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Authors: Catherine Fisher
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afterward!”
“Without you we couldn’t have done it,” Tallis said. She swung the plait of hair over her shoulder and picked up the notes. Raffi could see they were untidy, with words crossed out and altered in Carys’s regular Watchscript.
“Fragments of this you’ve heard before. This is the rest, as far as we could make out. It seems to have been recorded in a time of great crisis for the Makers.”
She pushed an escaped lock of hair behind her ear, and began to read:
“ Things are desperate; it may be that we will have to withdraw. There’s been no word from Earth for months and we don’t know how the Factions stand. Worst of all, we’re sure now about Kest. Against all orders, he’s tampered with the genetic material. Somehow he’s made a hybrid. He never told us, but Soren guessed.
“The creature is hideous. Flain fears it has a disturbed nature, certainly a greatly enhanced lifespan. When it was let out of the chamber it destroyed all the lights and most of the test area. It seems to dislike light. Then it stood in the dark and spoke to Flain, taunting him. It is very intelligent.
“We have flung it deep in the Pits of Maar. Kest called it the Margrave. I hope it will die, but in my heart I keep thinking we should have destroyed it. We should have made sure.”
Tallis stopped.
Solon had made a small gasp, an indrawing of breath. When they looked at him, his face was white with terror. Sudden cold tingled down Raffi’s spine.
Galen leaned over. “Archkeeper? Are you ill?”
He shook his head, his fingers vaguely rubbing over each other, as if he were washing his hands. “No. That name.”
“The Margrave. You’ve heard it?”
“I have. In the cells.”
He seemed frozen with dread. Raffi shivered too. A ripple of horror swept across the room like a snowstorm. All the sense-lines swirled, and for a moment Raffi saw again the darkness of his dream-vision; the dark room he had once seen, the edge of a misshapen face, long as a jackal’s, turning toward him in the firelight. Then Galen said, “Raffi!” in an anxious snarl.
He opened his eyes.
Everyone seemed unsettled.
“No. My fault.” Solon rubbed his forehead with the heels of his hands. “I must be more tired than I thought. Might I also have some ale, Guardian?”
Carys fetched it, thinking grimly that if even a word could unnerve them, it was no wonder the Order had crumbled so fast. Raffi came behind her and drank a deep draft from the cold water jug. His hands were clammy with sweat.
“All right?” she said.
“All right.” He wiped his mouth.
“You remembered about the Margrave, didn’t you? That time you saw it.”
“I didn’t see it. Not properly.”
She nodded. He was taut and unwilling to talk. Together they carried the jug and cups back to the table.
Turning a page, Tallis read on:
“Kest’s creatures swarm everywhere, multiplying and mutating. The geological patterns are uneven and yet the weather-net holds. When we withdraw we’ll have to leave the Coronet active as a stabilizer, even if neural access is not possible. It should hold off the disintegration of the weather-net for decades, maybe centuries. Until we come back. Also, it may provide an emergency portal. Flain says . . . ”
She stopped and looked up.
“Flain says?” Galen asked anxiously.
“I’m afraid that’s all, keeper. Nothing else would come.”
In the quiet the Sekoi picked up the jug and poured ale into the small wooden cups. Felnia came and looked around the door.
“I’m getting hungry. Haven’t you finished YET?”
“Soon,” Galen growled. “Keep him out there.”
“Don’t shout at me!” They heard her shooing the geese out of her way.
“They were in trouble,” Carys said. “There were few of them, and Kest’s interference had disrupted their creation of the world. They were in danger. So they left.”
“Leaving us the Margrave,” Raffi muttered.
“And Flain’s Coronet,” Galen said.
They all
“Without you we couldn’t have done it,” Tallis said. She swung the plait of hair over her shoulder and picked up the notes. Raffi could see they were untidy, with words crossed out and altered in Carys’s regular Watchscript.
“Fragments of this you’ve heard before. This is the rest, as far as we could make out. It seems to have been recorded in a time of great crisis for the Makers.”
She pushed an escaped lock of hair behind her ear, and began to read:
“ Things are desperate; it may be that we will have to withdraw. There’s been no word from Earth for months and we don’t know how the Factions stand. Worst of all, we’re sure now about Kest. Against all orders, he’s tampered with the genetic material. Somehow he’s made a hybrid. He never told us, but Soren guessed.
“The creature is hideous. Flain fears it has a disturbed nature, certainly a greatly enhanced lifespan. When it was let out of the chamber it destroyed all the lights and most of the test area. It seems to dislike light. Then it stood in the dark and spoke to Flain, taunting him. It is very intelligent.
“We have flung it deep in the Pits of Maar. Kest called it the Margrave. I hope it will die, but in my heart I keep thinking we should have destroyed it. We should have made sure.”
Tallis stopped.
Solon had made a small gasp, an indrawing of breath. When they looked at him, his face was white with terror. Sudden cold tingled down Raffi’s spine.
Galen leaned over. “Archkeeper? Are you ill?”
He shook his head, his fingers vaguely rubbing over each other, as if he were washing his hands. “No. That name.”
“The Margrave. You’ve heard it?”
“I have. In the cells.”
He seemed frozen with dread. Raffi shivered too. A ripple of horror swept across the room like a snowstorm. All the sense-lines swirled, and for a moment Raffi saw again the darkness of his dream-vision; the dark room he had once seen, the edge of a misshapen face, long as a jackal’s, turning toward him in the firelight. Then Galen said, “Raffi!” in an anxious snarl.
He opened his eyes.
Everyone seemed unsettled.
“No. My fault.” Solon rubbed his forehead with the heels of his hands. “I must be more tired than I thought. Might I also have some ale, Guardian?”
Carys fetched it, thinking grimly that if even a word could unnerve them, it was no wonder the Order had crumbled so fast. Raffi came behind her and drank a deep draft from the cold water jug. His hands were clammy with sweat.
“All right?” she said.
“All right.” He wiped his mouth.
“You remembered about the Margrave, didn’t you? That time you saw it.”
“I didn’t see it. Not properly.”
She nodded. He was taut and unwilling to talk. Together they carried the jug and cups back to the table.
Turning a page, Tallis read on:
“Kest’s creatures swarm everywhere, multiplying and mutating. The geological patterns are uneven and yet the weather-net holds. When we withdraw we’ll have to leave the Coronet active as a stabilizer, even if neural access is not possible. It should hold off the disintegration of the weather-net for decades, maybe centuries. Until we come back. Also, it may provide an emergency portal. Flain says . . . ”
She stopped and looked up.
“Flain says?” Galen asked anxiously.
“I’m afraid that’s all, keeper. Nothing else would come.”
In the quiet the Sekoi picked up the jug and poured ale into the small wooden cups. Felnia came and looked around the door.
“I’m getting hungry. Haven’t you finished YET?”
“Soon,” Galen growled. “Keep him out there.”
“Don’t shout at me!” They heard her shooing the geese out of her way.
“They were in trouble,” Carys said. “There were few of them, and Kest’s interference had disrupted their creation of the world. They were in danger. So they left.”
“Leaving us the Margrave,” Raffi muttered.
“And Flain’s Coronet,” Galen said.
They all
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