Ambition and Alavidha (28 page)

When man had
arrived and some empathic men, women and children had mind and
life-bonded with Lind, this psyche had transferred to those so
mind-linked. The members of the Vada too were pledged to lay down
their lives for others if the need arose.

There hadn’t
been a large battle, with its associated large casualties since the
Battle of Duchesne two centuries before; that day which had marked
the ending of the eons old hatred and war between Lind and Larg but
still Lind (and the vadeln-pairs of the Vada) died, fighting
against predators, bandits, pirates and saving life after natural
disaster.

The Vada, the
Lindars and the Avuzdel were institutions of self-sacrifice, so
three of Zeb’s new companions were incapable of
not
aiding
those in need. Even Daniel, son of a noble of the southern Kingdom
of Murdoch and thus brought up differently, had been raised to
think that serving his duke and sovereign was the natural way to
live his life. He too would lay down his life for his country and
the people who lived within it and like Zeb he was learning to
expand this concept to include everyone and everywhere.

Zeb kept quiet
as the five of them ran east along the caravan route towards Port
Lutterell. He was finding that he had far too much to think about
to ask the questions which had so irritated Chad Smallhide.

Every evening
they prepared their campsite, raising their tents (Zeb shared his
with Daniel; he wasn’t very big so there was plenty of room) and
cooked their food. They stopped at Supply Stations twice along the
way where Zeb was equipped with a sleep bag, spare clothes, a pair
of boots (his were in such a bad state that one could see his toes)
and some everyday utensils. Thalia also obtained a book of reading
and a book of arithmetic when she found out how patchy his
education had been and began to teach him his letters and numbers.
Daniel also taught him from time to time and Zeb found that he much
preferred Daniel as a tutor. Daniel had not forgotten that a boy
often became restless at the need for study while Thalia was far
more insistent and focused. Her lessoning time was often twice as
long as Daniel’s.

His speech
patterns were also changing. Both Thalia and Daniel spoke in an
educated manner. Zeb found himself copying how they said their
words and minding his p’s and q’s.

It may be noted
in passing too that Zeb never even considered stealing anything
from the Supply Stations, the farms and the villages they
visited.

At one of the
Supply Stations Daniel was provided with a new sword, one more
suited in weight and balance. He was also provided with a Vada
uniform. He wasn’t quite sure why but he knew Thalia must have her
reasons for insisting that one should be issued to him.

As their
journey progressed Zeb changed, almost without him becoming aware
that it was happening.

* * * * *

The night
before they arrived at Port Lutterell Vya received a message from
one of her fellow Avuzdel which she was quick to pass on to Thalia,
Josei and Daniel. They were all eating together round their
campfire so Zeb was listening too. That was something else that was
different from his previous life. Back home the grown ups would
always send him away if they wanted to discuss something important.
Here, the adults (and here Zeb included Josei and Vya) let him
stay, in fact, they encouraged him to stay; they also listened if
he had any comments to make.

Uncle Nonder
used to treat me like a vuz-beetle and not nice to know. This is
much better.

Vya cleared her
throat.

“They have
located Chad Smallhide,” she began. Everyone was staring at her,
their faces intent. “he has, as we suspected, gone aboard a
merchant ship which goes to the islands.”

“Which one?”
asked Daniel.

“Galliard,
amongst others,” Vya answered, “at least I am told there is the
first ‘port of call’. I do not know the term.”

“Means Supply
Station, except in the sea,” answered Thalia, explaining the phrase
in the way she thought Vya could understand. “He might not get off
there but Galliard must be our first stop. At least we can find out
if he did disembark. Now, get your brains to work folk. How do we
get there? A merchant ship?”

“A naval
vessel, like a frigate would be faster than a merchantman,” said
Daniel. He turned to Vya. “Can you enquire? Also try to find out
the exact route the merchantman is planning to take if you can.
Also the name of the ship.”

“I can.” Vya
answered, “to all of your questions. I will also attempt to arrange
for a frigate. What is a frigate?”

“It’s a very
fast ship,” Zeb explained to Vya after a moment’s pause once he
realised that Thalia and Daniel were thinking too hard about the
news to answer. “You know what a ship is?”

Vya assented,
her large eyes fixed on Zeb’s face.

“Well,”
continued Zeb, marshalling his thoughts and taking his cue from
Thalia he tried to form an answer in terms Vya would understand. “A
frigate is a fast ship and is used by the human Lindars of the sea.
Do you understand?”

“I think I do,”
answered Vya, “you paint very clear pictures. I think we understand
each other very well.”

Zeb looked
confused. He also got the impression that he had missed something
significant but at least Vya understood, that was the important
thing.

* * * * *

-34-

PORT LUTTERELL
– ARGYLL’S EAST COAST

At the Supply
Station outside Port Lutterell Thalia asked for her brother.

“Was told you’d
be here today,” he greeted her with a nod to Josei. “Got the coin
Josei asked for too.”

“Thanks Hal, I
appreciate it.”

“Like to tell
me why you’re going into the islands?”

“No, not yet,”
Thalia answered.

“Orders came
with the sghail of the Avuzdel too. I don’t know what’s happening
Thalia but it must be serious if the Avuzdel’s involved. Be careful
out there.”

“Ship?”
enquired Thalia, deftly evading Hal’s incipient questions with one
of her own.

“Argyllian
naval frigate no less. You have friends in high places. Better that
way anyway. No point advertising your presence to all the merchant
houses in the country and beyond. Who’s the boy?”

“He can
identify the person we’re chasing and thanks again Hal. How are
things here?”

“A bit tense,
much as usual these days.”

He was looking
at Daniel, “now you look after her, you hear me? if she gets hurt
me and Aya will come after you and carve out your tripes.”

“With my life,”
promised a fervent Daniel.

Hal handed a
hefty looking saddlebag to Thalia. It jingled as she took it.

“Coin.
Argyllian and Murdochian, all denominations though mostly of high
value ‘cos of the weight. Also letters of introduction and safe
conduct. They’ll be accepted in most of the islands, Galland,
Randall, Eilidon. Got your cover story ready?”

Thalia nodded,
“Josei told me.” She laughed. “Seems that one dark night a
nefarious person crept into the Inner Sanctum at Vada and stole a
most precious historical legacy, the sword of Susa Francis. We’re
chasing the thief.”

Hal nodded,
“not bad at all as long as no-one goes into the Inner Sanctum and
finds out that it’s there after all.”

“Nope, it’s
actually gone,” grinned Thalia. “Susa Malkum is very thorough. When
does the frigate leave?”

“It’s in
harbour now, taking on provisions. Should be able to sail when the
tide turns tomorrow, which will be,” he paused and glanced at his
Lind Aya, “at about Noon Bell. Captain has been fully briefed.
He’ll wait at Galliard and take to elsewhere, within reason, if
your ‘thief’ has fled the roost. Think about it, you’ll be safer
aboard a warship than on one of those pesky little trading vessels
that island hop. Lastly Thalia, keep in touch, Josei can reach Aya
if he tries hard enough.”

“I will Hal, we
will, I promise.”

“Going to see
Father before you leave? There’s time.”

“Perhaps,”
Thalia answered, trying to sound non-committal.

* * * * *

Next morning
the five met with Thalia’s brother again.

“Are you
intending to drop in on Mother and Father before you go?” Hal
enquired again in a nonchalant manner, conveniently forgetting that
his sister had refused the previous day but Thalia wasn’t
deceived.

“Why?” was her
suspicious answer.

“I think they’d
like to see you, that’s all.”

“Why?” she
demanded again. “Why should I? He made it perfectly clear in his
last letter, over two years ago, I may add, that I wasn’t to darken
the family doorstep again. You know what he thinks of me. Don’t
tell me
you’ve
been back.”

“He’s mellowed
a bit in recent years, at least with those of us who’ve made a
success of their lives. I think he’s secretly rather proud. I’ve
heard he brags about his Garda officer son to his cronies at his
club.”

“Us?”

“Told you he’s
coming round. I believe he brags about us as well though I’ve not
been privileged to hear him.”

“Tomas still
the blue-eyed boy I presume? And what about young Tara? How is
she?”

“Not so young
these days. She’s incredibly bright too you know. Heads her class
lists in all her subjects, she’ll be off to Stewarton as soon as he
can arrange it.”

“So what’s Tara
saying about it?”

Hal shrugged,
“nothing, seems quite happy about it.”

“About going to
the university or leaving home?”

Hal shrugged
again, “neither, both, I simply don’t know Thalia. Tara doesn’t
talk much.”

“Perhaps I
should stop by,” mused Thalia, “to see Mother and Tara if nothing
else.”

“I think you
should,” he agreed but refused to say anything more.

* * * * *

The greetings
between mother and daughter were intense and as full of rapture as
were those between Thalia and her sister Tara.

Josen Joshson’s
greeting was more reserved. His eyes lit up though when he saw
Thalia in her best uniform (donned for the occasion and not too
crumpled) he even, much to Thalia’s surprise, requested she
accompany him into his study for a quick chat before she left.

Greatly
wondering, Thalia complied.

Once there, he
didn’t open his mouth to utter pleasantries, he launched straight
into the reason why he had called her in. “I’ve heard something
about what has happened,” he began without preamble.

Thalia was on
her guard in an instant.

“Something?”

“The artefact
that has been stolen,” he explained, “don’t ask me who told
me.”

“It’s supposed
to be a secret.”

“A certain
person sent word, thought I might be able to help. Now don’t panic,
it’s not common knowledge, I haven’t told anyone else.”

“And can you
help?” For the life of her Thalia couldn’t keep the sarcasm out of
her voice.

“As it happens,
I might be able to. You know what it is that you seek?”

Thalia
nodded.

“The
Argyll’s
power core. The mate of the one that was used to
destroy the spaceship of the Dglai in AL 608. Well, I am a
historian as well as a mathematician and I was understandably
nervous about the news. It is a very dangerous object.”

“I’d gathered
that.”

“But have you
wondered why its disappearance is such a secret, why you and one
other, with your Lind of course, have been sent after it, in secret
and on your own? Why a general alert wasn’t called? Why the Vada
and the Avuzdel aren’t scouring the continent for it?”

Thalia looked
blank.

“Well, I’ll
tell you. The theft of the power core is possibly the most
dangerous event ever to have graced the planet.”

“More dangerous
than the Dglai invasion? I still find that hard to believe.”

Her father
ignored her. “I’ll tell you why it is so important it is retrieved
and retrieved without any fuss. It should have been left where it
was, in the WCCS
Argyll
, where it belonged. Out of reach out
of mind.”

“Why?”

“Because if an
unscrupulous or ambitious person got his or her hands on it they
might use it, and more to the point, threaten to use it to gain
their own ends. There are many men of ambition on our planet
Thalia, who, not to put a fine point on it, would like to rule it
all. The
Electra
’s power core was used to blow up the
Ammokko
and it devastated the surrounding area.””

“Like the King
of Leithe,” Thalia breathed, “he’s ambitious.”

“So you’ve got
that far, have you? Not that I’m surprised. You’ve got a fine brain
inside that head of yours.”

“But I don’t
understand, apart from threatening, what use would it be to anyone?
Oh, Vya told us about the document being stolen from the university
but no-one knows for certain they pertained to the power core.
Actually they could have been anything from, oh, I don’t know,
mathematical formulas perhaps.”

“The copy taken
from the university archives was not the only one. We are quite
certain of this now.”

“But the King
of Leithe wouldn’t use the power core, couldn’t, could he?”

“A valid point.
Have you heard of something called ‘the print-outs’?”

“I don’t think
so, no.”

“The print-outs
contain information our ancestors brought with them. They were
hidden for a long time. In AL 607, with the Dglai invasion
imminent, they were found and the information they contained used
to learn how to convert the
Electra
’s power core into the
weapon that destroyed the Dglai. It was the Master of the
Technicians Guild, one Annert de Gras who led the team that
discovered the way to do it.”