Brilliant, you might overhear something about the Sword. Keep your eyes and ears open. We need to find out where it’s kept. Hickory switched to Jess. Make sure the girl is on the team. Ishnu selected her but we need to double check. See what she knows about our hostess. I’ll look around here.
Jess strolled over to Anitta who stood with her head bowed and hands clasped. She felt an instant rapport with the girl. She messaged Hickory, Poor dear, she’s terrified. She can’t be more than thirteen.
“Hi, I hope you don’t mind me talking to you. I’m so nervous because my partner and I, well, we don’t know what’s going on.” Jess affected a nervous laugh. She nodded toward Hickory who was searching for hidden doorways in the ornate wall paneling. “This is a very posh place, don’t you think? Have you ever seen anything so grand? Have you met the Aurigan female we’re to work for? I wonder what she’s like.”
Anitta’s face broke into a broad smile that she was quick to hide. “I thought I was the only one scared for my life. Ishnu told me you have come to free the Mitanni. He said I’m to help you in any way I can. You must be very brave.” She bit her lips and glanced around. “I have never met Sabrina, but I had a friend who served her before…before she was taken away.”
“Taken away?” Jess tilted her head to one side.
The girl nodded several times. “The Warlord’s concubine changes her aides often. Sometimes a girl will serve the concubine for a time and afterward be allowed to return home. But many are dismissed after a few days service and never seen again. I think they are killed.” She looked around furtively. “Some of my friends say the Warlord becomes jealous of the concubine’s maids and has them executed. Do you think this could be true?”
“Perhaps.” Jess shrugged. “I don’t know what Warlord Kabutai is like.” Hickory, what do you think?
It will have something to do with security. Maybe they became too curious, or it might simply be that Kabutai doesn’t want his concubine making friends with the natives.
Jess smiled encouragingly at Anitta. “How long do the aides normally serve before they’re sent away?”
“Six months is the longest I have heard of.”
Jess smoothed a stray strand of hair on the girl’s head. “So, what is this Aurigan girl like? Is she clever, well-read perhaps?”
Anitta stifled a laugh. “She must be very pretty—at least in the eyes of the Warlord. My friend said she arrived here five years ago from the country. I have been told she dresses oddly and possesses an unsettling nature. Apparently, she can be your best friend one day, then bitter and cruel the next.”
Hickory drifted over and joined the conversation. “You know, Anitta, if I were held in virtual isolation for years, and every time I became close to someone they were taken away, I’d probably become a little odd, too.” Smiling, she extended her hand then sucked in a deep breath as a door slid open. “No time for pleasantries, I’m afraid. Here comes our mistress.”
#
Sabrina entered the boudoir, her dress swishing behind. Hickory lowered her head to hide her astonishment. The concubine was a giant. Taller than any Aurigan native she’d ever seen. Her skin was metallic blue, and her eyes were large and round with vertical pupils like those of a crocodile.
That was surprising enough, but it was her getup that staggered Hickory. She wore a full-length silk skirt sporting voluminous sleeves and a chrome-yellow plaid pattern with a wide black belt around the waist. Long, dark ringlets cascaded from beneath a wide-brimmed bonnet onto her bare shoulders.
Hickory stared. All she could think of was that Bikashi had no hair. She recovered her poise. Straight out of nineteenth-century Earth. She glimpsed two tiny feet in sandals peeping out from below.
If she weren’t so ugly, she’d make a beautiful princess, said Jess.
Hickory responded. She may be a princess, and she may well look beautiful to the Bikashi eye.
Sabrina spoke in a sweet sing-song voice. “Ah, my new playthings. Let me look at you. Two pretty dolls and one quite young. Perfect. I must congratulate Vaques on his choices. What names shall I give you, I wonder?” A small hand with three fingers decked out in jewels emerged from her sleeve and tapped her mouth. She pointed at Hickory. “You can be Bertha. You and I will be best friends, and you will sing and read to me.” Hickory felt bemused. She couldn’t tell whether the Aurigan was in earnest. Sabrina shifted her attention to Jess. “And you, you will be Georgiana. We also will be great friends, although you did treat me cruelly when we were children.” She turned to face Anitta. “You are the youngest, but you are not as beautiful as the lovely Georgina. You must be Eliza, the less fortunate sister.” She paused, surveying all three. “You will all address me as Mistress Jane.”
Absolute loony. Jess sent the message to Hickory.
Jane, Bertha, Georgina, Eliza. Something about these names is familiar. She stared at the Aurigan’s costume and it came to her. She’s playing a role, and she wants us to play along. She’s the heroine from Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre, and we are to be characters in the novel.
That is so weird. How could something like that happen?
Hickory felt unsure how to respond or even if they should respond to the Aurigan girl’s pronouncements. Sabrina seemed to be waiting. “Thank you, Mistress Jane. They are beautiful names, but—”
Sabrina’s voice took on a harsh edge. “May I remind you your past life has no relevance here. Do not mention it, do not think of it. This is a new beginning for you. Work hard, be true companions and I will reward you. Displease me, and you will be punished. I have no desire to harm you, but I can easily replace my little dolls.” Her eyelids almost closed, and Hickory realized Sabrina was amused.
“Now, you two may prepare my bath,” she said, dismissing Jess and Anitta. “I must remove the grime from my person before I go to the Warlord. Bertha, you may disrobe me.”
#
Hickory found the appearance of the naked seven-foot-six-inches-tall Aurigan female intimidating. Her skin from head to toe was a smooth metallic purple-blue color with hexagonal interlocking scales that rippled over well-defined musculature. Her breasts were smallish with dark red nipples showing through the fine down covering her entire body. Her neck was long, and thick veins rose from her shoulders to the base of her skull. The feet at the end of her straight, shapeless legs, were large and broad, but entirely in proportion to her height.
When she’d completed her toilet, they dressed Sabrina in a red, silken robe, tied at the waist with a green sash, and placed slippers on her feet. She admired herself in the mirror and said, “You have an eye for color, Bertha. You will accompany me to the Warlord’s chambers. I want to make sure everything is perfect before he arrives.” She smiled at Jess and Anitta. “When I return, my custom is to eat first and then sleep for an hour. Advise the kitchen I will require a quafdock with pitato sauce, and also something to slake my thirst. They will know what to bring.”
Hickory followed Sabrina to a doorway, invisible against the paneling except for a thin rectangular outline. I knew there had to be some way into the Warlord’s chambers, just didn’t register because it’s so big.
As they crossed the threshold, Sabrina spoke in a quiet but urgent tone. “I will tell you this once and once only. At all times in the presence of the Warlord, you must never look at him. I have seen you glance at me. This is acceptable as my playthings, but if you raise your eyes in the bedchamber, you will face death, and I do not wish you to leave me just yet. Do you understand?” She prodded Hickory on the shoulder.
“Yes, mistress. I am not to look at the Warlord.”
“When the Warlord advances to greet me, you must not glance toward the bed, either. I believe copulation is distasteful to your kind, and any sign you are repulsed will prove fatal. Go into the antechamber between the bedroom and the Warlord’s official residence and wait. You must remain there until the Warlord departs. I will call when it is safe to enter. Is that clear?”
“Yes, Mist
ress Jane.”
“Hrrmmph. You seem bright enough. I am hopeful you will prove a good companion, Bertha. Now place yourself against the wall next to the doorway and study the floor earnestly.”
#
Jess, I’m going to sneak into the Warlord’s rooms to have a look around. Does Anitta have any idea where Kabutai might keep the Sword?
There was a pause before Jess answered. No, she has no real idea. The Warlord doesn’t have a personal servant at present. His previous aide spent much of his time in the southern corner apparently, but no details.
Okay. Thanks. I’m starting to make progress with Sabrina. She seems to stay in character, more or less. I remember reading Jane Eyre at school. It was a book well before its time in highlighting the plight of an intelligent woman trapped in a male-dominated world. I don’t think it’s a coincidence she’s chosen that particular character for her charade. If I catch her in the right mood, I’ll try to figure out what’s going on.
Hickory felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise as the door slid open. Time to go. The show is about to start. She felt a slight breeze against her legs and smelled an odor akin to a used ashtray as the Warlord entered the room. From the corner of her eye, Hickory glimpsed Sabrina prostrate herself on the floor, her arms outspread.
“Rise, Sabrina.” The Bikashi spoke with a guttural accent, deep and thick.
The concubine towered over the Warlord, but she leaned forward so her head was level with his. They pressed noses together. “My lord, Kabutai. I am overjoyed to see you. Everything is prepared.” She turned to Hickory and hissed. “Begone. Leave now.”
Hickory shuffled out the door and it slid shut behind her. She took a deep breath. I hope the bedroom is soundproof. What in hell’s name am I doing here? She asked the question for the umpteenth time since accepting the mission. The Sword of Connat might be a magical artifact with untapped powers, but nobody knows how to unlock it. Chances are, even If I manage to spirit it away, it’ll rest in a glass box in the Smithsonian for people to wonder at, or worse, it’ll be placed under lock and key in Area 51.
She felt a sense of dread at the thought, remembering the final events leading to the Teacher’s death. Kar was the only one who truly understood the Sword’s purpose. He’d believed their futures were linked. In the end, the sword changed him, and he changed the Sword. They became something different…something more. The Teacher had urged her to leave him. “There are but a few minutes left before this world is destroyed. The Sword and I will do what must be done.” To Hickory’s eyes, the Teacher had gone through a transfiguration. He’d held the Sword with both hands in front of him, and a pearl-white glow had spread from the sword to enclose him. It appeared as though he and the Sword had become one.
She shook her head and returned to the present. The anteroom seemed little more than a corridor with a simple wood bench arranged against the wall and a large mirror facing it. Entry could be gained via one of three doors, the one Hickory entered, another at the far end of the room located at the top of a flight of stairs, and the third standing next to the mirror. She stared at her reflection for a few seconds. I bet this is one-way glass. Kabutai likes to observe his visitors before admitting them. She tiptoed up the stairs to the second door and placed her hand on it. How does it open? Her fingers slipped over the surface and she discovered a bulge to one side. The door slid silently to one side. It was an elevator. She walked inside and it ascended. When the elevator slowed to a halt, the door opened and she stepped into the top level of the hive.
The room was large and circular with wooden floors and a soaring pyramid sitting atop glass and metal walls. It reminded Hickory of the new opera house in Tokyo. But whereas the Japanese edifice paid homage to the love of music, the architect who’d designed this place wanted to instill fear into visitors. Three-dimensional moving images of dying soldiers imitated in art the savagery of the great war with the Goshe. These were positioned along the route from the formal entrance to a massive throne on a raised dais in the middle of the room. Supplicants would be forced to navigate these reminders of the power of the Warlord before placing their petition.
Comfortable seating, or what she thought must be comfortable to the Bikashi, was distributed at intervals around the room, providing a view of the city. Outside the glass walls, travelators connected the citadel to other parts of the hive. Another aspect of the enigmatic Bikashi culture. There is an austere beauty here.
The room was empty, and the entrance closed. There must be a hundred servants to look after this place. It gleams. It struck her that here was a task that would be carried out by the Yatzi, probably when the Warlord was asleep. She hurried toward the southern end of the room. This radiated a more practical purpose. A semi-circular console array faced the city. Chairs provided access to a dozen screens. Not big enough to be for anything but the Warlord’s personal use, I’d think.
She glanced around, but there was nowhere the Sword could be stored. Two of the screens were lit. On the first, a black and white recording of Joane Fontaine starring in Jane Eyre was on a continuous loop. She remembered seeing an entertainment holo-projector in Sabrina’s bedroom. I bet this is playing there right now. It must be two hundred and fifty years old. Where could they have found it? At least she’d solved the mystery of where Sabrina found the Jane Eyre story. She turned to the second monitor, which displayed a different section of the hive. The Warlord was keeping an eye on his empire. Could be the science section if the machinery and other paraphernalia are anything to go by. She leaned forward when a figure wearing a hazard suit came into view. The Bikashi glanced toward the camera, then stepped up to an oblong glass booth lying on a workbench. Inside, a casket shone with a golden luminescence. The jettisoned pod from the Ark.
Jess, Gareth, she contacted her associates. I’ve found it. It’s in the science labs, and I think Jolphyr is working on it as we speak. Doesn’t look like he’s making much progress.
Where are you? Jess sounded alarmed and a little confused. I thought you were on the first level.
I am, and there’s an array of security screens here—the Warlord’s monitoring every critical sector of the hive, including the consort’s apartment. He trusts no one. If this is Jolphyr, I think he’s stumped. I’ll tell you more later. She went to move away and then hesitated. She flicked a few switches and pressed some buttons in front of one of the blank screens until it came to life. Engineering. She switched on one after the other. The fifth screen lit up to show the room she was in. Shit! There’s going to be a record of me mooching around here. Gareth! Gareth, are you still there, can you hear me?
Yes, Cap, loud and clear. There’s been an unusual development here. I-
Gareth it’ll need to wait. I’ve been caught on a security camera. How do I erase the recording?
What? Oh, hell. Wait—what sort of camera is it?
Gareth, I’m sitting here in front of a screen. I have no idea where the camera is! Other than blowing up the screen, how do I destroy the footage?
Uh…You could try a hard boot of the local system and then delete the codes as they come up on the screen. It’s not a complete solution because the video will be backed up, but with luck, he won’t check it. There will be some digits indicating the time of the recording. Highlight the segment you want and press the delete key. Use your SIM to help you find it. You’ll also have to set the timer to record a few minutes after you leave the room.
I can do that. I think. Okay. Thanks.
Hickory traced the area in the database and deleted the last fifteen minutes, then placed a delayed recommencement time. She searched the other screens until she came to the bedroom. Sabrina and the Warlord were once more facing each other, talking. She found the volume control.
CHAPTER 18
Something Strange Going On
Hickory scrambled back to the antechamber with seconds to spare. She stood with her head bowed and held her breath as the door opened, but the Warlord strode past without a glance.
“You may come inside, Bertha, and help me with my fasteners.”
Hickory moved behind the concubine and pulled her bodice tight.
Sabrina emitted a soft purring sound. She half turned her head, her eyes flicking over Hickory’s face. “Did you look, did you see?”
“You told me not to, Mistress Jane.”
“Quite right, but oh, he has a commanding presence. Next time you should sneak a peek, then we can discuss his merits, yes?”
It was the last thing on Hickory’s mind, but it was a sign Sabrina had mellowed toward her. This might be a moment to progress their budding relationship. “Is he very handsome, Mistress Jane?”
“Don’t be ridiculous, girl. The Warlord is no simple villager such as you are used to. He is a warrior, and he is ancient, although not too old yet. No, he is grizzled and gnarled, and he shows the wounds of battle on every part of his body, but he is strong and powerful still, unlike those mealy-mouthed subordinates of his.”
Hickory fought her instinct to go straight to the point and affected delight by placing her hand over her open mouth. Wait until the right moment. I need to establish trust and confidence. “I am pleased the Warlord is strong of mind and body. Is he kind to you, mistress?”
Sabrina uttered three short barks that Hickory had learned from Sikona was the Bikashi equivalent of a belly laugh. “Kind? I doubt he knows the meaning of the word, but at least he doesn’t beat me.”
Hickory leaned forward. “No!” Hickory’s astonishment was at least half genuine. She really doesn’t like him very much.
“You are surprised? He wouldn’t be the first Aurigan to beat his mate. I speak from experience. The Warlord is too concerned about the loyalty of his Directorates to worry about my happiness.”
“I imagine it must be a challenge to keep them in line.”
“A task he relishes. Most of them are too timid to question him. Jolphyr, the Science Directorate is a sniveling weasel and has too much ambition. The Lord knows this.”
Fractured Prophecy Page 16
