Chichester Greenway

by Alton Saunders

  Chapter 7:

  THE GOLDEN PALACE

  Library Five was the tallest building in the City of Silver and Gold. It loomed up above them, a slender arc of shining silver, silhouetted against the green afternoon sky. Vonn and Akkri had stopped for a chat with Ferroll who was picking herself a bunch of flowers near the canal. Korriott had gone on ahead. The meeting would be held in the conference hall at the top of the building. They could call a skimmer to land them on the roof garden, or they could walk in at ground level, or – “Straight there?” said Akkri. Vonn nodded. They stood for a moment enjoying the scents and colours of the flowerbeds in the park, then Vonn gave another little nod and they were in the conference hall by the western window, looking out across the city to the bridge and the moorland and, far away on the horizon, the silver line of the sea.

  All four walls of the conference hall were a continuous sweep of window, reaching from floor to ceiling. To the north and east rose range after range of mountains, the taller ones perpetually shrouded in snow. To the south lay the gentle slopes of the Great Plain, the direction from which the earliest settlers like Vortinn and Kerri and Pell had come, though a portion of this window was obscured by a multi-coloured opalescence that cut out the direct glare of the sun. Korriott smiled and came over to them.

  A blue and infra ball came bouncing down the wooden steps from the roof garden and rolled the full length of the hall. Yask and Sumar came clattering down after it, followed more sedately by Annilex, who raised her hand in greeting, and called out: “Hallo, Vonn! Hallo, Akkri! Hallo, Korriott!”

  “Does Annilex know you, Korriott?” Vonn asked.

  “Long ago she was my mentor,” said Korriott.

  “She was my mentor, too!” Vonn exclaimed. It somehow gave even more significance to this group that had so recently formed, and new significance, too, to Korriott’s remark that they were all part of one another’s lives. Perhaps the composition of the group depended on more than just the sum of their skills and expertise. Spontaneously she gave Korriott a hug. She had only known her for an hour or so, but already she felt like a trusted friend or a kindly elder sister.

  Akkri had joined Yask and Sumar in the middle of the circle of chairs that stood waiting at the south end of the conference hall. The three of them were spinning the cousins’ ball, admiring the deep purple colour it took on as the two colours coalesced.

  The whole group had soon gathered and people were getting themselves seated. Each chair had a side table with notepad and pencil and an assortment of refreshments. Akkri poured himself a glass of grape juice. He was chatting eagerly with Sumar.

  Vonn let her gaze wander round the circle. There were several people she didn’t know yet. One of the two men had sat down next to Viney. Beside him was Akkri, then Sumar and Yask, then another boy who might be about fifteen by the looks of him, and the second of the two men. He was looking … puzzled, Vonn thought. Then came two empty chairs. Two girls whose names she had heard but did not remember were standing by the long eastern window, looking out towards the mountains. The sky behind them was beginning to turn yellow.

  Annilex was sitting quietly in the next chair with her hands in her lap, and between her and Vonn was a boy who looked as if he was the youngest member of the group. Korriott was sitting to Vonn’s left, between her and Viney.

  The two girls came and joined the circle. One of them was as tall as Korriott, but was probably only about fourteen, Vonn thought. She had quite a twinkle in her eye. The other was a little bit shorter and could well be fifteen or even sixteen. Vonn felt pretty sure they were sisters.

  The one or two conversations came gently to a close and the group relapsed into silence. There was nothing awkward about it. They were all accustomed to tuning in to the appropriate mood or direction of the moment. After a while the man who had been looking puzzled gave a little laugh. “I’m not used to taking the lead,” he said. “I work in a team of architects and I usually let other members of the team do that. Today, though, I feel as if I am being challenged to change my habits. Unless anyone else feels they should take the meeting?” He looked round hopefully, meeting kindly smiles, and a humorous grin from the tall girl, but no positive response.

  “Hmm, thought as much,” he said, a little ruefully. “Well, let’s start off by saying our names again, because I certainly don’t remember many of them. I’m called Ky.”

  Vonn learnt that the boy to his right was Bavilan, the tall girl was Eedo, her sister was Vill and the young boy sitting to the right of Vonn was called Toln. Vonn had somehow expected him to whisper his name, but his voice was strong and confident. The other man, sitting between Viney and Akkri, was called Tamor. He looked a cheerful and positive character, Vonn thought, and his voice sounded that way, too.

  “I think we will all be involved in every aspect of our project,” Ky resumed. “Our various skills will work together in harmony, I am sure, and I don’t think we will need to assign particular tasks to particular people. That will all sort itself out as we go along.

  “We each have some idea of the exciting new direction that our lives are taking in one another’s company. I think we must let life itself show us the way and not try to think it all out beforehand. In this afternoon’s meeting I would like to suggest that we allow plenty of space for any thoughts or feelings, questions, or even anxieties, to be expressed, and maybe in that way our direction will become clearer. And let’s try not to judge whether those ideas are important or not. They will all be part of the overall unfolding pattern.”

  Again the group fell silent. Akkri found himself thinking of the blue and white planet he presumed they were going to visit. “Has the planet got a name, I wonder? It would be useful to know what to call it.”

  “If there are people there they probably have their own name for their planet, just as we call our planet Vika. Perhaps we will learn it from them one day – one day soon, maybe,” said Bavilan.

  “Yes, but for now?” Akkri persisted.

  “Let’s just call it ‘our planet’ when we talk about it. How about that?” Vill suggested. She had a surprisingly deep voice. Vonn wondered if she enjoyed singing. Her voice would be a wonderful asset in a group of mixed voices.

  “As long as we remember it’s really their planet!” put in her sister with a laugh.

  Akkri looked pleased. He never felt totally sure of himself. He was glad the point he had made was being taken seriously. Agreeing what to call the planet would make it easier to discuss their ideas about it. “Calling it ‘our planet’ sounds rather nice, I think. Does anyone have any other ideas?”

  His question was not met with any spoken answer, but there was the familiar feeling of silent agreement, the feeling he and Vonn so often shared.

  “And we’re going to visit our planet, right?” said Toln. He really wanted to get this clear.

  “Toln is right to ask this question. I feel we have been circling round it like planets ourselves, but not looking at it clearly,” said Annilex. “Shall we see whether we are ready to do so now?”

  Most of the people in the group sat back in their chairs. Several closed their eyes. There was a deep silence.

  Akkri saw again the blue and white planet rushing into view, but now it felt more as if he was the one who was moving, flying through space towards it at incredible speed. With an involuntary jerk that seemed to go right through his body he sat up and looked round the circle. Viney still had her eyes closed. “Yes, I think we are going there,” she said.

  “We’re going to visit another planet!” Yask exclaimed. “The first people from Vika ever to do so!”

  “Yes, it will become ‘our planet’ in a different way – not just something we are thinking about in Library Five,” said Korriott.

  The whole group had suddenly become very animated as though new energy had surged into it. Several conversations broke out and people poured themselves drinks and nibbled
nuts or cakes from their trays of refreshments.

  Ky gave a laugh. “All right, let’s have a break for a while.” He stood up and walked over to the south window, which was now completely clear, for the sun had moved round, and the sky was beginning to change from yellow to orange.

  Akkri came over to Vonn. “Let’s go up to the roof garden, shall we?” He had been there a few times before and knew that the view was spectacular.

  “Can I come too?” asked Toln.

  “Yes, of course you can,” said Akkri. It would be nice to get to know this youngest member of the group a little better.

  They went up the wooden stairway, closely followed by Vill and Eedo. The five of them strolled round the garden, looking out over the landscape. Nobody said much. They were all a bit tired, for although little had yet been decided, each member of the group was adjusting to each of the others, and to the feeling of belonging to the group as a whole. “It’s a kind of work in itself,” said Korriott, who had just come up the stairs herself and seemed instantly tuned to their unspoken feelings.

  Akkri looked out towards the sea. “I haven’t had a swim for two days!” he exclaimed, a little regretfully.

  “This is fun, too, though – at least I think so,” said Eedo.

  They stood there for a while longer. “Perhaps we should go down now?” Toln suggested. He had said very little, but Vonn felt she knew him quite well already.

  The others were beginning to sit down and Ky looked as if he was waiting to say something. After a few moments of quietness, he began the meeting again: “I don’t think we should go on much longer, but I also feel we need to take some definite step forward before we all go home, something we have achieved together. I said I was an architect. I presume we will travel to our planet in some sort of craft or vehicle. I could possibly design it myself, perhaps with some of my colleagues, but I think it would be much more satisfying if we all played a part in it. What do you think?”

  There was no need for anyone to say anything. It was clear that everyone felt this was exactly right.

  “It may be hard work,” he warned. “We will each have ideas and pictures in our minds. We will have to allow all these inputs to blend, adjust and harmonise into a craft that will truly be ours, ready for our great adventure.”

  Everyone sat back in their chairs. One way or another they had each done work of this sort before, though for most of them it had never been on this scale. Although Akkri had his eyes closed, it was as though images were gradually taking shape and shifting around in the air in front of him, inside the circle of chairs. Colours came and went. At times he felt he was giving way to others; at times he was putting forward something of his own, but he did not know what. Then a picture came clearly into focus. He was walking along a wide, brightly-lit corridor. He felt really at home there. He walked through the side of the corridor into a large comfortable room with chairs and sofas, and plants in pots. There was something about the proportions of the room that did not seem quite right. As he looked, it shifted and adjusted and then, yes, that was it.

  Each member of the group was having their own visions and experiences, feeling pulls and tugs of agreement and disagreement, but more and more a feeling of a harmonious whole that was taking shape in ways beyond their understanding.

  “From my experience, I don’t think we need to be clear on every last detail,” Ky continued. “Life itself will give us what we need. What we have supplied is our willingness and agreement, and our acceptance of one another. I wonder if we can see yet what it will look like from outside?”

  Vonn gasped at the power with which the vision presented itself. It rose up in front of them, its whole surface a dazzling blaze of silver and gold – yes, of course, silver and gold! – with towers and terraces, gardens and walkways, its overall shape a long streamlined rectangle, almost fish-like in profile, but incorporating many of the features of the city they loved. “It’s wonderful!” she exclaimed.

  “Let it go now!” said Ky. He knew that although it seemed to require no effort on their part, they would all feel pretty exhausted after their collective creativity.

  “That was gorgeous!” said Yask.

  “We must have a name for it,” said Sumar.

  Everyone knew that the name would have a rightness about it that they would all feel and be in agreement about. It needed to be discovered rather than thought out. Once again the group returned to a quiet, receptive attitude. Vonn found that Tamor was looking at her with a kindly smile. It was as if he was expecting her to supply the name. She smiled back. Perhaps he is right, she thought. Yes, almost as if it was forming on her tongue, a name was there, waiting to be uttered.

  “I hope you don’t think this sounds silly,” she said. “I keep wanting to say ‘The Golden Palace’.”

  “It’s a beautiful name,” said Viney. She had been very quiet today, listening intently to the others.

  “Yes, but why that name in particular?” said Vonn. “There seemed to be something special about it, but I don’t know what, some sort of special significance.”

  “I think you’re right,” said Korriott. “I expect we’ll learn more about it later on.”

  Ky looked round the circle. “Are we all happy with the name Vonn has found for us?”

  Everyone seemed to accept that this was a suitable name for their vessel, perhaps the one and only right name. Toln was quietly murmuring “The Golden Palace,” over and over to himself.

  Ky stood up. “I think we’ve done quite enough work for one day. How about meeting back here in two days’ time? I feel we need a good break.” He felt pleased that he had taken the meeting. It hadn’t been so difficult after all!

  Akkri took Vonn’s hand as they walked up to the roof garden. She was coming to have dinner at his house and they had decided to take a skimmer. Vonn hadn’t seen Akkri’s parents for several weeks. She felt very much at home with them and always liked to visit their comfortable wooden house.

  “Vonn, how about giving ourselves a complete break till the next meeting? We could spend the whole time on the beach!”

  “Yes, great idea. Let’s do that.” As they stepped into the skimmer, Karwi’s melody was running through her mind. She felt tired, but very satisfied with their day’s work.

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