Debt of Ages by Steve White Page A

"that there's an alternate reality in which Artorius decided, at that moment, not to deploy his forces into Berry? And that . . . ?"
    "Yes." Tylar nodded. "And the resulting changes in history were at least as momentous as I had speculated."
    "But," Sarnac continued, head spinning, "in that case there must be alternate versions of me and Tiraena! Or were, in the fifth century of this alternate universe, with God knows what happening to them!"
    "By no means. The two of you, and I, ceased to exist in the alternate universe at the instant it branched off from our own. For in that universe, my people can never come into existence; the history that culminates in us is stillborn. Hence, there are no Raehaniv; we weren't there, thirty thousand years before your time, to plant their ancestors on Raehan."
    "I imagine," Artorius put in, "the alternate Artorius wondered what had become of you."
    Sarnac's head was starting to ache. "But, Tylar, how can you be sure of all this? How can you know about this alternate universe?"
    "Because," Tylar answered gravely, "we've received a visitor from it. Or we will , that is, in the twenty-ninth century. He will come from the twenty-ninth century of his universe seeking help—for, to repeat, my fears concerning the consequences of a victory by our friend here turn out to have erred on the conservative side."
    "Seeking help? You mean . . . ?" Sarnac didn't finish the question because he didn't really want to hear the answer. Tylar supplied it anyway.
    "Yes. The Korvaasha. Remember, in the alternate universe there are no Raehaniv. Hence no Varien hle'Morna—and no technologically advanced civilization on twenty-first century Earth for him to have found even if he had existed."
    Sarnac's head felt as though someone was driving a railroad spike upward between his left eyeball and the frontal bone. "Tylar, I think I can see where this is heading. You're going to say that I'm responsible for the existence of this alternate reality because I shot off my mouth to Artorius . . ."
    "Not altogether. Not even primarily. As I admitted earlier, the principal fault is mine. If not for me, you wouldn't have been there in the fifth century at all. Nevertheless, to a certain extent you share my responsibility. Therefore," he continued, the inexplicable look of self-satisfaction back at full force, "instead of simply proceeding on my own—with Artorius's help, of course—to set things right, I came to this era first, to make you aware of your debt and enable you to pay it."
    Sarnac wasn't even fully aware of his headache as he groped for a handihold on reality. "Uh, Tylar, let me make sure I'm clear on the situation. Our own history, in our own universe, came out okay, right?"
    "Oh, certainly! As I explained . . ."
    "Then," Sarnac pressed on, "whatever has happened, or is happening, or will happen in this alternate universe isn't real from our standpoint, is it? So, why should you or I feel this moral obligation? I mean, so what?"
    The time traveller spoke in the puzzled tones of a man encountering unexpected difficulties in explaining the obvious. "You don't seem to understand, my dear fellow. In the context of its own metrical frame, the alternate universe is as 'real'—however one chooses to define the term—as our own. The historical development it has followed is an . . . abomination. A wrongness . The ethical responsibility borne by those who—however unwittingly—called it into being is, of course, intuitively clear to anyone of moral sensibility, regardless of cultural background." Artorius gave Sarnac a covert wink of commiseration. "So surely," Tylar continued, "you can see . . . can't you?" He seemed to deflate. "Well, perhaps it isn't as self-evident as I supposed. But surely you can at least see that the people of the alternate universe are as human as you or I, as capable of feeling pain. Surely you can grasp the reality of their tragedy. If nothing else, the one who has