Read Online Robert Charrette - Arthur 01 - A Prince Among Men by Robert N. Charrette - Free Book Online
Book: Robert Charrette - Arthur 01 - A Prince Among Men by Robert N. Charrette
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Authors: Robert N. Charrette
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that she is an agent of the otherworld. In that case, she must be stopped."
"Are you proposing what I think?"
He smiled at her. He might have been a cat contemplating a trapped mouse. She considered his sanity again. If he was suggesting a murder, perhaps his delusions had taken too dangerous a turn. In fact, she detected a flaw in his logic.
"You said you thought that this woman was the target of the attack. If she is an agent working for the otherworld's interests, attacking her makes no sense. Why would the powers of the otherworld, wishing to see a convergence, try to kill their own agent?"
As always, he had an answer. "There are factions on the other side, and they do not always work in concert. This is fortunate, a factor in our favor."
"Why not leave her to this opposing faction, then?"
"As well trust a work-relief prole to do your own job. Stopping the convergence must be our highest priority." He slipped out of the chair and leaned on her desk. "The intrusion of magic into this world would be disastrous. You cannot begin to imagine the chaos that would result. Not only governments would collapse."
For once, Sorli was wrong; she had often imagined the chaos of a world gone magical. In fact, she had done such a good job of constructing that nightmare scenario of unbearable instability that it was costing her sleep. Magic did not belong in the world. Not in her world. Her world was a rational one; dangerous, perhaps, but predictable. She knew how to survive in it. She had built herself an island of stability in the turmoil of the world, and she had no intention of seeing her hard-won stability torn away from her.
Magic was the wildest of wild cards, capable of destroying all stability, everything she had made for herself. In a world confused by magic, the corporations would lose control; and by extension, so would she. Unacceptable! She could not—would not—let that happen. She had to take action. But what should she do? She hated herself for dithering. She'd thought she'd been long done with such indecision. Her uncertainty reminded her too much of who she'd been.
The threat of chaos reminded her of things, too. Past things, things she had walked away from or buried, things she had sworn never to let affect her life again. She'd banished chaos from her life once, she was never going back there. Never!
Sorli was still asking her to take a lot on faith, but could she afford not to believe him? What he'd shown and told her was so nebulous. Why hadn't he been able to provide her with more than hints and suggested interpretations? She wanted real, solid evidence, which Sorli had so far been unwilling or unable to supply. Without evidence, acting involved risk. She didn't like to take chances, but she had survived times when a gamble was the only answer, the only way to remain in control, and this was looking more and more like one of those times. But if she played this wrong, there'd be a scandal; a scandal could prove very hard to survive.
The fear of chaos haunted her. If there was an otherworld, and if Sorli's mystery woman was working to bring it into convergence with the world as Pamela knew it, that woman had to be stopped. Pamela had never lacked resolution in the past; she had always had enough guts to do whatever had to be done. So why was she hesitating? Was it just prudent caution, or was if more than that? Was she afraid of being embarrassed if Sorli pushed her into unjustifiable actions? Or was she afraid that Sorli's fears might be all too correct, and that there might be nothing she could do to stop the advent of the chaos? She needed to know more about what was really going on.
"I want you to find out more about the woman before you take any action."
"We may not have the luxury of discussing this at leisure."
'I don't have the luxury of making a mistake." She fixed him with a stare. "Neither do you."
"The biggest mistake would be to let this woman continue to operate."
"Convince
"Are you proposing what I think?"
He smiled at her. He might have been a cat contemplating a trapped mouse. She considered his sanity again. If he was suggesting a murder, perhaps his delusions had taken too dangerous a turn. In fact, she detected a flaw in his logic.
"You said you thought that this woman was the target of the attack. If she is an agent working for the otherworld's interests, attacking her makes no sense. Why would the powers of the otherworld, wishing to see a convergence, try to kill their own agent?"
As always, he had an answer. "There are factions on the other side, and they do not always work in concert. This is fortunate, a factor in our favor."
"Why not leave her to this opposing faction, then?"
"As well trust a work-relief prole to do your own job. Stopping the convergence must be our highest priority." He slipped out of the chair and leaned on her desk. "The intrusion of magic into this world would be disastrous. You cannot begin to imagine the chaos that would result. Not only governments would collapse."
For once, Sorli was wrong; she had often imagined the chaos of a world gone magical. In fact, she had done such a good job of constructing that nightmare scenario of unbearable instability that it was costing her sleep. Magic did not belong in the world. Not in her world. Her world was a rational one; dangerous, perhaps, but predictable. She knew how to survive in it. She had built herself an island of stability in the turmoil of the world, and she had no intention of seeing her hard-won stability torn away from her.
Magic was the wildest of wild cards, capable of destroying all stability, everything she had made for herself. In a world confused by magic, the corporations would lose control; and by extension, so would she. Unacceptable! She could not—would not—let that happen. She had to take action. But what should she do? She hated herself for dithering. She'd thought she'd been long done with such indecision. Her uncertainty reminded her too much of who she'd been.
The threat of chaos reminded her of things, too. Past things, things she had walked away from or buried, things she had sworn never to let affect her life again. She'd banished chaos from her life once, she was never going back there. Never!
Sorli was still asking her to take a lot on faith, but could she afford not to believe him? What he'd shown and told her was so nebulous. Why hadn't he been able to provide her with more than hints and suggested interpretations? She wanted real, solid evidence, which Sorli had so far been unwilling or unable to supply. Without evidence, acting involved risk. She didn't like to take chances, but she had survived times when a gamble was the only answer, the only way to remain in control, and this was looking more and more like one of those times. But if she played this wrong, there'd be a scandal; a scandal could prove very hard to survive.
The fear of chaos haunted her. If there was an otherworld, and if Sorli's mystery woman was working to bring it into convergence with the world as Pamela knew it, that woman had to be stopped. Pamela had never lacked resolution in the past; she had always had enough guts to do whatever had to be done. So why was she hesitating? Was it just prudent caution, or was if more than that? Was she afraid of being embarrassed if Sorli pushed her into unjustifiable actions? Or was she afraid that Sorli's fears might be all too correct, and that there might be nothing she could do to stop the advent of the chaos? She needed to know more about what was really going on.
"I want you to find out more about the woman before you take any action."
"We may not have the luxury of discussing this at leisure."
'I don't have the luxury of making a mistake." She fixed him with a stare. "Neither do you."
"The biggest mistake would be to let this woman continue to operate."
"Convince
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