Quest Page 26

  'Hmm. Well, no more talking now, my love. I must do my best to heal you. It'll be a poor effort, compared to Lara or Herra, but I'm fairly sure I can get the arrowhead out.'

  'Good. It hurts like hell. What do you want me to do?'

  'Close your eyes and go into the Discipline of Deep Relaxation. Do you remember how it was when Herra healed you in the lifeship?'

  He gave the slightest of nods and surrendered himself to the Discipline, knowing that the more he could relax, the easier it would be for Katia to heal him. He closed out all the sounds in the chamber, the breathing and the rustling of clothes. He was soon so immersed in control ing his own body's activities that he didn’t hear Katia's own breathing slow down to match his.

  'Lie very stil and work with me.'

  Katia's voice, as she went careful y through the first stages of the Discipline of Healing, seemed to come from further and further away, and to permeate Davred's mind and body. As the pain vanished completely, he gave an unconscious sigh of relief.

  * * *

  As Davred’s breathing slowed down to a rate that set an alarm ringing on the satellite, watchers came rushing from their cabins to the com-room. All members of survey teams had minute internal monitors surgically implanted, linked to the main computer of their base, in this case, the satellite, and set to sound an alarm if something was wrong.

  'What's happened? Is Davred in danger?' Robler flung the question at Soo, who was the last to enter the com-room.

  She pushed past him to the control panel and switched on the tracer transmission. 'N-no, I don't think so. This has happened before. Oh, I see! It's a healing! Robler, we're about to record another healing! Thank goodness Davred's carrying a tracer. ' Her fingers flew over the control panel as she spoke, coding in instructions to record this on a permanent file, as well as on her secret files.

  'A healing?'

  'Yes. Be quiet and watch. It's started already. Shards! Look at Davred's arm!'

  Robler ignored her. 'Only primitives would attack each other like that. It's disgusting!' He fidgeted as he watched. At first it was too alien for him to believe what he saw. He glared at the image. 'What are they doing to him? If he sustains any serious injury because of those . . . '

  'Shhh! They're helping Davred to slow down his body processes for a healing. That's why the monitor alarm sounded.'

  Soo made a further adjustment to the controls and the centre of the com-room was filled with a square image, fully three-dimensional, of the area around the holocube tracer. The figures were slightly transparent, and a little smaller than life, but every detail was clear.

  Soo increased the sound and Katia's voice filled the room, low and compelling. It had an almost mesmerising effect even on the crew of the satellite. Soo found herself relaxing involuntarily and, stealing a glance sideways, she was amused to see that even Robler had been caught by it and had lost his usual tight frown. She coded in instructions that moved the full scene to one side and provided an enlarged close-up of Davred's arm in the centre of the display area.

  'That's a nasty wound,' said Mak, his professional interest aroused. 'Knowing the skill of their Healers, I'm amazed they’ve left it untreated for so long.'

  'Escaping must have been their top priority,' said Soo, who was the most habitual watcher now that Davred had gone. 'The Sisters can be single-minded about things, when necessary.'

  Robler squinted at the image. 'I wonder where they are? That's not the temple, is it?'

  QUEST Shannah Jay 123

  'I think they were going to escape through a tunnel. By the look of those walls, they must be underground.'

  Robler frowned and pointed to the enlargement of Davred's arm. 'I can't believe that! It's got to be a trick!'

  The arrowhead slowly pushed itself out of the torn flesh. No blood came with it. Then the torn skin on Davred's arm began to knit together, taking on a raw new pink colour.

  'They must be faking it!' Robler looked accusingly at Soo. 'Are you sure that thing's transmitting properly?'

  'How could they be faking it? It's our own tracer which is recording this. I don't think they even know about the way we're observing them. Davred is still loyal to Confex, whenever possible.'

  'Whenever it doesn't conflict with his new obsession, you mean!'

  * * *

  Herra, propped up on one elbow, watched carefully as Katia lost herself in the healing. She nodded with satisfaction when the arrowhead fell to the ground beside Davred's arm. Only once did she have to lend slight mental guidance and support to Katia's efforts, but no one else, least of all Katia, was aware of it.

  The other two women sat motionless throughout the healing, simply lending their support. They knew as well as Herra how hard this must be for Katia, how it would strain her powers to the limit. When the hole began to close and new skin formed, Cheral's face registered surprise. This was success indeed for one who was not yet a properly-trained Healer!

  As soon as the torn flesh had sealed itself with, Katia began to relax her hold on Davred. His breathing speeded up a little, but she left him in a deep sleep so that his body could continue to heal itself. She raised her head and looked at the others, her voice shaking slightly. 'I didn't think I'd manage so much. Oh, Herra!'

  'You did well. Even Lara herself could have done little more. You have a greater Gift than we’d thought, child.'

  'I couldn't let Davred go on hurting like that!' Katia closed her eyes, needing time to recover.

  Cheral nudged Fiana and they began to organise food and drink for everyone, though it was only emergency rations and cold water from the spring.

  Herra drank a little water, but barely touched her food. She lay back on her pallet. 'I'm nothing but an added burden for you. I shouldn't have allowed you to bring me with you.'

  Dismay kept Cheral and Fiana motionless. To hear the Elder Sister speaking in tones of despair like that!

  Katia opened her eyes and stared at the Elder Sister's ravaged face. She realised suddenly that Herra was suffering from delayed shock, as wel as the depression due to her low physical state. It must have torn the Elder Sister apart to see Temple Tenebrak under siege, and then to have to abandon it. No wonder Herra was unable to think clearly - she who had helped so many now needed help herself.

  Katia moved closer and clasped Herra's hand in both of hers, oblivious to the disapproval on Cheral's face at the familiarity of this gesture. 'We needed you, Herra, needed you desperately, or we wouldn't have driven you to such a low ebb.' She put one arm around the Elder Sister's shoulders. 'You've been an inspiration to us for so long. It's time, I think, that we began to look after you a little better.'

  Herra swallowed to clear away the lump that this tender speech from the daughter of her soul had brought into her throat. 'But I'm so weak! Child, it was the wrong decision to bring me.'

  'No. It was the right decision. You aren't thinking clearly because we've pushed you too hard.' Inspiration came suddenly. 'Cheral! Fiana! Let's hold a Gathering!'

  'Now?'

  'Why not? If ever we needed to renew our faith and our sense of purpose, it's now.'

  'There are only four of us . . . ' Cheral began doubtful y.

  'It only takes two to gather!'

  QUEST Shannah Jay 124

  Neither of them noticed the bleak look that came suddenly to Fiana's face.

  'Well, why not? I'm feeling a bit low myself.' Cheral wasn’t sure she liked the way Katia had taken charge, but the idea made sense. 'Just let me clear away these things and get the rest of the beds ready.'

  Incurably neat, even in such circumstances, Cheral tidied up the few utensils they had used, while Fiana and Katia helped Herra to make herself more comfortable. Then, one by one, they moved to form a circle.

  * * *

  'What are those primitives doing now?' Robler asked sourly as silence fell in the cave.

  Soo gritted her teeth but said nothing. She knew she mustn’t let Robler goad her in any way, though lately it’d
been very difficult to keep her opinions to herself. He’d taken it into his head that she was following Davred’s example and had warned her to be very careful or he might be obliged to suspend her from her duties and send her back to Central.

  She banished that thought and continued to watch.

  Davred's tracer was faithfully replicating the scene in the shadowy rock chamber. Soo turned down the lights in the com-room so as not to detract from it. The picture cut off sharply at the edges of the cube's power, but was large enough to include the four women sitting cross-legged in a circle, their hands touching. Three of the faces were calm and serene; the fourth, Fiana's, wracked with sadness.

  'I'm going to enlarge the image to life size,' whispered Soo.

  'Why the hell are you whispering? Do you think they can hear you?'

  She ignored Robler. 'Fiana's weeping. I wonder why?'

  'Who understands anything that those women do?' Robler snapped. 'This is just another of their ways of relaxing, I suppose. Though why it should make that one cry . . . '

  'It's not relaxation. It's a Gathering. Davred tried to explain it to me once, after the first time he'd done it. He called it achieving gathering. And he was ecstatic about it.'

  'Hyper-ventilated, more like.'

  'Why will you not listen, Robler? Why will you not even trust the evidence of your own eyes? And why will you never give any credit to Davred? He's still reporting in regularly, still doing the job he was sent to Sunrise for, isn't he? And doing it better than he ever could here on the satellite.'

  'He was not sent here to make a Commitment to one backward planet! He was sent here to gain experience so that his potential could develop. He was only supposed to get some experience of violence, not go down and join in their struggles. And he will be needed any day now - needed quite desperately, by more people than that little ball of mud down there could ever support, even if it were fully populated, which it isn't.

  Soo sighed and gave up attempting to make Robler see sense. She and Mak exchanged a glance, then she shrugged slightly and bent forward to adjust the image. Where Davred was concerned, Robler was totally unreasonable.

  Robler surprised her, however, by continuing the conversation. 'What else did Davred say about this Gathering thing?' He waved a hand scornfully at the four women, who were still sitting motionless.

  The slight transparency of the image lent them an ethereal quality. How beautiful they looked, Soo thought, not responding immediately to Robler's question. Sometimes she felt that it was the beauty of Sunrise which had entrapped Davred - and which was slowly entrapping her. But she had no intention of making a Commitment. What could a computer/communications expert with her skills do on a technologically backward planet which lacked even self-propelled vehicles, let alone mass communication systems?

  And yet - she couldn't bear the thought of leaving. She could fully understand why Davred had flown down to Sunrise rather than allow Robler to send him back to Central. What would she do if Robler ever tried to carry out his threat to transfer her?

  'Well - what did he say about it?'

  QUEST Shannah Jay 125

  Soo raised her eyes to meet Robler's, trying not to betray her inner turmoil. Her eyes were dark pools in an ivory-yellow face, and her hair was also dark, straight and sleek, drawn today into a knot high on the crown of her head. She spoke with calmness and dignity, not allowing Robler's sarcasm to upset her.

  'Davred said that it was a meshing of souls - not minds, but souls. It's definitely not telepathy, though the Sisters do show traces of ESP sometimes. He said . . . ' Soo tilted her head sideways, a trick she had when trying to recal something, and her long eyelashes fluttered down over her gracefully-slanting eyes. 'He said that gathering brought a sure knowledge of love and purpose, as well as comfort in times of trouble, a heightening of joys and - and - oh, yes, a sense of shared commitment, such as we of Confex could never know.' Her soft voice was in contrast to Robler's harsh tones, and she wouldn’t have looked out of place had she put on the robes of a Sister and joined the group of women whose image filled the centre of the darkened com-room.

  Mak looked across at her and smiled, excluding Robler.

  'Is that al ?' Robler snapped. He felt his exclusion from their wordless communication, and the knowledge that he was missing something they could see galled him. After all, he too had been - Daxos! he stil was nearly a potential CA.

  And one day he’d prove his worth, make them regret not choosing him. 'It sounds like a load of mumbo-jumbo to me.

  Al very wel for primitives, but it wouldn't fool civilised people for a moment.'

  Soo's voice was stiff with scorn. 'Davred also explained that it usually takes years of training before a Sister can

  achieve ful gathering. You have to acquire a certain attitude first, a state of mind. He was so happy that he’d achieved gathering within his first year with the Sisterhood. I don't think I've ever seen joy like that in our so-called civilised society.'

  Robler snorted. 'It's as I said: hyperventilation, a self-induced euphoria. You can get the same feeling with hel-gas shots.'

  'Does that explain the Great Gathering that we recorded, when every temple on the planet was linked to make the decision about which temples to save? We never did work out what caused the emissions of light from each temple,'

  Mak commented.

  Robler couldn’t deny this, so he ignored the remark and changed the subject. 'Do they all do that?' He pointed a contemptuous finger at the motionless women. Only the tears trickling down Fiana's cheeks were moving. He had never seen such stillness of body over such a length of time.

  'Only the Sisters can gather. That's why they're chosen. The novices have the potential, and when it develops they become Sisters.'

  'And how do those women know which ones to choose? Magic?'

  Soo shrugged. 'How should I know? But the system's been successful for over twenty thousand years, so it can't be that bad.'

  'Twenty thousand years! Don't tell me you've been taken in by that nonsense as well.'

  Mak's hand grasped Soo's, and she didn’t rise to the bait. Robler scowled at them and fell silent.

  They watched until the four women stirred again. The change in Herra was quite visible, even to alien and hostile eyes. She was tired stil , but the stress and self-doubt had gone. None of the three women made a move towards Fiana, who went and lay down on her pallet with her face to the wall.

  'Send a copy of this, and a recording of the Great Gathering to Confex - mark it ESP Branch,' Robler ordered after a moment. 'They like to collect such oddities. Tell them what Davred said about gathering. When it's ready, let me know, and I'll check it through. I can't add my endorsement to something I haven't seen, can I?'

  He had checked everything that went out from the satellite to Central since Davred's escape, and although he was unable to stop their reports, he made sure that any with which he disagreed were accompanied by an adverse report of his own. Once or twice, especially in the early days, Soo had managed to send transmissions without his knowledge, but he’d tightened up since then. To send anything without his seal of approval now would be to risk bringing out into the open the conflict that was simmering beneath the surface on the satellite.

  QUEST Shannah Jay 126

  Although Soo and Mak supported what Davred had done, they were the only two team members openly on his side, so felt themselves to be in a vulnerable position. There was nothing concrete on which they could pin any complaint about their Exec, so there was nothing they could do but hold their peace and try to build up evidence to call in a Confex Sectoral Supervisor to investigate the situation. But it wasn’t easy. Proof had to be incontrovertible that something was wrong, or Soo and Mak would themselves be dismissed from Confex.

  Of the others serving tours of duty on the satellite, which now carried a full crew, Sim and Kerem had remained strictly neutral and kept to their own areas of research or documentation. Both of them were from Hareth-III, a
planet noted for the stolidity of its inhabitants, and its lack of and scorn for creative ability. People from Hareth-III made good technicians or librarians, could be brilliant in maintaining records and machinery, but were poor at innovation.

  Jarna and Donnan had also kept neutral, but more because they were sceptical of what was happening, than to support Robler. They were from an ultra-sophisticated world, and had a rather disdainful attitude towards Sunrise.

  Even after Mak had returned to his cabin, Soo sat on in the com-room, deep in thought. Robler occasionally showed glimpses of his old self, but that merely served to underline how much he had changed lately. Before Davred's defection he had been an absent-minded Exec, not particularly interested in the planet, but pleasant enough to work with and good company socially. At one time she had even seen some personal attraction in him, a thing of which she was now ashamed. Had she been blind to his defects or had he changed so greatly since then? She rather inclined towards the latter.

  What Soo couldn’t decide now was whether Robler was growing used to the idea that he’d lost their Cathartic Agent for good, or whether he was hatching up some scheme to lure - or perhaps force -Davred back. Somehow she couldn’t trust him. She had therefore hidden various key recordings of Davred and of events on the planet in her own personal files. She could easily have retrieved the recording of Davred explaining about a Gathering for Robler, and sent that back to Confex, rather than explaining what he’d said, but she wasn’t going to reveal to Robler how carefully she was documenting what she was beginning to think of as her Quest, too.

  When she passed on her message and the recording of Davred's healing for him to send, Robler didn’t bother to hide his disappointment.

  'Why don't you send them the actual recording of what Davred said about this gathering business?'

  Soo looked at him, her expression inscrutable. 'What recording?'

  'I'm aware of what you're doing, you know, Soo. I'm not a good enough technician to prove it, but I know what's going on.'