“No comment,” said Wayne, snickering. “But I remind you that Ishihara follows my instructions. I intend to hold Jane hostage in return for MC 6, if you should find him before I do. And he must be untouched and unexamined.”
“I understand your terms,” said Hunter.
“You can’t just accept that,” Steve said hotly, looking up at him.
“I cannot endanger Jane,” said Hunter. “You know that, of course.”
“I’ll give you some time to think about it,” said Wayne. “But I warn you not to follow me to find anyone. If we have to jump through time to get away from you, I may not make an offer like this again.”
“Acknowledged,” said Hunter.
Wayne, still smiling triumphantly, turned and hurried away through the crowd of men and horses.
11
“Grab him,” said Steve, pulling against Hunter’s unbreakable grip. “We can hold him as a hostage for Jane. You can call Ishihara and tell him. Ishihara can’t let either of them come to harm, so he’d have to give in.”
“I do not dare,” said Hunter. “I have no indication of where they are. Wayne may have left them in another time or in a place out of range of my signal. He may have left Ishihara with standing instructions or First Law interpretations that would cloud the First Law imperative to release Jane. Making an attempt could simply anger Wayne and cause him to withdraw his offer.”
“Well, what’s wrong with that?”
“Maintaining negotiations will provide Wayne with an incentive to stay in contact with us. If Jane is nearby, we may eventually be able to track him back to her, or at least surmise her general vicinity.”
“Well…” Steve tried to think of another objection, but could not. “How about calling Ishihara anyway, and trying to get him to release her?”
“Have you forgotten? I have continued to call Ishihara at intervals ever since we arrived. He has not responded.”
“Oh, yeah. But we could just follow Wayne now and find out whatever we can.”
“I dare not. Besides, the troop is about to go out on maneuvers, remember?”
“We don’t have to stay.”
“Leaving so soon will complicate our ongoing presence here. We must maintain our place in the troop for now.” Hunter turned, drawing Steve with him. “We must get our saddles and bridles. Again, we will be among the last to ride out.”
“Yeah, all right.” Steve joined him at the end of the line again. “So you think Ishihara has Jane in some other time?”
Hunter released his arm. “That is not my first estimate. I acknowledge the possibility because it prevents me from acting too rashly, but I doubt the likelihood. Ishihara would probably insist on remaining in the company of both humans to protect them.”
“He wasn’t with Wayne right now,” said Steve. “And in the past, you’ve been willing to take a chance on one of your educated guesses.”
“I wish to prioritize caution at the moment. I believe Ishihara and Jane are probably fairly close. They may be in the village or out in the countryside, but I could not hear or see any sign of them. If we bide our time, I may pick up some clue to their location. Then we can act more aggressively.”
“But you’re still just guessing.”
“I am making a calculation of the odds.”
“Uh, right.”
Hunter said nothing for a moment. When he spoke again, he lowered his voice. “Harriet just called to say she is well. She remains with the women in the palace.”
“Good. That’s something in our favor.”
They picked up their saddles and bridles and carried them out to their mounts.
Jane sat in the back of the cart up in the village, near the palace doors. Emrys haggled over the sheep with the same man as the day before. From here inside the walls, she could not see the slope or exactly where Wayne had gone, but she could guess. Ishihara and Wayne had conferred in whispers before Wayne hopped out and Emrys drove up to the palace to sell his sheep.
She knew that Ishihara must have told Wayne something about the location of Hunter and Steve. Because she had not seen or heard any sign of them, she supposed Ishihara’s enhanced hearing had brought him their voices in the distance. She had no real optimism that she could talk Ishihara into changing sides, but she decided to try raising some doubts again.
“The First Law was never intended for situations like this,” Jane said quietly.
“What do you mean?” Ishihara asked. “I have kept you from harm.”
“You’re keeping me prisoner. I would be safer with Hunter. You already know that. I say you are violating the First Law by holding me now that Hunter has arrived.”
“What form of harm are you suffering?”
“I’m being harmed simply by having to stay with you. It’s not my choice.”
“Wayne Nystrom will be harmed if his career is destroyed. I intend to balance his concerns with yours. Neither of you will suffer direct physical harm.”
“Think about the intention of the First Law. Do you really believe that kidnapping was included?”
“To prevent a human from being harmed, it has been an option throughout the history of positronic robots. Otherwise, it would have been explicitly prohibited.”
“I say you are wrong, Ishihara. Think about it.” Jane spoke firmly but did not feel encouraged. Wayne had obviously given Ishihara some effective arguments of his own at some point and, after all, Wayne was also a roboticist.
Hunter found the maneuvers today to be a repeat of the day before. He put most of his effort into avoiding injuring his opponents. While he remained close to Steve, he observed that Steve learned very quickly and did not need specific help.
The day wore on uneventfully. Finally, late in the afternoon, Lucius ordered the troop back to the tor. When the weapons, armor, tack, and horses had been put away, Hunter and Steve walked back up to the village.
Steve looked up at him, grinning. “The trouble with this stuff is, the more time I spend riding and fighting, the more tired I get. The more time you spend out in the sunlight, the more energy you draw from your converters. Imagine what an army of robots could do here.”
“We could not fight humans,” said Hunter. “We would be useless as an army.”
“I was just speculating. Think about it-”
“It makes me uncomfortable to consider it,” Hunter said abruptly.
“All right. Sorry.”
“Harriet called me again just now. She and one of the women she has met have gone for a walk in the village. We will look for them.”
“Okay.”
In the village, Hunter saw Harriet standing with a much younger woman by a stall that sold crockery. Before he and Steve reached them, however, Bedwyr walked out of the crowd, munching on a piece of bread. Steve had introduced him to Hunter last night before they had returned to the camp.
“Well, Hunter, how do you like your training?” Bedwyr turned to Steve. “You have no broken bones, I see.”
“No, we are fine,” said Hunter.
“Come with us,” said Steve. “We’re going to speak to a friend. We’ll introduce you.”
Bedwyr fell into step with them.
“Harriet!” Steve called cheerfully.
Harriet turned and waved.
“That’s your friend?” Bedwyr’s eyebrows rose. “She’s with Gwenhyvaer.”
“Did you say ‘Guinevere’?” Steve asked in surprise.
“You say it oddly,” said Bedwyr. “If you know the name, though, you must have heard. Rumor says Artorius will make her queen.”
“She’s just a kid,” Steve muttered.
“She has her growth.” Bedwyr laughed. “Not too young to become a queen, eh?”
“You know her?”
“Only by sight.”
When they reached the stall, Harriet introduced Gwenhyvaer to Hunter and Steve. In turn, Steve introduced them both to Bedwyr. Gwenhyvaer nodded primly to them all and turned back to the crockery.
“We
met Bedwyr in the village last night,” said Steve. “We drank together.”
“We won’t see many taverns on the campaign,” said Bedwyr, grinning.
“Are you from this area?” Harriet asked. “I wondered what it’s like. We’re from Linnuis.”
“Yes, my village is not far. Half a day’s ride. Life is good there. But we must send good men to ride with Artorius, or else the Saxons will have it all.”
“Would you tell me about your village? Really tell me, I mean.”
“As you wish, of course. I doubt it’s much different from your own.”
“Let’s sit down somewhere and visit,” said Steve. “What do you say, Hunter? After all that riding today, I’d like to relax.”
“You go on,” Gwenhyvaer said to Harriet. “After I browse some more, I’m going back to the palace. I’ll remind the sentries to let you in.”
“ All right.”
“I have no objection,” said Hunter.
Wayne encouraged Emrys to leave the village at midday, while Hunter and Steve remained on maneuvers with the troop. He did not know for sure if Hunter would cooperate with his demands or not. However, he told Ishihara to keep a careful watch behind them as the cart left the tor, and Ishihara reported no sign that Hunter or Steve had followed them.
In the late afternoon, Emrys left the hut to hike back to his son, tending the main flock. Wayne waited until Jane used the outhouse and was out of hearing. Then he approached Ishihara and spoke quietly.
“Hunter almost certainly spotted us leaving the tor,” said Wayne. “He will know which direction we took. What do you think the chances are that he will risk trying to rescue Jane instead of catching MC 6 and trading him to me?”
“He has a great deal of room for interpretation of the First Law in this case,” said Ishihara. “However, I believe that my presence gives him the freedom to move slowly.”
“I think so, too. Without you, he would feel he had to rescue Jane right away because I can’t protect her effectively alone. You can.”
“Yes. Given that Hunter knows I must keep Jane from harm, he does not have to come for her immediately.”
“When I spoke to Hunter, I got the impression that he accepted my terms,” said Wayne. “He’ll consider trading MC 6 to me for Jane. But I have to ask if you’ll allow it. I don’t know of any interpretation of the First Law that will cause you to prevent this deal. Do you?”
“No. As long as I protect you and Jane until the time that she is released directly to Hunter’s care, I can cooperate with you in this.”
“Good.”
“I must offer another interpretation of Hunter’s moves, however.”
“What?”
“Hunter may not worry about Jane further, since he knows I must take care of her. He may just get MC 6 and forget about dealing with you for her.”
“You think he can do that under the First Law?” Wayne frowned, gazing out over the cool, gray sky in the distance over Cadbury Tor.
“Perhaps. I cannot be certain. However, since MC 6 is the only component robot remaining at large, Hunter knows you will have no further interest in Jane if he simply takes MC 6 back to our time.”
“You mean he’ll figure you and I will just return, too, and let Jane go.”
“He knows I cannot allow harm to come to Jane. That may free him to ignore your deal entirely.”
Wayne drew in a long, slow breath and let it out again. “I must proceed on the assumption that the First Law will pressure him to act more aggressively toward Jane. To that end, I may instruct you to remain here with Jane while I return to Cadbury. Will this be acceptable under your interpretation of the First Law?”
“I do not like separating from you. I must protect you, as well.”
“In the absence of a clear danger under the First Law, you should have no problem. Cadbury will be safe for me. Do you agree?”
“Yes.” Ishihara lowered his voice. “If you wish this to remain private, we must change the subject. Jane is coming back.”
Hunter sat down in a small tavern with Bedwyr, Harriet, and Steve. Harriet asked Bedwyr many detailed questions about life in his village; Hunter could hear the historian behind her questions. Steve listened politely, sipping from a goblet of mead, sprawled back in his seat comfortably.
A bell began to ring loudly, clearly, and rhythmically outside. Bedwyr promptly put his goblet down on the table and got up. Then he looked in surprise at the others, who had not moved.
The other patrons in the tavern, and the tavern-keeper, hurried out the door.
“It’s the village bell,” he said. “Aren’t you coming? Important news must have come.”
Steve started to get up.
“No,” said Hunter, gently placing a hand on Steve’s arm. “Please inform us of the news.”
“As you wish.” Bedwyr shrugged and hurried out of the tavern.
Outside, Hunter heard many feet from allover the village moving quickly up and down the streets.
“What’s wrong, Hunter?” Steve asked.
“The three of us have not had a chance to confer freely for some time,” said Hunter. “We can talk now and find out what the news is later.”
“Well, what do you want to talk about?” Steve set down his goblet.
“If MC 6 has not returned to full size, or if we cannot find any clue to his location, Steve and I may have to consider leaving the troop we have joined. If we do, I judge that we cannot expect to be welcome in the village any longer. Is this accurate?”
“Yes, if you just quit or disappear,” said Harriet thoughtfully. “No army tolerates deserters, though in this time, organization is not very formal. Quitting now probably would mean that you would simply not be welcome back. Deserting on campaign, however, is likely a hanging offense. But I wonder if you can arrange to be reassigned to garrison duty here in the tor.”
“Is that likely?” Hunter asked.
“No. New arrivals are not likely to be trusted. But I can ask Gwenhyvaer if she can help.”
“If we go out on campaign, we could be wasting valuable time,” said Hunter. “But suppose this is necessary. Will you be safe here?”
“Yes. Gwenhyvaer seems to like me. And if my husband has gone out to fight with Artorius, I will look better to everyone in the palace.”
“I asked a couple of sentries last night if they had seen anyone of MC 6’s description in the palace,” said Steve. “I guess if you’d heard anything like that, you would have said so already.”
“Yes, I would have.” Harriet shook her head. “MC 6 may not be in the palace, though. He could be working in the village during the day and either spending the night hidden away in the village or out in the countryside nearby.”
“He could still be microscopic,” said Hunter. “We are searching in a relatively small area with a modest population. If he had returned to full size and had remained in the village, we should have found someone who has seen him by now.”
“We haven’t offered a reward here, like we have before,” said Steve.
“I can do that,” said Harriet. “If I remain here to cover the village, then you can see if he appears with the riders at some point.”
“You seem very comfortable here,” said Hunter.
“Hunter, I might as well tell you something,” said Harriet slowly. “As I mentioned before, I do not believe in chaos theory at all. I’m willing to fulfill my commitment to you in finding MC 6, but then I want to stay in this time.”
“Forever?” Steve sat up in his chair, startled. “Are you crazy?”
“Maybe.” Harriet smiled. “But I used to dream about living in this time-the focus of my professional research. And when Hunter told me about the mission to travel back in time, I knew I wanted to do it.”
“You accepted this job with the intention of staying here?” Hunter asked.
“Yes. I admit it. But I waited to make my final decision until after I had seen what my prospects would be. Since I have the advantage of hin
dsight, I can use it to improve my chances. For instance, I know before Gwenhyvaer and Artorius themselves that they will marry. I intend to position myself as a mentor and friend to her. After my husband disappears, maybe in battle against the Saxons, I will be an honored widow. I hope she will accept me as a personal servant.”
Hunter said nothing. On the second mission, which took the team to Jamaica in the seventeenth century to capture MC 2, he had hired a historian named Rita Chavez. Rita had decided to go out on her own only on impulse, after the team had arrived there. Her leaving the team had endangered the mission, but she had eventually changed her mind and returned to the team. Harriet remained willing to fulfill her duties, apparently, but she seemed to have made a much more calm and studied decision not to return to their own time.
“Have you really thought this through?” Steve demanded. “What kind of doctors do they have here? What happens if you get sick, or get hurt?”
“Yes, I’ve thought it through. I’m not one to romanticize this era-if anything, I know it better than most people from our time.”
“Before we left, you said this was a time of social and political transition,” said Hunter. “The border between the Britons and the Saxons fluctuates. Why do you want to live in a time that is so unstable?”
“In terms of scholarly study, this time is unstable. Very little from these years will last for as long as another century, when the Saxons conquer and settle throughout all of what will become England. But for one middle-aged woman like me, life in a village far from the military front will be very routine, day in and day out.”
“What will you do when the Saxons come?” Steve frowned. “That time can’t be very routine.”
“Again, I’m using the advantage of historical hindsight. The efforts of Artorius and his men will hold off the Saxons for the rest of my lifetime. My presence won’t change that. Even under the worst circumstances, I’ll be gone before the Saxons reach this area.”
Hunter did not respond. The First Law required him to take Harriet back both for her own safety and because of his own belief in chaos theory. The harm to her in returning would be virtually nonexistent, yet in his opinion, the potential harm to the future if she stayed remained very large. If necessary, he would take her back under duress, and he did not want to tell her that; she might decide to run away, as Rita had. In any case, this matter would have to wait until the team was ready to leave this time again.
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