Shadow Over Avalon

by C. N Lesley

  She didn’t like the way the Archive had turned on her when she questioned it about the Terran drones. Somewhere, a security clearance she needed might still exist. Shadow also didn’t like the lost element of trust. Why would the Archive fail to disclose any data on Harvesters? Submariners relied on the Archive to such an extent that they would be crippled without it. Wars have many battle zones, and she chose this as her exclusive hunting ground.

  Barracks loomed ahead. Shadow ducked into a side alley to relax her will a little. Now she looked as she had before the stupid trick her so-called comrades had played.

  The futile quest left her with pent-up fury. She decided to go for weapons training to ease her tension. There were always some cadets practicing at any time during working hours. The sight greeting her in the main arena brought her up short. Copper sharpened his sword, taking advantage of the superior technology, impervious to the sneering catcalls of cadets, laughing at his appearance. Something so dignified about his presence enveloped him in a cloak of power – not the lethal killing rage of Brethren, something greater – regal. She saw the king who might have been, in all his majesty, so far above mundane concerns that he didn’t deign to notice them, however much the effort must hurt.

  Shadow made sure all the candidates could see her as she had appeared before the face dye, and then she relaxed her will. Sudden silence thickened into a miasma of shock. They knew how highly her psi-rating scored, and now they suffered the full benefit of recognizing that extra edge in use.

  Copper turned at the first hush and witnessed the transformation. He smiled slowly, removing his blade from the sharpening disc. “These boys won’t test their weapons against me. They think I am too poor an opponent for their expertise, and they won’t fight with real weapons. Will you do the honors, sweeting? I find my sword arm quite stiff from lack of use.”

  Shadow grinned, drawing on him. She ignored the collective indrawn hiss of concern at the use of sharpened weapons. Out of the corner of her eye, she witnessed someone running to a console to get immediate help, and dismissed the action as irrelevant.

  Copper charged to attack, his sword catching the light, slicing in a heavy blow. Each knew the other’s weaknesses. Each played on those flaws in the intense interchange. To Shadow, it was a graceful dance of parry and counterstrike, with no question who should win, for she had given him the advantage – the foreplay held her enthralled. A commotion at the door distracted her. Copper’s blade flashed toward her neck, arresting a moment before decapitation. “You’re dead, my Queen.” He saluted her with his weapon.

  “Which moron ordered a level five security alert for Brethren at play?” Ector yelled from the doorway. He stalked over to the awed candidates. No one answered. Various lads glanced at one trying to hide in their ranks.

  “You all know Shadow, and how skilled she is with a sword. Copper is our Terran ally. He has proved, unless my eyes are failing, that he is our match. Anyone who thinks his or my appearance is humorous should consider himself next in line for a face job.”

  Chapter 26

  Earth Date 3993

  Using a dim glow globe to illuminate Ambrose’s office, Arthur worked from the third sleep hour. Days of surreptitious observation had supplied him with the door code he needed to gain entry: now he tried various security key words to access his commander’s console. As a last resort, he keyed in Ambrose’s name spelled backward and . . . access.

  He looked for records related to the search for Shadow’s son. Arthur needed the data, convinced he had been one of the children she found on her penetration of Sanctuary. Each child from that sensitive time must have had an investigated background, and he wanted his ancestry. He also wanted to know why Boy hadn’t been with them, since providing camouflage for that special child appeared to be the whole point of creating so many children of a similar age. The files of the last sixteen years scrolled into view, Arthur sat forward, and then the screen went blank. Frantic overrides failed, despite his urgent key work. The system had crashed.

  Access denied, Arthur, a soft voice in his mind advised.

  “Archive, I wasn’t searching for Boy. Anyway, I don’t see it matters, since Ector said Shadow is bringing her son to Avalon on her next visit. I’ve a right to know my own heritage.”

  This is not your console, Arthur. Ambrose has not authorized access, or it would be logged in records. Theft can never be justified and is reprehensible. You will now return to your own unit. Any future attempts to access restricted data will be reported.

  “So I’m being sent to bed with a warning?” Arthur didn’t believe his luck could get so good.

  My plans are too near conclusion for the resultant interruption that chastisement of your irresponsible behavior would cause. I shall implement my own punishment regime, beyond restrictions Ambrose may consider appropriate, if there is an attempt to re-offend.

  “Fine. I’ll ask Boy myself. He’ll know his peer group, even if I don’t remember him.”

  An excellent notion. Adjustments to exercises in futility have a maturing effect on the young, I have often noted. With this smug observation, the Archive withdrew.

  Arthur considered its words as he made a careful retreat. Shadow and Boy represented the Archive’s prize ‘specimens’. If questioning Boy meant a wasted effort, so would braving Shadow’s wrath. The Archive intended to forewarn them, didn’t it? Strange that it had let him review parts of Shadow’s life containing criticism to itself. Arthur had the feeling his excursions into full sensory playback were nearing termination. The sentient indicated plans close to conclusion involving him – time for humoring his whims shortened, and he had provided it with an excellent reason for chastisement.

  Arthur reached his unit and his decision at the same time. Any shred of information left on Shadow must be acquired tonight, without the Archive’s help. But he needed a guardian to bring him back into his own mind before irretrievable exposure condemned him to endless playback of Shadow’s life – addiction. Arthur had another ally, one he was prepared to trust with his existence as an independent identity.

  The bed in his unit could not be shifted, being anchored to the wall by various connections regulating the heat and hardness level of the mattress, nor would the console move. Arthur casually destroyed two easy chairs for the sleeping pad he needed in the position he wanted. He guessed the Archive much too busy reloading Ambrose’s database to spare time for a disobedient child it had intimidated. Arthur hooked up the umbilicus to his com link, manually programming playback to start in ten minutes – five maximum to achieve sleep and the remainder for fast-talking the cave sitter into helping. He lay down, trusting to blind chance that the dream he needed would arrive with sleep.

  *

  The cave-sitter gazed deep into a golden chalice brimming with clear water, as if to fathom some mystery beyond human comprehension.

  “Leadership requires courage, Arthur,” he said, looking up over the brim of the vessel, his matte-black eyes unreadable.

  “Also the wisdom to ask for help, when faced with an intractable problem,” Arthur said, sitting down across the fire from the old-young man.

  “Aye, wisdom to discern personal limitations is a treasure beyond price. How may my wisdom aid yours?”

  “Time flows. I must escape from sleep when I have stolen the information I covet. You claimed me with dreams. Can you waken me? Shall I sleep on in an endlessly repeating dream?” The single falling drops of water marked the moments of his life fading as he waited.

  “Suspicion turning into trust? Resistance changing into requests for aid? Maturity flies on the winds of necessity, I see. The present incarnation has very few years for such a leap of faith.” The cave-sitter lowered his dreadful gaze into his golden chalice once more. “Yes, Arthur, I will do as you wish. Know that I am well pleased with you.”

  Arthur opened his mouth to voice his gratitude just as his essence spiraled into a dark void.

  *

  Earth Date 3875
>
  Shadow turned back for a last look at Avalon, Boy’s home, to have Copper bump into her. It was the sixth time in five hours that he had lurked so close behind her since her return from the dark zone. She had even caught him sleeping across her unit threshold at first waking. He hadn’t asked about her absence from meetings, nor offered any explanation for his extraordinary behavior. All she got was his sorrowful half-smile.

  Four medi-techs and eleven Elite boarded the submersible with them. Eight had their skin dyed for the mission, but she missed Ector, who had stayed behind with Helga as a condition of the alliance Copper demanded. The woman made a steady improvement, if not fast enough for release yet. She would travel with Ector, six more altered Submariners, and a few men Copper planned to leave at contact point.

  Copper now wore a replica black band, sending correct signal at short range, but incapable of betraying location. Among the equipment to be transported to Haven were enough replica bands for all Brethren holding allegiance to Copper. Medi-techs also brought a mobile implant device for stabilizing every brother, while the sisters would have to be ferried to Avalon for normalization. Shadow’s head still rang from the arguments over this necessity, but the medi-techs remained static on the point. The procedure for women remained too complex and risky to chance in primitive conditions. They refused to back down and cause a consequent risk to life and alliance.

  Shadow tried to sleep on the voyage, but every time she opened her eyes, Copper stood there, hovering. She knew he sensed danger around her, and yet couldn’t tell him it wasn’t acute, since she had no immediate plans for a return visit to the dark zone. When the time came for the stasis device, Copper insisted Shadow be near. He didn’t fear death, he just wanted her close as it brushed him. He lay down for her to put the small circle in place on his forehead.

  Night reigned when they landed, and Shadow removed her earring to sense for Brethren presence in the dunes. A party of fifty watched them, many more than Copper had left, and all Brethren. She knelt at his side to remove the device, calling to him with her mind. For one moment, she had a clear view of his terror for her safety, until his privacy barrier dropped into place. His eyes opened, and he sucked in air, then he looked at her ear. She replaced her essential ornament.

  “How long?” he asked.

  “Time enough to climb down into the mines at Haven, and back again.”

  “It felt like a heartbeat.” He sighed.

  “There are fifty Brethren in the dunes watching us. Marvic is concerned,” she said. The Submariner liaison officer kept his men near the surf line for a swift retreat, and had not started landing supplies.

  “Fifty? Fifty, you said? I’ll have Rowan’s hide for this.” He sprang to his feet, and then froze. “Are they mine?”

  “Every one—no Harvester flavor. I checked.”

  Copper bellowed out an order to advance at once with weapons lowered. They came in groups of three, each triad approaching with caution. The power of his voice brought them within sight until they saw his altered appearance.

  “We have alliance. We found a way to hide the Shades in our ranks. I am still the same man you last saw; I still bear a scar on my belly from saurian attack three summers past. Do I need to show it to convince you?”

  Copper apparently did. They advanced with weapons leveled. Three edged closer. Those three weren’t satisfied by physical evidence. They fired questions at him until convinced. Hard eyes turned next to Shadow.

  “Our pet Shade got a wound from your blade last cold season,” Saffron, a blond brother with flat eyes suggested.

  “She’s a sister for hells’ sakes!” Copper roared.

  “Shadow is, or was, also an active member of our force. She shared in spring training.” Saffron’s face set in hard lines. “We want proof.”

  “Shall I describe the shape of the burn you wear from being branded? Shall newcomers know where you wear it?” Shadow suggested to Saffron with a sweet smile. She met his challenge until he dropped his eyes, defeated.

  “The pretty boys come with us.” Copper gestured at the Submariners with dyed faces. “Where is our hostage?”

  At a sharp whistle, Tarvi marched over the dunes, flanked by three guards. He waved a welcome to those he recognized, and looked over at more colorful members of the company.

  “Where’s Helga?” Saffron demanded. In the sudden hush, every Brethren face turned to Copper, cold expressions on all.

  “Recovering in the city of Shades. Ector will bring her along with more reinforcements one week from now. She won’t need her veils anymore.” Copper looked into Saffron’s narrowed eyes. “If you can spare some from this great host, they’ll be needed to act as guides to Haven. Where is Rowan?”

  “At High Fort, trying to find out who’s stirring up trouble we don’t need.”

  “Someone misbehaved?”

  “Not that I could see, and I questioned all of them.” Saffron made a sweeping gesture at the Brethren. “We all drifted to High Fort when we left Haven because we reckoned we might pick up work after the wedding of Alsar’s son last year. The timing is about right for a birth celebration, but we found ourselves unwelcome. Dragon was there, and Rowan has tried to talk to him alone for the past week without any luck—Alsar seems very lonesome for the Black Duke’s company for some reason. Rowan didn’t think there was much point us trying other forts until he’s found out more. He thought we’d better camp out here in case you needed help.”

  “Change of plans, Marvic,” Copper called to the Submariner strike leader, waving him over to join them. “Shadow and I must make a necessary detour. We’ll catch up with you later.”

  “Copper, Dragon thinks she’s dead,” Saffron cautioned. “Taking her may bend him out of shape.”

  “I need her along. Marvic will explain why. Have someone bring our horses. I’d like to make a start while we still have moonlight.” He paused while Saffron signed to a brother some way back from the shore. “I want everyone regrouping at Haven. Travel in parties of five brothers to one fish-man, except for Rowan’s group, and yours, Saffron. Both of you get two apiece—make sure you stick close to them for your own protection.”

  “Do you still want all of us looking alike before we start?” Marvic asked.

  “No, find time as you journey. Oh, and Marvic, your men won’t reach Haven all at the same time—don’t fret about it. Both of you see that this horde splits as soon as possible.”

  Brethren grouped to Saffron’s brisk commands. Submariners began moving equipment off the shoreline to Marvic’s orders. The beach became an organized departure zone with the integration of two groups. Shadow caught a glimpse of Tarvi walking into the waves with the return crew as she turned to follow Copper.

  The pair rode through the night until the moon began to set. Copper called a halt in a well-sheltered glade with a small stream running through the center.

  Still mounted, Shadow waited while he checked the area, too lost in her own thoughts to consider offering help. She didn’t understand why she’d been dragged along to a meeting where Dragon might catch sight of her, when Copper had gone to so much effort before to keep them apart. It didn’t make sense.

  A hand on her shin focused her attention; Copper reached up to help her dismount. His arms closed around her once she gained ground, bringing her into a close embrace when she turned. Startled by his action, Shadow tried scanning, knowing she’d only get basic emotion. Anger, sadness and a sense of being trapped. He stiffened at her intrusion. His hands snaked up to her ears, feeling her head behind them. He must have expected to find a new implant, one that would let her pick through Brethren minds like Ector could. His hands dropped to her shoulders as his frown cleared.

  “You know?” she asked, surprised by his suspicions.

  “Ector told me. He thought we’d deal better with no secrets. I trust him in my mind—not you. I needed to know whether the time you’d spent by yourself was used to enhance snooping.”

  “A very unflatteri
ng opinion,” she said, feeling offended.

  “True, though regrettable. You do snoop.”

  “Your defense posture shows you’re hiding something,” Shadow said.

  “Pass me your bedding roll. I’ve found a place for a few hours’ sleep,” he said, ignoring her remark.

  Shadow unstrapped it, passing the roll over to him with a withering look lost in sudden gloom when the moon passed behind a cloud. He’d already hobbled her mount while she sat in a daydream, and now he led her to the area he’d selected. She heard him arrange their sleeping rolls and blundered toward the sound of his voice as he called her to rest. As before, he’d placed their bedding for shared use. This time he didn’t radiate the welcome heat she’d come to appreciate. She moved closer for warmth, grateful as he fitted himself close. A disturbing thought occurred.

  “You didn’t meditate.” She hoped he intended to keep his brotherly role.

  “It’s too darn cold to concentrate. No one told me I’d lose my heat when I had fertility restored. I’d have liked knowing in advance that I could freeze to death.”

  “Could’ve asked. Medi-techs always give an honest answer.”

  “So, I forgot. I’m stuck among impossible-looking things I can’t—don’t even want to understand, and I’m expected to remember little details.”

  “Why are we fighting?” she asked, puzzled by it.

  “I’m not. Why are you on edge? The tension I felt from you, still feel, is the same level as at our capture of you and Ector last year.”

  “Why am I riding to High Fort when Dragon is there?” she countered.

  “Because I need a gifted telepath.”

  “Again, why?”

  “Ector didn’t tell you? Don’t Shades talk to each other? Exchanging information is fairly important. No . . . don’t even bother answering. Ector and I worked out why there are so few fey brothers surviving. It seems we are a bad luck charm to lure Harvesters. Ector reckons we’d be safe enough in the open if we had a high-ranking telepath with us. Rowan doesn’t know his risk—I wanted the best we’d got for both of us.”