Read Online Zollocco: A Novel of Another Universe by Cynthia Joyce Clay - Free Book Online Page B

in existence. The jewels are the switches. You flip them like this to turn it on. The crystal, an uncut diamond, acts sort of like it would in a crystal set, and the facets glow when the transporter is activated. The wood is hollow, and the computer chips and the wiring are inside. When you turn it on, you must be meditating on where you want to go. If you don't meditate fairly deeply you would end up almost anywhere. The story goes that a very ancient Forest, Saemunsil, gave to a human a limb of a tree to be made into a transporter and that it was a special wood of incredible age. The wood has been preserved as part of the transporter for so long, about nine hundred pregnancies, that the wood has become petrified. The case it is in is actually two cases. The first case is made of safety glass, the second is bullet proof. See this white design in the glass here? These are the locks. The first case unlocks to particular pitches, the second case opens to a magnetized key. Yes, there is iron in the lock and the pole of the lock changes so the key doesn't always work. That is so the Forests can keep some control on who opens the case and who uses the transporter."
"I find all of this hard to believe. But if this is true, what pitch opens it, and where is the key?"
"Well, that's where we have a problem. That information is secret, and I have no idea who knows the answers. It is said that originally a flutist opened the case with the music from his solid-gold flute, but when he died he willed the flute to one of the Priesthoods, and it has never been seen since. Somewhere in the school, three tuning forks are kept, and they, when struck in a certain order open the case. I think the tuning forks are kept in different places."
"Naturally."
"Now the key, I don't even know what that is."
"This is a charming fairy tale." At this point Raiboothnar crept into the room. "There you are Sunbreeze. What ideas are you putting into the head of this poor creature? Think what you are doing. You should be ashamed. Supposing this creature did manage to work the transporter. Into what kind of world would she land? Who would be there to care for her and protect her? You know how many cultures treat space travelers. They stone them to death. Would you like to be stoned to death, creature?" I felt the stone in my gut burn with internal fire, so heavy, so burning.
"I call upon the Holy ones to settle this dispute, to make you see the wrongness of your action, and in extremis to help this woman escape your maleficent intentions," Sunbreeze raged. The visiting music professor, who I had joined in a meal without speaking the language, entered the room. The small black case was tucked neatly under his arm. Whenever I caught sight of him, he was always carrying that case. I assumed it was a musical instrument. Maybe it was a clarinet.
Raiboothnar snapped, "Oh, Sunbreeze," and then she sneered, "don't bother to finish your holy summons. You imagine wrongdoing, or worse you object because you didn't enter the creature on the List yourself."
"You lying, manipulative -- "
"Calm yourself Professor Sunbreeze. Arguing with Professor Raiboothnar only creates greater discord. We must find another way," coaxed the music professor. He held out his hand. On it he wore a black ring. "Let's go to dinner, the three of us."
"Professor, please count the creature's presence, there are four of us," said Raiboothnar.
"Madame, I was hoping to eat with these two, to see if I could settle their disturbed feelings somewhat."
"You are kind, professor. Yes I will allow the Zitam to have dinner with you. See if you can talk some sense into Sunbreeze, or I will be forced to bar her access to the Zitam." Slowly, in a creeping fashion, Raiboothnar left the room.
The stone was glowing my gut, red like a hot coal, and I knew I had to escape, by the weight of that stone.
"Did you know, Professor Sunbreeze, that that transporter has a unique property?" asked the professor.
"Now don't tell me