The Lodestone Trilogy (Limited Edition) (The Lodestone Series) (68 page)

“Besides,” Alondo finished, “I already told her there’s no way I’m going up in one of those.”

Keris spread her arms wide in resignation. Lyall put an arm around the musician’s shoulders and smiled. “You are a true pioneer, my friend.”

“Thank you,” Alondo said, his grin turning to a frown as the irony hit home.

Lyall released Alondo and his tone became serious. “There’s something else I wanted to discuss, something that may make us all feel a little better. We have all missed Shann and Boxx since we lost them during the crossing. I think it’s time we said hariath-sharana for them.”

“You realise we would have to say the ritual farewell for Saccath too,” Keris pointed out. “That is, if you’re going to keep with Kelanni tradition.”

“I’m aware of that,” Lyall said quietly. “I don’t know whether these peoples’ rituals are anything like ours, but I would like to–”

“What are you saying?”
Lyall and Keris both turned to Alondo.
“You don’t know that they’re gone. They’re alive somewhere. I know it. They’re alive.”

Alondo stormed off, and she had not seen him again until it was time for them to leave. Keris was content to leave him to come to terms with his grief in his own time and in his own way. However, as they reached the point where the open countryside ended and the road that led into town began, she decided to broach a subject that had been bothering her since their first visit here. “I think you should lose the hat.”

Alondo seemed to take a moment to return from the cold lonely place where his thoughts had been residing. “What?”

“The hat,” she repeated. “We’re supposed to be keeping a low profile. That hat of yours–well, it draws stares. We borrowed these furs from the locals so that we would blend in. No-one here wears a hat like that. It marks us as outsiders.”

“We are outsiders,” Alondo said.

Keris sighed. “Yes, but we don’t want to advertise the fact.”

“Forget it.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I said, forget it. Unless you’re going to try and take it off me.”

Keris shook her head. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

“Then the hat stays.”

Keris felt troubled. She had never seen him like this. Clearly now was not the time to force the issue. She decided to try and change the subject. “How was Oliah when you last spoke to her?”

“She’s being forced to live underground as an outlaw in a city that’s under martial law. How do you think she is?” He winced as if someone had slapped him in the face. “Sorry…I’m sorry.”

Keris shook her head. “Forget it. We’re all trying to do the best we can. Including Lyall.”

“I realise that. When we get back, I’ll apologise to him. It’s just that…”

“I know,” she murmured. “I know.

~

The streets of Kieroth’s market district were thronged with fur-clad shoppers; ambling along, chatting excitedly or merely staring into ornate bay windows set with leaded lights. It was all very different from Chalimar, or any of the other towns back on their side of the Barrier. Gone were the open stalls and the raucous cries of the street vendors; the loud haggling between stall owners and customers; the snorting of graylesh and the aroma of cooked spiced moba. Here, everything was so much more discreet. Civilised. Shopkeepers displayed their wares behind barriers of glass. And it was cold–so much colder than her home. Snow melting into slush. Keris pulled the furs tighter around her.

After their previous two trips here, she was well familiar with the town’s layout. At the end of this road, take a right turn and that would lead them straight to the artisans’ district. There were many establishments they had yet to check out. Keris tended to allow Alondo to conduct the actual enquiries, as he had a much better grasp of the local dialect–and besides, he knew far more about machines than she did. Her role was to make sure he was safe, and to keep him focussed on the task at hand, as he had a tendency to be distracted by every new invention he came across.

Today, however, that might prove to be a good thing. The musician needed something to take his mind off the fate of Shann and Boxx. Although she had not mentioned the fact to Lyall, another thing that was slowing them down was the fact that he wanted to inquire about them of everyone he met. Keris was not unsympathetic. They had all been affected by the loss, herself included. But they had a job to do. Their companions had sacrificed their lives for the cause on which she and Lyall and Alondo were embarked. Lyall believed that hariath-sharana, the ritual farewell, was the best way to come to terms with what had happened. But to her way of thinking, the best way to do that was for them to successfully complete their mission. That way, their deaths would have meaning.

His inquiries had been met with shrugs and shaken heads. A few mentioned that a while ago, a girl–a stranger–had caused a disturbance and been taken into custody, but no-one knew where she was now. Keris did her best to downplay the account, cautioning him that he shouldn’t get his hopes up, but he carried on doggedly asking the same questions. In the end, she had left him to it.

However, from the moment that Lyall had suggested the ritual farewell, it was as if the faint hope that the musician had been clinging to was suddenly wrenched from his grasp. She had no idea what he would do. The truth was that when it came right down to it, even those who cared about you could only be spectators of the pain you were going through. Grief was a path you had to travel alone.

One of the strange floating carriages was moving down the street toward them, making a subtle humming sound. As it passed by, she heard Alondo’s shout just behind her.
“Shann…It’s Shann.”

She whirled around. Alondo was standing wide-eyed and rooted to the spot. “What? Where?” she called.

“There.”
He pointed at the coach as it receded into the distance. “In that carriage thing.”

“Impossible,” she declared.

“It was her. I’m sure of it.”

Bang.
Before Keris could respond, the air was shaken with a loud impact, followed by a horrible grating sound. The carriage up ahead had crashed onto the cobbles and was sending up sparks and shards of metal. She watched in horror as it lurched and spun around, before finally grinding to a halt. The street erupted in panic. Onlookers who had been cowering in terror now began running toward the crash. Keris saw one of the blue-coated watchmen moving in, his odd-looking staff weapon held at the ready. Alondo started moving toward the scene of devastation.
We can’t get caught up in this; it’s too dangerous.

Unceremoniously, she grabbed the round-faced musician by the scruff of the neck and dragged him away down the nearest alley.

~

As McCann had anticipated, Wang had been furious at his former engineer.

“What do you expect me to do?” McCann had responded angrily. “They could be anywhere. One man can’t search half a planet.”

The Captain ran a hand through his short black hair and yelled at him. “We have at least some Kelanni contacts in Skell, don’t we?”

“Not many,” McCann countered.

“Well, get back there and kick them up their green-tailed backsides. I want those who crossed over into Skell eradicated before they can do any more damage, do you hear me?”

This is all Lafontaine’s fault.
The elderly scientist was refusing to co-operate on the Accumulator Project again. Wang was livid, but he was forced to rein himself in because he needed the old man. That meant taking out his frustration on his subordinates–and McCann was right in the firing line. The engineer would have liked nothing better than to sink his knuckles into Wang’s plump oriental face. But McCann had taken an oath when he signed on. Wang was the Captain and that was that.

McCann threaded his way through Kieroth’s main commercial thoroughfare. He had learned long ago to rely on the anonymity of crowds. A single man would always stand out, but the closer people were packed together, the more distant they became. He kept the Kelanni furs wrapped tight around his face as if to protect against the cold. He was a little taller than most Kelanni but if you ignored that, and the fact that there was no tail peeking out from the hem of his coat, then he was nigh indistinguishable from the rest of the populace.

He had been at it for days–conducting the search by day, going back to the island at night and then returning early the next morning. Nothing. No-one had seen the three fugitives since he had lost track of them out on the moor. It was slow, tedious work. It was also dangerous. Wang had made clear many times that if he were recognized as a human, then he would be on his own–disavowed by Helice and treated as a renegade. The Captain was not prepared to risk open conflict with the Kelanni population until the Accumulator Device was ready. In simple terms, McCann was expendable. And the longer this inquiry took, the more chance there was of his being caught. Soon he was going to have to search farther afield, but with so many possibilities–well, he was going to need a miracle.

A phaeton was gliding towards him, suspended about half a metre above the ground. Suddenly, its front end dropped to the cobbles, throwing up showers of sparks. McCann froze, then drew back instinctively as the wrecked carriage careened past, metal screaming on contact with stone like a stricken maiden. The coach slowed gradually, flinging aside shattered sections of its undercarriage. It screeched to a halt, its back end pirouetting so that the vessel came to rest facing in the opposite direction.

The crowded street erupted. Shouts. People running toward the crash site. McCann roused himself and covered the ground to where the stricken phaeton lay. The door opened and a young female Kelanni stumbled out. She was slight of build, with short dark hair and wild hazel eyes. Arms reached toward her, but she pushed past, shoving McCann to one side with surprising strength and bolting down the roadway in the direction the phaeton had come from.

What the…?
McCann followed the girl with his eyes as she slid to a stop farther down the street. She was gazing about, looking for…something. A second Kelanni–a lanky youth–clawed his way through the carriage door and started after the girl. He caught up to her, and there was an animated exchange that McCann could not hear. A third figure clambered out through the opening, rubbing his head. As he did so, one of the blue coated drach appeared and began ushering the onlookers away from the wreck. McCann allowed himself to be herded back with the others.

Another drach approached the occupant who had just disembarked. “Speak truth. What happened here?”

The Kelanni, who was evidently the driver, spread his arms wide. “It was one of my passengers. She…she just went crazy and grabbed the controls. There was nothing I could do.” He looked back at the smashed front end of his coach and swore.

“One of your passengers, you say? And where are they now?”

“I…don’t know.” The driver looked confused. “Gone…they’re gone.” He looked up.
“Rael.”

The lanky youth was returning–without the girl. He joined the other two, reaching into an inner pocket and drawing out what looked like a small book. He handed it to the drach for inspection. “M-my name is Rael. I am attached to the Scientific Directorate. I apo…apologise for the accident.”

The drach drew himself erect. “Speak truth. The driver testifies that the crash was caused by another passenger.”

“The girl is…not from here. She has come here from…a different part of our world and is staying at the observatory in the care of Hannath and me. She was not familiar with the workings of the phaeton. I sh-should have monitored her more closely. I accept full responsibility”

“Hannath?” the drach registered surprise. “What would Hannath want with this girl?”

“Th-that is n-not your concern.” The youth was struggling to sound assertive. “Any enquiries about this matter should be d-directed to the observatory. Is that clear?”

The drach looked as if he was going to prolong the argument, but then checked himself. “Very well.”

The driver sagged in resignation. The youth who called himself Rael turned on his heel and headed back to where the girl was standing. She followed him meekly as they disappeared up the street. McCann briefly considered following them. No, that would be too obvious. Besides, it was unnecessary. He knew exactly where the girl was being held. He could bide his time and pick his opportunity. It would be necessary to take that one alive, so that she could be ‘persuaded’ to reveal where the rest of her confederates were hiding.