The Lodestone Trilogy (Limited Edition) (The Lodestone Series) (133 page)

She braced herself for a dismissive or a sarcastic remark from Keris, but the other woman merely turned and marched off in the direction of the ridge where she and Lyall had walked together the previous evening. Shann hurried to catch up.

The suns were fully up, though their feeble warmth barely took the edge off the gelid morning air. The two women walked side by side, the silence broken only by occasional cries from the four-winged black-and-white-patterned birds that circled lazily overhead.

Shann’s relationship with the former Keltar had changed; there was no denying that. Once an object of resentment and suspicion, she now viewed the older woman with respect—even sympathy. Yet in a very real sense, they were as far apart as ever. Keris wore the discipline and the precepts of her training much as she wore the flying cloak. It enveloped her, protected her, governed her every thought and action. But it was also a barrier—a high wall that cut her off from contact with her own race. The only real connection she had made was to the Chandara, Boxx. Now it was gone. Shann had no idea how to help her.

Without warning, the older woman stepped in front of her, forcing her to stop. Her voice was a thrown-down challenge. “All right. Let’s settle this.”

Shann frowned. “Settle what?”

“The question of who is in charge now.”

Shann was momentarily confused. “Lyall is in charge.”

“Not any more. He’s gone, and I don’t think he’ll be coming back. We’re on our own.”

Shann shook her head vigorously. “No, you’re wrong. Lyall wouldn’t do that.”

“Don’t be na•ve, Shann. Why do you think he took the four components with him?”

“Well, Annata told us that they would have to be destroyed as soon as they had been used. Lyall must have taken them in order to do just that. He’ll be back when he’s through.”

“Are you saying he didn’t trust the rest of us to go through with it?”

Shann tore her eyes away from the other woman’s searching gaze. “I don’t know. Maybe.”

“If that was his intention, then he would have left word of what he was doing. A note. Something. No, the fact that he’s gone and taken the components with him says everything.” Keris let out a long sigh. “I should have foreseen this. His guilt over what happened eleven turns ago. The unknown fate of his sister. That deep-seated martyr complex of his. It’s my fault this has happened.”

Shann stared into empty space. “No, it’s mine.” Keris looked at her strangely. “Last night he told me he was going away.”

“And you didn’t tell anyone?”

Shann withered beneath the force of the rebuke. “I... I didn’t understand. I thought he was talking about the future for all of us.” Yet that was not entirely true. All of the pieces had been there, like sections of a garment, requiring but a single thread, but something within her had refused to weave them together.
A chance to redeem myself
. In her heart, she had known that he was speaking of his lost sister, Aune. But when she asked him about it, he merely smiled enigmatically and placed an arm about her shoulder once more, swelling her heart and willing her to silence.
Trust.
Lyall was the father she never had.
Betrayal?
It was unthinkable.

The fire in Keris’s eyes finally flickered and went out. “Well, it’s done now. We have to move on from here.”

Shann did not feel like moving on. Her legs were feeble stalks. All she wanted to do was to flop down on the unforgiving granite and sob her heart out until the pain went away. “I won’t fight you. I will accept your leadership, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

Keris shook her head. “You misunderstand. I say it is you who must lead us now.”

Shann swallowed. “
Me?
But... I wouldn’t know what to do. Besides, you have vastly greater ability and experience than I.”

“Perhaps. But those are not the qualities that the others need right now. They need someone who they can follow—someone who inspires trust. They need you.”

Shann’s mind felt slow. Foggy. Mired in a swamp of impossibilities. Boxx was dead. Lyall was gone, and with him the four components of Annata’s instrument. Now this. It was more than she could take in. She turned away so that the other woman would not see the tears filling her eyes. “I can’t... I’m sorry.”

Without warning Keris stepped in front of her once more, drew back her hand, and struck Shann full across the face.

Shann staggered backwards—one hand clutching her injured cheek, the other moving instinctively towards her staff. “Are you crazy? What are you doing?”

Keris advanced on her. Her eyes flashed like twin daggers. “
Get a grip on yourself.
This is no time to wallow in selfish indulgence. There is a man out there in possession of an instrument more powerful—more destructive than anything this world has ever seen. And he is about to hand it over to a beaten enemy who is desperate for revenge. The four of us are the only ones who have a chance of stopping him.”

The terrible truth of what she was saying washed over Shann like a tidal wave. Her legs finally gave way and she sagged to her knees. “I can’t... I can’t do what you’re asking. I can’t fight Lyall.”

Keris dropped to one knee next to her. Her voice became soft, yet with the same note of urgency. “You must. You have to beat him. It’s the only way to help him—the only way to save him.” Her head bowed. “I suspect he always knew that it would come down to this.”

Shann rubbed her eyes. “What do you mean by that?”

“One of Lyall’s strengths is that he has an intuitive understanding of people. When I first met him, I was convinced that his judgment was impaired. He had allied himself with an entertainer and a scullery maid. His choices seemed fatally flawed. Yet Alondo, for all his childish humour and lack of stamina, is a brilliant engineer and a constant morale booster. I think Lyall saw in you the qualities of someone who would one day succeed him. A moment ago back at the camp, when Alondo and Rael looked to you for support—for guidance—you gave it. Instinctively.”

“I was only trying to help.”

“But that’s the whole point,” Keris persisted. “It’s a part of who and what you are. The others see that. That’s why they have implicit faith in you. You mustn’t let them down.” She stood and proffered a hand. Shann took it uncertainly. Keris pulled the girl to her feet and bowed formally. “I offer my skills and counsel—my tactical training— in your support. In addition, I pledge myself as your protector. Anyone who wishes to get to you will have to come through me.”

Shann’s throat constricted. “All right. I... I think we should conduct
hariath-sharana.
For Boxx and for Susan Gilmer.”

Keris shook her head firmly. “That can wait. First we have to try and intercept Lyall before he can reach the Prophet. We don’t have much time. The others can wait here. You and I should leave immediately.”

“No.”

Keris blinked. “Excuse me?”

The fire in her cheek subsided, leaving behind a cold determination. “We need to cover all eventualities. I agree we should try to ensure that the four components never leave this island. But we need a backup in case that plan fails. I will go after Lyall and I will take Rael with me.”

“The boy? Why?”

“Because aside from Annata’s Reach, the only other way off the island is one of the hu-man avionics, and Rael and I are the only ones who can pilot one. Also, he knows more about the components than anyone else. I want you to take the others and sail the Reach back to Kieroth. If we should fail, then it will be up to you. Warn the people of this world. Then use their Diametric Drive to return across the Sea of Storms and organise a resistance on our side.”

Keris nodded gravely. “The tactic is sound. Nevertheless, I would prefer to be coming with you. Are you certain that you can face Lyall on your own?”

Shann smiled faintly. “I will not be on my own. I will try to talk to him first—persuade him to turn over the components.”

“And if he refuses?”

“Then I will do what I must.”

For a long moment Keris’s eyes locked with hers, as if she were testing the veracity of the girl’s statement. Finally she spoke. “Lyall chose well.”

It was Shann who turned and led the way back to camp. “I trust you to get the others back to safety and to take up the task of wresting the components from Wang, if it should come to that.”

The other woman’s voice was a steel whip. “My oath on it.”

~

Shann’s nostrils caught the heady whiff of ozone long before the sea hauled into view. The natural path they were travelling on was the most direct route to the inlet that Lafontaine called Qiberon Bay. The name rolled awkwardly around her tongue. Lafontaine explained that he had named it after a section of coastline on his native world—a place called France.

Her mind went back to that first night at the observatory, when she had viewed the stars up close through the huge copper-coloured telescope. It seemed impossible to believe that on one of those tiny points of light, there was another world with an ocean just like theirs, waves soughing in gentle rhythm against an unknown shore. How many Qiberon bays were spread across the unfathomable vastness of the sky? A dozen? A hundred? A thousand? If she lived until the end of time, could she ever visit them all?

When they had arrived back at camp, the fire had been rekindled. The two men hunched next to it rose to their feet expectantly. Shann braced herself, then noticed that she was drawing some odd glances. In a flash, she realised that the others were looking at her swollen cheek. Her fingers probed the tender spot and she winced. Keris had not pulled her punch. However, Shann did not feel resentment. It served as the wake-up call she needed, and her mind felt clearer than at any time she could remember.

She stood side by side with Keris and broke the news that the four components of Annata’s instrument were missing along with Lyall. She watched Alondo anxiously.

His sunny disposition disappeared behind a thunderhead. The two men had been together since childhood. Now his friend had chosen to strike out on a path of his own—one that could very well lead to disaster for all of them.
He’s going to need a lot of support and reassurance in the days to come
.
Lyall, how could you do this?

Rael appeared grave. “This is bad. Very bad.”

Alondo closed his eyes. “Hang on. I thought that the components were linked to individuals: you, me, Keris, and Rael. That was the whole purpose of our being tested at the Dais. What good would the components be without the four of us to operate them?”

“I don’t think it’s that simple,” Keris replied. “At Kynedyr, Annata said that the components had to be destroyed as soon as they had been used because they were too dangerous for any one person to control. She wouldn’t have said that unless the danger was real.”

“I agree,” Rael said. “The Dais somehow linked each of the components to the biometric data of those of us who passed the tests. But those safeguards can probably be fooled or bypassed by someone with a comparable level of technology. The good news is that it would probably take a while to make the necessary adjustments. That should buy us some time. Although maybe not much.”

Rael had expressed surprise at her choice to take him along in the search for Lyall. She explained her reasons pragmatically and he nodded his understanding, but there was a note of pure pleasure in his acceptance that she found unsettling. She did her best to ignore it.

Shann suggested that their initial goal should be the clifftop they had observed on their approach to Qiberon Bay. It would likely afford a panoramic view of the island and might give a clue as to where Wang and the other hu-mans might be. Lyall had a clear head start, but there was no reason to think that he had any more idea than they did about where the hu-mans were holed up. The clifftop and the bay lay in the same direction, so although their goals were different, their paths coincided—for a while at least.

Shann led the way with Keris at her side. The tall woman had fashioned a papoose from a section of awning and carried the Chandara’s remains on her back. No one interfered or offered to relieve her; it was as if it were a sacred observance that only she could perform.

As the morning wore on, Alondo became noticeably withdrawn. Shann tracked back and took up a position alongside him. “How are you doing?”