The Lodestone Trilogy (Limited Edition) (The Lodestone Series) (13 page)

“The Prophet must not discover what you are doing, or all will be lost. Nor must he learn of the Chandaras’ involvement. They are taking an enormous risk by helping us. We owe them a great debt.

“When you reach the other side, I will explain more about the key. If anything goes wrong, seek out the Chandara on that side and they will aid you. They can also direct you to where the instrument that you will need to use to disarm the weapon lies. However, there is one thing you must know. The instrument itself is very dangerous. You must not allow–”

The holographic image suddenly fizzled and went out. Keris stared into the now silent machine.
Could it be true? Was the Prophet truly trying to destroy the Kelanni?
The woman from the past must be dead now, she realised; her bones long since turned to dust. Yet everything she had said made so much sense. She thought of those who had died– who would yet die. He had to be stopped. She needed time to think. First though, she needed to get to Gort.
Or there will be more innocent deaths.

The Chandara holding the staff
spoke up.

“You Have Seen Before. Now You Must Leave.” He turned to the other Chandara on her left. “This Is Boxx. Boxx Is The Key. Boxx Must Go With Keris. For All Kelanni.”

The Chandara crowded in the chamber were watching her expectantly. She raised her head.

“I am ready.”

The Chandara on the right picked up the little machine and handed it ceremoniously to Boxx. Boxx waddled to a side entrance, Chandara clearing a path either side. Keris followed, ducking once more as she exited the large chamber. Another narrow path led down the inside of the Great Tree.

After a short while, Boxx led her into an anteroom. There was another table rising up from the floor on which her clothes were neatly folded, with her cloak lying on top and her pouch of lodestones beside them. Her clothes appeared to have been cleaned and mended and she was surprised to see her diamond bladed staff propped up in the corner. The Chandara must have retrieved it from the top of the pass, but how had they known she had been there? Had they been watching her?

She dismissed the thought and got dressed. Boxx stowed the contraption in a pack which it fixed to its back. The creature then led her back out into the passage and down a short way until it opened up into another large area. Sunlight was streaming through an archway at one end. They walked through and Keris found herself at the base of the Great Tree.

The gnarled trunk stretched away left and right and upwards to the very heavens. Orange, yellow and purple moss clung to its bark and red leaved vines wound around its lower limbs and spurs, lending it a festive appearance. Massive roots broke though the rich forest loam, before diving beneath it in search of hidden wellsprings. It was ancient; how ancient, Keris could not even guess. She saw Boxx regarding the Great Tree wistfully.

“The Great Tree; My Home.”

Keris turned, heading off across the dappled sunlight of the forest floor.

After a moment, Boxx dropped to all sixes, and trotted off after her.

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Chapter 8

Light was fading from the sky; casting sprays of orange and ruby red to merge with Ail-Mazzoth’s sullen crimson glow. The smouldering hues infused the trees with a lurid radiance, making it seem as if the forest were ablaze. The Chandara did not seem to use names, but she had learned that Kelanni of ancient times had called it Illaryon. The name was vaguely familiar; it lay to the west of Chalimar and its dependent towns.

They were camped at the edge of the trees. Keris was seated on the ground, with her legs tucked under her. She was still wearing her cloak. Boxx was carrying a quantity of fruits in its pack, which Keris had supplemented from what she could find. She had not felt so well fed and rested for a long time. But she had found that there was a price to be paid.

She was used to being alone, to working alone. She had learned to rely on herself ever since her parents had left her at the Dagmar manse. As a worker on the estate, and later at the Keep and during her training as Keltar, she had concluded time and again, that the only person you could truly depend on was yourself. Oh, there were always people who would show an interest in you; who would listen sympathetically; who would even declare their wish to become your friend. But ultimately, it always came down to the fact that they wanted something from you.
Everyone has their own agenda.

That is not to say that she was a loner. There were those at the keep that she regarded as friends. But she kept them at a certain arm’s length. When it came to the important things of life, and especially when it came to her work as Keltar, Keris preferred to work alone. That way she could analyse, plan and find solutions without distractions. Distractions like Boxx.

It was like travelling with a small child. She had learned that Boxx was old. It did not even seem to know its age. “I Am More Than One Zero Zero Zero Zero Zero Zero Zero Turns,” it had stated proudly. Keris put it together in her head. That would be more than ten million turns. The woman from the past, Annata, had mentioned that the Chandara were long lived, but even Keris knew that was ridiculous. Nothing could possibly live that long.

“You can’t be ten million turns,” she replied dismissively. “You must have got the number wrong.”

“The Number Is Correct, Keris,” Boxx insisted.

It occurred to her that maybe the creature was senile.
Wonderful. I now have a senile companion.
However old it was, it was evident that it had never been beyond its tree home.

“How Old Are You?...Where Do You Live?...What Is A Keep?...Why Do You Carry That Branch?”

Keris felt as if she were on a school field trip. She tried to answer as best she could, but she felt her patience was being tested to the limit.

“What Is A Female?” The beast seemed puzzled when she didn’t answer.

However, it was not its incessant curiosity that was the problem, but rather its speed. It was capable of trotting along at a fair pace; it was just that she could travel much faster using the cloak. She was not sure exactly how much time she had lost while recuperating at the Great Tree, but she knew that if she were to make it to Gort in time to intervene, then time was of the essence.

Thus Keris was faced with two difficult decisions. The first was easy to make, but difficult to execute. The second would be difficult to make, but easy to execute.

She began with the first. Raising the back of her hand to her mouth, she spoke into her Ring. “Keris.”

There was a long pause. Finally, the Ring responded with an emerald glow.
“Is it you, Keris? You haven’t reported for two days. What happened?”

Well, that answered one question. She had lost two days. Time enough to overtake the other three and make it to Gort first, if she didn’t delay. First though, she needed to conceal her true intentions.

Keris was not comfortable with deception. For one thing, lying had always been contrary to the precepts of the Three. It was quite different to posing as a diamond merchant at the Silver Flagon. That had been no more than play acting. It had even been amusing in its own way. Now she was going to have to play false to Mordal. Whatever else he was, he was also her mentor; the man who had guided and supported her; who had made her the person she was today. In a very real sense, she owed everything to him.
And now I am about to betray him.

“My apologies, Mordal, I was…attacked by a perridon.”

“By the Three, are you all right?”

“I…was injured, but I am fine now.”

There was another pause.
“I think you should return to the Keep, Keris. The fortress has been alerted to expect an attempt to free the tributes at the compound and the garrison there has been reinforced. There is no need for you to put yourself at further risk. Are you able to make the journey back here unaided?”

She was prepared for this. “Mordal, there is no need to be concerned. I suffered a mishap, but I assure you I am quite well. I ask that I be allowed to complete my assignment.”

It was a critical juncture. If he insisted that she return, then she would be faced with a tough choice: obey the command to return and allow the party of three to fall into the trap Mordal had set, or disobey and show her hand, thereby becoming a fugitive herself. However, she knew that Mordal had come to trust her instincts. She hoped it would be enough to buy her the time she needed.

An eternity passed, before she saw the Ring’s green radiance.

“I should know by now not to underestimate your determination, shouldn’t I? Very well, but I want you to keep in regular contact. I will Ring the garrison commander at Gort and tell him to give you any assistance you require. I want the impostor apprehended and you back at the keep as soon as possible. Understood?”

“Understood.”

“And Keris?”

“Yes?”

“Be careful.”

“I will. Thank you.”

She glanced over at Boxx. It sat opposite, watching her with bead like eyes and an odd quirk at the side of its mouth, but for once it didn’t say anything.

It was time to carry out her second decision. Keris made preparations to bed down for the night, wrapping her cloak around her. Boxx followed suit, rolling up into a ball, so that only its carapace was visible.

She waited a long time. Whooping and chirruping sounds came filtering out of the flaming forest at odd intervals, as nocturnal creatures hunted and fled and ate or were eaten. The round shell that was Boxx did not move. She had no way of knowing whether it was asleep. In truth, she did not even know whether Chandara needed sleep or not.

She rose without a sound, and moved stealthily away from the tree line. Boxx did not stir. A line of hills rose to the east and south, silhouetted against the dark crimson sky. Beyond was the road south to Gort. She touched her cloak control, seeking the familiar push of lodestone
. There, to the left and behind.

Keris leaped and flared her cloak and was gone.

~

Doubt.
It was not a feeling to which Keris was accustomed. Her decisions were born from a sea of careful planning. Effects were carefully considered; consequences assessed; contingencies met. Thus when action resulted it flowed naturally, unfettered by hesitation.

Thus it was that she knew her decision to desert the Chandara was unquestionably the right one.
Objective–deliver the three fugitives from the trap set for them at Gort.
To be certain of achieving that objective she would have to arrive before they did. That meant travelling as fast as was possible. The Chandara would only slow her down. It was also a forest dweller, so she had no idea whether it would be able to survive in the desert. She was probably doing it a favour by leaving it behind.

Most likely the beast would return to the Great Tree once it realised it was alone. That was the only home it had ever known. There was a possibility that it might try to follow her, she supposed, but she planned to be far away by morning–farther than it would possibly be able to track. Eventually it would give up and go home.

The woman from the past had said something about it being a “key.” Keris did not know what that meant exactly, but if it proved to be important she could return here. No, there could be no question, no doubt; this decision was the correct one.
Why then did it feel so wrong?

Perhaps you still haven’t recovered from that bump on the head?
Keris smiled inwardly, but somehow it didn’t make her feel any better. She was sailing up and over a patch of loose scree. She felt herself passing over a strong deposit to her right. Blipping her bronze layer to brake slightly, she twisted in the air to give maximum push to her left. She soared up the hillside and landed in a crouched position. Looking up, she saw she was near the top of the rise. In a moment, she would reach the crest and start down the other side. From there it would be a simple matter to meet up with the road heading south.

A movement caught her eye. A dark shape passed over Ail-Mazzoth’s angry face, like a presage of danger.
Perridon.
Whether it was the same one that had taken her earlier or another, she couldn’t be sure. She felt the reassuring haft of her diamond bladed staff as her eyes tracked the great bird. She watched as it gained height, heading west.
Towards the forest of Illaryon. Towards Boxx.