storm (42 page)

            Pellaz received Eyra in his dressing room, still wearing his night-robe.  “What has caused this?” Pellaz demanded.  “We know so little of the otherlanes.  Thiede took too much of his knowledge with him, never having shared it.  Is this a natural phenomenon, a disaster that was waiting to happen?”

            “That is not my belief,” Eyra said.  “Something has shaken the otherlanes, but from those who managed to escape I've learned they felt a rush of hostile force.  It was a blast of heat to them.  They are lucky to be alive.”

            “Is there any indication where this hostility came from?”

            “Not yet.  The ethers are equally in chaos.  We can't communicate with any of our settlements or allies.  We are, in this instance, alone with the problem.”

            “It seems senseless to send ships to Megalithica to give and receive news,” Pellaz said.  “It would take weeks for them to reach it.”  He paused.  “What of the
sedim
?  Is there nothing we can learn from them?”

            “The
sedim
have always kept their own counsel,” Eyra replied.  “They communicate with us only to the extent of enabling travel.  If they have any other agenda, or even the ability to communicate with us fully, it is unknown.”

            Pellaz sat down, frowning.  “If only we knew how Thiede acquired the
sedim,
or exactly where they came from.”  He glanced up at Eyra.  “How many have we lost?”

            “Sixteen,” Eyra replied.

            Pellaz shook his head and sighed.  “That's far too many.  We cannot replace them.”

            “We still have over five hundred, tiahaar.”

            “Five hundred that are apparently male so cannot breed.  If we're under threat, it's not inconceivable an enemy has worked out that the most effective form of aggression would be to disable our transport system.  If we lost the
sedim
we would lose much of our power and virtually all of our mobility.  Think of our major settlements.  Imbrilim, for example, would be alone, and most of its citizens are refugees, not military.”

            Eyra nodded thoughtfully.  “The most distressing aspect of this whole business is that it seems likely somehar or something has access to the otherlanes without
sedim.
  Of course, the threat itself might derive from some other realm.  Our incursions into otherlane territory might be perceived as a form of aggression.  We have no way of knowing.”

            Pellaz remembered when he and Mima had entered another realm via the otherlanes to rescue Lileem and Terez some years back.  Nohar knew who or what had built the structures on that world.  Perhaps, unwittingly, the invasive presence of Wraeththu had caused this problem.  Perhaps the entity that had confronted Pellaz in the otherlanes more recently derived from that event.  “I had a strange experience in the otherlanes some time back,” Pellaz said.  “I should have discussed it with the Hegemony, but I didn't foresee the seriousness of the situation.  Terez and I were working to discover the cause of the problem, but everything had quieted down.”

            “It would perhaps have been wise to inform your colleagues,” Eyra said carefully.

            Pellaz ignored the implied criticism.  “We have also to consider whether these events are connected with the attack upon Rue.”

            “It is feasible.  Whatever attacked him was not of this realm, in my opinion.”

            “How can we defend ourselves?” Pellaz asked, thinking aloud.  “We face an enemy that can perhaps strike at any time without warning.  What should we expect now?”

            “At the very least, we must construct firewalls of protective energy around the city,” Eyra said.  “We have to hope we are given breathing space, in order to plan and for my hara to conduct their investigations.”

            “Messengers must be sent out immediately to all towns and cities,” Pellaz said.  “If they have to ride to Jaddayoth and beyond, so be it.  Late news is better than no news at all.  Everyhar in Wraeththudom must be warned to protect themselves in whatever way they can.  We don't yet know how great this threat might be, so we should prepare for the worst.  We must trust that the Kamagrian are also aware of this problem and are already working, as we are, to solve it.”

            Eyra bowed his head.  “The Hegemony must meet as soon as possible.  I have already sent messages to summon them.”

            “They won't need summoning,” Pellaz said.  “Go to the Hegalion.  I'll meet with you there as soon as I can.”

            Eyra hesitated before leaving.  “Tiahaar, I don't wish to offend you, but we should perhaps address the possibility that Tigron Calanthe's disappearance is associated with this disruption.”

            “I'm glad you don't want to offend me,” Pellaz said.  “I will see you shortly, Eyra.”

            Pellaz was still dressing when Caeru arrived in his apartments.  The Tigron was in no mood to answer the Tigrina's questions, but bit his tongue and reminded himself that Caeru was as much a part of the Hegemony as he was.  He relayed all he could remember of his conversation with Eyra, other than the final exchange about Cal.

            After he'd finished speaking, Caeru was uncharacteristically quiet.

            “What is it?” Pellaz asked.  “What are you thinking?  I can tell you're thinking something.”

            “I don't want to voice it,” Caeru said.  “But I know I must.  Pell, how much can we trust the Hegemony?”

            Pellaz stared at his consort in surprise.  “What in the Aghama's name are you suggesting?”

            Caeru took a deep breath before speaking.  “That some members of the Hegemony are still resentful of the way Thiede brought you to power, that they are not completely trustworthy.”

            “What makes you think this?  What have you heard?”

            “It was something Velaxis said once.”

            “Something Velaxis said,” Pellaz repeated in a scornful deadpan tone.  “And you saw fit not to tell me this before?”

            “I didn't think of it too deeply.  At the time, you and I weren't speaking.”

            “What did Velaxis say?”

            “I can't remember exactly.”

            “Should I have him arrested?”

            “What?  No!  He is not your enemy.  He's just very adept at getting information.”

            “Then perhaps you should apply yourself to a similar task,” Pellaz said.  “I have no time to consider this now.  Will you undertake the responsibility?  I'm not sure your suspicion has any grounds, but it would be stupid to ignore it.”

            Caeru nodded.  “I will.  I'll come to the Hegalion with you now.  I can speak to Velaxis some time this morning.  He will, of course, be there.”

            “I have something to attend to before I go,” Pellaz said.  “I'll meet you there.”

            “What are you doing to do?” Caeru asked.

            Pellaz held the Tigrina's gaze for some moments before answering.  “Say nothing of this,” he said at last.  “I want to try and communicate with Peridot.  I'm hoping the night's events will have shaken him enough to want to talk to me.”

            “You think he's really capable of that?” Caeru asked.

            “I have to find out,” Pellaz answered.  “Now is the time to break down the barrier between the
sedim
and ourselves.  If we lose them, we are easy meat for an enemy with otherlane transport.”

Pellaz went to the stables where Peridot was housed.  Phaonica kept two dozen
sedim
on the premises, although most of them were stabled in the barracks on the outskirts of the city.  As Pellaz approached, he could sense the
sedim's
unrest.  It hung as a sour odour of sweat on the air, the sweat of terror.  The sight of Peridot's huge powerful body trembling in his stall affected Pellaz greatly.  The
sedu's
coat was dark and wet.  Froth hung from his nose.

            Pellaz went up to him and caressed his ears.  Peridot pressed his broad forehead against the Tigron's chest.  He uttered a low, grunting sound.  “Hush,” Pellaz said.  “I am here.  Let's go out together.”

            He opened the stable door and swung on to Peridot's back.  They trotted out into the early dawn light, the city spread out below them.  It looked so beautiful and peaceful, as it nothing could touch its marble towers.  Pennants flew in the morning breeze, which carried the scent of the ocean to Phaonica's heights.

            Pellaz urged the
sedu
to gallop from the city, out to the hills beyond.  Peridot ran so fast it was as if he was trying to exorcise his fear, to burn off anger.  Pellaz let him have his head, his hands buried deep in the
sedu's
thick mane.  Eventually, Peridot came to a shuddering halt in a grove of poplars.  He collapsed to his knees as Pellaz vaulted from his back.  For some moments, Pellaz watched the creature.  Peridot's sides were heaving and his eyes were closed, his chin resting on the ground.  A horse in distress could not have emanated the intense emotional energy Pellaz felt streaming towards him.

            The Tigron went to sit beside Peridot and stroked his flank.  “It's time we spoke, you and I,” he said.

            Peridot held his breath.  The air around them was perfectly still.

            “I know you understand me,” Pellaz said.  “As I know that, for whatever reason, the
sedim
are content to work with and for us, though will not communicate with us fully. I do not ask for an explanation, Peridot.  I ask only that now, in the face of whatever threatens us, we can work together for the safety of all, your kind and my own.”

            There was a silence, and Pellaz felt no hesitant touch in his mind.

            “Why are you afraid?” he asked, in his head.  “There is something that Wraeththu must know, isn't there?  Something that the
sedim
know.”

            He continued to stroke Peridot's damp coat, and then leaned forward to rest his head against it.  “We have seen a lot together,” he murmured.  “I look on you as a friend, as more than a friend.  Trust me now, great Peridot.  I am a child in the face of your wisdom, I know, but I think we need each other.”

           
“Stand back!”

            The words came as a blast to Pell's mind.  He jumped up at once and staggered backwards.

            Peridot rose slowly to his feet, and then shook his entire body.  He tossed his head and uttered an unearthly screech, like that of some giant mythical bird.  The air around him grew hazy, as a milky energy, shot with violet threads of light, formed around him.  He was transforming.

            Pellaz was filled with an indescribable horror.  He has witnessed many unimaginable things in his life, but now he felt he was being faced with something that would be difficult to bear: Peridot's true form.  He already knew that the
sedu
appeared only as a horse in this reality, as he'd beheld a strange transformation in the realm he'd visited with Mima.  Also, in the otherlanes, to a trained consciousness,
sedim
appeared as formless vehicles of energy.  But Pellaz knew he was about to be shown something different, something more real.  He wanted to see it and yet he didn't.  If you gaze upon the true face of the gods, you burn.