Part Ten

'Others leave. You stay.'

Iyshe hesitated and, in that moment, felt a burst of Psi such as he had never felt before. The world went entirely bluewhite, light which blinded him. His eyes closed reflexively, but the light shone through his eyelids and was just as bright. He heard himself screaming, and then all was dark.

Consciousness returned in darkness and with it came pain. Iyshe groaned, tried to move and found that his hands were bound behind his back. He appeared to be lying on his side on a stone floor in total darkness. He blinked, trying to see if there was any glimmer of light. There was none.

Sudden panic seized him as he remembered the blinding bluewhite Psi-light before he'd lost consciousness. Was he actually in a well-lit room, but unable to see any of it?

He brought forth a thread of Psi and made light and almost cried out with relief when he saw it glowing in front of him. The feeling faded quickly when he took in what the light was illuminating.

He lay on the stone floor of a small cell with a substantial door, also made of stone. The air was cold and dry and an unpleasant draught felt like air being circulated via mechanical means. He expanded his light a bit and noted slits where the floor and walls met out of which the air was flowing.

As he drew more Psi, though, he felt an unpleasant sensation in his wrists which rapidly grew stronger. A tingling was replaced with an ache, then intense pain. He cried out, releasing Psi — and the pain stopped.

Any thought that as a trained Psidar he would be able to escape from this situation disappeared. He had as much chance as any normal Alledar would have. Right now, that didn't seem like much of a chance at all.

In the dark, he wondered what the alien wanted with him and whether it had Arkyna and Firnor as well. After what had happened to him he feared the worst for both of them.

—

Although he didn't know it, Iyshe's fears were partially justified. Firnor lanquished in an identical cell, also prevented from using more than minimal amounts of Psi by the device which bound his hands.

Arkyna was in a wood-panelled room, lit by wicks burning in bowls of oil.

You are here.

As in her dream, there was no source for the voice, no sign of its owner and no sound accompanying the meaning. Arkyna looked around, frowning.

We are also here.

Arkyna's frown turned into a scowl.

'That's exactly what you said last time,' she said.

We wish to ensure your understanding. We are those who delivered the warning to you.

'Are you the alien with the tentacles?'

There was a pause.

She is part of us.

'Where am I?'

You are here.

'Where is my body?'

There was another pause.

Safe. Again, a pause, then words like a sigh carried on a breeze. Trust us.

'You attacked me.'

We did not expect you. We do not understand your intention.

'I came to stop the storms.'

We gave you our warnings. You have not left. There will be no third warning.

'What will you send instead? What will you do to us?'

You must leave.

Arkyna sighed in frustration. 'Why? Why can't we all live here?'

Another pause.

Our lives are not as yours. We are minds only, existing in the currents of that energy which you call Psi. The world which we came from had many peoples living upon it. Their thoughts tore at us and caused us pain. We left and came here. There was a small outpost and we were much relieved, but even their presence caused us pain. We spoke with them and they departed and this place has been ours for all time since. Until you came.

'We did not know.'

We must have you leave.

'I can tell the others, but they might not listen. They might not believe you are here.' She looked down at her feet. 'Many of them do not trust me. Some wish to see me dead.'

Then why do you wish to save them? The words carried genuine puzzlement.

'Because they do not deserve to die for making a mistake, or for their prejudices. They can return to Alledora and they can learn that I am no danger to them.'

The silence carried laughter.

You are dangerous to all your people. They are not ready for one such as you.

'What do you mean?'

When you discover this for yourself, return here and you may stay. Your company would be welcomed. But the others must leave.

'But-'

There was no transition. Arkyna found herself lying on a stone floor in the dark. A moment later there was light, illuminating the small cell. The entire ceiling was glowing, and the light cast everything with a greenish tint. As she shifted she found that her hands had been bound, but pulling against the device which held them caused it to slip open and fall to the floor. She stood, pushed the door and found that it opened easily into another perfectly round tunnel. More doors led off it.

In the one opposite her, she found Firnor in a restless sleep. When she touched his shoulder, he awoke. His bonds fell to the floor, and she helped him stand.

'Arkyna,' he said, smiling. 'You came for me.'

'Hardly. I was in the cell opposite yours. We're being let go.'

'Why?'

'We have a mission to accomplish.'

'For the alien with the tentacles?'

'You saw her too then? An interesting choice of body, that. Let's find Iyshe.'

They came out into the tunnel and tried another door, which opened onto an empty cell.

'What do you mean, a choice of body?'

'I saw one of the aliens who live here in a dream, before the second storm. She didn't have tentacles, and claimed that it was her natural form. That body was a lot more like ours.'

'Perhaps they are several different species. If there is one intelligent alien life form, why not more than one?'

'I hadn't considered that.' Arkyna pushed open the next door and revealed Iyshe. The old Psidar's eyebrows went up in surprise.

'Not who I expected,' he said. Arkyna helped him to his feet. Once more, her touch caused his bonds to open and clatter to the floor. Iyshe looked at them with distaste. 'An interesting device,' he said. 'But not one I'd care to investigate any further. Are we leaving?'

'We are leaving.'

'Good.'

'When can you have your wormhole generator ready?'

Iyshe frowned. 'Five days, perhaps six. Then another day to charge it up. Are we going somewhere?'

'We're leaving. The planet.'

'Who is?'

'All of us.'

'What! Why?'

Somehow, Arkyna knew how to get back to the surface. She turned left out of Iyshe's cell. 'I'll explain on the way.'

Unfinished History Archive

MaW

14.10.04 Front Page

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