Challenges of the Deeps

by Spoor,Ryk E

  “I cannot even venture a guess,” Orphan said after a moment. “They are great and impressive creations, but not a clue remains as to their purpose. Perhaps we might cautiously broach the subject with our host and see if he can enlighten us?”

  “Worth a shot,” DuQuesne conceded. Beneath, the communication on the ultrawave frequencies continued. Okay, here’s the situation, Orphan. Ariane absolutely had to get this instruction, and we came with you not just because we owed it to you, but because you as much as stated that she’d have that chance where you were going.

  Indeed, I comprehend this perfectly.

  Well, the thing is that we’ve also got good reason to believe he’s got his own agenda—

  Impression of a cynical smile. And who, in the Arena, does not?

  Point. Maybe Sun Wu Kung?

  Even he. Or do you forget his fascination with the prize he won?

  DuQuesne paused at that. Orphan was right; Wu Kung had his own dream, and in some ways it might be one of the most desperate and tragic dreams …or the most frighteningly brilliant. Okay, you win. Anyway, we have damn good reason to think that while Vindatri’s teaching Ariane, he’s also messing with her head.

  “Messing with her…” Ah. You mean he is using his powers to mentally affect her?

  Yeah. I’m close to certain of that. And he sure ain’t doing that just for the hell of it. He has a reason, and I don’t have warm and fuzzy vibes about that reason.

  The ultrawave was silent for a moment, as the two of them continued walking. Alas, Doctor, no more do I. But …Another pause, but this one filled with impressions of trepidation. …But …Doctor DuQuesne …you do not intend to actually confront him on this matter, do you? For his powers are—

  Can’t blame him for being scared, DuQuesne thought. Vindatri’s plenty dangerous, and worth being scared of. Hell, I am scared of him, even with what I think I can do. Problem being that even with that, I don’t know what he can do. Best-case scenario, we finish up the training and I can address what was done to her after we leave. But that’s way out on the optimistic side. Honestly, we’ve got secrets I don’t want to hand over to Mr. Dark-and-Spooky there, no matter what he’s teaching her. So yeah, at some point we probably will have words with him on this. And it might go way beyond words.

  Orphan did not immediately respond. When he did, his nervousness was palpable in the transmission. Doctor DuQuesne, you must realize that Vindatri is—in any reasonable probability—almost incalculably more powerful than even Amas-Garao or First Guide Nyanthus, yes?

  Yeah, I’m assuming he’s way up there on the scale of “things not to mess with.”

  Flash of surprise. And yet you expect, and intend, to precipitate a confrontation with him—in the not-too-distant future?

  Not something I’m really looking forward to, but yeah.

  When Orphan resumed transmission, a hint of his accustomed humor and confidence reappeared. Doctor DuQuesne, if I have learned anything in my considerable association with Humanity, it is that you have infinite capacity for surprises. I know you have secrets and will not reveal them to me without cause; but tell me this, then; do you have reason to believe—knowing and guessing what we do about Vindatri—that you have a chance to survive and even prevail in such a confrontation?

  DuQuesne simply sent an image of his nastiest grin.

  I …see. Then I ask you only this: if I will side with you against him, when that time comes—for I, too, do not approve of anything that tampers with minds, for reasons you must well understand—will this secret of yours give me a reasonable chance of survival as well?

  If you trust us and work with us? We’ll risk ourselves to make sure you get out of it, if it comes to that. Yes.

  Then, came the resolute answer, rest assured that the Liberated will be committed to your cause as well.

  Thanks, Orphan. That means a lot to me. And will to Ariane, too.

  Think nothing of it. I trust, you see, that even my patron Vindatri has failed to fully grasp the implications of carrying the “Blessing of the Arena” …perhaps because one must have been present at its more stunning manifestations to truly accept it.

  They had walked some distance past the first rank of machinery, and the air also had the same strange, ancient odor that DuQuesne remembered from that first venture into the interior of their Sphere. He looked down and then knelt. “I’ll be damned. This is dirt, I think.” Just like in our Sphere. There’s a connection, I’m damned sure of it.

  “How very odd. Was there, then, an intention to light this area? To grow plants of some kind? A garden, perhaps?”

  “Sure doesn’t look like how I’d design a garden, but then, I’m not Vindatri.”

  Might I ask if you have discussed our prior exploration with anyone?

  You mean the room of statues? Yeah, me and Ariane discussed it …privately.

  Have you any …thoughts?

  DuQuesne hesitated, weighing his options. Any deductions or thoughts were obviously worth something …but on the other hand, it had been Orphan who had practically dragged him to see it. Some. Based on my headware recording, looks to me like each of those statues is unique. Same for you?

  Indeed. I did not record any duplicates; a few that seemed similar, but close examination showed they were spurious resemblances.

  Also looked to us like it might be in a sort of chronological order—stuff nearest the door being more recent arrivals to the Arena, the farther stuff being older.

  I concur. This was also my conclusion, years before. Now, that most intriguing anomalous statue …?

  Yeah. That. Stands out in so many ways. Outline’s a lot like us. But it’s before the Molothos, who have gotta be one of the oldest species around. Which means that shape…

  A sensation of a laugh. You hesitate. You think the shape could represent the Voidbuilders?

  Well …what else would come before the Molothos?

  He saw an image of Orphan’s dismissive “no” gesture, accompanied by an ironic smile. Ahh, Doctor DuQuesne, you still do not grasp the immensity of the Arena’s history. The Molothos may well be the oldest remaining species in the Arena, but it is known the Arena’s history goes back much farther than a few tens of millions of years. Cycles of life and extinctions of species through age, if nothing else, take their toll. The Molothos are astounding in their species’ stability and longevity …but that only means that few if any of their contemporaries lived even to within a few million years of today.

  I have myself a far different theory of that statue.

  DuQuesne grinned inwardly. All right, Orphan, let me have it. You’ve obviously got a better handle on some things than the rest of us.

  Impression of a deep bow. Then consider, Doctor, that our surmises are true, and that collection is a visual record of all the species of the Arena, in order of their appearance in the Arena. They are all extraordinarily detailed, a record in three dimensions of every unique feature and curious shape of each newcomer.

  There is, as of yet, none of your people. I believe that, were we to return to that room just prior to our departure, we would find one. He studies you now, and will create that sculpture for you when you have left. But why would this supernal collector and sculptor choose to create such a well-executed, yet abstract, image as the first in the series?

  DuQuesne suddenly saw what he was driving at. You mean, if it was a species he didn’t really need a record of.

  Precisely, Doctor. A handtap of approval. And of all the species of the universe, that species you would least need a special record of …would be your own.

  Chapter 41

  I’m FLYING!

  The thought echoed through her mind, bounced back and forth with a manic energy, repeating itself as she swooped and dove and spun through the air in the way her dreams had always told her she could, but the way that the world had never allowed. “I’m flying!” she shouted, and laughed aloud as she passed not a meter above Vindatri and a grinning Wu Kung.

>   “You are indeed, Captain Austin,” Vindatri said, and his voice, too, held a hint of sympathetic amusement within. “And I can see that this dream is, perhaps, the one that resonates with you more than any other. You have mastered this word of transport completely, in a manner few ever do; clearly, this is part of your truest avocation.”

  She paused, still feeling wonder sparkling through her, like the silverlight sheen that surrounded her as she hovered. “It is. This is why I chose space racing and air racing. As close as I could get to …to this.” He nodded understanding, and she felt her smile widen. “Do you understand, really?”

  There was no mistaking the smile even beneath the hood. “The dream of flight? Yes, Captain, I understand it well. In truth? It was the first word I asked for, when I was beginning my own lessons, very, very long ago. I am not a pilot, as are you, but the dream of flying had been mine since I was a child. I understand, and your joy echoes the joy I felt then. I am glad.”

  Not without regret, she finally forced herself to land. “Not really the most practical power.”

  He laughed. Oddly, she realized that that sound did not carry any hint of a double sound, as most Arena translations did. Does he really laugh so much like us? “In many settings …no. Still, it is not to be set aside lightly; any of us could find ourselves accidentally falling from a height, or cast out into the Arena, and with this power, such things are not to be feared. Still, there are other powers of transport vastly more …interesting, in a practical sense.”

  “Such as?”

  Vindatri suddenly vanished in shadow. His voice spoke from behind her, “Such as this, perhaps?”

  Even though she had half-expected it, that made her jump. “That’s spooky but I don’t know if it’s practical. Amas-Garao used that trick a lot but…” She trailed off, remembering how hard it had been to even strike the Shadeweaver in combat.

  “Oh, undoubtedly it has powerful psychological use, Captain; but from your sudden halt I believe you realize its more practical applications as well.”

  She nodded. “Yeah, I remembered them while I was talking. If you can get to be good enough with it to respond that fast while in combat, yes, it must be incredibly useful. As the old masters used to say, ‘best defense against attack is to not be there.’”

  Vindatri regarded her narrowly, hands folded together with the index fingers pointed up and touching where she thought his lips must be—a thoughtful pose that was unusual yet terribly human in appearance. “It does indeed have that advantage. But you underestimate its usefulness.”

  He disappeared again. After a moment, he reappeared and handed her something—a polished comb with a backing of mother-of-pearl.

  “This …this was on Zounin-Ginjou!” she said, startled. The implications became clear. “This …it can be long-range teleportation!”

  “Precisely so. Not unlimited in range, no, but ranges of tens of thousands of kilometers are quite practical, even longer with sufficient practice.”

  “And I can learn this as well?”

  “I intend to teach it to you, yes. And a few other words, before your …abbreviated training must end. Your time is, after all, limited.”

  He’s right. The longer we’re away, the bigger the chance some disaster happens that really does need me—or DuQuesne, or Wu, or maybe even Orphan—to handle.

  That reminded her of their first arrival at Halintratha, and of something else. “Vindatri, can I ask you something?”

  “You have mastered a new word; as before, you now have the right to a few questions.”

  “You sent Orphan out to, basically, find people ‘blessed by the Arena,’ and that seems to connect to the Canajara …myth of the Faith. Why? What’s your interest? And what else do these Canajara do, in the myths?”

  The tall cloaked figure regarded her silently for a moment. Finally, he said, “I am neither Faith nor Shadeweaver, as you know, yet one might say I am close to, and interested in, both. Shadeweavers, as well as the Faith, have …visions of the future, prophecies, predictions. I am, and have always been, fascinated by them, especially the ones that deal with something beyond the immediate, the trivial. Those are of course far more rare, but what is of interest to me is that there is a form of the Canajara prophecy/myth in the Shadeweaver archives as well.”

  Ariane was sure he was telling the truth about himself. She was also equally sure that Vindatri was leaving out some other reason, maybe even a more important reason, for his interest. But maybe he’ll get to that?

  “Unlike the Faith, of course, the Shadeweavers have few coherent rituals and traditions, so it is not a …legend of veneration and a major mystery, as it is to the Faith, but it has many points of similarity with much of the Canajara prophecies. This led me to study both in detail.”

  He turned and looked around the deserted, moss-covered stone ruins that their current practice was taking place in. “As to what else the Canajara do? Many things. Many contradictory things, in fact. My studies have shown that it is implied that in essence the Canajara represent the two-sided coin of salvation and destruction, even in the Shadeweaver interpretations. They are predicted to do great works, to bring together the Arena as it has never been, to reveal the truth of the Creators …or to divide the Arena, set Faction against Faction, and shatter civilization to nothingness.”

  A flash of a smile, this one narrow and ironic. “You can understand, then, that I regard even a possible fulfillment of the Canajara with far more trepidation than the rather …optimistic Faith would.”

  Ariane nodded. She remembered that Mandallon had said some similar things. “How did that go? ‘. . .And for good or evil none shall say, for the Sevenfold Path they tread in both directions, and they shall be exalted in light and terror,’ that was what Mandallon said.”

  “Succinctly stated, yes. So if you are, or are in any way connected to, the Canajara …I think I will say no more.” She definitely did not feel comfortable with that smile.

  Wu Kung snorted. “It sounds to me just like any prophecy; vague maunderings that will sound oh-so-wise after you’ve blundered your way through the mission, but that Buddha and all the prophets couldn’t manage to make sense of before. Besides, all people are like that: light and dark, destroyers or creators. You make a choice, and if you can choose, you can choose either direction.”

  “Perhaps. I suppose you may even be right, and I have spent years pondering the texture of moonlight and the solidity of air.” Vindatri sat on a nearby piece of stone. “Are you ready to begin again? While I know you would enjoy practicing flight, I think you need far less practice with that than with other words. Your mastery of shielding, for instance.”

  “I guess. I’ll be actually kind of sad to see this end, though. There’s so much more to learn.”

  Vindatri sighed. “Vastly more. I have been teaching you …the more simple and obvious tricks. The ways to use them, the subtle methods of power? That takes far more time. But perhaps you can leave and return. I can give you a route that will bring you here somewhat more easily than the one Orphan uses.”

  “Really?” She found herself even more excited by the prospect than she had expected.

  “Certainly. You are now my student, and a unique student indeed. My only request is that you would bring others of your people here. I would especially like to meet your Doctor Sandrisson; he sounds like a most fascinating individual.”

  “I certainly think so!” she said with a grin. That’s a perfect solution. Get a quicker route here, and then I can just shuttle back and forth for training. And I’m sure Simon would love to see everything Vindatri has here! “Sounds like a plan!”

  “Excellent,” Vindatri said. She thought Wu Kung started to say something, but when she checked, he wasn’t even looking in her direction, but instead apparently watching a butterfly-like insect nearby. “Then let us begin again.”

  As she prepared herself to learn another of the key words and its application, she felt her decision firming up. DuQuesne
and Orphan don’t need to keep hanging around here either. If I leave them back there, things can be kept under control much better, and I can keep studying this power with Vindatri.

  I can’t wait to tell them!

  Chapter 42

  “Well …it’s time,” Simon said, hearing his own voice heavy with reluctance and, to be honest, fear.

  Carl and Laila nodded slowly, almost in unison. “The Molothos will be at our Sphere very soon,” Laila said, agreeing obliquely. “How long before they choose to engage?”

  A flick of meditation and focus that had become all too familiar; he saw the position of ships, the movement of those aboard. “A day? Two or three? Or even within a few hours. I must be there.”

  “We know,” Carl said. “Your ability to direct and coordinate the defense …it will be our only chance, honestly, if the Molothos don’t just back off when they realize the Analytic is on our side. But,” and Carl’s usual easygoing tone and posture were suddenly gone, “You take no risks while you are there.”

  Simon felt his lips turn up in an ironic smile. “I am deliberately going to put myself into a battle against the most unforgiving species in the Arena. I think it’s a little late to caution me against—”

  “I mean it, Simon!” Carl’s hazel eyes locked on his, and he saw Laila give a nod, backing up the other current Leader Pro Tem of Humanity. “Our people will have to take risks. You will—God help us—have to do what a general does and send people in to be killed, if that’s what it takes.” He looked to Laila. “But…”

  “…but,” she picked up smoothly, “you will not unnecessarily risk yourself. Regardless of our defeat or victory at our Sphere, you are one of our most valuable—and utterly irreplaceable, as I understand it—resources. I understand, and agree, that you must be at the battle to direct it, but—just as with our friend Relgof—you will retreat if you, personally, are in any significant danger. That is our direct order to you as Leaders of the Faction of Humanity, and, I am absolutely sure, this is exactly what Ariane would order if she was here.”