Saccath’s brow furrowed. “May I ask why?”
“It is the Prophet’s orders.” The stooped figure raised a hand slightly, as if to display the speaking Ring which encircled an index finger. The other two caught the significance of the gesture, and bowed their heads in deference.
The last rays of Ail-Gan were clinging desperately to the eastern horizon; soon the bright white point that was Ail-Kar would share its fate, leaving Ail-Mazzoth’s dull red orb in sole possession of the sky.
The hooded Keltar turned from the caravan and walked away. Saccath called after the retreating form. “What shall we do with these?”
The dark outline stopped and half turned towards the other two, so that a face could be seen, a profile deep in shadow.
“Burn them!”
~
Lyall stood with Shann at his side, their eyes transfixed on the distant horizon.
“Keris,” Lyall called over his shoulder. Shann felt a surge of irritation at the woman’s inclusion, but said nothing. Keris came and stood on Lyall’s other side.
Lyall pointed out across the golden veldt. “What do you make of that? A prairie fire?”
Keris shielded her eyes and looked intently at where Lyall was indicating. “I don’t think so; the smoke rises thin and straight.”
“A camp fire then?”
“I think so…it seems that we are being followed.” Keris lowered her hand, turning to Lyall. “I will scout back and find out who it is.”
“What if it is the Prophet’s soldiers?”
“Then I will fight a rearguard action if necessary.”
Lyall was shaking his head. “Too risky. If it is the Prophet’s men, then we have no idea how many there are. Even you have your limits, Keris.”
“I can take care of myself,” Keris assured him.
Lyall gave her a wry smile. “I have no doubt of that, but I was thinking we might set up a monitor instead.”
Keris looked thoughtful. “You mean a Vision Sphere?”
“What’s that?” Shann broke in.
“They are devices used by Keltar to spy on people.” Lyall replied. Keris shot him a look. “…Among other things,” he added.
Keris continued to stare at him. Then she seemed to relax. “Well, I only have one Linked pair with me. If we set up the transmit sphere along the trail then it seems unlikely we will be able to go back, so we will lose it. The other sphere will then be useless.”
Lyall considered this. “We have to know who it is that is trailing us. I think it’s worth it, don’t you?”
Keris drew herself erect. “Very well, I shall make preparations.” She turned and walked over to retrieve the necessary items from her pack.
Shann turned to Lyall, her face etched with concern. “What if it is the Prophet’s men?”
Lyall’s eyes were fixed once more on the distant plume of smoke. “Then we run.”
~
Keris pulled the flap aside and shouted to Lyall and Shann, who were riding behind the wagon. “I have a contact.”
Lyall ordered the wagon to halt. He and Shann tied up their mounts hurriedly and climbed into the back of the wagon, followed by Alondo. They joined Keris and Boxx, crowding around them in the cramped space. Keris sat cross-legged with the sphere suspended in the air before her. It shone with an inner glow, which illuminated the faces of those watching. Shann shifted closer. She could see an image, distorted by the convex surface of the sphere. A rough trail parted the waving yellow fronds on either side. Objects were moving in, growing larger. As the party watched, they resolved into the shapes of men on graylesh, soldiers in leather armour riding high in the saddle. At their head sat three figures in black. Keltar
Shann glanced at the others. Keris sat impassive, concentrating on the image. Lyall’s face was grim. Alondo looked shocked. Boxx’ mouth was quirked, although she had no idea what that signified or even if the creature knew what it was looking at.
The image shimmered slightly and showed the mounted soldiers approaching. Shann attempted to count them: four, eight, ten…about two dozen. One of the Keltar stopped and dismounted as the soldiers filed past. Slowly and deliberately, he pulled the staff from behind his back and walked up to the sphere. Shann could see the sharp eyes set in an angular face with a straight mouth and pointed chin. Sunlight glinted briefly on the diamond blade as it fell. The light died and the sphere went dark.
Shann felt numb as she watched Keris reach out and retrieve the sphere and then gather up the trio of lodestones that had supported it. It was Lyall who finally broke the silence. “Keris, do you know who that was?”
“Yes. His name is Saccath.”
“What do you know about him?”
All eyes were on Keris, who was looking down at the now empty floor. “Only that if he catches up to us, he will show no mercy.”
~
For the next few days, their routine was unchanging: run…snatch food… run…snatch sleep…run. They seemed to be maintaining their distance from their pursuers, although Shann was not sure how, since the riders following them should have been able to overtake their wagon eventually. She could not shake the feeling that Keris was involved somehow, and that they were being toyed with. However she did not feel that she could talk to Lyall about it, since all she had were her vague suspicions.
There had been a lengthy argument between Keris and Lyall over tactics, which Keris had ultimately won, as her logic was unassailable.
“We can’t keep going and going,” she insisted. “We have to rest ourselves and our animals some time. The same applies to them. That means we can only camp when we know they have camped. If I act as a rearguard scout, I can ride forward and tell you when it’s safe to stop for the night. Then we post a watch to guard against a surprise attack.”
Lyall had reluctantly agreed to her plan, but with strict conditions. “First of all, you are not doing this alone. You and I will take turns. Second, under no circumstances are you to engage them. Is that understood?”
Keris had maintained that she was the better scout, which was probably true. She also argued that if she could eliminate the odd soldier or even one of the Keltar by isolating them from the main group, she would improve their chances, which was also probably true. Lyall, however, made it clear that he was not going to be swayed on either of these points and so Keris had finally acquiesced.
Each evening Keris or Lyall would catch up to the party and declare that it was safe to stop for the night. Then, early in the morning before Ail-Gan rose, they would be on the move again. The journey across the Eastern Plains, which had begun as an exhilarating ride, affording new experiences every day, had now become a desperate race for life.
Thus it was that the most astonishing new discovery remained unnoticed by Shann until their goal was nearly in sight.
~
“The sun–it’s moved.”
Shann was gazing up at the heavens with a puzzled look on her face.
Keris had just returned from her scouting exercise and pronounced it safe to camp. She ignored Shann’s comment and carried on checking her equipment.
Lyall walked over and stood beside her. It was true. Ail-Mazzoth now took up a position in the sky part way off towards the western horizon. He pointed up at the dark crimson circle, smiling. “The sun hasn’t moved, Shann; you have.” Shann looked questioningly at him. “We are a long way from Corte,” he continued. “Ail-Mazzoth doesn’t change position,” he made a fist to represent the sun, “but as we move around our world,” his other hand moved beneath it as if to illustrate their progress, “then it appears to move in the sky.”
Shann nodded. “I see.” She was pensive for a moment. “What if I were to continue walking around the world in one direction? Would that mean that Ail-Mazzoth would disappear completely below the horizon?”
“Perhaps,” Lyall replied, “but in order to do that, you would have to pass through the Great Barrier of Storms. No-one has ever managed that. So none can say for certai
n what might lie on the other side.”
There was a pause as Shann absorbed the enormity of what Lyall was saying. Then another thought occurred to her. “If the woman Annata is right, then the tower will take us beyond the Great Barrier. We will be the first Kelanni to see what is there.”
“Yes Shann, we will.”
“Do you think that we will be able to live there, if Ail-Mazzoth is gone?”
Lyall placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “I do not think that the woman from the past would go to all this trouble only to send us to our deaths. I’m sure it will be fine. Although,” he looked as if he were considering something for the first time, “it might well be a very strange place.”
A place where the mother sun did not exist; what could it possibly be like?
~
Shann hastily stuffed her blanket into the saddle pack and grasped the reins of her graylesh, waiting for the signal from Lyall for them to be off. The coolness of night would soon give way to the shimmering heat of a summer’s day. She was starting to feel weary from exertion and lack of sleep. Nevertheless she was determined to keep going. I can’t let Lyall and Alondo down.
Keris had her map spread out on the ground. She had a two-pronged instrument and appeared to be making computations that only she understood. Finally she folded the map neatly and stood up. “Less than two days to the tower,” she announced.
Alondo was already seated on the buckboard. “And what do we do when we get there?”
“I’m not sure,” Lyall confessed.
“Well we’d better decide quickly when we get there, before the Prophet’s men fall on us.” Alondo sounded grim.
Boxx was observing the exchange. He drew himself up on his hind legs in a vain attempt to gain the height of the Kelanni. He spoke in his sing-song voice. “The Woman From Before–She Will Guide You. Do Not Be In Fear.”
Alondo twisted around so that he was facing the Chandara. “And do you have any idea when that will be?”
“Yes,” the creature replied.
“Well…when? Alondo prompted.
“At The Time Of Her Speaking.”
Alondo put his head in his hands.
Lyall put up both his hands in a placating gesture. “It does not matter. If Annata’s warning is genuine and,” he cast his eye around the four of them, “I believe that it is, then all Kelanni is under threat. The men following us are nothing more than a distraction. We have to follow this thing through to the end.”
All three Kelanni nodded their assent. Boxx dropped to all sixes and waddled over to the wagon. In moments, the wagon and its escort were underway once more.
Late that evening, just as Ail-Gan was beginning to dip below the horizon, they had their first sight of the tower.
<><><><><>
Chapter 15
Shann woke to the smell of fresh earth and the susurration of the nocturnal life of the plains. She opened her eyes as slits, registering three sleeping forms; two lay beneath blankets, the third was a rolled up ball of segmented chitin. A fourth figure sat with her back to Shann, staff held ready, long dark hair about her shoulders. Keris.
Shann had the last watch after Keris. Tomorrow they would reach the tower and whatever destiny awaited them there. She felt like going back to sleep, but something, a nagging suspicion, kept her awake.
As she continued to watch, she saw Keris check the sleeping forms behind her and then rise to her feet. The tall woman walked silently to the edge of the camp and off through the grassland. What is she up to?
Shann shrugged off her blanket and set off in a low run in the direction she had seen Keris disappear. She slowed down when she reached the grass perimeter, casting her eye over the tops of the waving stalks. A dark shape receding off to her left. Shann followed at a discreet distance. After a while, the grass thinned. A mostly bare patch of ground rose to form a small knoll. Shann watched as Keris sat down on the knoll and then raised her hand to her mouth and spoke. A moment later, a dull green light luminesced. Her Speaker Ring.
Shann hunkered down in the tall grass and strained her ears to hear, but could not make out distinct words. She dared not approach any closer, for fear of being discovered. Her mind worked furiously. The woman had told them that Rings had to be Linked and that a Ring could only resonate with the Ring that it had been Linked to. The Ring she carried as Keltar had been for one purpose only–to communicate with her master at the keep in Chalimar. There was only one explanation. You are a spy. And I have caught you red-handed.
As Shann continued to observe Keris, she debated what to do now. She should tell Lyall. However, it would still be this woman’s word against hers. There was also a danger that if she found out she had been discovered, she might bring the three Keltar and the soldiers down on them. Or the woman might try and kill her, Lyall and Alondo. Shann would have to be very careful how she played this.
The Chandara’s involvement was still a real mystery. Keris must have duped it or influenced it or threatened it somehow. In any case, none of that was important now. She had her first real evidence of the woman’s betrayal.
Feeling a sense of grim satisfaction, she backed up through the cover of the long grass and made her way back to camp.
~
By the time they were ready to break camp, Shann had decided what to do. She would take Lyall to one side and tell him in secret about the events of last night. Maybe they could even put together a way of trapping the Keltar as a way of exposing her. Then with her out of the way, the three of them could get back to the real task of rescuing the tributes from Gort. She could see the look on that woman’s face when she realised she’d been outwitted by a mere child. Then Shann imagined the joy on the faces of Roanol and the others when she came back to free them.
The sight of Keris jolted her out of her reverie. The woman came around the wagon and headed straight for her. Had she found out somehow that she had been followed last night? Shann steeled herself.
Keris strode up and stood right in front of her. Shann found the tall woman’s looming presence intimidating. “Give me your equipment.”
“Wh–what?”
Keris held out her hand. “Give me your equipment,” she repeated.
Shann scrabbled around, gathering up the broken shards of her courage. “No!”
Keris let out a massive sigh and closed her eyes. She opened them again and Shann flinched inwardly. “When was the last time you checked the condition of your cloak–or the staff, for that matter?”
“I…well, er…”
“I thought so. What do you think will happen when the Prophet’s men catch up to us? These are not dumb raleketh. There are trained Keltar among them. If your cloak fails or your staff breaks, they will not hesitate to kill you. Now let me have your equipment.” Shann felt numb as she went to her pack and meekly handed the items over.
As she did so, Keris’ severe manner seemed to dissipate. She softened her tone. “I will let you have these back as soon as I can. Try not to worry. When the time comes, just remember your training. I will do my best to watch your back.”
Shann watched her retreating form and felt a pang of guilt. Quickly, she shoved it aside, recalling the image of the woman speaking into her Ring, communing with her superior in Chalimar. She had to tell Lyall.
He was standing near the front of the wagon, talking to Alondo. Shann started towards him. She would have to get him alone. He would no doubt be sceptical at first, but he would know what to do. She was just a few steps away when Boxx suddenly appeared ahead of her. It was carrying the strange machine in its upper forelimbs. It stopped and carefully set the device down in front of Lyall. Lyall and Alondo had stopped their conversation and were regarding the creature curiously. It straightened up and addressed them in its thin high voice.
“It Is Time.”
~
Boxx touched a tiny switch set into a recess in the base of the device, and the line of lights came on, all glowing red. A light began to form in the air ab
ove the intricate mechanism–the image of a woman dressed in a kind of white coverall. Shann gasped in spite of herself. The woman turned to look behind her, and voice emanated from the machine.
“Is it working?...Keris...Keris, can you hear me?”
Keris, who was standing behind Shann’s left shoulder, stepped forward. Bewildered, Shann moved to let her past. “Yes, I am here,” Keris spoke in a strong, clear voice.
“Thank goodness. I’m sorry, but I do not have much time. Things are becoming chaotic here and power is erratic.”
Lyall spoke up. “Pardon me, my name is Lyall. We did not know whether we would hear from you. The Chandara said that it would be more than a whole turn before your next contact.”
“I see you have found friends willing to aid you. That is good. I am sorry for the confusion. I ought to have mentioned that the Chandara do not count in the same way that we do. Have you located one of the towers I spoke of?”
“I believe so,” Keris declared. “We should arrive there later today. However, we are now being pursued by soldiers loyal to the Prophet. They are hard on our heels.”
“Then you will need to make haste. I will tell you how to use the vacuum displacement transporter. Once you have transferred to the tower on the opposite side of the world, then you should be safe. Boxx?”
The creature lifted its head. “Yes?”
“Please, would you remove the access module?”
Boxx reached out with its front foreleg and found another small recess in the rear of the machine. There was a light hum, as a small panel slid out. Boxx reached inside with the three fingers of its front foreleg and extracted a flat object in the shape of a scalene triangle. It was made of a translucent substance. Encased within it were multicoloured workings, the significance of which Shann could only guess at.
“The module Boxx will give you will enable you to travel between any of the four towers situated on our world. Enter the base of the tower and make your way to the top. You may notice that the tower has some…peculiar properties, but don’t let that worry you. At the top you will find a large globe. Look around it and you will find a hole in the wall, the same size and shape as the module. Insert the module and wait a few moments. The module has its own internal power source and a door will appear. Retrieve the module again and enter the globe. Once inside, you will see a raised platform with four prominent levers. They correspond to the four towers of Kelanni; two on your side, coloured red, and two situated on the other side of the world, coloured blue. Pull the blue one on the left to the down position; then wait. You will know when the transport is complete. Then exit the globe. You will find yourself atop an identical looking tower, but you will be on the other side, not far from where the instrument that will neutralize the Prophet’s weapon is concealed.”
The Lodestone Trilogy (Limited Edition) (The Lodestone Series) Page 16
