by Shannah Jay
Herra took a deep breath. 'This must be stopped. Child, can you stand beside me and show no fear?'
'I'll try, Elder Sister.'
' Think of the forest and do not flinch. Not even once. Do you understand?' Herra's voice changed tone for a moment and became softly persuasive. 'Such men would harm trees for sport, slash their bark and tear off their branches. They would trample on the flowers and kill the birds.'
Katia stood taller.
'Remember that your troubles are as nothing to what wil befall the poorfolk of Tenebrak if this rioting is allowed to get out of hand.' She looked searchingly at the girl, then nodded. 'So, come, child. We shall try to restore some Balance.'
Herra moved purposefully out across the space between the two groups, and Katia followed, determined not to let the Elder Sister down. The poorfolk saw them first.
'Keep back, Sisters! We don't want you to get hurt!'
'It's those cruel bastards we want, not you, Sisters!'
The leader of the mounted men moved forward and the crowd muttered angrily as he shouted, 'Hey, Sisters, or whatever you foolish women call yourselves, get out of our way! These fools have been rioting and need to be taught a little law and order.' His fingers were caressing the hilt of his sword as if it were alive, and his eyes were moist with anticipation.
Herra moved forward swiftly to stand right in front of his fighting nerid, which whickered fretfully and rolled its eyes at her. 'Allow me a few moments, Captain, and I can disperse these people for you without trouble.'
'Get out of my way! I don't need a woman's help to do my duty!'
Herra did not stir.
'If you won't move back of your own accord, I'll have you moved by force, you old hag!'
' Stop! ' Herra's voice was a hiss of sound, for his ears only.
As he turned to summon his men, he froze in his saddle. A wind whistled suddenly around them, whipping dust into people's eyes and whirling the rubbish from the alley's corners into the nerids' faces. The animals began to sidestep QUEST Shannah Jay 35
nervously and their riders were too busy control ing them to move against anyone. The captain was stilled, frozen halfway through his gesture.
Herra turned now to the crowd and her voice lashed out like a whip, for they too needed to be controlled. ‘Go home!
Now! ' She took a step forward, pointing with one hand, her gown blowing behind her in a wind that blew for her alone.
The crowd fell back before her, muttering.
'The God abhors bloodshed!' Herra's voice rang out again. ' Go home now! And stay at home today. ' The poorfolk began to move, stumbling down the alley and slipping around corners. The wind howled again and when it died down, only the riders and the two Sisters were left.
Herra walked back to the Captain and snapped her fingers. His arm fell to his side. 'How did you do that, you She-Devil?' His voice was hoarse with fear.
'My God sometimes works through me. Can yours do as much? Or does he hide in the darkness of his lair, waiting for the blood and pain you bring him? Now her voice sounded like ice fracturing. She moved nearer to the nerid and it backed away from her. 'Can you call forth the might of the Serpent against me now? Try it!'
He flushed with anger at her tone. 'The Serpent is too great to concern himself with me, but I can serve him well by ridding him of two evil witches.' He pulled the sword out of his scabbard in one swift gesture, but as he raised it, his arm froze again. 'Help me!' he cal ed to his men, his voice thick and slow. But Herra cast one fierce glance at the men, and they shuffled backwards, avoiding her eyes.
She turned to the Captain. ' My God loves his followers and wills evil to no man. Yours kills the innocent and spreads Discord.' She snapped her fingers and the sword fell from the Captain's hand, shattering into pieces on the cobbles, its steel as brittle as glass.
Then her arm fell and she turned away from him. She took one deep breath, then spoke in a more normal voice,
'Come, child. We have finished here.'
Without a backward glance she left the alley. 'You did well, Katia. I'm very pleased with you.'
'I did nothing!' Katia's legs felt shaky, but she tried to walk as steadily as Herra did.
'You held your ground, in spite of your fear. That was all I required of you.'
Katia couldn’t help looking nervously over her shoulder. 'Won't they try to fol ow us?'
'No. It'll be an hour or more before that Captain can move again, and his men are dull brutes, without the wit to take any action on their own.'
'Oh.' After a minute Katia ventured another question. 'Elder Sister, how did you do that?'
'It's a Discipline, like the others. If one has a Gift, one can learn to use it.' Herra smiled at the doubt on her young companion's face. 'Some few of us can do these things; most cannot. And yet, all the Sisters have some special Gift. If not that one, then another. That's why we are chosen.'
'I have no Gifts.'
'Of course you do. But you won't know where they lie until you've finished your training, maybe not even for a few years after that.'
'Cheral said I was the worst novice she'd ever had.'
'How hard were you trying to prove her right?'
Katia flushed. 'I am stupid,' she insisted, but forgot herself to ask anxiously, 'Are you all right?' For Herra had stumbled and caught hold of the girl's arm.
'Just tired. We must find somewhere where I can rest for a few moments. It's exhausting, control ing so many people.' And I'm growing old, Herra thought bitterly. Brother, you see me failing! Once, I would have had no trouble keeping your peace.
They found an empty barn on the edge of the city. Herra staggered inside it and col apsed on the ground. 'Let no QUEST Shannah Jay 36
one enter for a while, child. I must replenish my energy.' She began the Discipline of Minor Renewal, slipping easily into its physical and mental exercises, the strain melting from her face like wax down a candle.
Katia sat hunched by the doorway, pondering on what she had seen.
* * *
In the satellite above the planet, consternation reigned.
'It's impossible!' insisted Lenlin.
'But she did it,' said Davred in a hushed voice. 'Herra did something that ought to be impossible and we recorded it.
We have real proof at last.'
'We'll report the incident to Confex and let them decide if it was an illusion,' said Robler.
'Illusion!' exclaimed Davred. 'You know very well it was no illusion.'
'They won't believe it at Confex,' said Lenlin. 'I saw it happening and I still don't believe what I saw.'
'I believe it. And I also believe that this is the most important planet we’ve ever had under observation.' Davred turned to Robler. 'I wish to register my Commitment to Sunrise.' He hadn’t needed to think about it. He knew instinctively that it was the correct thing for him to do.
'You can't. You're too important to the Confederation.'
'Submit my application to Confex, Robler. It's not for you to approve or reject it. And start the tests. I shall pass them al easily. This planet is my destiny. I've known that since the day I arrived.'
'You're speaking like a primitive,' wailed Lenlin.
'Who was primitive today?' Davred countered, his eyes focused on other horizons. 'Could any citizen of the Confederation have done such things, for all our complex technology? I knew I was right to ask Herra to wear a tracer.'
He forgot Lenlin and turned back to his Exec. 'Robler, submit my application to Confex.'
'You'd better come to my office. There are things you should know before you take such a step.'
Davred sighed, but followed him. In the office he spoke first. 'I know what my potential is. I know why you postponed your retirement.'
'How? They tell no one.' Robler had only found out about his own near miss of being a CA by accident.
'I just know. Hints here and there. It's not hard to piece things together.'
'Then you must also know that
I can't allow you to commit yourself to one planet. The Confederation has need of you.'
'It's my right.'
'I can override that right.'
'No, you can only delay my being granted permanent Title of Commitment.'
'Then I shall do that. You'll come to your senses after a while. You're bemused by those women.'
'I am indeed. And so should you be. I shall file another parallel report on the potential of Sunrise. And this time, they won't be able to deny the facts, because we recorded what Herra did.' He forgot his surroundings. 'It's like the magic the old Earth legends speak of. But this is real. We saw it! We recorded it!' He blinked and looked at the older man. 'As you must now record my application for Title of Commitment, Robler.'
Impatiently Davred went through the formal procedures, then vanished into his quarters to start researching the old tales of magic and sorcery. So little information on these was held in the satellite's library that he had to put in a special request to Central to send more material over the priority com-band. And that involved furnishing proof of the need for such expense. It was a while before he had finished. He completely forgot that he had arranged to join Lenlin in her quarters.
QUEST Shannah Jay 37
What with that, monitoring Herra and taking his normal stints of duty on watch, Davred was very busy for the next few weeks. Too busy to see much of Lenlin. Too busy to join in the normal social life of the satel ite. Once or twice he acceded to Lenlin's requests that they spend some time together. And at her pleading, he provided her with a frozen sample of his sperm so that she could later bear his child.
He did this without thinking of the child or caring about what would happen to Lenlin after she left the satellite. She was becoming a nuisance, and giving her the sperm was one way to stop her pestering him. Only because he had asked the com-system to remind him did he emerge from his room for her farewell party, and even then he was very absent-minded.
Watching them, Robler felt sorry for Lenlin, but most of all he felt angry that Davred was trying to throw his talents away on this unimportant planet. He was angry, too, that Davred was not on his way back to Central. He had recommended a transfer, though reluctantly, because that reflected badly on him, but it had been refused. The reason given was that a provisional Commitment would be one way of keeping Davred busy and happy for the next few years as his potential continued to develop.
Robler felt he had failed in his duty, and the thought galled him. He should have prevented Davred from growing too attached to this planet. Potential CAs didn't turn up often enough to waste one on a backward world like this.
The only safe thing would have been to send Davred back to Central with Lenlin, if necessary under stasis-restraint.
But Robler didn’t dare disobey orders. Nonetheless, he got a stasis cube out of stores, just in case. The cubes were sometimes used for preserving life in emergencies, such as an accident that destroyed a space drive, but they were also used occasionally for confining people who were disturbed enough to exhibit antisocial behaviour, just until they could be treated. When switched on, the cubes suspended the life of all living organisms within their radius, suspended it indefinitely, until someone turned the stasis off.
Robler eyed the smal cube, which fitted easily into his hand. He grinned, a skull's grin. He was beginning to think that Davred had run mad and needed treatment. Commitment indeed, and to a primitive planet like this one! Even Central was making poor decisions nowadays. Robler decided that he would need to be on his guard from now on. He didn’t intend to be found lacking.
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Chapter 7: THE WILDWOODS
Herra emerged from the barn an hour later and smiled tiredly at Katia, who was sitting on a pile of hay near the entrance. 'Thank you for watching over me, dear child. I'm sorry if you were bored.'
'I wasn't. I've been practising one of the Disciplines Cheral showed us.'
'That's excellent. Now, shall we move on? It's going to rain later and I have no mind to get wet.'
'Are you all right now, Elder Sister?' Katia stared at Herra, who looked utterly exhausted.
'I'm well enough to reach the crèche. I shall find better help there. At my age, one's powers of recovery become weaker.'
As they moved into open countryside, Katia's spirits rose. Of course the country was quite flat, not nearly as pretty as the High Alder, but still there were plenty of trees around, and beneath them were shrubs with blossoms fluttering in the breeze. Best of all, the air smelled fresh and untainted by the filth of the city.
They followed a little-used track for an hour, and the open countryside gave way to woodland. Eventually they left the track to follow a narrow path. At no time did they pass through a village or even see a habitation. They had met one or two country folk near the main highway, but from the turning onwards, they met no one. Katia, after six months shut up in the temple, even with daily dancing and exercise, was beginning to feel a little weary herself and Herra's face QUEST Shannah Jay 38
was almost grey with fatigue. The ground underfoot was soft, and the Sisters’ sandals were not nearly as comfortable as the soft leather boots Katia had worn at home in the High Alder.
After a time, they came to the wildwoods, and Katia drew in her breath in sheer delight. The trees here were far taller and the leafy canopy much higher. The very light was different, a sun-speckled dimness that wrapped warm fingers around you. It always seemed to Katia that the plant life in the wildwoods was twice as lush as that growing in woodlands frequented by humans. Beneath the tall trees, shrubs and bushes fought for space. Huge dark leaves turned upwards to catch the rain, plant crept across plant to gain a small advantage. Behind the tangled screen of foliage, rustling sounds betrayed the small shy animals which lived there.
Town-dwellers insisted the wildwoods were near impassable until you'd hacked away the undergrowth and cleared things up, and that idea always made Katia smile. She knew which types of plants could be pushed gently aside to allow passage and which were to be avoided as likely to bear thorns or acid sap. This place was not so different to the wildwoods of the High Alder. Even if there had been no path, she could have found her way through this green world.
But there was a path, a narrow thread of beaten earth upon which nothing grew, and that in itself was highly unusual.
Here and there, in the transition area between forest and wildwoods, shy trellis vines with their drifts of pale yellow blossoms crept undisturbed across the ground. They were the first to vanish when a tract of woodland was claimed for human use, so Katia was very careful not to step on them now. Other vines and creepers looped down from the trees, and stray petals drifted down gently from them. Birds sang above them and insects hummed and twittered. Life was there in an exuberant abundance.
Katia was entranced. Ah, how she had missed all this! Without thinking, she ran to press her cheek against the rough bark of the first giant tree they came to. She closed her eyes for a moment and sagged against it, breathing in deeply that special smell, at once tangy and musty, that only existed among trees whose leaves have lain around them for years, rotting into the earth, to be reabsorbed into its dark richness. Somewhere above her a silverbird was calling, its voice the purest and sweetest of all the bird cal s. No one had ever caught a silverbird. Katia wouldn’t want to. A creature which sang with such joy belonged in the woods, not in a cage.
'Can you manage for another half hour?' a voice asked gently behind her.
'Oh! I'm sorry, Eld- Herra. I forgot myself.'
'It's always good to greet a friend.'
'How did you know - that I feel the trees are my friends, I mean?'
'A Sister's training teaches one to use one's eyes. Now, child, can you manage for another half hour?'
'Yes, of course, Sister. But what about you? You look exhausted. Would you like to lean on me?'
'Yes, I think I shall need to. Once, I could have quelled a riot then walked all day. Now . . . ' She shrugged.
; Half an hour's walk, mostly uphill, brought them to a place where the wildwoods thinned out. Subtle signs told Katia that this terrain was being carefully managed by someone. There were no hedges or barriers to mark the edge of the occupied land, only a slight difference in the foliage and animal life that city-dwel ers wouldn’t have noticed.
'This land is different,' she said idly.
'What do you mean?'
Katia told her and Herra looked at her strangely. 'You seem to have a Gift there, that none in the Temple can duplicate.'
'A Gift? Me? It's not a Gift; it's just country lore.'
'I have it not. Nor anyone else in Temple Tenebrak. Nor have I seen such fine perception among the country folk I know.'
'Oh.' It seemed impossible to Katia that she should know more than Herra about anything, or that she could have any sort of Gift.
They walked on silently, then Katia asked who claimed this land.
QUEST Shannah Jay 39
'No one. This is unclaimed land. There's quite a bit of it around still, you know.'
'I thought everything so close to Tenebrak was under claim.'
'Technically we're stil within the Claim of Tenebron,' Herra allowed, 'but Benner can't check every inch of his land personally, can he? Somehow, no one's ever taken much interest in this bit.' She smiled. 'And by the time anyone does, we shall have gone further out, into the unexplored reaches.'
'Is there really nothing out there? Is it true that the world comes to a stop at a cliff so tal that you can't see the bottom?'
'No, Katia. The world is as round as a child's ball. If you travelled far enough, you'd come back to where you started.
But there are great oceans to cross and no roads through the unexplored territories, so you'd probably die long before you found your way back. It's a very large ball, you see.'