Quest (10 page)

People didn’t look prosperous and busy in this part of the city, nor were they as respectful to the Sisters. No one touched the two women, but a few people scowled at them and muttered threats. Katia's head was reeling. How dared people show disrespect for a Sister? They would have been stoned for that in Danak.

Once they passed an alley from which Katia shrank in horror. 'What is it, Elder Sister?' she gasped, clutching Herra's arm.

The Elder Sister's expression also showed distaste. 'There's a Shrine of the Serpent down that alley, child. You can't see the banners from here.'

'It feels,' Katia shuddered, 'evil. As if - as if it's surrounded by pain.'

Herra looked at her thoughtfully, but said nothing.

Eventually, they came to the edge of the Shambles.

'This isn't a good place either, Herra,' Katia said, staring around her. 'How can people bear to live here?'

That quarter of the town lay decades deep in filth, and the houses seemed to be leaning against each other for support. Some were no better than animal sheds. There was not a single plant or flower to be seen, only debris piled in corners by the wind, and a tangle of narrow alleys.

After a while Herra stopped. 'Look around you, Katia. We in the Sisterhood work hard to develop our Gifts so that
QUEST Shannah Jay 34

we can help people such as these. Wisdom isn’t an easy thing to acquire, dear child, but we are doing our best. Some people are only interested in acquiring wealth, usually at the expense of others. Places like this are the result of that greed.'

Katia had never real y considered how much good the Sisterhood could do. It was a comforting thought.

Suddenly, to one side, they heard the sound of shouting and the clatter of fighting nerids' shod hooves. The few people in the street slid away and melted into doorways. A man with a bloodstained arm rushed around the corner and nearly knocked them over.

'Turn back, Sisters!' he gasped. 'Back for your lives! Benner's men have their swords out.' He was gone before they could reply.

Herra did not move. 'This is the result of unjust laws, Katia. The poorfolk have made the prophecy an excuse to stop work and protest against the new taxes. I wish they wouldn’t use our words against Lord Benner. It only fuels his hatred of us. I wish, too, that he would put more curbs on his men. His guards are becoming over fond of drawing their swords. That needs a sharp lesson, or this violence will escalate.' Gone was the gentle mischievous companion. In her place was a thin, steel-boned Elder Sister, whose very robe hung differently and whose eyes flashed a cold fire.

Katia followed her around the corner, remembering her promise to protect Herra with her life, if necessary. In a cul-de-sac to their right, a crowd of poorfolk had been trapped. Raggedly clad and gaunt of face, they were spitting shrill defiance at men riding nerids, men clad in black with the red hawk insignia of the house of Benner on their saddlecloths. They wore steel breastplates and brandished short, pointed swords, some already stained with blood. Katia gasped in horror at the sight.

Herra took a deep breath. 'This must be stopped. Child, can you stand beside me and show no fear?'

'I'll try, Elder Sister.'

'
Think of the forest and do not flinch.
Not even once. Do you understand?' Herra's voice changed tone for a moment and became softly persuasive. 'Such men would harm trees for sport, slash their bark and tear off their branches. They would trample on the flowers and kill the birds.'

Katia stood taller.

'Remember that your troubles are as nothing to what wil befall the poorfolk of Tenebrak if this rioting is allowed to get out of hand.' She looked searchingly at the girl, then nodded. 'So, come, child. We shall try to restore some Balance.'

Herra moved purposefully out across the space between the two groups, and Katia followed, determined not to let the Elder Sister down. The poorfolk saw them first.

'Keep back, Sisters! We don't want you to get hurt!'

'It's those cruel bastards we want, not you, Sisters!'

The leader of the mounted men moved forward and the crowd muttered angrily as he shouted, 'Hey, Sisters, or whatever you foolish women call yourselves, get out of our way! These fools have been rioting and need to be taught a little law and order.' His fingers were caressing the hilt of his sword as if it were alive, and his eyes were moist with anticipation.

Herra moved forward swiftly to stand right in front of his fighting nerid, which whickered fretfully and rolled its eyes at her. 'Allow me a few moments, Captain, and I can disperse these people for you without trouble.'

'Get out of my way! I don't need a woman's help to do my duty!'

Herra did not stir.

'If you won't move back of your own accord, I'll have you moved by force, you old hag!'

'
Stop!
' Herra's voice was a hiss of sound, for his ears only.

As he turned to summon his men, he froze in his saddle. A wind whistled suddenly around them, whipping dust into people's eyes and whirling the rubbish from the alley's corners into the nerids' faces. The animals began to sidestep
QUEST Shannah Jay 35

nervously and their riders were too busy control ing them to move against anyone. The captain was
stilled
, frozen halfway through his gesture.

Herra turned now to the crowd and her voice lashed out like a whip, for they too needed to be controlled.
‘Go home!

Now!
' She took a step forward, pointing with one hand, her gown blowing behind her in a wind that blew for her alone.

The crowd fell back before her, muttering.

'The God abhors bloodshed!' Herra's voice rang out again. '
Go home now! And stay at home today.
' The poorfolk began to move, stumbling down the alley and slipping around corners. The wind howled again and when it died down, only the riders and the two Sisters were left.

Herra walked back to the Captain and snapped her fingers. His arm fell to his side. 'How did you do that, you She-Devil?' His voice was hoarse with fear.

'My God sometimes works through me. Can yours do as much? Or does he hide in the darkness of his lair, waiting for the blood and pain you bring him? Now her voice sounded like ice fracturing. She moved nearer to the nerid and it backed away from her. 'Can you call forth the might of the Serpent against me now? Try it!'

He flushed with anger at her tone. 'The Serpent is too great to concern himself with me, but I can serve him well by ridding him of two evil witches.' He pulled the sword out of his scabbard in one swift gesture, but as he raised it, his arm froze again. 'Help me!' he cal ed to his men, his voice thick and slow. But Herra cast one fierce glance at the men, and they shuffled backwards, avoiding her eyes.

She turned to the Captain. '
My
God loves his followers and wills evil to no man.
Yours
kills the innocent and spreads Discord.' She snapped her fingers and the sword fell from the Captain's hand, shattering into pieces on the cobbles, its steel as brittle as glass.

Then her arm fell and she turned away from him. She took one deep breath, then spoke in a more normal voice,

'Come, child. We have finished here.'

Without a backward glance she left the alley. 'You did well, Katia. I'm very pleased with you.'

'I did nothing!' Katia's legs felt shaky, but she tried to walk as steadily as Herra did.

'You held your ground, in spite of your fear. That was all I required of you.'

Katia couldn’t help looking nervously over her shoulder. 'Won't they try to fol ow us?'

'No. It'll be an hour or more before that Captain can move again, and his men are dull brutes, without the wit to take any action on their own.'

'Oh.' After a minute Katia ventured another question. 'Elder Sister, how did you do that?'

'It's a Discipline, like the others. If one has a Gift, one can learn to use it.' Herra smiled at the doubt on her young companion's face. 'Some few of us can do these things; most cannot. And yet, all the Sisters have some special Gift. If not that one, then another. That's why we are
chosen
.'

'I have no Gifts.'

'Of course you do. But you won't know where they lie until you've finished your training, maybe not even for a few years after that.'

'Cheral said I was the worst novice she'd ever had.'

'How hard were you trying to prove her right?'

Katia flushed. 'I
am
stupid,' she insisted, but forgot herself to ask anxiously, 'Are you all right?' For Herra had stumbled and caught hold of the girl's arm.

'Just tired. We must find somewhere where I can rest for a few moments. It's exhausting, control ing so many people.' And I'm growing old, Herra thought bitterly. Brother, you see me failing! Once, I would have had no trouble keeping your peace.

They found an empty barn on the edge of the city. Herra staggered inside it and col apsed on the ground. 'Let no
QUEST Shannah Jay 36

one enter for a while, child. I must replenish my energy.' She began the Discipline of Minor Renewal, slipping easily into its physical and mental exercises, the strain melting from her face like wax down a candle.

Katia sat hunched by the doorway, pondering on what she had seen.

* * *

In the satellite above the planet, consternation reigned.

'It's impossible!' insisted Lenlin.

'But she did it,' said Davred in a hushed voice. 'Herra did something that ought to be impossible and we recorded it.

We have real proof at last.'

'We'll report the incident to Confex and let them decide if it was an illusion,' said Robler.

'Illusion!' exclaimed Davred. 'You know very well it was no illusion.'

'They won't believe it at Confex,' said Lenlin. 'I saw it happening and I still don't believe what I saw.'

'I believe it. And I also believe that this is the most important planet we’ve ever had under observation.' Davred turned to Robler. 'I wish to register my Commitment to Sunrise.' He hadn’t needed to think about it. He knew instinctively that it was the correct thing for him to do.

'You can't. You're too important to the Confederation.'

'Submit my application to Confex, Robler. It's not for you to approve or reject it. And start the tests. I shall pass them al easily. This planet is my destiny. I've known that since the day I arrived.'

'You're speaking like a primitive,' wailed Lenlin.

'Who was primitive today?' Davred countered, his eyes focused on other horizons. 'Could any citizen of the Confederation have done such things, for all our complex technology? I knew I was right to ask Herra to wear a tracer.'

He forgot Lenlin and turned back to his Exec. 'Robler, submit my application to Confex.'

'You'd better come to my office. There are things you should know before you take such a step.'

Davred sighed, but followed him. In the office he spoke first. 'I know what my potential is. I know why you postponed your retirement.'

'How? They tell no one.' Robler had only found out about his own near miss of being a CA by accident.

'I just know. Hints here and there. It's not hard to piece things together.'

'Then you must also know that I can't allow you to commit yourself to one planet. The Confederation has need of you.'

'It's my right.'

'I can override that right.'

'No, you can only delay my being granted permanent Title of Commitment.'

'Then I shall do that. You'll come to your senses after a while. You're bemused by those women.'

'I am indeed. And so should you be. I shall file another parallel report on the potential of Sunrise. And this time, they won't be able to deny the facts, because
we
recorded what Herra did.' He forgot his surroundings. 'It's like the magic the old Earth legends speak of. But this is real. We saw it! We recorded it!' He blinked and looked at the older man. 'As you must now record my application for Title of Commitment, Robler.'

Impatiently Davred went through the formal procedures, then vanished into his quarters to start researching the old tales of magic and sorcery. So little information on these was held in the satellite's library that he had to put in a special request to Central to send more material over the priority com-band. And that involved furnishing proof of the need for such expense. It was a while before he had finished. He completely forgot that he had arranged to join Lenlin in her quarters.

QUEST Shannah Jay 37

What with that, monitoring Herra and taking his normal stints of duty on watch, Davred was very busy for the next few weeks. Too busy to see much of Lenlin. Too busy to join in the normal social life of the satel ite. Once or twice he acceded to Lenlin's requests that they spend some time together. And at her pleading, he provided her with a frozen sample of his sperm so that she could later bear his child.

He did this without thinking of the child or caring about what would happen to Lenlin after she left the satellite. She was becoming a nuisance, and giving her the sperm was one way to stop her pestering him. Only because he had asked the com-system to remind him did he emerge from his room for her farewell party, and even then he was very absent-minded.

Watching them, Robler felt sorry for Lenlin, but most of all he felt angry that Davred was trying to throw his talents away on this unimportant planet. He was angry, too, that Davred was not on his way back to Central. He had recommended a transfer, though reluctantly, because that reflected badly on him, but it had been refused. The reason given was that a provisional Commitment would be one way of keeping Davred busy and happy for the next few years as his potential continued to develop.

Robler felt he had failed in his duty, and the thought galled him. He should have prevented Davred from growing too attached to this planet. Potential CAs didn't turn up often enough to waste one on a backward world like this.

The only safe thing would have been to send Davred back to Central with Lenlin, if necessary under stasis-restraint.

But Robler didn’t dare disobey orders. Nonetheless, he got a stasis cube out of stores, just in case. The cubes were sometimes used for preserving life in emergencies, such as an accident that destroyed a space drive, but they were also used occasionally for confining people who were disturbed enough to exhibit antisocial behaviour, just until they could be treated. When switched on, the cubes suspended the life of all living organisms within their radius, suspended it indefinitely, until someone turned the stasis off.