He lets out a deep heartfelt sigh and looks at Silas.
“Don’t suppose you smoke?”
“No.” Silas confesses.
“Damn. I’m out.” He rubs his head. “And I could really do with one. “
“You’ve got coffee.” Silas prompt
“It’ll have to do.” He stretches again and stabs at the AG button.
As Silas get up Andi speaks again.
“Where are we Mags?”
“SE0014.”
“Ok give me the over view.”
A flat plane appears in the centre of the ship, similar to the lines on the walls when Andi asked for the over view but it hovers in the air of the ship, slowly ripples and bumps appear in its surface reminding Silas of a relief map they used to have on the wall of the geography class room at school.
Andi studies it. “Ok. We have an Earth and… we have an active Caester.” He looks up. “That place leaves a really distinctive mark on reality plots. So you can at least walk the rest of the way. Which is good news because frankly those things are going to hang around for a while and I don’t fancy going back into U space for the next few hours from this spot.”
He studies the plot.
“On the less good note I’d say this earth is not yet space faring. It’s got a small space station but there is no formal planetary landing control. So we’ll have to be a bit sneaky on the way in.”
“Is that bad?”
Andi shrugs. “Worse case you could end up on the front cover of national enquirer under the head lines ‘I was kidnapped by aliens and anally probed.’ And I could end up on a dissection table.” He grins. “But I like to think I’m better than that.” He smiles. “We’re not squid food, “He points out. “Besides did I promised Charles I’d get you home. And I owe him.”
+*+
“What was that thing?” Prydan asks as Aaron guides him into the Library.“It’s a soul stone. It’s used by Bulmäs as a test of character. It… reveals… things.” Aaron explains.
“Do I want to know what it revealed about me?”
Aaron turns and looks at him. “Nothing I didn’t already know.” He comments darkly.
“Do people normally get hurt using it?” He flexes his hand, relieved that the wound is already repairing thanks to the skill of the medic.
The lack of reply makes him look up at Aaron. His face turns quizzical.
“No.” Aaron responds flatly. “But then most people don’t have the drive that you have.” He breaths in softly. “For a start most people are scared of pain.”
“Where as I….”
Aaron coughs. “Rae always said it takes a degree of Masochism to hang around with my family.” He observes.
Prydan frowns “Hmm. Should I be worried?”
Aaron smiles. “Nah.” He shakes his head. “For you it’s a strength. Some where along the line you realise that pain is only ever temporary and somethings are worth enduring a bit of that. That’s what the Soul stone showed Jack. That’s what he admired and that is why he said yes.”
“And offered me his daughter.” Prydan laughs at the inappropriate proposal.
“You could just say you really wouldn’t want to Silas uncle. I think Jack would accept that.”
“Good point.” He looks round the room. “So where is this book then.”
“This way. And it’s not a book.”
Prydan stands at the bottom of a massive wall completely covered with a mural. A crowd of people spread out and down across the wall, faces, names dates all inter woven into a beautiful scene of a woodland grove. At the top right is Jack and a short woman. A short distance beneath them is Silas, and then a cascade leads down and spreads out. About half way down the wall he recognises the face of the woman whose death they are investigating.
“Wow.” He breaths out.
“Bit good isn’t it.”
“Yeap.” Prydan stares at it. “I know some of these people.” He observes.
“I’d be damn surprised if you didn’t, considering…” Aaron responds. “” He taps one of the images near the bottom of the wall.
Prydan looks at it, recognising the face as the solider digging the wonky trench. “Ahhh.”
“Said you should talk to him.”
“I did.”
“And?”
Prydan looks at him and smiles guiltily.
“Fair enough.” Aaron responds, getting supplies out of a cupboard near the door.
“I can see why Jack wouldn’t want just anyone getting to this. It is kind of revealing.” The watchman observes.
“Yeap, fortunately its not the most portable of things though.” Aaron concedes. Then he passes a scroll and pen to Prydan. “Lets get copying!.”
+*+
The ship slides down into a field a few miles from Caester with no difficulty at all. As Andi points out, when worlds are not space faring they are not normally looking either. Just as Silas is wondering as to how to call for a Taxi, Andi hits another control on the console and a steering wheel forms out of the control stick.“It’s a car as well?” Silas asks.
“Why shouldn’t it be? You never seen a plane taxi?”
Silas concedes with a shrug.
“Mags has a few extra tricks. The most useful one right now being the ability to look like something else to a limited extent. Whilst a fold ship on wheels might look a bit strange, people don’t look twice at something that looks a bit like a van.” He reaches out and strokes the console with a finger. “Oh Lets have some driving music.”
“Rob Dougan?” Silas comments as the music sounds out. Andi smiles at the recognition. “Another one from the Meddler. This was for dropping a package off at TX114. That turned out to be more of a pain that I expected too.”
“You get paid in music?” Silas asks, suddenly regretting not picking up his IPod.
“No I get paid in money. I do favours for music. Or Vodka if it’s good.”
The ship pulls out onto the road and follows the green signs to “Town Centre.”
All too soon the walls are in view. Silas feels himself relax as they pull into the carpark at the race course.
“I’m not taking Mags into the city.” Andi apologies, “Her lea gate-ness upsets the residents.”
“No this is fine.” Silas responds, looking up at Bridge gate and the castle. Then he comes to a decision. “Do you want a drink?”
Andi pauses for a moment as if contemplating something. “Yeah why not. The longer I give the U-squid the more likely it is that they’ll get bored or find something else to chase.”
The door slides back, behaving much more like normal technology that the fold ships peal. Silas steps out and it a little surprised to realise there is a short ramp to the floor.
The he turns to see Andi wheeling himself down the ramp. As try as he might he knows there is a look of surprise on his face. Andi looks up; May be a little disappointed at Silas reaction.
“I’m guessing nobody told you.”
Suddenly the tapping of the chair when he put on the artificial gravity takes on a whole new meaning.
“No,” Silas responds. Then he sighs. “They never tell me anything.”
“Join the club.” Andi responds wryly. “Well take me for this drink and I’ll fill in the gaps.” He offers. Then he laughs. “It’s not like you can get me legless is it.”
=+=
Prydan has no idea how much time later Aaron wakes him with a shake of his shoulder but the news “Were done.” is more than welcome.He sits up realising he fell asleep over the scroll he was working on. He looks down at the smudged marks. “Sorry.”
“Doesn’t matter.” Aaron assures him. “The Soul stone does take it out of you. I’m amazed you got so far. Besides,” He holds up a bundle of tightly wrapped scrolls. “I’ve got what we need.”
Prydan sits up and stretches. He looks up at the mural and the assembly of faces.
“All from one person.” He muses.
Aaron nods. “The Maynans are natural survivors. Once out of the limit of this world there was no stopping them. Literally.”
“Except each other.” Prydan comments darkly his eyes resting on the face of Amy on the wall.
Then he lets his gaze extend to the rest of the image. “One of these faces left that girl to die in the grasp of the daemons.” He voices the thought that has been haunting him aloud.
“Yeap.” Aaron responds.
“We are looking at the murderer right now.” Prydan sighs and shakes his head. “But we don’t know which one.”
“Hey look on the bright side we have narrowed it down from any one in the multi-verse to just this lot. That’s a pretty good percentage drop.”
Prydan drags his gaze from the mural to Aaron. “Next.”
“Back to Caester. See if Paul or Silas have found anything more out.”
They turn for the door and then Prydan recalls how they got here. “Do we have to use Ka?”
“You’d rather walk?”
“Frankly yes.”
“Even given the danger of running into this realities version of yourself?” He prompts gently.
“Ahh.” Prydan responds. “May be not then.”
“I like you Prydan. I really do not want to risk having to go back to Connaught and admit I lost you on a field trip.” Aaron explains, “He might make me do your job as well.”
“Oh well, your infernal beast it is then.” Prydan relents sadly.
Aaron grins at him. “Ohh, She just likes you.” He teases. “It’s quite sweet really.”
The expression on Prydan’s face makes it all too clear that sweet is not the adjective he had in mind.
