Promised Land (16 page)

The story has a postscript
.

I met the ex-bodyguard in a bar the night after we landed on New Alexandria. We just sort of bumped into one another. He'd been reassigned while Charlot was out of local police jurisdiction, and he didn't have the same opportunities for hanging around any more. But he had come looking for me as soon as he could. He was out of uniform and looked almost human.

‘You brought her back, then?' he said.

‘Sure did,' I replied.

‘And?'

‘You owe me a drink.'

‘Can you prove that in a court of law?'

‘No. You'll have to take my word for it.'

He curled his lip, then turned away and ordered the drinks. I drank it slowly. I enjoyed it. I always enjoy winning bets.

‘Ever been in space?' I asked him.

‘No.'

‘Strictly a groundhog, then?'

‘You could put it that way.'

‘I just did. You know, the trouble with people who stay grounded all their lives is that they lack the cosmic perspective. You feel particularly attached to the holy soil of New Alexandria?'

‘In a way,' Denton replied. ‘Not passionately.'

‘It serves its purpose, hey?'

‘It always looked okay to me.'

‘You've never felt the wanderlust?'

‘A bit. Nothing I couldn't handle.'

I smiled at his choice of phrase. ‘Did you ever feel a driving need to
understand
the workings of the universe?' I asked him. ‘Would you feel yourself to be incomplete or unfulfilled if you had to leave stones unturned in your search for the meaning of life?'

‘I don't think so.'

‘No unconquerable lust for understanding?'

‘No.'

He was smiling, waiting for me to tell him what the hell I was talking about.

‘That's good,' I said. ‘Me neither. I like it. But I do like to
know
, don't you? I do like looking under stones. Do you suppose it might become pathological? Or do you think the whole concept of the Library is curiosity gone insane?'

He was bewildered by the swift change of emphasis.

‘I don't know,' he said.

‘Me neither,' I said again. ‘May I buy you a drink?'

‘I thought it was your turn to say “I told you so”.'

‘It is,' I said. ‘I told you so. Now I'm offering to buy you a drink out of the kindness of my heart.'

‘Thank you,' he said. I bought another round.

‘Aren't you going to tell me the whole story?' he asked.

‘I guess so,' I said. ‘But we'd better get some more drinks in. They'll make it seem that much less boring.'

While I was speaking, I fished the little parcel out of my pocket. I unwrapped it, stood the contents on end on the bar, and looked at them pensively.

‘What's that?' asked Denton.

‘It's a present. For Titus Charlot. I haven't given them to him yet. They're to help him to his quest for understanding. They're a research tool of great value.'

‘Yes,' said the cop. ‘But what is it?'

‘It's a set of panpipes,' I said.

Brian Stableford
was born in Yorkshire in 1948. He taught at the University of Reading for several years, but is now a full-time writer. He has written many science-fiction and fantasy novels, including
The Empire of Fear
,
The Werewolves of London
,
Year Zero
,
The Curse of the Coral Bride
,
The Stones of Camelot
, and
Prelude to Eternity
. Collections of his short stories include a long series of
Tales of the Biotech Revolution
, and such idiosyncratic items as
Sheena and Other Gothic Tales
and
The Innsmouth Heritage and Other Sequels
. He has written numerous nonfiction books, including
Scientific Romance in Britain, 1890-1950
;
Glorious Perversity: The Decline and Fall of Literary Decadence
;
Science Fact and Science Fiction: An Encyclopedia
; and
The Devil's Party: A Brief History of Satanic Abuse
. He has contributed hundreds of biographical and critical articles to reference books, and has also translated numerous novels from the French language, including books by Paul Féval, Albert Robida, Maurice Renard, and J. H. Rosny the Elder.

Alien Abduc
tion: The Wiltshire Revelations

The Best of Both Worlds and Other Ambiguous Tales

Beyond the Colors of Darkness and Other Exotica

Changelings and Other Metaphoric Tales

Complications and Other Stories

The Cosmic Perspective and Other Black Comedies

The Cure for Love and Other Tales of the Biotech Revolution

The Dragon Man: A Novel of the Future

The Eleventh Hour

Firefly: A Novel of the Far Future

Les Fleurs du Mal: A Tale of the Biotech Revolution

The Gardens of Tantalus and Other Delusions

The Great Chain of Being and Other Tales of the Biotech Revolution

Halycon Drift
(
Hooded Swan
#1)

The Haunted Bookshop and Other Apparitions

In the Flesh and Other Tales of the Biotech Revolution

The Innsmouth Heritage and Other Sequels

Kiss the Goat

Luscinia: A Romance of Nightingales and Roses

The Mad Trist: A Romance of Bibliomania

The Moment of Truth: A Novel of the Future

An Oasis of Horror: Decadent Tales and Contes Cruels

The Plurality of Worlds: A Sixteenth-Century Space Opera

Prelude to Eternity: A Romance of the First Time Machine

Promised Land
(Hooded Swan #3)

The Quintessence of August: A Romance of Possession

The Return of the Djinn and Other Black Melodramas

Rhapsody in Black
(
Hooded Swan
#2)

Salome and Other Decadent Fantasies

The Tree of Life and Other Tales of the Biotech Revolution

The Undead: A Tale of the Biotech Revolution

Valdemar's Daughter: A Romance of Mesmerism

The World Beyond: A Sequel to S. Fowler Wright's The World Below

Xeno's Paradox: A Tale of the Biotech Revolution

Zombies Don't Cry: A Tale of the Biotech Revolution