strongholdrising

by Lisanne Norman

  “Another furniture dump,” said Dzaou in disgust from behind him. “It’s not worth the effort.”

  “We’re to check every room,” said Maikoi, stepping over the threshold.

  “We’ll find nothing of use in there!”

  Following Maikoi inside, he picked his way between a stack of chairs and a table piled with various pieces of bric-a-brac. Spiderwebs, covered in thick dust, were festooned everywhere— between upturned chair legs, across the empty shelves of old bookcases, and when he flicked the beam up to the ceiling, he saw they hung down in long festival-like streamers.

  Left briefly in the dark, Maikoi let out an exclamation of disgust and staggered backward into the table, sending a pile of junk crashing noisily to the floor. With a yelp of shock and pain, Maikoi fell over too.

  Shining the torch down, he saw him lying amid a cloud of dust and a pile of disintegrating pieces of wood. Leaning forward, he held out his free hand to help Maikoi up. The other grasped it, there was a moment’s resistance, then Maikoi came staggering to his feet. Something hit the floor with a small, metallic clatter and began to roll away from them.

  “What was that?” he asked, flicking the light in the direction of the noise. He got a glimpse of something bright disappearing under the piles of furniture.

  “My sigil,” swore Maikoi. “I knew I should have replaced the chain today! Where’d it go?”

  “Toward the back of the room,” he said.

  Maikoi swore again. “We’ve got to move everything now, not just check it!”

  He turned to Taeo, standing silhouetted against the doorway by the light in the corridor outside. “Another flashlight would be useful.”

  She nodded and disappeared.

  Finding a high and stable enough surface on which to put the flashlight took him several minutes, but by the time Taeo returned, he and Maikoi had lifted the table and placed it hard against the opposite wall. The remaining junk on top of it had disintegrated into piles of dust and pieces of wood as soon as they’d tried to lift them. They were discussing what to do with a group of several chests and nightstands when she came in.

  “Where’s Dzaou?” asked Maikoi as Taeo placed the flashlight with the other one and came to help them.

  “Taking the cart back to empty it,” Taeo said. “Says the room’s too small for more than three of us to work in at the same time. I doubt he’ll be back.”

  Maikoi straightened up and looked at her. “That one’s heading for a fall,” he said. “He should never have been relocated from Haven. He’s not going to adapt to this…”

  “I know,” said Taeo loudly, drowning out his last words. “He’s getting to be a real liability.”

  Intrigued, he pretended not to be listening in the hope of hearing more, but after exchanging a long look, they bent to their task again.

  “Be careful, Taeo,” warned Maikoi as she leaned forward to lift a small chest, “most of this stuff is disintegrating the minute we touch it.”

  For about fifteen minutes, they toiled on, shifting all manner of ancient furnishings. As he and Maikoi hefted a badly corroded metal headboard, Taeo stopped.

  “Has it occurred to you that these are the contents of just one office and bedroom?”

  As they wedged the frame behind a couple of nightstands, Maikoi looked over at her. “They could be,” he conceded. “But why pile them all in here?”

  She lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “They wanted to free up the other rooms? But why not relocate the furniture, or destroy it? Why keep it?”

  “It’s not been properly stored,” said Kusac, leaning against the large table to take a breather. “No dust sheets or packing wrapped round it to protect the surfaces from scratches like they did in the other rooms. It’s just been piled in here in any order. And it was left here permanently.”

  “What exactly are we looking for?” she asked. “I know we were told anything strange or useful, but what’s that mean?”

  “No idea,” said Maikoi, kneeling down to peer along the floor under what was left of the furniture. “Maybe they put it all in here because this is the last room in the corridor. It’s solid rock after this. Hand me down a flashlight, please. I think I can see my sigil.”

  He fetched one, passing it down to him.

  “This is what I call unusual,” Taeo continued. “The furniture here is ancient, far older than anything I saw the others had found when I went upstairs for the flashlight. And why the sudden interest in searching the old tunnels?”

  Maikoi sneezed violently several times and pushed himself back up to his feet. “Not my sigil,” he said, eyes watering as he tried to find a part of his arm that wasn’t coated with the fine, cloying dust. “You know why,” he said, giving up and blinking furiously instead. “Most of us are being deployed up to Haven or Anchorage. Father Lijou wants to make sure nothing of importance is overlooked before we start moving.”

  “That’s rumor talking,” said Taeo.

  Bored, he’d moved past them to drag away the last few remaining items. A large chest blocked his way and as he knelt to grasp hold of the metal looped handle on the end, he stopped, reaching out a disbelieving hand to touch the carving on the flat top.

  This chest remained quite solid under his fingers as he traced the double sunburst symbols. “Maikoi,” he said, his voice strained even to his ears. “Call Father Lijou. We’ve found something odd.”

  “What?” demanded Taeo, running to his side, followed by Maikoi. She made a sound of disappointment. “It’s only a carved chest.”

  “The symbol,” he said, looking up at them, ears flattening in shock. “It’s ours, the Aldatans’.”

  “What’s it doing here?” asked Maikoi. “You’re a Telepath Clan, not Brotherhood types at all. Pardon me saying,” he added.

  “One of my ancestors life-bonded with Vartra.” He searched his memory for a name. “Zylisha Aldatan. Call Father Lijou.” He reached for the hasp.

  Taeo reached out to stop him. “You shouldn’t. Leave it for the Father.”

  “Why not?” he countered. “Vartra was my kin. I have more right than anyone to open it.” He flicked the rusty hasp back and opened the lid.

  Faded purple cloth, now almost brown with age, formed the top layer. With a cautious claw tip, he touched it. When it didn’t disintegrate, he reached in with both hands, lifting it out, aware of Maikoi’s voice in the background talking to Father Lijou.

  Setting it aside, he pulled out the second layer, which had been tightly wedged in around the contents, revealing an object he recognized instantly from his time digging at the ruins on his estate. It was an ancient computing unit, but it was in far better condition than any he’d seen in the lab under the monastery.

  More cloth filled the space beside it. Lifting it out, he found a small utilitarian gray box made of an artificial substance used commonly in the time of Vartra. Picking it up, he opened it. Inside lay half a dozen shaped crystals. On the inside of the lid, something had been inscribed.

  “What are they?” asked Maikoi, finished now with his call. “Look like data crystals.”

  “They are,” said Kusac, closing the lid and handing him the box. “The first of their kind. Crystal technology wasn’t being used before the actual Cataclysm, but we told them we used it.”

  “You told them?” repeated Maikoi incredulously, opening the box for himself.

  “He and Kaid went back to Vartra’s time, remember?” said Taeo, leaning round Maikoi to watch Kusac. “He found out about the Humans from you, didn’t He? That’s why you’re able to Leska bond with them now.”

  “Carrie came with us,” he said, turning his attention to the computing unit once he’d discovered there was nothing else in the chest but more material for packaging. “She was pregnant, I had to tell him the cub was mine. He took a blood sample from her.” He found a small panel on the side of the unit and managed to flip it open. The space inside was the right shape and size to take one of the crystals. Satisfied, he closed it
.

  “We tried not to tell him about the future, that he’d become a God in our time, but Goran, his chief of security, was suspicious of us, didn’t believe what we said about the impact damage the chunk of moon debris would cause. Getting them to leave the estate and come here was more important than any other consideration because we’d found the remains of a firefight between the Valtegans and some of our people at the ruins. We couldn’t let it be him. Shola’s future depended on Him surviving.”

  A noise in the corridor outside drew their attention to the door. Dressed in short tunics no less filthy than their own, they saw Father Lijou, Yaszho, and L’Seuli.

  “What have you found?” the head priest demanded, coming over.

  “An ancient computer and six data crystals,” he said, getting up.

  “This room, Father,” said Taeo. “All the furniture, it’s ancient. Could it have been His?”

  “Perhaps it was,” said L’Seuli, taking her by the elbow and gently steering her out of the room. “You and Maikoi should go freshen up. We’ll take over here. Say nothing of this to anyone, you understand?”

  “Yes, Commander,” she said reluctantly, waiting for Maikoi.

  Lijou took the box from him, opening it up to inspect the crystals for himself.

  “This must be one of their first crystal data recorders,” he said as the Father knelt beside him. Despite himself, he was curious. “What are you looking for, Father? Evidence of Vartra in Stronghold?”

  “You should go, too, Kusac,” said L’Seuli. “You’ve done well.”

  “He stays,” said Lijou abruptly, placing the box back in the chest and closing the lid. He ran his fingers over the double sunburst. “He’s Vartra’s kin. He has a right to know what we intend.”

  He began to think this through. The furniture, the chest, and the secrecy could only add up to one thing. “You’re looking for His tomb,” he said quietly. “They buried the important people back then, like the Warriors in the tomb at Vartra’s Retreat.”

  “Yes,” said Lijou, getting up. He looked over to Yaszho. “Clear this room,” he ordered. “Watch for anything of value, but clear it quickly.”

  Pushing himself upright again, Kusac touched the Father’s arm to get his attention. “We should wait outside,” he said. “A lot of the furniture turns to dust when touched.”

  Lijou nodded, following him into the corridor.

  “His remains will have to stay here, you realize that, don’t you?” said the priest, running a hand through his white-streaked hair, a worried look on his face. “I know you have kin-rights, but He’s more than just kin to you, He’s our God.”

  “My mother will have to know, as will Zashou. Her sister life-bonded to Vartra. She has the greatest claim on His remains.”

  “If we find Him, it can’t be made public knowledge, even here at Stronghold.”

  He nodded, understanding why. From the room came the sounds of heavy objects being dragged across the stone floor, and from the doorway, faint clouds of dust drifted out.

  Lijou’s mouth opened in a faint smile. “You were right about the dust.”

  L’Seuli suddenly appeared. “We found a section of hollow brickwork,” he said, barely able to conceal his excitement.

  *

  Security was intense, even for Stronghold. Lijou had ordered that all the psi dampers Ghezu had installed be switched on, and all entrances to the lower levels were guarded by a handpicked team of senior Brothers and Sisters. Artificial lighting had been strung up from iron pegs hammered into the walls, illuminating both rooms and allowing them to see everything clearly. All they waited for now was the arrival of Kaid and Noni.

  “Why Kaid?” Rhyaz had asked impatiently as he looked down on the stone sarcophagus that stood in the center of the small room that had been concealed beyond the brick wall. “What has he to do with opening this? Noni I can understand, but Kaid? Why can’t we open it now?”

  “Have a sandwich,” offered Lijou from the other room, holding out the plate to him. “Some food’ll calm you.”

  Rhyaz glared balefully at him as he left the tiny crypt. “It’s the middle of the bloody night, Lijou! I don’t want a damned sandwich, I want to see what’s in this thing!”

  Lijou put the plate back on the table they’d commandeered. “We need Kaid because Vartra ordered him to find a way to keep Him here. He’ll expect Kaid, and may even talk to him.”

  “All right, I concede that,” Rhyaz said, sitting down on the carved wooden chest. “How do you manage to keep so calm? Here you are, face to face with the physical reality of our God, and all you can do is eat!”

  Lijou indicated the sarcophagus. “That isn’t my God,” he said mildly. “At most, that’s His mortal remains. I’ve seen and spoken to the living Vartra.”

  Kusac smiled, helping himself to a sandwich as Rhyaz muttered darkly under his breath. It gave him some amusement to see the Father so calm and the Warrior Master so rattled.

  L’Seuli came out, checking his vid unit and ejecting a full cartridge. “It feels sacrilegious taking images of it.”

  “We can’t leave it here,” said Lijou, picking up his mug of c’shar. “We need a record of where we found it for posterity. One day we may be able to let the world know, but not yet. It isn’t as if Vartra didn’t tell us to find a way to keep Him here, and I know of no better way than placing His remains in the temple.”

  Yaszho, looking weary, came in. “I’ve finished preparing the floor to the right of Vartra’s statue,” he said. “I don’t think anyone’s going to be fooled into believing that we found a new sculpture with all the activity that’s been going on down here since third meal.”

  “They’ll believe it,” said Lijou confidently. “That’s another reason why I need Noni and Kaid. We’re going to plant false memories in the minds of everyone here, except ourselves.”

  “What?” Rhyaz was stunned. “You can’t do that! Can you?” He looked from Lijou to Kusac.

  “It can be done,” he said uncomfortably. “It’s like crowd control on a much more complex level. The sarcophagus itself has enough crystal set into it to store the false memories. If they do it right, it’ll be self-perpetuating. No one will think to see more than a sculpture. You should have asked Carrie to come, too, Father Lijou. She knows more about the crystals than Kaid— or me. Not that I can do anything to help.” He tried to keep the tinge of bitterness from his voice.

  “Damn me, but I’m glad you’re on our side,” Rhyaz said, scrubbing his eyes with his hands. “It scares me to hear you telepaths have so much power over people.”

  “That much energy costs us dearly, young Rhyaz,” said Noni’s tart voice from the doorway.

  He looked round to see Kaid standing there, Noni held in his arms.

  “You can put me down now,” she said, tapping Kaid on the chest with a bony finger. “Undignified is what it is, arriving like this!”

  Kaid lowered the elderly Sholan carefully to her feet as Lijou and Rhyaz stood up to greet her. “You know it was too far for you to walk,” he said. “Since you wouldn’t use their chair, you left me no option but to carry you.”

  “Taking liberties with old Noni, you are,” she grumbled, leaning on her stick as she made her way over to the two Guild Masters, but her tone was one of affection. “Keeping your own mind on one thought for long enough to do the work is difficult enough, Rhyaz. I got to not only do it myself, but link in to Kaid and Lijou and use their minds to create the falsehood. Thank the Gods it’s at least night! With nearly all of them asleep upstairs, it’ll make it easier!”

  “I didn’t mean to imply it was easy, Noni,” Rhyaz said awkwardly.

  “I know you didn’t,” she said, moving past him to Lijou. “Think of it like driving two riding beasts who want to go in opposite directions from each other and where you want to go, then you see why group work is rarely done.” She held out her palm to Lijou in greeting. “You’ve done well, Lijou. Good work.”

  Lijou touched her
fingers briefly with his own. “It wasn’t me, Noni. It was Kusac.”

  Noni turned to look at him. “Makes sense. An Aldatan finding an Aldatan. Then you have my congratulations, Kusac.”

  “It was luck, nothing more,” he said as she reached down to touch his cheek with her hand.

  “I don’t believe in luck,” she said. “You found the chest and recognized the carving. Now where’s this stone tomb?”

  Lijou pointed. “Through the hole in the wall,” he said. “We think these may have been Vartra’s own rooms here at Stronghold. Kusac says you never saw His quarters,” he said to Kaid.

  “Apart from the temple and the rooms we stayed in, we only saw His lab,” said Kaid.

  “I’m not going in there!” said Noni, eyeing the ragged hole in the wall with horror. “What d’you think I am? A lizard to go climbing over rocks? You bring the damned thing out here for me!”

  “I wasn’t suggesting you go in there,” said Lijou hastily. “While we waited for you, we had a grav cradle bolted round the sides. We didn’t want to move it out of there without you seeing it first.”

  “I’ve seen it, now bring it out,” she ordered, sitting down on the chest beside Kusac.

  *

  It took half an hour and all six males before the huge sarcophagus was finally sitting in the center of the room. Unbolting the padded grav cradle, they stood back, leaving room for Noni to come forward and examine it for herself.

  Carved from one block of flawless pale gray stone, the painted carvings round the sides and on the lid glowed with vibrant colors. Leaving her cane lying on the floor, Noni hobbled over to it. Almost reverently, she placed her hands on the sides, running her fingers over the carvings and inset crystals.

  Too small to see the top of the lid clearly, she was just the right height to examine the sides without bending down like the males.

  “This one, He’s Vartra,” she said, fingers stopping on a tan-pelted figure in the center of a group of gray-and purple-clad warriors. “See the sword at His side? It has a crystal pommel. Those are the first Triads with the Brothers and Sisters around Him. And there,” she said, her fingers moving on. “He’s with the first Guild Masters.” She moved round to the bottom panel. “Here, the Highlanders again,” she said, looking up at Kaid. “See, behind them the Retreat with more Brothers. And this side is the Cataclysm. Look, He’s at Stronghold with the Brothers and their families. They lived here with their cubs, Rhyaz,” she said, looking at him. “I told you there had been berrans here in the past. They were a community then, not just Warrior Priests.”