Treasure of Light (The Light Trilogy) (78 page)

A swallow went down Rachel’s throat. “Only by God.”

Baruch exhaled quietly. “Seen our friend?”

“No. I—I haven’t,” Rachel stammered. She’d started to shake. She backed away and Carey heard her feet retreat across the sand.

“What’s wrong with her?” Carey demanded.

Jeremiel breathed out a sigh and seemed to drift off, eye opening and closing lazily. His voice was heavy with sleep.
“Mashiah … Antimashiah…. She no longer knows what’s good or what’s evil…. Nor do I.”
His head lolled to the side and his eye closed.

“Carey,” Cole said ominously. “We’ve got to find shelter. This beach is the last place on Tikkun we need to be.”

She laid a hand on Jeremiel’s fevered brow, touching him tenderly one last time. “There are some interesting rock formations about ten miles from here. We saw them on the way down. They’re in the depths of the forest. I was thinking—”

“And I’m sure you’re right Let’s go.”

CHAPTER 59

Mikael stood uneasily in the front room of Magistrate Slothen’s office on Palaia Station. The blue man behind the desk scowled at him and Mikael shuffled away to press against Sybil’s shoulder. Around them, Ambassador Ornias, Captain Erinyes, and Ari and Yosef stood.

Mikael brushed Sybil’s brown hair out of the way and cupped a hand to her ear, whispering, “This is the right place, isn’t it?”

Sybil nodded certainly, then cupped a hand to his ear. “Sure. Didn’t you see those funny yellow skies and pointed buildings? This is it, all right.”

“Okay. Sybil, did you have
funny
dreams on the cruiser on the way here?”

She shook her head and gazed at him questioningly. Mikael shrugged it off and focused again on the ugly blue creature behind the desk. Mikael had slept for most of the journey. He’d had very strange dreams. Metatron kept coming to him, telling him things, asking him questions, and showing him funny pictures from the future:
Mikael could still feel the cool wind that tousled his hair when he stood between the Horns of the Calf on Palaia. He could still hear the screams from men and women dying on the plains below and see the ships that soared overhead and slashed the hills with violet fire. The clouds burned….

For three mornings, he’d awakened with a terrible headache. And—he felt different, older, as though Metatron had done things to his brain to make him think like a fifteen-year-old or something. Even more frightening, Mikael remembered Metatron telling him that he’d created little gates in Mikael’s head, gates that Mikael could open or close at will. Metatron had shown him how to do it—to shut off certain parts of his brain. He’d been experimenting in his dreams most of the way here.

Shifting from one foot to the other, Mikael tried to think of exactly what he had to say to Slothen. His grandfather had told him what God wanted, but he had to say it just right. He was thinking about it when the blue man stood up and said, “Magistrate Slothen will see you now.”

“Well, it’s about time,” Captain Erinyes said nastily. He led the way down a long lavender hall.

Mikael trembled, looking from Sybil to his Uncle Yosef.

“Let me take your hand, Mikael?” Yosef said, looking down at him through loving eyes. He extended wrinkled fingers.

Mikael took them, holding them tightly. As they started off, he motioned for Sybil to come take his other hand. She ran forward to do it. Her palm felt warm against his. Ari followed behind, cursing quietly to himself about blue sonsabitches.

Two guards in purple uniforms stood by a big door. Captain Erinyes and Ambassador Ornias swept by them like the wind, but Mikael stopped, blinking up.

“Hello,” he said shyly. “How are you?” He’d watched his grandfather for most of his life. His grandfather talked nice to everybody. It was important.

The tall dark-haired guard glared sternly for a little bit, then his face melted like ice in the sun and he smiled. “I’m fine. How are you, son?”

Mikael smiled back. “All right, sir. Thank you.”

Uncle Yosef smiled at the guard and tugged Mikael’s hand. They walked into a big office. Beautiful pictures hung on the walls, stars and things. He looked at them with interest, then he turned to stare at the blue man behind the white desk.

“Leader Calas,” the man said, “welcome to Palaia Station. I’m Magistrate Slothen.”

Mikael’s heart thumped. Bravely, he let go of Yosef’s and Sybil’s fingers and stepped forward. He formed his hands into the sacred Gamant triangle and bowed. “I’m pleased to meet you, sir. Thank you for letting me come.” He extended a hand toward his family. “This is my Uncle Yosef and his friend Ari Funk and this is my best friend Sybil.”

“Good day,” Magistrate Slothen said stiffly and smiled.

It scared Mikael a little, because he had long pointed teeth under bright red lips that reminded Mikael of blood. “Sir? We need to talk about what to do with Gamants.”

Slothen’s blue wormy hair crawled. Mikael grimaced. “Gamants are very uncooperative. I’m not sure we can negotiate anymore. But, please sit down. We’ll at least talk. What did you have in mind?”

Mikael watched people sit down, everybody except Sybil and Ambassador Ornias. Sybil glared at the ambassador like she wanted to hit him again. The tall man came forward and knelt beside Mikael, smiling sideways at Magistrate Slothen. Mikael squinted.

“Listen, Calas,” Ornias whispered. “Let me help you. I know these people. They’re—”

“He’s a pig!” Sybil accused, glowering at the ambassador. “He killed my dad, and he tried to kill me and my mom!”

Mikael lifted his chin and said. “Get away from us. We don’t need your help.”

“But, really, Mikael,” Ornias pressed quietly. “You don’t know Giclasians, they have strange ways.”

“You’re a pig!” Mikael echoed Sybil. “I don’t like you. Get away from me!”

Ornias’ eyes narrowed. He got to his feet and looked down harshly at Sybil, then turned in a whirl of black robes and went back to sit beside Captain Erinyes.

Mikael kept standing, mostly because he felt too nervous to sit. Sybil stood in front of her chair, like she was waiting for him to tell her it was okay. He nodded and she nodded back, then slid onto the seat.

Mikael walked timidly over to stand before Slothen. His eyes just reached above the top of the desk. He curled his fingers over it to pull himself up a little higher. He braced his chin on the desktop. “Sir? Captain Tahn told me you didn’t really hate Gamants. Is that right, sir?”

Slothen leaned back in his chair and rubbed a finger over his ruby red lips. Behind him, ships dove through the yellow skies, swooping over the tall buildings. “Hatred is not a Giclasian emotion.”

Mikael smiled uncertainly. “I guess that means no, then. I’m glad, because, Gamants don’t really mean to be bad. It’s just that sometimes they think they have to because they’re afraid you want to hurt them.” He licked his lips and watched the frown form on that blue monster face.

“What do you suggest we do to stop the violence, Leader Calas?”

Mikael slid his chin around to glance at Sybil. She nodded to him, telling him to go ahead and say what his grandfather had told him God wanted. “Well,” he said thoughtfully, “I think, sir, that we need to move Gamants to one planet.”

“Move them? You’re
asking
for forced relocation?”

Uncle Yosef sat forward, eyes glistening fearfully. He whispered softly to Ari, who shook his head.

Mikael chewed his lower lip and decided he’d just go on and not tell Slothen he didn’t understand what “relocation” meant. “Yes, sir, move them. To one planet.”

Slothen twined his fingers together and made a twisted face. “What planet did you have in mind?”

“Horeb, sir. Could you do that?”

“Mikael?” Uncle
Yosef said sharply. Sweat had broken out across his bald head, gleaming in the bright sunlight streaming through the windows. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”

Mikael blinked. “But Grandfather said we had to. Epagael wants us there, Uncle Yosef.”

Yosef’s face tightened. “Do you realize, Mikael, that after the scorch attack, Horeb will be a terrible place. We won’t be able to grow food or hunt animals to support ourselves. We’ll have to rely totally on the government for food and clothes and everything else.”

Mikael’s gaze darted around. His grandfather hadn’t told him that. He’d just said that Epagael wanted all Gamants to go to Horeb because it was very far from Palaia Station and safer. And Metatron had said the books that would help them win the war were there.

“We’ll manage,” Mikael assured his uncle.

Slothen inclined his head. “Will you order your people to comply with my relocation program?”

“Does that mean you want me to tell them it’s okay for them to move to Horeb?”

Slothen smiled that sharp-toothed smile again. “Yes. That’s what I mean.”

“Yes, sir. I’ll tell them.”

Slothen nodded and leaned forward, getting closer; Mikael stiffened his muscles, trying not to be afraid.

“I suspect it will take a few years to complete the relocation, but we’ll begin immediately. I assume you want to be one of the first immigrants?”

Mikael shrugged, wondering what that meant. “I want to be one of the first people to go there, yes, sir. That way—”

From behind him, he heard Sybil’s footsteps. She ran up and cupped a hand to his ear, whispering, “Do you want to tell him about the Cave of Treasures?”

Mikael thought about it. Metatron hadn’t told him he could and he worried about keeping secrets good enough. Sometimes he forgot and told people, then his friends got mad at him.

He shook his head. Sybil patted his shoulder and backed away, clasping her hands behind her back and looking at Magistrate Slothen meanly. Sometimes she did that, just to let people know she wasn’t stupid or anything.

“Is that all, Leader Calas?” Slothen asked, glancing at Sybil.

Mikael looked at Sybil, too. She nodded confidently and Mikael smiled. “Yes, sir. We’d like to go to Horeb now, if that’s all right.”

“I promise to take you there as soon as you’ve instructed all the Gamant planets to comply with my relocation program.”

“All right, sir.”

Slothen stood up and put four hands on his white desk. Mikael took a step backward and bumped into Sybil; she squeezed his arm to make him feel better. Slothen squinted at them. “Then good-bye. I’ll talk to you again soon.”

“Good-bye, sir.”

Mikael took Sybil’s hand and together they ran down the hall, their hearts bursting with happiness.
Now they could go study the books in the Cave of Treasures and lead the war!

When they reached the end of the hall and Mikael saw Uncle Yosef’s worried face, he ran back, giggling, to throw himself in Yosef’s thin arms.

“We get to go back to Horeb, Uncle Yosef!”

He watched as his Uncle Yosef bowed his head sadly; tears filled his faded eyes. He pulled Mikael close and stroked his back lovingly.

Slothen swiveled his chair around to gaze out the window. Fighters shot through the lemon skies, practicing wedge maneuvers, swooping down over the city like glimmering diamonds. He shook his head.

To have the leader’s permission to herd Gamants into a pen was too much to have expected. Oh, how very easy it would be to control them once he’d confined them to that godforsaken gravity well. Yet… Gamants were unpredictable. He’d certainly see to it that both the little boy and the girl were thoroughly probed while at Palaia. Perhaps through skillful neural manipulation, he could assure that the residents of Horeb would have a leader who mouthed Magisterial propaganda.

He twined his fingers nervously and frowned at the fighters as they soared up through the flaxen clouds.

CHAPTER 60

You must become Light in the Spirit of Silence. I have struck off the chains. I have broken down the door of the Pitiless…. I came because of the pride of the archigenitor and his angels, who say, ‘We are sods!’ Trample underfoot their Sepulchers! Let their yoke be broken!

The Sophia of Yesu
Manuscript in the Sahidic Dialect of Old Earth,
4th century, Common Era.
Fragment found in Boskion caves, Pitbon, 5212.

Rachel stood on a rocky plateau in a grove of trees on the far side of the Hentopan Sea. She propped a boot on a granite boulder. Fish and moss scented the cool breezes that caressed her face, swirling her loose hair over her eyes in long black strands. Behind her, she could hear the sounds of men and women laboring in the forest. In the past two weeks, they’d discovered and moved into a series of underground caves that seemed to stretch for uncounted miles around and beneath the ocean. They’d cannibalized and set up the shuttle’s scanning system. But even with it serving as a warning beacon, they still found themselves scrambling every day to stay out of sight of the numerous Magisterial ships that invaded their skies. Efforts to find them had intensified since the government found the abandoned shuttle and pods they’d hidden in the forest on the other side of the sea, miles distant. Tahn warned that as soon as the Magistrates had the luxury of dispatching a cruiser to aid the search, they’d play hell hiding from the vessel’s sophisticated sensing equipment.