Hemlock And The Wizard Tower (Book 1) (6 page)

But she sensed
an opportunity in the idea
that
perhaps
the automaton had emotions like a
real
person
did
. 
She even considered the possibility that maybe it had once been a person
.  And she felt, instinctively, that she needed its help.

"My masters do hurt people–
I’ve seen it before
,"
observed
the Gnome sullenly
, breaking the silence brought on by Hemlock’s contemplation
.

"
Merit, do you think you can help me to help my neighborhood?
"
she asked
,
thinking back to a certain woman
that Hemlock
had always admired
for
seeming matriarchal
,
and trying to emulate her manner
of speech
.

"
Well…
"
the Gnome said and then hesitated.  "I can try–
but what if they hurt me?
"

"
We’ll arrange it so they will never find out
,
Merit.
"

…

Safreon had been mock furious when she’d told him that Megan was really a pseudonym
,
and that she was the thief known as Hemlock.  She knew that her minor celebrity within the Warrens would elicit a reaction from him.

"
You’re Hemlock?
"
he had responded
,
first with disbelief and then
with
theatrical rage
.
"
YOU ARE HEMLOCK?
"

He
sat down then and actually chuckled.  He always grasped for the hair
at
the front of his head (that hadn’t yet succumbed to baldness) when he laughed.  She found it
to be an
endearing
habit
.

"
I’ve followed
your career for many years now," h
e stated seriously. 
"
You were greedy and
sometimes
you were cruel.  But
then the word was that
you
had
changed and I started to hear t
hat you were losing your edge–
that you
were sparing your victims who were
weak or poor or who pleaded with you sincerely.  It was then that my heart knew hope that maybe this …Hemlock… mig
ht be someone of real substance, s
omeone who might take up the cause that I work toward.
"

"
Safreon, have you been lonely all of these years?
"
Hemlock asked soberly
, changing the subject.  "Haven’t you found any other companions
besides me?
"

"
There have been others
,"
he sighed
heavily, but seemed to catch himself before elaborating. "B
ut
none that could commit to the
life of one
s
such as we.  There is little glory or profit in it.
"

"
I cannot believe that in the
whole
of the Warrens that there are no others who feel as we do and have the str
ength to fight for their ideals," she said, her eyes burning
with indignation.

"
Spoken like a true idealist
,"
he
responded, smiling
. 
"
I’ve found that many people’s
hearts are in the right place.  B
ut we need leaders
and people of action,
because we are trying to lead the Warrens to a place where it hasn’t been
before
.  Most people just aren’t ready to accept change
,
let alone cham
pion it!" H
e
had
finished the
final
sentence with a comic heroic flourish and
had
hit his head on a low
ceiling
beam in the process.

Hemlock laughed as he rubbed his head and glared
at her, muttering
some mild curses under his breath
, though he wore a rueful smile on his face as he uttered them
.

…

Hemlock believed that
she was close to
getting the Gnome to reveal the layout of the Wizard Tower to her
.

"
Oh yes
,
Miss Megan, I have seen the thing that makes the lights in the evening.  It is in the
atrium
on the seventh floor.  That’s where all of the
most powerful
wizards
work
.  The
y are called the Seventh Circle,"
Merit commented with some unmistakable pride in his voice.

"
And do each of the other floors have a ‘circle’ of
wizards
as well?
"
asked Hemlock
,
scratching
nervously at
her
scalp through her
hair.

"
Yes
,
Miss Megan
."

Merit had started calling her
Miss Megan at some point in the conversation
,
which she hadn’t noticed
immediately
. 
She took it as a
term of endearment
and
a reassuring sign.  She felt
sure
that she was the only being that had been kind and attentive to Merit in many
,
many years
,
 
and s
he planned to use this to her advantage.

"
Why
does it matter what circle the
wizards
are members of?
"
she asked.

"
Each circle specializes in a certain area of Magic.  The First Circle
learns about the art of b
attle and
its members
often leave the
tower.  The Second Circle studies the use of
magic as a tool for
replacing human labor
.  The Third Circle specializes in the harnessing and storage of magical
energy
.
"

Hemlock
noted that the Third Circle might relate to what was happening to the
magic in the
Warrens.

"
The Fourth Circle
,"
continued Merit
,
"
specialize
s
in Illusion.  The Fifth Circle research
es
how to
enhance
their bodies with magic.  The Sixth Circle specializes in cataloging magical spells.  Finally
,
the Seventh Circle
wizards take the work of the other circles and apply it to secret research.  They
are
the masters of the Tower and are seldom seen
.
"
 

Merit
had delivered
the description of the circles
of the wizards
in a monotone as if it was being recited verbatim from memory rather than
being derived
from any understanding of the subject matter.

Hemlock felt daunted by the descriptions of the functions of the wizards
. 
Hearing more about them had made their power seem more tangible to her. 

She
put her concerns aside though and focused on her need
to figure out a means to get to the seventh floor without attracting attention. 

A thought sprung into her mind unbidden:
e
ven one Wizard would probably be a match for me–especially here in their inner sanctum.

"
Merit, is there any connection betwe
en the w
izards of the Third Circle and the Seventh Circle?  Why is the
atrium
on the seventh floor?
"
she asked, hoping that
the compound question would not be too complex for the
seemingly simple creature
.

"
I’m afraid I’m not sure
,
Miss Megan
,"
replied the Gnome after much thrashing of gears
in its cranial area
.

Taking another tack, s
he considered that
Merit
probably had a schedule of duties.  She tried to prioritize
the
many questions
that sprang into her head as she pursued this line of thinking
.

"Merit
, what is the best way to get to the seventh floor
undetected?" she asked, hoping that this direct question would result in a meaningful answer
.

Merit responded after his head evidenced m
ore
furious
spinning of gears and
another
puff of smoke
, which emanated from his ear: "
Miss Megan, I think I know what you mean but I’m not used to thinking like that.  I just go where I need to go
,
when I am told to go.  I
have
never considered doing other than what I am told.
"

Hemlock had a sudden inspiration.

"Have
you been told to report strangers in the Tower?
"
she replied.

"
No
,
Miss Megan.
"

She felt relieved and concluded that a
pparently the
wizards
were as arrogant as she had expected.

"Then
you’re not going to tell anyone that I’m here
?"
she asked leadingly.

"
If I
am asked, I will have to tell–
I will not be a
ble to keep it from the wizards,"
Merit replied
,
sounding a bit dejected at the prospect.

"
But what if they don’t ask you?
"

"
Then I will not tell them
. 
I never speak unless spoken to or instructed to by prior training.
"

"
And you hav
en’t been trained to report intruders
?
"
she pressed
, wanting to be certain
.

"
No
,
Miss Megan.
"

"
Are there others like you in the Tower?
"

"
Yes
,
there are.
"

"
How many?
"

"One per floor of the Tower."

"
So
you ar
e assigned to the first floor.  But
we’re on the second?
"
she
thought aloud
.

"
I share the maintenance of the Oberon
pumping
machines with
Number Two
.  I also work in the
atrium
with
Number Seven."

"
When does
Two
come to these rooms?
"
she hurriedly asked.

"
He will be here in approximately
four
minutes," r
esponded Merit.

S
he began to speak faster
then
.

"
Merit, when do you g
o to the atrium to work?"

"
We clean it once per evening
and check on the machines there,"
Merit replied without any
apparent
recognition of
her new tone of urgency
.

"
Merit can you destroy the machin
es in the atrium for me?" She asked, knowing that this
was a reach.