny turned his mind back to the problem at hand. The building in which the heretics had taken cover was on the riverbank. The vegetation and rubble were heavy along each side of the building. He would have to lead his brothers straight in, and he knew there would be casualties.
It would be much easier if they could simply use a powder bomb, but Elder Jacowicz had warned him against that. The heretic named Dorland Avery had to be brought back alive, and Elder Jacowicz had asked that he be captured as quietly as possible. The others were not to be harmed unless absolutely necessary.
Jonny didn't know why Elder Jacowicz had
changed his mind so abruptly. Earlier, Elder Jacowicz had ordered that Jonny use all necessary force to capture the heretics. Any survivors were to be brought directly to the God Wall.
But that had changed. Jonny didn't question Elder Jacowicz's judgment. Lord Tern would keep Jonny and his brothers from harm during the 186 William Greenleaf
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attack. And if Lord Tern decided to let some of them join him beyond the Far Peaks, then he would welcome them into his arms with gratitude and they would live forever in glory with him.
Jonny turned to his squadron commanders and began issuing his instructions.
*Kra'ith. (Group/touch)*
Paul felt acceptance emanating from Elli. Then, tentatively:
*Dorland kra'ith (?)*
Dorland's face tensed. "She keeps asking about my kra'ith—"
A memory of Diana and Shari came to Paul,
shadowed by the dark concept of death. He knew they were not images from his own mind, but from Dorland's. The images were flavored with alien perception, and it took Paul a moment to realize why: they weren't coming directly from Dorland, but were instead being filtered through Elli.
*Kra'ith (pain!)*
"Yes," Dorland murmured. "Pain." His mind was obviously on the past, and he seemed unaware of the mental bridge Elli had set up. Paul and Dorland had been linked in the sacred chamber, too, but in a much different way. That link was black and ominous, bringing out the doubts both of them felt. Elli's link was sympathetic and supportive.
*Shari kra'ith (worship) (Youth/touch) (acceptance) (!)*
"Yes," Paul murmured. "The Dorland kra'ith is ... separated."
Again came the feeling of warmth and
acceptance—and a glimmer of comprehension.
Paul's eyes went to Dorland, then returned to Elli. He was sure Dorland had felt it, too. Elli was trying to help Dorland cope with the trauma of his broken kra'ith.
There are levels of kra'ith, Dorland had said. One level is the family group . . .
If Elli was willing to help Dorland with his kra'ith at the family level, maybe she would help with the next level. Was it possible she hadn't been able to help them against Lord Tern simply because they hadn't asked the right questions?
Paul formed his statement carefully:
"Doriand/Paul kra'ith is also separated."
*Kra'ith (separation) (!)*
"Yes," Paul said. He thought for a moment, then added: "Youth has been taken from our kra 'ith by Lord Tern. Can Elli help return the youth to Dorland/Paul's kra'ith?"
Something changed on Elli's face an instant before Paul had completed the sentence. He winced under the backlash of horror. The flap on Elli's face snapped shut, then opened again.
*(Dorland/Paul) attempt to stop kra 'ith (separation!)*
"That's right," Paul said. "We want to prevent Lord Tern from separating our kra'ith. We need your help."
*Lord Tern (destruction) kra'ith*
The thought was accompanied by a feeling of such revulsion that Paul took an involuntary step backward.
*Lord Tern (negative)*
Paul nodded. "Will Elli help us?"
*Eh-hli (comprehension) Lord Tern (!) That is why Eh-hli exist*
That is why Elli exist.
A sound like a small thunderclap came from the roof of the building.
Chapter Eighteen
PAUL CROUCHED AT THE EDGE OF THE ROOF. AFTER
an aborted rush at the building's arched entrance, the boys had spread out and taken cover behind clumps of vegetation and crumbled domed structures. Several lay sprawled on the ground. As far as Paul could see, all of them wore the gold-andscarlet uniforms. The deacons had apparently decided not to put themselves in the front line of attack.
"We used a grenade," Frakes said. "It knocked
'em out cold."
Farther out on the roadway, the crowd from the temple had grown to at least two thousand people. They milled about uneasily, as if they were trying to find a purpose. Paul could see many faces turned up toward the broken spire. Uniformed boys mingled with them. From what Paul could see, the boys weren't using force, although he was sure they were armed. They had probably gone out there to keep the crowd from boiling over.
"Is Dorland making any progress?" Karyn asked.
"A little," Paul replied. "Elli understands why we 190 William Greenleaf
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need help, but I don't know if she'll be able to give us any."
"The Sons won't give up." She looked down at the bodies on the ground below. "We'll have to kill them to stop them for good."
Paul turned and went back down the steps.
Selmer and Jacque had positioned themselves in the outer corridor so they could watch the open archway. They were armed with one grenade
launcher and a carbine. So far, none of the Sons had come close enough for them to use either. Inside the chamber, Doriand was perched on the pedestal in front of the chauka. Sabastian had cleared a place to sit near the back, from which he watched and listened without comment.
Elli's communication came to Paul as he sank down beside Dorian
d:
*Kra 'ith (leader) Tern (negative)*
Paul felt a vague, dreamlike weariness. He made an effort to concentrate on what Elli was saying, and tried not to think about how tired he was and what was happening outside.
"She keeps talking about Lord Tern as if he is the kra'ith leader," Doriand said.
"A lousy one," Paul commented.
Doriand ignored him. "I think she's trying to tell us that Lord Tern is leader of the Clarion kra'ith"
"A kra'ith can be an entire planet?"
"That's the highest level. But I'm not sure about her definition of leader."
*Tem (negative) kra'ith (nonacceptance) (leader)*
"We think of a leader as a governor, or a manager," Doriand went on. "The leader of a planet—
whether he's a president or an emperor—oversees planetary trade, the internal economy, military functions—things like that. But I don't think the kra'ith leader is responsible for any of that."
"What does he do, then?"
"He imparts his emotional insights to the others in the kra'ith"
"Emotional insights?"
Doriand nodded. Then he nodded again as if
he'd thought of something else. "That would go along with the social orientation of the kra'ith. The members support one another emotionally."
*Lord Tern (negative) kra'ith. Kra'ith (members) follow him as (leader)*
Paul fidgeted. The sensation that he heard the words without hearing was beginning to grate on him.
"She's saying the only way to stop Lord Tern is to produce a new kra 'ith leader," Doriand said. "But I still don't know how to do that."
*Dorland kra'ith (acceptance) leader*
Warmth flooded over Paul.
"That was clear enough," Paul said. "She just nominated you to be the kra'ith leader." He heard the pop-pop-pop of the grenade launcher from the roof, followed by the crackle of a carbine.
"They're moving in!" Selmer yelled from the corridor.
Doriand got up to stand directly in front of Elli. Something about his stance struck Paul as familiar. His mind conjured up a vision of Doriand on the stage, feet slightly apart, looking out at the audience . . .
"Kra'ith leader," Paul murmured.
Doriand looked at him. "What?"
"That's what you are." He met Dorland's eyes.
"If Elli says you should be the new kra'ith leader, she probably knows what she's talking about. You're a psi-player."
"A psi-player is not a kra'ith leader."
"But it's close. Your psi-player skills came from your training for the Holy Order." The concept cleared in his mind as he talked. "Training that was aimed at enabling you to become a kra'ith leader." 192 William Greenleaf
Dorland shook his head. "My training was for leadership in the Holy Order."
"It's the same thing," Paul insisted. "Haven't you noticed the similarities between what you do as a psi-player and High Elder Brill's Godsday service? Karyn told me that Brill helps people solve their problems. He does that to build up his own credibility, but he was still using Tal Tahir training. You do the same thing during your shows—you build up a self-confidence and make people feel better emotionally about problems they face, and with emotional strength they're able to solve their problems. That's what Elli was trying to do for us. She couldn't understand what we wanted from her, because her job is to heal emotional wounds in her own kra'ith.'"
"Her . . . job?"
Paul nodded. "She said that's why she exists. She wanted to help us all along, but she wasn't equipped to understand our problem. When we broadened the level of the kra'ith to include the entire planet, then she could help. She's part of that kra'ith."'1
*Eh-hli (Dorland/Paul) kra'ith leader*
Dorland looked at Elli for a long moment. Then:
"How can I become leader of the Clarion kra'ith?"
*(Dorland/Paul) is (group/touch) of kra'ith. (Dorland/Paul) influence kra'ith (members) with (strength) as kra'ith leader*
"Strength?" Paul repeated.
"Emotional strength," Dorland said. "But how can I get it to the people?" He turned back toward the open archway. "The kra'ith is ... outside." The last word was spoken softly, as if the answer had come to Dorland as the question left his mouth.
The grenade launcher barked again from the
outer corridor.
"Come with me," Dorland said to Paul.
CLARION 193
"What—"
Dorland moved quickly to the archway. Selmer looked up in surprise as he stepped past. Before Paul could stop him, Dorland had ducked through the low opening and started down the narrow path. Paul started to follow, then jerked back as a hail of darts pelted the wall. Selmer was beside him, firing the carbine.
"Get back!" Selmer yelled.
"They'll kill him!" Paul tried again to get out through the archway. A dart plucked at his sleeve; then Selmer and Erich Frakes were pulling him inside.
Chapter Nineteen
"COULDN'T YOU STOP HIM?" KARYN DEMANDED. She was red-faced and angry.
"No, we couldn't," Paul said evenly. "It happened too fast." His eyes went to Sabastian.
"Dorland wanted to go."
"Why?"
"I don't know."
She turned away with disgust. "Come on," she muttered to Jacque. They went upstairs to the roof. Paul had caught only a glimpse of what happened after Dorland went outside. As Dorland approached the half-dozen Sons of God who had worked their way in close to the building, a young boy with a scarred face began issuing rapid orders. Paul had expected to see Dorland fall, but instead several of the boys surrounded him, and together they disappeared down the path toward the roadway. Others had stayed behind; Paul could see them where they had taken cover behind piles of rubble and clumps of vegetation. They made no further attempt to attack the building, but it was clear they weren't going to let anyone else outside.
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"Where are they taking him?" Frakes asked.
"Back to the temple," Paul answered. Come with me.
Dorland obviously hadn't meant for Paul to
literally join him as he went out to give himself up to the Sons of God. He hadn't given Paul a chance to do that.
What was he telling met
Elli had created a link between Paul and Dorland while they were communicating with her. Maybe that was what Dorland had been talking about. Could Elli provide a link over a longer distance?
"Keep an eye out here," he said to Selmer and Erich Frakes. Then he went into the inner chamber and explained to Sabastian what he was going to do. The silver disk was on the pedestal Dorland had been using. Paul had touched it to the protruding rod, then handed it to Sabastian. "Use this to bring Elli back when she fades out."
Sabastian nodded. Elli stood swaying above the chauka.
*(?)*
"Elli," Paul said, "can you link Dorland and me as you did before?"
""(Confusion)*
Her sensor nubs waved back and forth.
Paul sat down on the pedestal in front of the chauka. "When we spoke to you, Dorland and I were ..." He searched for a word. "Joined. Can you do that again?"
*(Dorland/Paul) one kra'ith (?)*
Again, the problem of the concept of the individual. Paul tried again.
"I am here. Dorland is someplace else. Dorland/
Paul not kra'ith"
^Understanding/acceptance)*
The chauka and the room faded. Paul felt himself being stretched out. There was an immediate contact—Dorland?—then a drawing away. For a moment he could feel the chamber's walls around him; then he was stretched again.
Contact!
He remained that way for a moment, touching Dorland and at the same time aware of the hard pedestal beneath him and Sabastian's slow, steady breathing.
Then he snapped like a rubber band, and all at once he was with Dorland. Shock rushed through him—Dorland's re
alization that he was there. Nerves tangled. Then he felt acceptance and understanding, and he knew he wouldn't have to explain to Dorland what he'd done.
He was vaguely aware of a sense of movement, and of many people around him.
Borland?
Time passed. Through Dorland's eyes he
glimpsed the boy with the deep scar across his cheek.
Dorland? Are you . . .
I'm here.
More time shifted; images formed and dissolved as if in a dream. He felt the soothing calm of Dorland, and he could also feel Elli. That part was warm and comfortable, somehow . . . fluid, as if she were constantly molding herself around Paul and Dorland.
^Group/touch)*
Outside sensations were becoming more solid to Paul. He felt a chair under him. His wrists were bound tightly. On each side of him stood an armed boy, and in front of him sat High Elder Brill at a large wooden desk. Paul was surprised to see that Brill's eyes were only the eyes of an old man. But when Brill spoke, the power of his personality flowed with his words:
"I brought you here so I could explain what we are trying to do. With Lord Tern, I am shaping Clarion into a strong world. We must all unite 198 William Greenleaf
together to defend ourselves against outsiders." Brill paused, and his eyes bore into Dorland's. "I need your help."
He needs our helpl
Silence.
Borland, he wants something. Otherwise we'd be on the God Wall by now. That's why they didn't attack us—Brill wanted you alive. Then: Whyl
"Why did you murder my parents?" Dorland asked.
"I am so sorry that happened," Brill said. His features changed to express intense sorrow. Selmer Ogram's words came back to Paul. He can make you want to believe him. "Our purpose was in danger from your father's influence—"
"My father threatened the stranglehold you have on the people of Clarion," Dorland said. Why are you trying to provoke himi Paul asked. Find out what he wants. Maybe we can still get out of here alive.
Dorland's reply was a soft sound inside Paul's head: 7 don't care what he wants.
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