by Shannah Jay
'Shut up, Jonner! You complain too much.' Benjan knelt in front of Herra. 'If you wish to bathe, lady, then I can carry you to the pool.'
'I'd rather try to walk, if you don't mind lending me your support, Benjan. I couldn't manage on my own yet, but I think walking will help me to recover more quickly.'
'Recover from what, lady? Are you sure that they did nothing to harm you?'
'It's just the effects of speaking to the High Council, as Narla will tell you. They're not - not easy to reach.'
She sat there, mouth half-open as if a novel idea had just struck her. 'Yes. That's probably it.' But she made no effort to explain her words to the others.
Benjan was not to be mollified so easily. 'If that's what it does to you, they ask too much of you, lady.'
'I can't refuse. We need to communicate with them so that we can find out how to continue our Quest.'
She rubbed her eyes and sighed wearily. Benjan's lips tightened. It went against the grain to see his lady suffering like this. Herra noticed his expression and shook her head, as if to clear the mists. 'Come now, help me up! You people may be tired of bathing, but I find it helps.'
Once in the pool, Herra seemed to recover some of her strength. She splashed about, as if enjoying herself, but managed at the same time to have a quiet word with Katia, Davred and Benjan.
'Keep smiling, Katia. And splashing. I don't want any of the SS'Habi to hear us. I don't know how acute their hearing is, but I'm hoping they won't be able to hear us while we're in the water.'
Katia managed a laugh and began to scoop up the water and let it trickle from her hands, as if playing.
'We shall need to escape from Dsheresh Vale, dear child. I don't think the deleff allow anyone to return to the Twelve Claims.'
Katia dived below the water and came up at the other side of Herra. 'How can we get away, though, Elder Sister? When we pass through those portals, we become unconscious, even you.' She tossed her heavy mane of wet dark curls back from her brow, frowning in thought.
' Keep smiling! I don't know how yet, dear child, but our Brother will show us a path. He cannot mean us to stay here. We must continue the Quest, rescue the children and defeat Those of the Serpent.'
They both fell silent at the memories that brought back. Several years previously, on the night Katia had been chosen as a Sister-Elect, two children had been born to the Lords Claimant of Setheron and Peneron.
Their mothers had been killed immediately afterwards by Those of the Serpent but, warned by Davred who was observing from the satellite, the Sisters had managed to rescue the infants.
That same night, Herra had made the most important prophecy of her lifetime, foretelling that another Manifestation of the God (which turned out to be Davred) would come down to the planet to help them in their struggle against Those of the Serpent. She had also prophesied that the struggle against Discord and the Quest for Wisdom would one day continue on other planets - though at that time, the Sisters knew nothing of the Galactic Confederation and the many other inhabited worlds. Since then, many things had happened, but when the time came for them to flee from Temple Tenebrak, Herra had told them that the children were still safe, and that part of the present stage of the Quest would be to find them and guide their development.
'Are the children so very important, then?' Katia asked between splashes.
'Yes. Though how, I'm not sure. They're destined to marry each other and, with your children, will add vital elements to the Prime Lines.'
She thought about the long centuries the Sisterhood had spent encouraging certain marriages which were more likely to produce children with the very special Gifts that enabled them to serve the God. At one time, long ago, both men and women had served in the temples, but then, during one Age of Discord, there had been conflict between the men and women of the temple communities. It was thought that the novices' close proximity to one another during the period of developing sexuality had distracted them from the careful study and assiduous practice necessary to develop their Gifts. Also, the fact that men's Gifts developed much later than women's had caused further antagonism.
It had therefore been decided that men and women should no longer serve together in the temples. From then on, boys with special Gifts had been named instead as future Elders of the villages and towns, together with those girls who carried the Gifts in a latent manner. It was surprising how often such people married each other, though, and their daughters seemed to be chosen more often than other people's.
Believing that the time had now come for men and women to join together fully in the Quest, Herra had recently renamed their small group the Kindred of the God and had chosen Benjan as the first Kinsman. 'Well, we must now decide how to continue our Quest,' she said aloud.
'Teach us, Elder Sister,' said Katia, using the formal speech of the temple.
'Those who listen may learn,' replied Herra, giving an equally formal response, which was unusual for her.
'But that is for later. For now, ask Davred to join me, Katia, and tell Benjan to come and speak to me afterwards. Then go and tell the others what I've told you, without letting the SS'Habi know what you're doing.'
'I see the path, Elder Sister.' There still seemed a need for formality, and Herra didn’t contradict her.
* * *
It was a thoughtful group of people who strolled back from the pool. This time, Herra was able to walk more normally, though still leaning on Benjan's arm. Her head didn’t even reach his shoulder, and he treated her as if she were the most precious thing in the world - as perhaps she was.
When they arrived back at the grove, Herra beckoned the SS'Habi over to speak to her. 'May my friends go for a walk, Elder SS'Habi? Our bodies need exercise.'
'Iss not possible, Elder Sister. This one regrets to refuse. Must not leave grove.'
'We shall abide by your wishes, of course, but we ask you to consider our need for exercise before we become distressed by lack of it.'
'Distressed! How iss this, distressed? Others in Dsheresh Kashal not take much exercise. Not distressed.'
'The bodies of those people are damaged by their slothful life. They're not aware of that, but we of the Kindred are very aware of our bodily needs. And the lack of exercise is beginning to upset us.'
The Elder SS'Habi whistled and hissed to her companions. 'Iss new information for us. Will consider request. Will speak to Giver of Words in next alignment.'
'We thank you.' Herra bowed her head and watched the Elder SS'Habi hurry away. What was meant by
'next alignment'? Were the members of the High Council of the deleff not truly of this world? The very alien feeling they gave her when she was in Council Grove, and the chill that contact always left in her mind, made her wonder at the difference between them and the traders' deleff. Beneath Herra's calm exterior a pulse of excitement began to beat. Was this a clue to escape for herself and her companions? Would it be possible to leave the valley between alignments, when the power of the High Council might be weaker?
What is Herra plotting now? thought Cheral, who was watching the Elder Sister closely. I know that look of hers. But it was never any use to question Herra, so Cheral just asked in her usual prosaic tones, 'Is there anything else you wish us to do, Elder Sister?'
They were both aware that one of the Senior SS'Habi had remained nearby and was no doubt listening to what they were saying.
Herra deliberately raised her voice. 'No, nothing special. You'll probably all wish to get as much exercise as the restrictions of this clearing allow, will you not? I know how the lack of proper exercise is beginning to upset us all.'
Jonner began to whistle thoughtfully between his teeth.
Cheral didn’t even blink at the statement. 'It certainly is, Elder Sister. We all feel the lack, though we've tried not to show our distress out of courtesy to our hosts.'
Herra smiled her approval. 'Perhaps, Cheral, this would be a good time to begin Narla and Carryn's training as novices.'
Herra clapped her hands sharply and Cheral pushed Narla forward. When the young woman stood before her, Herra laid a hand upon her head in the ritual gesture.
'You are chosen by our Brother, dear child. Will you join the Kindred of the God?'
'Is it - am I allowed? Aren't I too old to be chosen? My mother said that only fourteen year olds could join the Sisterhood.'
'No, you're not too old. Times have changed. We are no longer a Sisterhood. We've become the Kindred of the God, men and women both. Benjan and Davred were also chosen when they were well past the age of fourteen. They, too, are still in training. We follow new paths now in our Quest.' Her voice changed and took on a compelling quality. ' Do you join us, Narla Nel-Kereth? '
'I - I feel unworthy of the honour.'
The stillness in the clearing was palpable. The Elder SS'Habi's eyes flickered from one human to another, but she made no effort to intervene.
Narla looked around, made uneasy by some quality in the silence, which she took for censure. 'How can someone like me, someone who has led such a - such a useless life, how can I be suitable?'
'That is surely for our Brother to decide.' Herra's words were calmly spoken, but her eyes were glittering strangely, as if a light were shining behind them.
Narla bowed her head. 'Oh, if only I could believe that the God wanted me! I'm so ordinary! So useless! I'm not worthy!'
A shout of joy went up and they all crowded round to kiss and hug the bewildered woman. Even Cheral had an expression of radiant happiness on her face, for this continuity reaffirmed her faith.
Narla looked about her in wonder. 'You do mean it, don't you?' she asked, her voice breaking with emotion.
'Elder Sister, you do mean it!'
'Of course we do, child.' Herra held out her arms and Narla hugged her convulsively, her eyes bright with both joy and tears.
Cheral looked at Herra. 'A new form of Choosing, Elder Sister, and yet the Triple Denial still holds. Our Brother's ways are strange at times, but he keeps watch over us.'
'Did you ever doubt that?'
'A little. Just occasionally. Didn't you?'
'Only once since I attained Enhancement.' The glow was still there in Herra's eyes. To Cheral, it was the visible sign of the God within the Elder Sister, and she felt awe ripple along her spine. She couldn’t look for long into Herra's eyes when they turned golden like this.
As the two of them turned to watch their companions, she felt Herra's hand rest briefly on her shoulders in a gesture of deep trust and friendship that brought tears to her eyes. Nor am I worthy, thought Cheral, though I serve you the best I can, Brother.
Even Jonner approached Narla to offer his congratulations. 'I'm not one of the Kindred - I'm a merchant -
but they're not a bad lot, and I think you'll like being with them.' He eyed Narla with frank admiration. She was just the sort of woman he liked, soft and plump with dark eyes and long lashes. But if she had been chosen, she was probably out of reach to such as him. You didn't treat Sisters like you treated ordinary women.
Unfortunately. They were an attractive group, whatever their skin colour or physical type, with a healthy, wholesome air that spoke of good health and inner peace. Good comrades in adversity, too.
Herra spoke again, for Cheral's ears only. ' I've come to realise since my Enhancement that our Brother must now treat us more harshly than ever before. Our group has been chosen for a special task, Cheral, that of ending Discord, and we must all be forged into new weapons if we are to banish evil from our land.' Her voice seemed to echo around them.
Cheral recognised the tone of prophecy when she heard it and bowed her head to the God speaking through Herra.
' Remember these words when I am gone, Cheral! Remember! '
'I hear you, Elder Sister.' Cheral hesitated, then, as the tension of the prophecy began to dissipate and Herra's eyes returned to normal, she said in a rush, 'Herra, you - you haven't had a sign, have you? You're not
- close to the end of your life's path?'
'No, Cheral, I still have some years left to be of use to this world. But during my last years, I shall need to make you the repository of certain information. You shall be the Keeper of the Archives for our Quest until the temples come out from stasis. Do not forget my words! '
With a rare flash of self-understanding, Cheral said, 'My temper may not always be even, and I know that my Gifts are limited, but I believe I do have the Gift of Memory.'
'Indeed you do, Cheral, indeed you do. And it shall be enhanced within you. You have other Gifts of use to us in this stage of the Quest, too, else why would our Brother have sent you with us? For now, we need a new training programme. Narla has had six children. She's not a youngster with still-malleable limbs. How may we best train her in the Basic Disciplines? Who better than you to plan that? And there are Benjan and Carryn, too. A grown man and a pregnant child. Can you devise training programmes that suit them all?'
Cheral's eyes lit up. This was just the sort of task that she revelled in. 'With our Brother's help, Elder Sister.'
'For the moment, I shall charge myself with the pleasure of guiding Katia and Davred's continuing development, for their Gifts will be needed when I cross to the next life. It's they who shall lead the later stages of our Quest, until the children are old enough to rule.' There was silence for a moment, then Herra sighed and sank to the ground, her face now white with exhaustion. The tone of prophecy, the edge of power had completely gone from her voice. 'If only the deleff would allow me time to recover, Cheral! I cannot go on for much longer like this, Enhancement or no.'
Cheral sat for a while longer, watching Herra drift towards sleep. Her eyes were bright with purpose as she contemplated the task Herra had set her. She had missed her duties as Novice Mistress, for she loved to share her knowledge and to watch skills grow in the young. She bustled off across the clearing and began to try out a range of simple exercises, muttering to herself as she did so. Within a few minutes she had Narla and Carryn, bemused but willing, hard at work, and she then turned her attention to Benjan. He had already proved a more apt pupil than she’d expected, avid to learn what he still thought of as the magic of his lady.
His years of training in the Hashite Guild had prepared his body for this better than anything Cheral had ever met before, and she was amazed by the ease with which he now followed her instructions.
'You already have a fine control over your body,' she said with satisfaction. 'Our Brother has chosen well in you.'
Benjan nodded, accepting the compliment with his usual impassivity. He began to run through the exercises again, not needing the usual urging to seek perfection.
'This would improve the Guild training,' he told Cheral during one of the breaks.
A shiver ran down her spine. ' The Guild,' she whispered to herself, ' is a weapon half forged, there to be grasped when we go out against Discord.' Her eyes went automatically towards Herra, for she longed to share this rare insight, but the Elder Sister was sound asleep. Cheral kept the thought for later. She had a suspicion that she, the most prosaic of Sisters, had just made a prophecy, a thing she had not believed herself capable of.
'Brother, guide me!' she whispered. 'Guide us all through this darkness!'
When the moment of enlightenment had passed, she turned her attention to Jonner, studying him with her head on one side. 'Stand up a minute, Jonner.'
'I'm a merchant! I don't need to train for anything,' he said hastily.
'You're flabby and out of condition. Stand up at once!'
'But Cheral, I . . . '
'No buts! We'll concentrate on your breathing first. Not like that! Hold yourself straight! Like this.'
Jonner sighed, but did as she ordered. When Cheral got that look on her face, it was easier to do as she said than to try to resist her, much easier.
* * *
That same day Soo found out, by patching together a circuitous communications route, that their regional base for this sector of space had been captured by rebels in a fresh outburst of interplanetary war, and that some of the other survey bases were even now under siege. The very sound of that archaic word 'war' made her feel sick with disgust, but Robler showed anger only at the inconvenience this caused him.
'We have to get the regional base back!' he roared, thumping the nearest wall with one clenched fist. 'We could be cut off completely from Confex if this goes on.'
The crew looked uneasily at each other. While being stranded was theoretically one of the risks of any exploratory expedition, it happened so rarely in practice that none of them had even considered it possible.
Soo moved to leave the room, but Robler rounded on her. 'Stay where you are! Call the off-watch people.'
When the others arrived, he cut short their questions. 'You all need to hear what I'm going to say. The regional base has been captured by rebels. I hereby declare this to be a full state of emergency. From now on, as Exec, I'm in complete charge and you'll all obey me without question.' He glared round the com-room. 'Is that understood?'
There was a mutter of acquiescence, which Soo could not join in. She didn’t think she could ever obey anyone without question.
Robler noticed her reticence. 'You say nothing, Soo. Do you not agree to accept my leadership?'
She shrugged. 'I shall, of course, work with you for the good of the group,' she said obliquely. 'How could I not?'
'You avoid a direct answer still.'
Mak moved to join her, and Robler's eyes narrowed, but he decided not to challenge them just then. 'You'll need to work out the best way of contacting Confex Central, Soo. That agri-world you spoke to last time won't be much help. They'll be totally planet-bound before long if they run true to form. Those agri-worlds are often colonised by freaks who refuse even to protect themselves, and when they run out of spare parts for the Confederation ships, space travel will grind to a halt.'