“That’s right.”
“By knowing about the stars,” she added.
Rael shrugged. “Maybe if we knew about the people who live there, we might understand ourselves better.”
Worlds Like Ours Perhaps. Or Unlike Ours. That was what Boxx had said. “There are no stars on my side of the world,” Shann informed him.
Rael frowned. Somehow when he did so, he looked more mature, Shann mused. It was like watching someone turn from boy to man and then back again. “That can’t be right. Our world is round; it’s surrounded by stars on every side.”
“Well, I never saw them before I came here,” Shann affirmed.
“What does the sky look like on your side?”
“Well,” she began, “there is Ail-Gan, the yellow sun, and Ail-Kar, the white sun. They rise and fall with the days. But we also have Ail-Mazzoth, the red sun, our Mother. She stays fixed in the sky–she never leaves us.”
“You have another sun on your side?”
“That’s right.”
“Does the master know this?”
Shann’s mouth became a line. “Your ‘master’ doesn’t even believe I came here by ship.”
Rael was getting the same faraway look that Hannath had. “This could explain much. The master has long theorised that our world must orbit a given mass, but aside from our calculations, there was no evidence of it. Tell, me, what does that sun of yours look like?”
“It’s a dull red colour,” Shann said. “And it’s big–about ten times the size of Ail-Gan.”
“That would mean hotter. It would be hotter on your side.”
Shann nodded, “It’s cold here, much colder than anything I’ve ever known. And there’s this white powder that turns to water–”
“Snow,” Rael put in.
“I never saw anything like it,” she said.
Rael was becoming animated. “Your red sun…”
“Ail-Mazzoth,” she interjected.
“Yes.” He looked at her intently. “That’s the reason for the storm barrier.”
Shann was incredulous. “The Great Barrier of Storms is caused by Ail-Mazzoth?”
“Well, indirectly, yes.” He gestured, his long arms describing wide sweeps over the table. “A storm front is caused when a body of warm air comes into contact with a body of cold air. The red sun must constantly heat up the air on your side, so that when it meets up with the cold air from our side, it creates a continuous storm front between the two halves of the planet...”
Rael’s face suddenly fell. “What’s the matter?” Shann asked.
“The master,” Rael said. “I have to tell him my conclusions, but…but he left orders he was not to be disturbed.” Suddenly his expression brightened and he looked like a boy again. “The stars, Shann…”
“Yes?” she responded.
“How would you like to see them up close?”
<><><><><>
Chapter 4
Shann gasped. A diorama of dazzling diamond dust, scattered across a vast inky blackness, filled her vision. Delicate yet grandiose. Fear inspiring, yet seductive.
“There are so many,” she breathed.
Rael’s voice sounded in her ear. “Do you see the cloudy patch in the middle?” Shann nodded. “We call it a ‘nebula’. It’s where stars are born.”
“Born,” Shann sounded shocked. “You mean like people?”
Rael chuckled. He seemed to be enjoying himself. Shann noticed that his stammer had vanished. “Not really,” he said. “In a nebula, matter clumps together until it forms a star and starts to shine.” He tapped her on the shoulder. “Let me show you something else.”
Shann tore her gaze away from the eyepiece. Before her, an immense copper coloured tube, which Rael had informed her was called a ‘telescope’, extended through a gap in the ceiling. They were sitting in the high domed structure which Shann had observed when she and Byrdach had approached the building complex. At that time, she had speculated that it might be a throne room, occupied by some sort of local potentate, attended by his royal retinue. However, what she was seeing now was far more magnificent than any human ruler she could possibly imagine.
Shann relinquished her seat, allowing Rael to take her place. Pressing his eye to the lens, he began spinning a bronze coloured wheel. There was a deep whirring sound from beneath the floor and the room began to rotate. He spun another wheel and the great copper tube angled upwards. Stopping at a designated point, he locked the wheel. Then he climbed out of the seat and motioned for her to take his place.
She settled herself back into the seat and looked into the eyepiece once more. “It looks like…another nebula.”
“Actually,” Rael said, “we think it’s something a great deal larger and farther away. We call it a ‘galaxy’. You see it has spokes a bit like a cartwheel?”
“Uh-huh.”
“We think each of those spokes could contain many, many thousands of stars.”
“How do you know?” Shann asked in hushed tones.
“We take measurements–do calculations. To be honest, some of it is guesswork. I spend a lot of time here, making observations for the Master.”
“You must get lonely.” The words were spoken before Shann could stop them. She glanced sideways at him.
His long legs were stretched out in front of him and he was studying the hands that were folded in his lap as if they didn’t belong to him. “I…I am very happy here. Th–the Master is very good to me.”
The wonders she was glimpsing through the telescope were causing Shann to forget her objective; the reason she had allowed herself to be led here in the first place. Put the boy at ease. Get him to trust you. She turned to face him and quickly changed the subject. “I wonder if it would ever be possible to travel there–to visit the stars.”
He looked up and smiled at her once again. “Perhaps in time. The Master is building a vessel to take us into the space between the stars.”
“How could you ever get up that high?” she asked.
“We are going to use lodestone,” he replied.
Shann nodded. “You are going to use lodestone to push the vessel, and the vessel to pull the lodestone.”
Rael’s mouth opened and his eyes grew wide. “H–how could you possibly know that? It’s a closely guarded secret.”
“Because it’s the same method we used to traverse the Great Barrier of Storms.”
“Really.” Rael sounded incredulous. “Did you tell Hannath that?”
Shann’s laugh was tinged with irony. “I never got that far. When I tried to tell him we came by ship, he concluded that I must have had a bump on the head. Do you know who Tallia is?”
“She’s the local physician. Why do you ask?”
“Because he’s asked her to visit me, to see whether I’m crazy.”
Rael glanced over at the doors to the observatory. The two blue coated sentinels had followed her discreetly and now stood watch outside–a silent reminder that she was a prisoner rather than a guest. Rael looked down at his lap once more and his voice became quiet. “I’m truly sorry for the way you’ve been treated, Shann.”
This was it. He had reached the place to which she had been carefully leading him. Now was her chance. She lowered her voice to match his. “Rael, do you know why me and my friends came here?”
“The Master said something about a…a destructive device,” he replied.
Best not mention the woman from the past–I don’t want him thinking I really am crazy. “The place where I live is ruled over by a ‘Prophet’. We…discovered that he is building a machine to destroy the Kelanni.”
“What sort of a machine?”
“I’m not sure,” Shann replied. “All I know is that it requires large amounts of lodestone.”
“Lodestone. How would that work?”
“I don’t know,” she said, “but there is a device here on your side that has the power to render his machine harmless. I must find it, and I must find my friends. Will you help me?”
“Rael, do you know where they have hidden Boxx?”
“You mean your Chandara?”
“Yes,” she pressed. “I need it to help me find the device. Besides, Chandara are odd, but they are not animals. It doesn’t deserve to be in a cage.”
“Not everyone here in Kieroth would agree with you. However, Hannath and I are not among them–although I think Hannath’s interest is mostly intellectual. The chance to speak with one of the first ones and learn from it.”
Good luck trying to make sense out of it, she thought wryly. However, she asked, “And how about you?”
“I…I suppose I don’t like to see anything mistreated.” He looked up at her and then back at his lap. “Or anyone.”
“Where are they holding Boxx?” she repeated.
“Y-you can’t free it on your own, Shann.”
Her eyes flashed. “I could if I had my staff.”
“You mean the weapon you used to fight the drach?” He acknowledged her puzzled look and indicated the doors, with a movement of his head.
“I didn’t ‘fight’ them. They had Boxx trapped. I was only defending myself,” she protested.
“I believe you,” he said.
Her hazel eyes pinned him like an insect. “You know where my staff is, don’t you?”
He looked down at his lap again. “I…don’t want to see you hurt.”
“But–”
“No, Shann.” Shann was knocked back by the vehemence of his reply. It was all the more shocking because it was so unexpected. Then, just as suddenly, it was past, like a spring thunderstorm. “H-Hannath says he will get your Chandara freed. Please, Shann, give him a chance. Once he understands why you are here, he may be able to help. And…I will d-do everything I can to help you too, I promise.” He reached inside his tan jacket and brought forth a round object. It made a soft rhythmic sound, as if it were alive. “It’s late,” he announced. “I will see whether Meira has a room ready for you.”
As she followed him toward the doors, she turned to take a last look at the magnificent observatory, with its telescope pointed at the heavens. But it was not the wonders of the night sky in this world that filled her thoughts. It was the far more wondrous revelation of a boy suddenly blossoming forth the traits of a man.
~
The following morning, two things happened. The first was that the drach, her blue coated guardians with their odd silver staff weapons, were gone. Shann stuck her head out of the room where Meira, the plump housekeeper, had led her the previous night, and looked this way and that, but there was no one to be seen.
The aroma of cooked food wafted up from downstairs. Maybe they’re having breakfast, she thought idly, although that did seem something of a dereliction of duty, what with there being a dangerous girl in the house and all. However, when she followed her nose and arrived at the kitchen, there was still no sign of them. Meira was fussing as usual, but seemed pleased to see her. Soon she was enjoying a bowl of thick porridge made with an interesting variety of grains.
She was just cleaning the last of the bowl’s contents when Rael poked his head around the door, just as he had the previous day. On catching sight of her, he instantly cast his eyes down at the floor; clearly his diffidence had returned. Shann had an odd feeling of disappointment. “Hannath s-sent me to find you. He would like to see you. If…you’re ready.”
“Very well.” She rose from the table like a miniature queen. Rael stepped out of the way, his head still bowed as if he were a subservient courtier, and led the way to the sitting room where her first encounter with Hannath had taken place. The old man was standing, poring over a table stacked high with books and next to him…
“Boxx!” Shann ran to the Chandara, knelt down and flung her arms around it. Boxx made a slight squealing sound, but otherwise did not protest. Hannath seemed mildly irritated by the disturbance. Rael was still looking down at the floor. She held the creature at arm’s length, as if checking the evidence of her eyes. “Did they treat you all right?”
“I Was In A Cage,” it answered. “It Was Cold. I Was…Afraid.”
Shann’s eyes flashed at Hannath. She could not decide whether to thank him or yell at him. In the end, she chose to get straight to the point. “We have to leave here. I have to find my friends and the device needed to disable the Prophet’s weapon.”
The machines lining the wood panelled walls continued their private ticking and whirring, oblivious of her presence. Hannath, too, appeared not to hear her. “Rael tells me you claim there is a third sun on your side of the world.”
“Claim? No, I don’t claim Ail-Mazzoth is there. It just is. Look, none of that is important right now. What’s important is getting the device and stopping the Prophet. I have to do that. I can’t stay here.”
“Wh-where would you go?” It was the voice of Rael from behind her.
Shann was pulled up short. She had to admit that she had not thought that far ahead. “I would go talk to people. Question them; see if anyone had seen my friends…” If they survived the barrier. She still could not bring herself to vocalise that thought. Not yet.
“M-most people here don’t speak Old Kelanni, Shann,” Rael reasoned. “A few know it, but most do not. You might get a similar reaction to when you first arrived in Kieroth.”
Shann felt a growing sense of frustration. “I can’t just sit here. I have to do something.”
“You will stay here,” Hannath ruled. “Rael will make enquiries about your friends. Now, tell me, how large is your red sun?
Shann stood up and faced Hannath, her nose in the air. “Are you saying you believe me now?”
She heard Rael’s voice behind her once again. “P-please, Shann. Hannath is trying to help you.”
Shann looked down at Boxx. The creature, with its segmented shell and round head, looked up at her expectantly. She found Hannath irritating beyond belief, but in the matter of setting the Chandara free, he had been as good as his word. There seemed little to be gained by letting her annoyance show. She sighed. “I don’t know…Ail-Mazzoth is big, several times bigger than either Ail-Gan or Ail-Kar.”
“And you say it does not move in your sky?” Hannath asked.
Shann recalled Lyall’s explanation when they were travelling across the Eastern Plains. “If you move a considerable distance, then the red sun appears to have moved in the opposite direction.”
“Tidal lock,” said Rael.
Hannath nodded. “Yes, yes, that much is obvious.”
“It would seem to confirm your theory, Master,” the boy continued.
“What’s a ‘tidal lock’?” Shann asked.
Rael came and stood beside her, as if offering her support. “If a planet or another body is close enough to a sun, then the sun ‘grabs’ onto it, so that it will revolve around the sun, but the planet will always keep the same face towards it. Our planet–our world revolves around your red sun, with your side always facing it. That’s why the red sun appears motionless in your sky.”
Hannath appeared preoccupied with his own thoughts. “What is the mean surface air temperature on your side?” Shann looked at him uncomprehendingly.
“She had never seen snow before,” Rael reminded him. Hannath seemed lost in thought. “The temperature differential would be what creates the storm barrier,” Rael prompted.
Hannath roused himself. “Speculation, Rael. A scientist records data and then verifies or falsifies a theory by experimentation.”
Rael cast his eyes downward once more. “Yes, Master.”
Hannath turned to Shann “Your Chandara speaks of a key. It says it will only speak the key to one called Keris.”
Shann nodded. “Keris is one of our group.”
“Why will it only speak the key to him?” Hannath demanded.
“Her,” Shann corrected. “I think it’s because the Chandara first connected with her when they brought her to their
Great Tree.”
“Has it spoken the key before?” Hannath asked.
“Once,” Shann said.
“What did it say?” he pressed.
“I don’t know. It was gibberish.” Shann struggled to recall the events following their flight from Gort in the Great Southern Desert. “…numbers. It spoke a string of numbers.”
“Numbers?” Hannath sounded shocked. “What were they?”
“I…I don’t remember,” Shann was growing irritated at Hannath again. “One, two, three–just numbers.”
The old man looked at Rael. “Numbers are your speciality, boy.”
“Y-yes Master, but without knowing the progression…”
Hannath addressed Boxx. “Chandara, you will tell me what this key is, now.”
Boxx raised its head. Its tiny eyes were an unfathomable black. “No.”
Shann stepped in front of the creature protectively. “Stop bullying it.”
Hannath was unapologetic. “You said it yourself; we have to know what this key of yours is. Your friend Keris is lost–you don’t even know if she and the others made it to this side.”
Shann’s arms were rigid at her sides and her hands were little fists. “I don’t care about that. You people already stuck it in a cage once. I won’t see you continue to mistreat it.”
“It Is The Key.” All eyes turned to Boxx. The creature was moving its head from side to side excitedly.
“What does it mean by that?” Hannath demanded.
“How should I know?” Shann said.
Hannath seemed to come to a decision. “Rael, I am putting you in charge of this matter. You are to find this Keris, if possible, and get the Chandara to talk. Report your findings to me. Make sure it and the girl stay out of trouble.” He turned away and began scanning a bookshelf, lost once again in his own private world.
“Yes Master.” Rael turned and signalled with his eyes for Shann and Boxx to follow. As they reached the door, they heard Hannath’s voice behind them once more.
“And keep the girl away from the launch site.”
<><><><><>
Chapter 5
For the first time since that rain-soaked night when she had made her escape from Corte, Shann’s life settled into a routine. Reluctantly, she had been forced to admit that Rael was right–charging about the countryside looking for someone, when you couldn’t even speak the language properly, didn’t make a lot of sense. Boxx was safe, and although she still did not have Saccath’s staff back, it was clear that Rael knew where it was. She was sure she could get it from him when the time came. So in the meantime, Shann applied herself diligently to learning the language of the people of Kelanni-Skell.
The Lodestone Trilogy (Limited Edition) (The Lodestone Series) Page 38