The Temporal Void (ARC)

by Peter F. Hamilton

  'Edeard!' Salrana cried, and sprinted past Barkus to fling her arms around him, and land an effusive kiss on his mouth. 'Oh, my darling, it's been so long.'

  'Look who we found in Ufford,' Barkus said happily. 'She's the one who's been busy telling us of all you've achieved.'

  'Take me to bed right now,' Salrana whispered in his ear with a hot breath. 'I don't want to wait another minute.'

  Every muscle in Edeard's body had frozen in shock. And misery. Shame was inflicting a fair share of the terrible immobility as well.

  Salrana swayed back, puzzlement registering on her vibrant face and seeping into her mind. 'Edeard?'

  'Uh,' he groaned. His gaze went automatically to Kristabel, who was also standing rigidly, her composure chilling down to a emotionless stare. He had never realized before how similar they both were; tall, slim, bright, lovely… But then he hadn't thought about Salrana for a long time now; his mind had conveniently pushed her aside. It was all too complicated. Something he'd have to deal with later, when the time was right.

  Everyone around thorn turned amazingly silent as they watched the reunion. They watched Salrana look at Kristabel. And no mental shield was strong enough to cover up the dawning realization in her mind. Her shoulders straightened. For a moment the two girls simply stared at each other. Salrana put her hand out. 'I'm Salrana; Edeard and I grew up together.'

  'Kristabel.' The hand was shaken gracefully. 'He neglected to mention that.'

  As one the caravan families turned to Edeard; except for Barkus, who sighed softly and raised his eyes to the clear blue sky above.

  Edeard's farsight revealed a small city tunnel five yards below the pen. He really could make the ground open up and swallow him, as if he was some frightened drakken burrowing away from peril. It was hugely tempting. Except that such cowardice would lose Kristabel for ever.

  He dipped his head in penance to his love. 'I'm sorry. I should have told you that Novice Salrana and I survived Ashwell together. Salrana, I should have sent word that I am about to become engaged. I apologize, my behaviour is inexcusable.'

  Kristabel's lips pouted as she gave him a curious look, but she-said nothing. Her thoughts were none too steady.

  'I see,' Salrana said, sounding as though she'd expected it all along. 'Congratulations to you both.'

  'Come along my dear,' Barkus said, putting his free arm around Salrana's shoulders. 'I'll see you later, Edeard. That's if you can spare us an ounce of your valuable time.'

  'Yes sir,' Edeard mumbled meekly.

  The rest of the families abruptly discovered something else that they had to be getting on with. Olcus gave Edeard a scolding glance as he turned away, propelling his children ahead of him. The eldest O'lrany lad produced a mischievous thumbs up before he mother shoved him along.

  'I'd like to go home now,' Kristabel said with fragile dignity.

  'Of course.'

  They walked out of the pens together, receiving curious looks from the assessors who were still arriving. Edeard didn't dare say anything to her. He couldn't believe he'd allowed such a mess to happen. Putting off dealing with Salrana was probably the single most stupid thing he'd ever done, aside from not telling Kristabel about her, of course.

  When they passed the end of a stable block he suddenly grabbed Kristabel's hand and pulled her off the track. She was too surprised to complain. Edeard conjured up his concealment around the pair of them as he stopped in the shadow of the stable's rear wall. A seclusion haze simply wasn't good enough for this. He wanted absolute privacy.

  Kristabel frowned as her farsight probed the psychic baffle. 'You're not supposed to know how to use that—' Then she drew a sharp breath as Edeard dropped to one knee.

  'Mistress Kristabel, I love you more than I know how to say, and I cannot imagine a life without you. Would you please consent to marrying me? I know this isn't the correct way, but I don't care, I just want you. I will fight the Skylords themselves if that's what it takes to prove my love.'

  'Edeard?'

  'I know I always mess up, but I don't mean to, really I don't—'

  'Yes.'

  'I just didn't know what to do about Salrana, so I kept on ignoring the problem—'

  'I said yes.'

  'I don't know what I was… What?'

  Kristabel knelt down beside him, grasping his hands in her, and smiling. 'I said yes, I'll marry you.'

  Edeard's concealment faltered as he stared at her beautiful face. 'Oh Lady. You did, didn't you?'

  She inclined her head slightly, proffering herself for a kiss. He touched his lips to hers, and nothing else mattered any more. After the kiss, they just grinned at each other. Edeard slowly realized a couple of giggling stable hands were peering round the corner, goggling at them. Longtalk calls were pouring out to their friends, as they gifted everyone the sight of the Waterwalker and the future Mistress of Haxpen kneeling in the mud whilst snogging.

  'Er yes,' Edeard said, hurriedly rising to his feet. He held out a hand to Kristabel. She stood and gave the dark dripping stain down the front of her skirt a peevish look. Now Edeard was concentrating on his surroundings, there was quite a pungent smell of manure. A horrified examination of the ground revealed it wasn't just mud they were standing in. A mortified groan started up at the back of his throat.

  Kristabel giggled wildly.

  'Get about your business,' Edeard snapped at the youngsters, and put on a fierce expression. They fled, laughing all the way.

  Kristabel hugged him delightedly. 'You are going to be the one who explains to our children how you proposed.'

  'Yes,' he said meekly.

  She kissed him properly. 'There's no need to fight a Skylord. You know how I feel about you.'

  'Yes.' He glanced at the worn grey planks that made up the back of the stable. 'Can we, er…?'

  'Yes.' She held out her arm, and Edeard led her away from the stable back to the path.

  'I appreciate the sentiment, though,' Kristabel said. 'Actually, I'm quite intrigued how you would fight a Skylord.'

  Edeard blushed. 'Me too. Do I ask your father now?'

  'Yes.' She gathered her composure, and looked straight ahead. 'And if he approves, he will put the motion before the Upper Council for a vote.'

  'Right… What?

  'The direct heir of a District Master or Mistress has to get Council approval for their marriage. It's a formality. It dates back to the Nighthouse inheritance crisis eleven hundred years ago when the Master forbade his eldest son to marry a woman from Myco - he'd fallen out with her father, some dispute about unpaid cargo. He threatened to disinherit him, which the son challenged in court, so the Master had the law changed. Alter that the families used it to make sure the right people produce heirs. Nobody bothers with that any more, the really important marriages are quietly arranged between houses. Law simply becomes tradition. But it actually is still law.'

  'Oh, dear Lady. When I am Mayor, I'm going to repeal every stupid law this city has and replace them all with something simple.'

  'When you're Mayor?'

  Edeard cleared his throat. 'If.'

  'You're serious about that, aren't you?'

  'Do you really think in this day and age I should have to ask Bise or even Owain's permission to marry you?'

  'I suppose it is unpleasant if you think about it closely. But I've grown up with all this, so I just know the way things work. It hasn't bothered me before.'

  'So, was your father arranging a fiance for you?'

  'No. Daddy wouldn't do that. Not that it stopped other families from petitioning him, mind you. There were a lot of suitors.'

  'Oh.' The idea of someone as beautiful and spirited as Kristabel being married off to some dismal second son for the sake of dynastic status quo was repulsive. It sent him thinking about everything Ranalee had said about bloodlines. Yes, that law will definitely have to be removed. Though he suspected it would take more than that to loosen the nobility's' stranglehold on Makkathran's society.

>   'Why now?' Kristabel asked softly as they neared the North Curve Canal.

  'Excuse me?'

  'Why did you propose now? I mean, I know Salrana made it happen, but I'm curious why she did.'

  'It wasn't guilt,' he said quickly. 'Salrana and I were so comfortable with each other. We'd been through so much together, I've known her all my life. We were going to be lovers when she got back from Ufford, which would have led to us getting married I suppose, at least I always thought it would. Then I met you.'

  'You agreed you were going to be lovers?'

  'Er, yes.'

  'Sounds like the country town version of our family arrangements.'

  'I'm not explaining this well. The point is, when I saw her today I felt just terrible at what I was doing to her, I really have broken her heart, which is about as unpleasant as you can get. She doesn't deserve that, she's such a nice person, the best our village ever produced. But despite that, there was no choice. I was never torn between the two of you. It was you, and only you.'

  She stopped and kissed him again. 'That's lovely, and very flattering. I think.'

  'I love you Kristabel,' he said simply.

  'And I love you too. So the first thing we have to do is go and tell daddy the good news.'

  And dear old Uncle Lorin the bad. 'Right!' He straightened his shoulders and took a breath. 'I can do that. We'll go and do it now.'

  'You understand, don't you, that after he says yes, we have absolutely no say in anything. If you thought you'd encountered tradition in this city before, it's nothing compared to what's about to happen. The formalities of marriage for the direct heir of a District Master were scripted a thousand years ago, and it does not change, not even for Haxpen and the odd Mistress like me.'

  'Er, okay,' he said apprehensively.

  'Ah, you say that now

  'As long as you and I are together at the end of it, the city can do its worst. I mean, how bad can it be?'

  * * * *

  Edeard arrived at the base of the Blue Tower in mid-afternoon, and looked up at the tall structure looming over the Tosclla District. Its azure walls almost matched the bright cloudless sky above, as if it were attempting its own variant of concealment.

  As he walked forward the shadows thrown by its huge buttresses fell across him. There was something about the Eggshaper Guild headquarters which always slightly intimidated him, and he was never sure why.

  He walked into the grand entrance hall with its dark red flooring, standing in the angled grid of thick sunbeams shining down through the lancet windows far above. A Guild guard approached, wearing his plain white tunic under a pale drosilk jacket. Edeard gave him a wary glance, it was the same sergeant who had intercepted him on his first visit here.

  'Waterwalker,' the sergeant said.

  'Sergeant Eachal, Grand Master Finitan asked to see me.'

  A reserved smile crept onto the sergeant's face. 'I know. It's always best to turn up here with an appointment.'

  'Yes. I've learned that.'

  Please,' Eachal gestured at the stairs. 'He is expecting you.'

  Edeard's constant running was definitely beginning to pay off. The long, winding stairs were annoying, but nothing more. His breathing was constant the whole time they walked up.

  'They say you saw Chae's soul after he died,' Eachal said.

  'I did.'

  'Was he happy?'

  Edeard frowned. He was used to being questioned about seeing souls, but not quite like this. 'Not that he'd died. But he was content with what awaited him.'

  'I'm glad he found peace at the end. There was a lot of hardship in his life.'

  'You knew him?'

  'The same way you did. I trained at Jeavons station.'

  'You did?' Edeard couldn't help the surprise in his voice.

  Eachal gave Edeard a furtive glance. 'I didn't turn out quite like you, but yes, that's where I served my probation, and eight years on the streets.'

  'I didn't know.'

  'You're not going to let us down, are you?'

  'Let you down?'

  'People have a lot of expectations now.'

  'I'm aware of that.'

  'Yet you're going to marry into the nobility.'

  Edeard stopped and faced the sergeant. 'I'm marrying the girl I love. The gangs will not benefit from that. This city will see the full restoration of law and order, and it will apply to all equally.'

  Eachal pursed his lips and nodded in apparent understanding. 'I'm glad to hear it.'

  Edeard knew the man was still sceptical, yet didn't know how to convince him, nor why he should make a special effort.

  As always, the view from Finitan's office was a huge distraction. Edeard managed to greet the Master formally while Eachal bowed and backed out. He'd been worried that the height of the office would somehow remind him of his fall from the tower in Eyrie, yet his nerves were calm as he gazed out across the rooftops.

  'My boy,' Finitan said happily, rising from behind his desk to shake Edeard's hand. 'So glad to see you. And you don't have to ask, I will be delighted to be your nominee in the Upper Council when Julan introduces the Marriage Consent bill.'

  'Ah, thank you sir.' He'd said he didn't care about the ludicrous formalities of the marriage, yet… As soon as a delighted Julan granted his permission, the household's senior equerry had been summoned to inaugurate the preparations. There were the legal requirements, Julan had to ask the Mayor for a ruling to introduce the Consent bill before the Upper Council - which would be a week yet, the current session's legislative schedule was very busy. The Pythia was informed, and her blessing requested for the engagement; then her staff had to find a time when the main church in Eyrie was free for such a ceremony, which wasn't going to be until autumn at least. Letters of notification issued to the other District Masters, and by custom the Guild Masters as well. The official engagement party planned for the evening following the vote in Council - which was usually hosted by the groom's family, but would now have to be at the Culverit mansion.

  Edeard had sat through the two days (two entire days!) of talks with Julan's household staff arranging such things. Given his profound ignorance in such matters his input was minimal, but still he had to be in the room where a dizzily happy Kristabel chattered endlessly with her housekeeper and stylists of the merits of various fabrics. For, given how important these events were, you had to dress correctly for them. In Kristabel's case it meant an entire new collection of evening gowns and a whole 'engagement wardrobe'; while the rest of her family started commissioning new robes and fashionable suits. Edeard was taken to one of the rooms on the seventh floor, where a tailor who specialized in dressing militia officers was summoned to produce a set of constable uniforms made from cloth more fitting to someone of his new 'status' - he was already dreading the day they'd arrive and he'd have to wear them at Jeavons station.

  Once the engagement party was over, preparations for the actual marriage ceremony could legitimately begin. Between then and now, the happy couple would be receiving invitations to parties and civic galas which they would have to attend. A lot of invitations. And Uncle Lorin was to be their official chaperone at such events.

  Finitan laughed at Edeard's broken expression. 'So, thought of eloping, yet?'

  'Certainly not,' Edeard said loyally.

  Finitan just laughed louder. 'Now you know how I feel about all the speeches I have to deliver. I'm addressing the Chemistry Guild apprentices this evening in the hope of a few votes cast my way. Will you be attending?'

  'Kristabel's expecting me; I have to help her select the music for our engagement party.'

  'That's nice. Do you know many songs?'

  'Only Dybal's,' he confessed.

  Finitan laughed again. A couple of ge-chimps scurried in through their little doorways in the bookshelf walls, bringing trays laden with tea and biscuits. Edeard eyed the brandysnaps and chocolate chip shortbreads keenly. He'd never found the bakery which supplied the Blue Tower, but Finitan a
lways had the best biscuits in Makkathran. The main door opened behind him.

  'I'm sure you remember Master Topar?' Finitan said lightly.

  Edeard couldn't recall meeting Topar since his first day in the city, which now he thought about it was odd since Topar was Finitan's deputy. And looking at the figure walking across the office, he was surprised by the Master's appearance. Gone was the overweight frame. He looked a lot leaner, but not necessarily healthy with it. His face was haggard, the full chubby cheeks given way to deep worry creases in loose flesh, while his eyes seemed bruised. He still wore expensive clothes, a silk shirt and suede trousers, high black boots, and the traditional Master's cloak, but even they couldn't cover the fact that he'd undergone a time of considerable hardship.

  'Master,' Edeard bowed.

  'You've been making quite a name for yourself while I was away, so I'm told,' Topar said in his powerful baritone - that at least remained the same.

  Edeard shrugged.

  'How little any of us knew the day we arranged for you to join the constables,' Topar continued.

  'Sir?'

  'I apologize, Waterwalker, I'm blaming the messenger. It's not been a pleasant time for me.'

  The three of them sat down as the ge-chimps handed out the elegant china cups.

  'Partly my fault,' Finitan said. 'But you did come to us with an incredible story, Edeard. Ordinarily I confess I would have paid little heed to it: a lad from the provinces exaggerating a few brawls, seeking sympathy to gain entrance to the Guild. However, I found you pleasingly guileless; and Akeem chose you as his apprentice which really told me all I needed to know.'

  'I don't understand,' Edeard said.

  'The weapon,' Finitan said softly. His third hand opened u drawer on his desk, and lifted out a package of leather wrapping. It drifted through the air to finish on the desktop.

  Edeard froze as his farsight probed the contents. 'Oh my Lady,' he moaned. It was a repeat-fire gun.