The Farseekers (2 page)

'It might be no more than gossip,' I said.

The Highlanders were simple, superstitious folk only too ready to gossip. Obernewtyn's unusual history made it an obvious subject for speculation. But this time, there might be substance to the rumours.

Ceirwan would know what had happened, since he had gone with Rushton. As guilden of the Farseekers, he would normally have reported at once to me, but Rushton's call for an immediate Guildmerge made that impossible.

I wondered if any of the guilds would use the unexpected meeting to make requests. I had had no time to prepare a submission since meeting with the Teknoguild, but Pavo would be at the meeting and might fill in the gaps. If Matthew were right, it was important to act quickly in case Rushton decided to suspend all expeditions.

I shivered. As ever in the mountains, there was a chilly underbite to the air and the old burn scars on my feet and lower legs ached. Roland had promised they would heal in time, but two years had passed and they still hurt at the first sign of cold weather.

My eyes went beyond the grey stone walls which surrounded Obernewtyn and its fields and farms, to the horizon and the jagged line of the Western Mountains separating us from the Highlands. Those mountains were our best protection, especially if soldier-guards did come to the Highlands. In winter, snows cut us off entirely and, even in the mildest season, the road to Obernewtyn was difficult. The mountains kept us safe, yet the sight of them never failed to disturb me in some deep, incomprehensible way.

Long ago, in one of his queer fits, Maruman had told me my destiny lay in the mountains. Battered and half-mad, the old cat had been my first friend and had followed me to Obernewtyn. Expecting a grim existence there, perhaps a horrible death, I had found Matthew, and Rushton, and learnt I was not alone in my mutant abilities. When Rushton had been given control of Obernewtyn over his half-wit stepbrother, who had been manipulated by Alexi and Madam Vega, I had taken his offer of refuge and stayed on. Madam Vega and Alexi had been killed in their battle to keep control of Obernewtyn, and Ariel had fled to his death in the bitter mountain winter. I could hardly recall Madam Vega's face or even Alexi's, but Ariel remained a vivid nightmare image. Of them all, his angelic beauty and a manipulative lust for power that hid behind his fairness were, for me, the epitome of all that was evil in the world. Fortunately, the muddle-headed and malleable Stephen Seraphim was the sole reminder of the usurpers. To my surprise, I had been happy at Obernewtyn. Apart from his periodic wandering, Maruman also made Obernewtyn his home.

Yet I had the sudden chill premonition that the long healing time of peace was drawing to an end.

'What is it?' Matthew asked.

'I was thinking of the past,' I said. 'Everything that happened in the caves with Alexi and Madam Vega, the Zebkrahn machine exploding, these . . .' I touched my scarred legs. 'It all seems like a dream now.'

Matthew nodded grimly. 'Tis easy to forget,' he said softly. 'But sometimes I dream of Ariel an' I. . .' He shook his head. 'I wish I had killed him. If he had nowt died in th' storm . . .'

I looked up, surprised at his vehemence.

When I had first met him, Matthew had been thin and frail looking with a limp and hungry, intelligent eyes. The limp had been long since healed with a reset bone, and Matthew now stood a head taller than I, with strong, wiry limbs. Ceirwan was convinced he was developing deepprobe ability, saying he often seemed to know our thoughts before we sent them. I had dismissed that, thinking it no more than the natural result of our closeness. But it might be so. There was so much about our abilities we did not yet understand.

Farseekers converse mind to mind over varying distances. I had thought myself the only farseeker able to deepprobe. Multi Talents were not uncommon among us, and Choice of a guild was based on the dominant ability. In rare cases, two abilities were of equal strength, and then Choosing came down to simple preference.

As if to confirm his ability to know my private thoughts, Matthew said, 'Maybe we should use this Guildmerge to raise th' matter of Zarak changin' guilds.'

Zarak was that rarity, a Misfit with two equal abilities - those of communicating with animals, beastspeaking, and farseeking. He had Chosen the Beasting Guild.

I shook my head decisively. 'Now is not the time. Besides I think the matter can be better resolved on a personal level. But something will have to be done soon, I agree. Zarak is proving to be a disturbing influence in the wrong guild.'

Matthew nodded fervently. 'Nowt that Lina isn't capable of gannin' up to mischief on her own, but Zarak . . .' He trailed off as we approached the front steps to Obernewtyn.

The new doors were less imposing than the old, being too plain to complement the ornate stone scrolling of the entrance. I had a fleeting memory of watching the original doors burn, and with them the concealed maps showing a route to the Oldtimer weapon machines. To the others, the burning had been simply the easiest way to get at the inlaid gold we had used to make arm bands for the guildmasters. That had been my suggestion, and Rushton had agreed. Perhaps my wounds had made him humour me. He had been very kind then, I thought pensively. These days he seemed distant and preoccupied.

As if conjured up by my thoughts, Rushton was waiting for us in the circular entrance hall.

He looked tired, and it was clear from his clothes he had not bothered to change. I felt a rush of gladness at the sight of him, for though Obernewtyn ran smoothly even in his absence, I never felt as safe as when he was there.

He met my look with an ambivalent stare. It was almost a challenge. Before I could speak, he sent Matthew to find someone from the Futuretell Guild, then he ushered me towards the Guildmerge, matching his steps to my own limping progress.

'What has happened?' I asked.

Rushton turned to look at me. The Council is showing a renewed interest in us. Two men were up in the Highlands asking questions about Obernewtyn.'

'You think they were from the Council?'

He shrugged angrily. 'I know nothing, except that I am tired of my ignorance. Do you remember when I went to Claim Obernewtyn in Sutrium?' he asked unexpectedly.

I remembered. Sutrium was the centre of Council activities. It had not been easy for him to convince us to wait for his return. Many had wanted to leave fearing this would lead to their capture and Burning. That we had chosen to wait had been an act of faith in Rushton. We had never regretted it.

'I remember,' I murmured.

'I thought the Council trusted me. Maybe I was wrong. With farseeker or coercer help, I could have made sure. Now it would be different.'

'Now?' I echoed.

Rushton looked at me, his green eyes glowing with sudden excitement, as if he had resolved some inner doubt. 'It's time we found out what the Council is up to. Time we made a move into their territory.'

'Sutrium?' I whispered.

'Sutrium,' Rushton said.

As usual, Guildmerge was held in the circular room which had once served as Alexi's experiment chamber. Only the bookshelves concealing the alcoves adjoining the central chamber and the enormous fireplace remained of the old laboratory where he and Madam Vega had pursued their researches.

The steep passage hidden behind the pivoting fireplace was now used only for easy transport of knots of firewood into the meeting hall in winter. Like other such passages at Obernewtyn, it was no longer a secret, although Lina was convinced the old buildings must be riddled with passages and was forever to be found tapping the walls and listening for telltale hollowness.

Obernewtyn's first master, the reclusive Lukas Seraphim, had been a morose and secretive man, and the great grey buildings reflected his personality.

Louis, who could still remember the man who had carved Obernewtyn out of the wilderness on what was then the very fringe of Blacklands, said he had possessed a mind that was as much a labyrinth as the greenthorn maze separating the main house from the farms.

Since Rushton had taken over, much of the buildings had been altered to provide better access to all parts of the rambling wings, and each guild had been allocated a certain section of Obernewtyn as its base. The chamber where Guildmerge sat had once been accessible only through a concealed panel in Madam Vega's chamber. The walls had since been knocked down and two broad doors installed.

Though cavernous, the domed meeting room was kept warm by the padded shelves of books on all sides, and an enormous fire. There was nothing in the room but a long trestle table and a number of chairs. I had seated myself near the fire, surreptitiously toasting my sore feet.

The buzz of talk was louder than usual, partly because of the abrupt way Rushton had called the meeting, and partly because it was a full Guildmerge, almost all wards and guildens as well as guildmasters were present. Even the irascible Garth was there looking impatient and bored.

On the other side of the table sat Ceirwan, still clad in riding clothes. I felt momentarily irritated by the Guildmerge rule restricting communication during meetings to the spoken word, but I did not try to reach him. Matthew returned and seated himself next to Dameon, opposite me. The blind Empath guildmaster smiled at me unerringly, sensing my attention. Empaths could read emotions the way farseekers read thoughts, though few were actually able to converse mentally. Some empaths, like Dameon, could also transmit emotion. The twin Empath guilden, Miky and Angina, sat beside him, deep in animated discussion.

Rushton had walked to the head of the table and was now talking to Domick, a fierce frown of concentration on his face. The Coercer ward responded quickly, stabbing his finger in the air for emphasis.

Next to them, Maryon sat staring into the distance, a slight smile on her lips. No one could mistake her for anything but a futureteller. She had come back with Matthew, but the seat beside her was empty. I wondered what was important enough to keep the Futuretell guilden, Christa, away. Roland was alone in representing his guild. This was not unusual. The healers put their patients before anything else. Next, and completing the table, were the Beasting Guild - Alad looking unusually grim.

I was conscious of an expectant atmosphere among us as Rushton began to speak, reminding us of the day we had taken over Obernewtyn, of the first Guildmerge and ending with our pledge to abolish the name of Misfit in the Land. He invited those with business to raise their hand. Traditionally, Rushton spoke last at Guild-merge. This meant that whatever had prompted the sudden Guildmerge must wait until all other matters had been dealt with. His eyes widened speculatively at my hand among those few to rise.

Alad rose to speak, again raising the need for animals to be represented on Guildmerge by one of their own. As before, no one could decide which animal should represent all animals, and whether the animals should propose their own candidate. The increasing dominance of the volatile younger horses' attitude was raised. With a hint of impatience, Rushton suggested the matter be passed on to the next Guildmerge.

The Beasting guildmaster frowned. 'This is the third time it's been put off. It's time we dealt with this once and for all.'

'It will be dealt with. Next time,' Rushton said tersely.

'The animals themselves requested a decision one way or the other. There will be trouble if it is left any longer,' Alad said coldly.

Rushton lifted his brows questioningly. 'Threats, Alad?'

The guildmaster shook his head. 'Just a warning, Rushton. They have the right.'

Rushton said nothing and Alad sat looking disgruntled and preoccupied. I was surprised at his persistence. Everyone knew it was only a matter of time until animals had a representative. That and rumours of trouble from the horses made me decide it was time I visited the farms again.

The Coercer Guild then proposed a competition, a contest of coercer skills, pitting one against another until a champion be announced. Master, guilden and ward would be excluded. This resulted in a heated discussion about the value of competitiveness. The Futuretell ward argued persuasively against it, saying it would produce anti-social and aggressive tendencies in an already aggressive guild.

'The aim of Obernewtyn is to have all minds working together for a common goal, not to isolate winners from losers and devalue those whose skills are less violent,' she said.

The Healer Guild was even more seriously opposed. Rushton interrupted what looked like erupting into an argument to suggest the coercers draw up a complete plan for their proposed tournament. This would then be voted on by a full Guildmerge.

He nodded to me and I stood. 'I request that the ban on Teknoguild expeditions be lifted.'

Rushton frowned. He did not like anyone to step outside the procedures which governed Guildmerge and made it work smoothly. 'This is a strange request for the Farseeker guildmistress to make, Elspeth,' he said. 'Surely it's up to Garth, especially since he graces us with his presence today.'

There was a titter of humour, since everyone knew of the Teknoguild master's reluctance to leave his laboratory. Garth scowled.

'This request concerns my guild,' I said quietly.

Rushton's eyes bored into mine. 'What interest could you have in the Teknoguild expeditions? If I recall, you were among those to vote for the ban.'

I took a deep breath. 'If the ban were lifted, I would propose a joint expedition.'

Rushton shook his head emphatically. 'If I refuse to let teknoguilders kill themselves roaming on poisoned Blackland fringes, I would hardly let farseekers replace them!' he said with impatient sarcasm.

The death toll among teknoguilders had always been high. The ban had been enforced after a disastrous Teknoguild expedition in which Henry Druid's people and the teknoguilders clashed over a newly discovered ruin on the Black fringes. The argument had ended in a mysterious explosion which killed most of both parties. Either the Druids, as Henry Druid's men named themselves, had deliberately set off a forbidden weapon, or some ancient device hidden in the ruins had been accidentally triggered. Either way there had been no further Teknoguild expeditions, and no more had been seen of Henry Druid or his followers.