special device to reduce power.
Tlaan
hoped that would not he necessary here, since she was drawing from such a
distant node. In any case, she had nothing to build it with.
She
pressed the hexagonal tube in and closed the cap. After a long moment, a faint
whine came from below, and a subtle tremor. It was working!
It
took hours to remove the great gouts of sticky tar, and the work was so
exhausting that the slaves had to rest after every few strokes. The job had
just been completed when Merryl cried, Tiaan, look out!'
She
got the hatch down just in time, as an even bigger clot buried the construct
completely. By the time that had been removed, the air inside was stale. A day
had gone by since her escape from the patterner.
The
black miasma, which had advanced and retreated a number of times, was now
flowing steadily across the floor. It would be up to their knees within
minutes.
'Better
bring the prisoners on board,' she said to Merryl, who was anxiously watching
the fumes. Tiaan popped the amplimet out and pocketed it, just in case. There
was no room for trust; the whole world seemed to be against her.
The
prisoners were brought in and taken below. Minis gazed sorrowfully at her, like
a dog that had been kicked. Nish, who looked as though he hadn't slept in days,
simply lay down, pillowed his head on his arms and went to sleep. Tirior showed
no expression at all. She was the one to watch.
Everyone
came aboard save the two who were mattocking away at the sticky tar on the
right-hand side. When the black fog was at the level of their thighs, Tiaan
called them in. Should a sudden surge overwhelm the construct now, it would be
impossible to get out.
Merryl
set guards on the Aachim and Nish. The remaining slaves went below, leaving
just her and Merryl in the operator's compartment. It would be very cramped
down there, with nine passengers. Tiaan reinserted the amplimet and took hold
of the trumpet-shaped lever. The whine rose in pitch but the construct did not
move.
'It's
still stuck in the tar,' said Merryl. ' I don't think —’
'I'll
try to work it free.'
He
peered anxiously ahead. A billow of black mist was rolling towards them. Tiaan
pulled down the hatch and fastened it. It became dark inside, except for the
subtle glow from the plate in front of her. The front panel thinned to
transparency. The outside was dimly lit by glowing globes that shone
intermittently through the fog.
She
wiggled the lever back and forth, ever so gently. The whine rose and fell. With
a delicate shudder the construct pulled free and rose in the air until its base
was at the level of the black fog. Tiaan edged it forwards.
'Straight
ahead or to the left?' she said, after they'd been travelling a while.
'The
way out into the main pit is straight ahead, but we may not be able to get
through that way . . .' Merryl was looking at her expectantly. 'Is something
the matter?'
She
realised that she was frowning. I originally came here looking for Gilhaelith.
He's a strange, unlikeable fellow, but he was good to me.' Even though he'd
cared more for the amplimet than about her safety, Tiaan had to know that he
was safe.
'He's
an important man,' said Merryl. 'Surely the lyrinx will have taken him with
them.'
'I
was important to them, yet they panicked and left me behind. They may have
abandoned him as well. Do you know where Gilhaelith was working?'
'In a
tunnel excavated into the Great Seep.'
A
tunnel in liquid tar? How can that be?'
'They
froze it first.'
'How?'
said Tiaan curiously.
'One
of their Arts.'
'If
he was left behind, can he possibly still be alive?' she said to herself.
'Not
if he's still in the seep.' He looked through the front. 'But, perhaps, in the
tunnels near it ... We can go that way. It's not much further.’
Merryl
was a man of the same heart as Tiaan. She thanked him, silently. 'He treated me
kindly. I have to know.'
'Then
go straight on.'
They
came to a high point in the tunnel where the heavy black mist had
Tlaan
hoped that would not he necessary here, since she was drawing from such a
distant node. In any case, she had nothing to build it with.
She
pressed the hexagonal tube in and closed the cap. After a long moment, a faint
whine came from below, and a subtle tremor. It was working!
It
took hours to remove the great gouts of sticky tar, and the work was so
exhausting that the slaves had to rest after every few strokes. The job had
just been completed when Merryl cried, Tiaan, look out!'
She
got the hatch down just in time, as an even bigger clot buried the construct
completely. By the time that had been removed, the air inside was stale. A day
had gone by since her escape from the patterner.
The
black miasma, which had advanced and retreated a number of times, was now
flowing steadily across the floor. It would be up to their knees within
minutes.
'Better
bring the prisoners on board,' she said to Merryl, who was anxiously watching
the fumes. Tiaan popped the amplimet out and pocketed it, just in case. There
was no room for trust; the whole world seemed to be against her.
The
prisoners were brought in and taken below. Minis gazed sorrowfully at her, like
a dog that had been kicked. Nish, who looked as though he hadn't slept in days,
simply lay down, pillowed his head on his arms and went to sleep. Tirior showed
no expression at all. She was the one to watch.
Everyone
came aboard save the two who were mattocking away at the sticky tar on the
right-hand side. When the black fog was at the level of their thighs, Tiaan
called them in. Should a sudden surge overwhelm the construct now, it would be
impossible to get out.
Merryl
set guards on the Aachim and Nish. The remaining slaves went below, leaving
just her and Merryl in the operator's compartment. It would be very cramped
down there, with nine passengers. Tiaan reinserted the amplimet and took hold
of the trumpet-shaped lever. The whine rose in pitch but the construct did not
move.
'It's
still stuck in the tar,' said Merryl. ' I don't think —’
'I'll
try to work it free.'
He
peered anxiously ahead. A billow of black mist was rolling towards them. Tiaan
pulled down the hatch and fastened it. It became dark inside, except for the
subtle glow from the plate in front of her. The front panel thinned to
transparency. The outside was dimly lit by glowing globes that shone
intermittently through the fog.
She
wiggled the lever back and forth, ever so gently. The whine rose and fell. With
a delicate shudder the construct pulled free and rose in the air until its base
was at the level of the black fog. Tiaan edged it forwards.
'Straight
ahead or to the left?' she said, after they'd been travelling a while.
'The
way out into the main pit is straight ahead, but we may not be able to get
through that way . . .' Merryl was looking at her expectantly. 'Is something
the matter?'
She
realised that she was frowning. I originally came here looking for Gilhaelith.
He's a strange, unlikeable fellow, but he was good to me.' Even though he'd
cared more for the amplimet than about her safety, Tiaan had to know that he
was safe.
'He's
an important man,' said Merryl. 'Surely the lyrinx will have taken him with
them.'
'I
was important to them, yet they panicked and left me behind. They may have
abandoned him as well. Do you know where Gilhaelith was working?'
'In a
tunnel excavated into the Great Seep.'
A
tunnel in liquid tar? How can that be?'
'They
froze it first.'
'How?'
said Tiaan curiously.
'One
of their Arts.'
'If
he was left behind, can he possibly still be alive?' she said to herself.
'Not
if he's still in the seep.' He looked through the front. 'But, perhaps, in the
tunnels near it ... We can go that way. It's not much further.’
Merryl
was a man of the same heart as Tiaan. She thanked him, silently. 'He treated me
kindly. I have to know.'
'Then
go straight on.'
They
came to a high point in the tunnel where the heavy black mist had
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