‘Gods!’ she said, as they hurried from the ruined palace into the swampy air. The sky was overcast; there was no moon, and all around them was a forest of trees with blue, feathery leaves. Qanqiri trees, she thought with vague surprise. Like those potted trees in Realmport’s hall. Their gnarled trunks rose up from pools of dark, still water, telling her the whole area was a morass.
‘We made it.’ she said, her mind shouting with relief.
‘I hear you!’ Kyrus said.
‘Then it was that building which killed our magic. Darn, I…’ She knew her voice shook. ‘I’ve never been so scared before.’
Kyrus grunted, and she knew he’d been afraid too.
‘Now what?’ He shifted Six’ limp body into an easier position. ‘Home?’
‘I’m tempted to have a look around,’ Kambisha said. ‘But we better get that fool to the healers. Cross your fingers, bud.’ She gathered her powers and ported to Realmport.
‘The admirals!’ Gunild cried. ‘You’re back! What happened? Emma Lin-Gor lost contact and almost panicked. Then I... I couldn’t locate you anywhere.’
‘There was some... misunderstanding,’ Kambisha said grimly. ‘Is my flagship still at Tallaruu? Tell Emma to return. Have Six taken to his room; he is to be guarded by Marines and mages. Let the healers see to him. Now I want a hot shower first.’
‘Me, too,’ Kyrus said. ‘Shower and lots of cawah.’
Two hours later they sat in Kambisha’s office, scrubbed clean, with Odysson, Ram and Gunild.
‘So that’s the story,’ Kambisha concluded. ‘Our too clever friend is the newest copy of the heritor. They must have summoned him immediately when the old heritor disappeared. Only he never arrived — we still don’t know why. That must have broken the Moi.’
‘And the old heritor is still around somewhere, only mad? That doesn’t sound good at all.’ Odysson said.
‘No.’ Kambisha put down her mug. ‘We’ll have to find him.’
‘And that Six? Shoot him, hang him or launch him into space without a shield?’ Ram said softly, clenching his fists.
Kambisha shook her head. ‘Of course we won’t; we’re not that old-fashioned Kells.’
‘I am,’ he said in a hard voice. Then he sighed.
‘He thought to do what heritors seem to do best; grab power,’ Kambisha said. ‘I’ll explain very carefully to him those days are over.’
There was a knock on the door and Healer Holyn looked in. ‘Six has something he needs to say. Do you want to see him?’
‘In his room?’ Kambisha said.
Holyn shook his head. ‘He is here. Against my advice.’
‘Let him come in.’
The healer opened the door wider and escorted Six in, looking splotchy and sick.
‘Come in and sit down,’ Kambisha said curtly.
The boy stood there, his hands twisting the fabric of his blue bathrobe. ‘High Admiral, and you, Admiral Kyrus, I am ashamed beyond words. You saved me from a certain death in space, healed me, and faced the gods to bring me the gifts I needed. Then I dragged you to Moigar against your wishes; I planned to take the Realm from you and turn all back into what it was before the quake. For my sins I was struck down and you... Brought me out. I broke your trust and my honor, and you saved me a second time. I cannot repay you, ever. I am unworthy of what I thought was mine, and unworthy of your aid.’
Kambisha sensed the boy’s despair was true. ‘There is a way,’ she said. Across from her, Ram opened his mouth to protest, but she lifted a hand. ‘There is one way to regain your honor. But first you will give me some answers. When you attempted to absorb the Moi heritor’s memories, what went wrong?’
‘I foolishly assumed my predecessor was dead.’ Six’ face twisted in remembered shock. ‘He wasn’t. He... resisted me, and fought. For a brief moment, I sensed his mind. He is mad. Wholly, truly insane. Even worse, he knows me now, and he knows you. Like I did, he resents your appropriation of the Realm. He will come, both to hunt me and to take all back. You cannot fight him! He is the gods’ son!’
‘So is my father,’ Kambisha said. ‘The Firstworld gods.’
Six staggered. ‘What? Then how can you be here?’
‘Someone chose us for this role,’ Kyrus said. ‘It wasn’t our idea, mate. Our own Allfather wasn’t at all happy, but he couldn’t do a thing about it.’
A strange look of awe appeared on the boy’s face. ‘You were chosen! Can it be true? Would It interfere in our doings?’
‘Who?’ Kambisha said.
‘It, the one from the Intermedium, who made our universe and the gods—Azza the Creator.’
‘So that’s what Father refused to tell us,’ Kyrus said. ‘There is a higher power.’
‘There is,’ the boy said. ‘And I said too much already. You two are your heritor’s children?’
‘Dad is not a heritor; he is a halfgod and the Defender of the Gods. He isn’t pretending to be immortal, either,’ Kambisha said. ‘I will tell you his story, but let’s discuss our matters first. We can use your help, just as it seems you need ours. And sit down before you keel over.’
Six sat down, gazing at her.
‘We came into space by accident,’ Kambisha said. She told of the Locked Tower, and ending up with Athelstan. ‘We took the Dregh’s ship, and it brought us here, on our own Moon, to our own world, naming it Firstworld, Flor 3. I’m told it was a special project of your predecessors, who had declared us citizens of the Realm. Know anything about that?’
He shook his head numbly. ‘That was part of the memories I couldn’t get. You people are citizens?’ He covered his face in his hands. ‘Then you have a right to the positions you hold. I supposed you usurpers from a Lesser World. Another failure on my part. Why, why didn’t I talk with you first?’
‘I don’t know,’ Kambisha said coolly. ‘When we found you, you didn’t know anything, and after we gave you the third divine gift, you started running. We are not trying to steal the Realm; we’re saving it. All those people, those outposts and ships, are waiting for someone to revive them. We can use your help, but not as the heritor. Your predecessor and his government made a mess of it. We’re better off without them. Use what the gods gave you to help your people in another way. Walk around and speak with them, listen to them and maybe you will find out what went wrong.’
‘Some will recognize me,’ Six said. ‘Those admirals must have met the heritor. They will think I am him, but I am not. He’s alive somewhere, so I am the usurper. I shouldn’t be here.’
‘Darn,’ Kambisha said.
‘Tell them you were his double,’ Kyrus said. ‘His stand-in. You did minor official things he couldn’t attend to; going to the theater, cutting ribbons, kissing babies. The usual blah. Impress them with the secrecy; it’s a tender subject. All because the heritor didn’t want to disappoint people.’
‘He did have those,’ Six said. ‘It is... Well, it would work.’ He grimaced. ‘Playing the heritor’s double; if I have to do penance, it could hardly be worse.’
‘It could,’ Kambisha said. ‘Believe me, it could. Now, what can you tell us about your predecessor? He was mad, you said. Any idea where he is, what he is doing?’
‘No,’ Six said. ‘He was out there somewhere; he wasn’t aware. He resisted in a reflex, but now he will wake and he will know. He has great power and knows how to use it.’
‘But you are he; don’t you have the same power?’ Kyrus said.
Six lifted his hands and looked very young. ‘In theory. But I just got mine, and I have no idea how to use what I got. He had many centuries to learn every trick.’
‘Darnation,’ Kyrus said. ‘You’re like Dad without Teodar the Kavid-Jar teaching him.’
‘Yes,’ Kambisha said. ‘And we haven’t got wyrms either.’ Then, seeing the lack of understanding on Six’s face, she told him of her father the Wyrmcaller, of the Trade Magnate and the Jinn War. ‘So you see, he had terrible opponents, but his friends were strong too. We
could use such help.’
‘What about the Rhu and the Cra?’ Odysson said. He had kept out of the discussion; gods and such weren’t his specialty.
Six turned to look at him. ‘I know nothing about the Rhu heritor. He or she plays no great role as the Rhu houses are always en route. The Cra wants us all to go home and the whole Realm burned. No help there.’
‘That was a thousand years ago,’ Odysson said. ‘We must know how matters stand now. The Rhu we know; young Llithan describes his people as nomads, people with no home but their ship, forever doing their traditional round from world to world, with scant contact between the Houses.
‘When Kyrus aided House Thigor that was the first time in centuries they met someone other than their trade partners and an occasional Dregh ship.’
‘You have a Rhu?’ Six said. ‘Is he a captive?’
‘No, he’s one of us; studies to be a trader,’ Odysson said. ‘The Realm is here for every people, including the Rhu and the Cra. Our man on Tarrik is negotiating trade deals. We are open to their joining us as well.’
Six looked troubled. ‘I don’t know if that will work. They are...’
Then he stared at a point behind Kambisha, his face blank and his eyes wide open. She turned around and saw a transparent image of the heritor standing there.
‘The mad one!’ Kambisha said, coming to her feet.
‘Mad, perhaps, but not in the sense you mean, daughter of the Firstworld defender. Nor am I Five, that silly one’s predecessor.’ The voice was the same as Six’s, but there was an echo to it.
‘Then who are you?’ Kambisha said.
‘We are what never should have been. We’re the memories of the heritors before Five. When that babe thoughtlessly tried to use the Receptacle, he raised us. Then, of course, Five resisted being drained of his self, and would have killed Six, had you not interfered. Thus, the babe escaped, and we were left with nowhere to go.’
‘Oh great,’ Kyrus muttered. ‘Now there are three. You cannot, ah, join Six?’
‘No,’ the spirit form said. ‘Even if we wanted to, which we don’t, we cannot. He broke the Receptacle with his foolishness. We cannot join him, we cannot go back; you wonder we are mad at him?’
‘I can imagine,’ Kambisha said. ‘I think Six realizes it too.’
The boy nodded numbly. ‘I left a trail of disaster,’ he said. ‘The Receptacle broken!’
‘Can it be repaired?’ Kyrus said.
‘Should it?’ Odysson said. ‘Isn’t there another solution for... How must we call you? Would Former be all right?’
‘All right isn’t the word,’ the spirit said. ‘But we’ll answer to Former. There is a way, but that means the gods of space have to recall us. Good luck with that! As to the Receptacle—it was manmade, so it can be repaired. Whether it should...’ The ghostly face shivered for a moment. ‘I am... you would call me First.’ The voice sounded slightly different, a little deeper. ‘I devised this stupid immortality idea, thinking to be the guide eternal to my people. I never thought one of those after me would turn into some sort of megalomaniac.’ He pointed at Six. ‘You will stop him, and you will end this idiocy. Got that? And you, good people, will aid him, for the sake of the Galaxy.’
The spirit wavered. ‘We’ll return to Moigar.’
‘A few questions, if I may,’ Kambisha said. ‘Would you know where the mad heritor, where Five is?’
‘No; his personality distorts our vision. He is as yet asleep, but his subconscious is trying to wake up. What he will do then, we don’t know. Probably what Six tried to do; restore all as it was.’
‘You know about the mana quake?’ Kyrus said. ‘He’ll not undo that in a hurry.’
‘We know; every awake mind was full of it. Such a disaster was unplanned-for. Five can wake up every locked-down brain at once.’
‘That would mean many would die, or go insane,’ Kambisha said. ‘It would blow up the Realm fast.’
‘Why?’ Former asked sharply.
Kambisha explained the problems they had run into. Damaged machinery, broken domes, the trauma, the confusion; the crews in stasis. ‘It would be a second disaster.’
‘We see that,’ Former said. ‘You should hurry waking them yourself.’
She grunted. ‘You can’t hurry the process. There are too many problems involved.’
‘Then you must find Five and kill him,’ Former said.
Six gasped. ‘Kill him?’
‘Of course. He is too dangerous to let live.’
‘Are there any other reps?’ Kyrus said suddenly.
‘At least two more,’ Former said. ‘And yes, you’d better kill them, too.’
‘Where are they?’
‘Those locations are secret, ever for us.’
‘Would you know anything about the other heritors?’
Former stiffened. ‘The others? You mean the Rhu and those despicable Cra?’
‘Yes,’ Kambisha said. ‘We cannot build the Realm as it should be, while leave the other tribes out. We made peace with each other on Firstworld, so we should be able to do the same thing here. For the sake of the Galaxy, remember?’
No one spoke, as they all watched the shape of the four heritors ripple and move, as if debating.
‘We see the necessary,’ Former said finally. ‘We do not much mind the Rhu, but the Cra...’
‘Aren’t they accepted by the gods in the same way Six was?’
‘Yes,’ Former said reluctantly. ‘But...’
‘If the Cra heritor took over from the Moi, wouldn’t that mean the gods favored him?’
‘No!’ Former’s face moved. ‘That whole Favored of the Gods was fudge. The gods barely knew we existed and couldn’t care less. Three gifts were the most they were prepared to do. We must go. Hobnob with whom you want, but don’t let Five ruin all!’
They faded away and Six sat down, sobbing like a child.
‘I ruined everything,’ he cried.
‘I dunno,’ Kyrus said slowly. ‘I smell a nasty whiff of cat’s-paw, mate.’
‘Yeah,’ Odysson said. ‘You could be right.’ He laughed. ‘I remember my mother speaking of the same feeling. In her case it was Bodrus. Would one of the Galactic gods be playing?’
‘Or that Creator fellow?’ Kyrus said.
Six lifted up his head. ‘You mean I’ve been used?’ His gray face darkened as his emotions shifted. ‘Someone made me do those things?’ He gripped the table and pushed himself to his feet. ‘We must find out! I’m not taking that sitting down! I...’
‘Don’t go off again,’ Kambisha said sternly. ‘Think first. If it were the gods or the Creator, you can’t fight them; we must find out why. Let’s recapitulate. We must find Five and those two copies of yours. No talk of killing them unless we absolutely have to. We must find the Rhu heritor, and see how matters stand with the Cra. And with the Moi; we don’t even know if there are any left on the planet. And we must find as many gods as we can find. We must get them back on our side. And in the meantime we must go on waking up more brains; we can’t slack on that.’
‘Nor on trade, and on integrating the peoples we meet,’ Odysson said.
‘Plenty of work,’ Kambisha said. ‘And Six, are you with us?’
‘All the way,’ he said loudly, his eyes shining. ‘I’ll be the heritor of change! Together we will build a new Realm and make the gods eager to be on our side!’
Kambisha saw Ram’s face and stifled a giggle. ‘Well said! That’s exactly what we shall do.’
LIST OF NAMES
Aharte, Lt Cdr (BP), Operator Pta-Gor Battlecruiser
Alaone of the Moi, student shield tech
Alim, Elementalist, with Kambisha
Atharn, Captain (BP), Operator 8th Fleet Base
Athelstan, Major, Operator (BP), Outpost 1148
Bahuit, hunt-leader Keni-Arroo tribe of Kau’s World
Basil, Lord Spellstor, Ruler of Vanhaar, twins’ granduncle
Bithoon, a Rhu boy
&
nbsp; Bohunn, RAdm, Z-Tu 1 Superdreadnought
Borallen, Lieutenant, 1Off No-R 77 frigate
Collon of the M’Dvargh, merchant navy cadet, sports instructor
Cruishand, General (BP), NavBase
Cury, Scienteer (BP), Polymatech
Derris Farnarol, RAdm, Planetary Manager Firstworld HQ
Dethiz, Chief Senior Tech Trainee (Lost Fleet)
Diccor, Captain (BP), Operator 4th Fleet Base
Dolleen, Outposter (BP), Outpost 312
Donoan, Techneer, with Kambisha
Duelle of the Moi, Senior Realmfleet Midshipwoman, NavBase
Emma, Lt Cdr (BP), Operator Lin-Gor Battlecruiser, flagship
Eskandar, Lord; Disciple, Ruler of the Weal; the twins’ father
Eycus, Foreman (BP), Operator Son 4 Fleet Shipyard
Former, a set of memories
Ginny of the Kell, 1Off S-Az 113
Gloria (BM), Operator Koopal Realmstore
Grim, of Tamyas’ crew
Gunild, Manager (BP), Operator Firstworld
Hawi, Techneer; Head of Applications, Polymatech
Henor, Senior Realmfleet Midshipman, NavBase
Ilyan Harwans, Odysson’s older brother
Iollant, Chief Lead Designer, Director BrainLabs
Jakop, of Tamyas’ crew
Jathra, Techneer, with Kyrus
Jenson, Captain MA-T 12 frigate
Jinesey, scout ensign (D)
Joff of Mountharbor, Captain No-R 77 frigate
Jurgis of Kell-Spellstor, Lord; First Broom, twins’ grandfather
Kambisha of Kalbakar, High Admiral
Kayens, Rear Admiral, Moi 4th Fleet
Kellani of Kell-Spellstor, the twins’ mother
Kethrull, Cdr (BP), Operator 6th Fleet Base
Kondar, Outposter (BP), Realmfleet Outpost 748
Kyrus of Kalbakar, Lord, Admiral
Laiisse, Senior Lead Designer (BP), Operator BrainLabs
Larn, Midshipman Techneer
Lemmuel, Lieutenant, Saeill City Guard
Lhandor, Recruit-colonel, 6th Marine Recruits Regiment (Lost Fleet)
Librarian (BP), Operator Realm Library at Krogond 2
Firstworld Page 34