The Canticle of Whispers (19 page)

“Well, we had a little help,” Mark replied, spotting Verso appearing in the cave entrance. But before he could point out the old man, Lily reached out an arm, and grabbed Mark in a tearful embrace.

“I thought … this would be it … the rest of my life with nothing but the dark, and the whispers and … oh…” Lily hugged all three of them so tightly Mark thought his back would break.

“It's a miracle; it's…”

She stopped. Mark looked up, smiling. But Lily's cheer had vanished. She was staring at the entrance to the cavern, with a look of wary hostility.

“What's
he
doing here?” she asked.

All eyes turned to Verso, standing quietly at the base of the stairs.

“He led us here,” Ben said, clearly puzzled. “Without him, we'd never have found our way…” Ben trailed off, clearly alarmed by Lily's expression. “What is it, Lily? Do you know him?”

Slowly, Lily nodded.

“Mark, Laud, Ben,” she said, quietly. “I'd like to introduce you to the ruler of Agora.”

Quietly, as though shedding an old skin, Verso seemed to change. He straightened, his limbs ceased to tremble, his whole attitude altered. Authority settled on him like a cloak. When he spoke again, his voice was clear, and utterly calm.

“How pleasant to meet you again, Miss Lilith,” said the Director of Receipts.

 

C
HAPTER
T
WELVE

Revelations

L
ILY STARED
at the Director. He had changed since she had last seen him, sitting behind the mahogany desk at the center of the Directory. His skin was a little paler, his wrinkles more entrenched. But even in the scuffed boots and patched jacket of a servant, there was no mistaking that face.

“Though, I fear you are a little out of date,” the Director continued, walking into the cave with an easy tread. “I have been deposed in your absence. Mr. Snutworth now holds my office, and much good may it do him. But yes, when we last met, I was the Director. I must admit, I had not expected that our next encounter would be in the mausoleum, although it is somewhat appropriate.”

Beside her, Mark and Ben stood silent, their faces plastered with almost comical looks of disbelief. Laud, on the other hand, did not take long to recover. He tensed in Lily's arms, and pulled himself free.

“We trusted you…” he said, his voice low and dangerous.

“I don't believe, Mr. Laudate, that I ever betrayed that trust,” the Director said, with infuriating calm. “You asked me to lead you to Naru, and to find Miss Lily. I achieved this objective with a minimum of fuss.”

“Don't give me that!” Laud shouted. The cavern rang with his voice, and Lily heard another whirl of whispers, fluttering like frightened bats. “Do you expect us to believe for one second that you led us down here just to be helpful?”

The Director shook his head.

“Not at all. That was my primary reason for not revealing my identity. I suspected that if I had, none of you would be disposed to accept my aid. And I did not want to make this journey alone.” He rubbed his wrists, thoughtfully. “It is, perhaps, a journey that I have waited too long to undertake.”

Lily put a hand on Laud's shoulder, to stop whatever cutting remark he was planning.

“He did bring us back together, Laud,” Lily said, quietly. To her surprise, Laud relented, and relaxed a little, though he still gave the Director a filthy look.

“But…” Mark spluttered, finding his voice again, “Cherubina said you were dead! And what about the page that Verity took from the Directory? The one that led us to the Sozinhos? Did they know all this too? What … what…?”

“Such eloquence,” the Director said, with a slight smile. “I'm disappointed, Mr. Mark, particularly after you came so close to the truth as we journeyed here. You certainly knew that I was no old servant, but you lacked the imagination to wonder who else might know such secrets.”

Mark scowled.

“I suppose I expected the Director to be a bit more impressive,” he replied, sourly.

Something in this seemed to wound the old man.

“Perhaps you are right, boy.” He wandered over to the brass plaque near the entrance, the only one that had no name engraved upon it. “But then, I held that position for twenty years, and despite some legends to the contrary, I am entirely human. All greatness must end. And where better than here, in the mausoleum?”

Lily stared at him. His power seemed to be ebbing from him with every moment. Almost unconsciously, she remembered the plaque next to the blank one. Carved with a single name, and dates.
Procuria, AY 56–124.
But it was the second date that was fixed in her mind—Agoran Year 124. Twenty years ago.

“Who was Procuria, Director?”

The Director smiled, sadly.

“My predecessor. Director before me, and a musician. In fact, I believe that you are sitting at her armonium. It must have taken a great deal of effort to bring that down here, but she always was a very stubborn woman. I suppose she never wanted it to leave her side.”

Lily nodded, understanding. But Mark was still fuming.

“So what was this journey really about?” he muttered. “Why did you need us to bring you here?”

“Mark,” Lily said, quietly. “I think this is where all the past directors are buried.”

The Director nodded.

“Quite correct, Miss Lilith. This journey, Mr. Mark, is my very last.”

Mark seemed chastened by the Director's words, but still looked at him with distrust. It was only then, in the silence, that something the Director had said really penetrated Lily's brain.

“Snutworth is the Director?” Lily said, amazed. “Your old servant, Mark?”

Mark nodded.

“It's a long story, and it looks like we didn't know the half of it.”

He cast a significant glance at the former Director. The old man smiled, faintly.

“Yes, indeed, I should have been interred here months ago,” he said, lightly touching the brass plaque. “Snutworth's plan was not only cunning, it was very nearly successful. He left me in a most dreadful state.” The Director held up his hand, and smoothly pulled off one of his gloves. In the pale light, Lily gasped. The scarring across his wrists was thick and painful, she could still see the edges of crude stitches. The Director winced. “But I have lived a long time, and I was not to be defeated. I lasted long enough for Miss Verity to find me.” He pulled the glove on again, smiling fondly. “Dear Rita. It was fortunate indeed that she had not gone to her chambers, but was preparing to meet Mr. Mark's father, and needed to creep past my office to use the secret tunnels.” He rested his hand against the plaque. “She found me just in time, I believe, and sensibly did not raise the alarm. Doubtless Snutworth would have ensured that only guards loyal to him were stationed in the Directory that day…” he frowned. “You will understand that I know little of what happened next. I was very weak. But I was able to direct her to my instructions. I had … prepared for an event such as this.”

“You thought Snutworth was going to attack you?” Mark asked. The Director shook his head.

“Not him, specifically, although looking back I should have realized that he would be the only one with the intelligence to manage it. But I knew that powerful men rarely die of natural causes. I knew that one day, I might have to fake my own demise, to disappear so perfectly that even the Directory, with all its resources, could not find me. To do that, I would not merely have to hide. I would need to become a different person.”

Slowly, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, drawstring bag. From it, he tipped out what looked like a few small, colorful, boiled candies.

“Miss Verity followed my written instructions to the letter. She took me to a doctor, without saying who I was, to heal my wounds. She provided me with a false name and signet ring. And then, she took me to the memory extractor, and left me there, so she would never be able to say where I had gone. I knew that if Snutworth found me, he could extract the last of my secrets this way, and I chose to lose myself on my own terms.” He sighed. “My whole self was stripped away by the extractor, each pearl of memory disguised in a truly harmless form.”

“The candies…” Mark breathed. The Director nodded.

“I would have taken them all before our journey, but there were some memories I did not dare recall until we were safely out of Agora. Even now, there are a few last details that I have kept from myself.” He tipped the candies back into the bag. “My memory extraction technician was truly an expert. He even labeled the candies in a cipher, and told me the code when I awoke, so I would know which to take first.” The Director rolled the candies around in the palm of his hand, looking a little wistful. “I must admit, it was a relief to be Verso for a time. To lead a simple life. Having my years as Director settle back upon me was an … unpleasant experience. There were many days I would prefer to forget.” He shook his head. “After the process was complete, the technician promised to even remove his own memory of my presence, and crush it beneath his heel. I was left believing myself to be an old servant, confused by advancing years. Not a single soul in Agora knew Verso to be anyone special. My only clues were this sealed bag of ‘candies,' and a note, in my own handwriting, warning me that I had a greater purpose, and that this bag was not to be opened until I received the sign to become myself again.” He paused for a moment. “Fortunately, I had also been kind enough to write myself a good reference for the Sozinhos. After all, I needed a place to work.”

“Why them?” Ben asked, finding her voice. The Director smiled.

“They guarded the Last's Descent. The few memories I had allowed myself to recall included all my knowledge of the Sozinhos. I knew that, one day, I would have to take the Descent myself.” He frowned. “As Verso, of course, I did not fully understand the significance of these memories, but the note I had left myself was clear—I had to enter their service. It was risky, of course—they had no real reason to take me on. At first, I tried flattery, pretending to be an old librarian, fascinated by their family history. This brought me little success. But when I explained that I was pursued by a cruel former master and needed to stay away from the public eye…” The Director met Lily's gaze. “Fortunately for me, they are charitable people. I think I have you to thank for that. They even agreed to pretend to the world that I had been their servant for years.”

“But,” Mark looked even more baffled, “what about the page from the old book? The one Verity went to such trouble to get?”

The Director rubbed his chin, thoughtfully.

“Ah yes, the page. My lifeline.” He pulled the page from his pocket, smoothing it out. “I had told Verity that it would show the way to me, should the need arise. I must admit, she used it rather sooner than I was expecting, but perhaps that was all for the best.” He held it up to Mark. “What do you see here?”

Mark glared at it.

“It's just a recipe,” he said. “You need to hold it up to the light.”

The Director smiled again. “Really, Mr. Mark? Would you expect me to hide my true meaning so simply? That message led to my hiding place, but it did not alert Verso that it was time to turn back into me. I needed a message that only I would understand.”

Mark looked down at the page again, and the light of understanding dawned in his face.

“It's a recipe for boiled candies,” he said, softly. The Director nodded, returning the page to his pocket.

“For all his short life, Verso knew those candies were important. So when this ancient page appeared, borne by strangers…” He sighed. “He knew … that is, I knew … that my last reprieve was over.” His sigh grew more pronounced, and he leaned against the wall for support. “But I have little time left. My health is far from ideal, and I must save my breath for my confession. Is the Oracle prepared to see me?”

His last words were addressed to the Conductor, who had appeared at the entrance to the chamber.

“She will already know that you are here,” the Conductor said, solemnly. “Will your friends be joining you?”

“No,” the Director replied, “this confession is for the Oracle alone.” Absently, he wiped his gloved hand across the blank plaque. “The Directory and the Cathedral of the Lost are built on the same black stone we encountered in the tunnel. It silences all echoes—even the Canticle. I believe that the ruling founders did not want their thoughts overheard. But we pay a price for this privacy—all secrets must be given up eventually. Every Director ends his days before the Resonant Throne, making his final confession.”

He turned to go.

“You're staying right here.”

The Director turned back. Lily realized that she had spoken—the words had come out of her mouth before she could stop them. But after everything she had been through, after all the hours she had spent with the Canticle, searching for anything that could help her, she wasn't going to let the most knowledgeable man she had ever met walk away.

“And why, might I ask?” replied the Director. “I am quite certain that you could stop me leaving, if you wished. But I fail to see what that would accomplish…”

“Stop!” Lily shouted. “Stop treating everything like a game!” She approached the old man. A shiver passed through her, and behind her she heard the Canticle begin to buzz. “I trusted you,” she said, her fury building. “Mark and I went out into Giseth because I believed you when you told me we were Judges, that we were important. Since then, I've been at death's door, had a village full of friends turn into murderous maniacs, fought off a creature that fed on all my worst nightmares, watched my father die in front of me, and been forced to live in this maddening hole. And do you know why? Because I wanted some answers! I wanted the end of the story you could have told me in the first place! So you owe me something, Director. You owe me the truth.”