76.

Dainyl stood in a stone-walled chamber. Two sets of double light-torches set five yards apart in bronze brackets on each side wall provided all the illumination. The only furnishing in the chamber was a black oak chest slightly over a yard in height and set against the north wall, equidistant between the light-torches. Nothing was rested on the chest's shimmering black surface. The sole apparent entry and exit to the Table chamber was through a square arch at the west end of the chamber.

There was no door attached to the archway, and a set of stone steps led upward from the chamber. In the center of the chamber was a square stone pedestal that extended a yard above the stone floor. The stone appeared black but did not reflect any illumination from the light-torches.

Each side of the tablelike pedestal was three yards in length. The walls and ceiling were all of polished red-stone, and outside of the light-torches, the stone pedestal, and the single chest, the chamber contained no other furnishings or decorations.

Asulet gestured to the stone pedestal. "That is a Table. It does not look terribly prepossessing, but used properly, it is a tool of immeasurable value. Look at it closely, not only with your eyes but with your Talent."Dainyl studied the stone pedestal, slowly, carefully. After i moment, he realized that there was a purple glow suffus-ng the Table and emanating from it.

"The Table is actually closer to a cube," Asulet added. "It attends well below the floor."

"It's not solid, is it?"

The older alector smiled. "It is, and it isn't. The outer ayers are a form of stone. The interior contains certain crystals in a matrix. Once placed and linked to the grid, the natrix is extremely stable-unless one attempts to move he Table. It could last for thousands of years, if not longer."

"And if someone tries to move it?"

"You wouldn't want to be anywhere near. The Table stores energy from every use. This Table has been in use for a long time, although it doesn't get as much use now as do the Tables in Elcien and Ludar."

"Would it explode?"

"With force enough to collapse the chamber." Asulet stepped toward the Table, resting a hand on one edge. "Traveling on Acorus is just a local translation, taking the tubes to go from one Table to another. Using the Tables or any translation tube is all mental. It requires the use of Talent and mental vision and positioning to go through the barriers and to find a locator marking another Table, then to break out. Each Table has its own location vector, and every alector sees the shape of the locators slightly differently. Some see the locators as arrows, others as mathematical vector symbols, and still others as triangles."

"What do I do?" asked Dainyl.

"You step onto the Table, and think about the blackness beneath. You should feel yourself falling into darkness, as cold as anything you have ever felt. Around you, your Talent should show you the various locator arrows.

They should seem nearer or farther away by their size, although that is not always a good guide. That is why you should know the color of the locator.

Each Table has a different color. The Table here in Lyterna is pink. The one in Elcien is white.""Is there a map?"

"Somewhere, but it's better just to learn the colors."

"Could I go to Ifryn as well through the Table? By mistake?"

"You'd have to make that mistake on purpose. The long translation tunnels are large purplish tubes, and they feel far away. You can't sense the locators on Ifryn from here, just as alectors using the Tables on Ifryn cannot sense ours." Asulet looked sternly at Dainyl. "No matter how experienced you may become with the Tables here, there is always a risk to a long translation. It is a risk not worth taking if you're already here on Acorus."

Dainyl understood the unspoken message. Ifryn was dying as too many alectors and too many uses bled the world's lifeforce away, and what was the use of risking his life to travel to a dying world?

"There is some risk the first time you use a Table," the older alector admitted. "Once you master the technique, then there's virtually no risk to travel to any of the other thirteen Tables on Acorus."

Dainyl wasn't certain he wanted to try the Table just yet. "What about using the Table to see things?"

"That's a different technique, and you shouldn't try that until you've mastered traveling."

"I've heard that a Table can't show anything created through Talent or anyone who can use Talent. Is that true?"

"Generally speaking, yes. An experienced recorder can still often determine what an alector with Talent is doing by watching the surroundings."

"What about seeing what has already happened?"

"Events fade. Insignificant events, those which do not lpact the lifemass, are impossible to recall with a Table Lthin glasses, certainly within a day. Others... it depends 1 who is involved, where, when, and the ability of the corder or whoeveris using the Table. Never more than a eek, I understand."

From what Dainyl could sense, Asulet was telling the nth as he knew it.

"Enough of that for now," said the older alector. "You sed to try the Table."

Dainyl looked at the Table, and the purple glow, visible nly through his Talent, seemed almost ominous. "Is there aything else I should know?

Where should I go?" Asulet's istructions seemed sketchy at best.

"I can't tell you more, because a Table has to be experi-nced. Even if I stepped onto the Table with you, the mo-lent we dropped into the dark and cold, you'd be on your wn. It is a total solitary experience, and you either mas-sr it on your own... or you don't. You'll have to decide our own destination. The easiest Table to translate to eems to be Tempre. Its locator is a bright blue." Asulet miled. "Just step onto the Table and concentrate. When rou get to Tempre, wait a while to warm up before you ;ome back."

The submarshal stepped up to the Table and brushed it with his fingers. The surface was cool to the touch, but not xrid. Looked at from the side, there was a mirrorlike finish to the surface. He bent over the Table, seeing his own reflection.

Then he took a half step back, studying the Table once more before he half stepped, half jumped, onto it. The surface felt as hard as stone, and there was a chill that seeped through his boots, even though the Table had not been cold to his touch.

Concentrate on the blackness. Asulet had said. Dainyl reached out with his Talent to the Table, and below it, where he sensed a well of darkness.

He could feel it rising around him...

Dainyl found himself in turbulent river of purplish blackness, a darkness that buffeted and battered him. Yet he was carried nowhere, much as he felt as though he were caught in an underground river. Bitter chill penetrated every span of his body, sweeping through his garments as if he wore nothing. Instantly, he felt colder than he had in winter at Eastice. He could see nothing. He tried to lift his arms, but they would not move.Sluggishly, as if his thinking had been slowed by the chill, he remembered to reach out with his Talent, to try to find the locators. After what felt like glasses, he began to discern several narrow wedges, colored wedges. One hovered above him, a bright pink-purple. Another wedge of bright blue seemed closer than all the others except for the pink. Beyond, somewhere in the blackness and chill, he could sense wedges of color-crimson-gold, amber, brilliant yellow, green, gray... Beyond, in a sense he could not have explained, stretched a deep and distant purple-black wedge. The sense of distance was so overpowering that Dainyl felt almost nauseated.

What was he supposed to do? To concentrate on using his Talent to move himself toward one of the wedges-the bright blue wedge.

He concentrated... trying to focus on the blue, so near, and yet not so close as it seemed, seeking to bring himself to it, before the chill of wherever he was slowed his thinking so much that he could no longer use his Talent.

He sensed no movement, nothing.

He had to do something before he ceased to exist, or turned into a brainless wild translation-but what?

Could he link himself to that blue wedge that was Tem-pre? He attempted to cast out a Talent-line, and a thin line of purple flowed from him, a line of Talent-energy that con-tected with the blue wedge. Abruptly, with a swift pulsation, lefelt himself flowing through the chill darkness, hurtling oward the blue, a blue that turned silver and shattered iround him.

Dainyl had to take two quick steps to get his balance be-x>re he caught himself. Once more, he stood on a Table, Ms time in another windowless chamber. His entire body shivered, much as he would have willed it otherwise, and jven his legs quivered, feeling weak. Frost appeared on tus uniform then vanished, melting as quickly as it had appeared.

Dainyl eased himself off the Table. Unlike the Table chamber in Lyterna, the chamber was empty. The single entrance was a narrow square arch, in which a solid oak door was set-closed. There was not a single hanging on the walls, formed of fitted stone, rather than carved out of the rock itself, nor a single furnishing in the chamber.Dainyl opened the door. Outside, stationed on each side of the arch, were two alectors, both wearing the blue-and-gray Myrmidon uniforms.

The Myrmidon ranker on the right had his hand on the hilt of a lightning-edged short sword, the weapon used for guard duty inside buildings. As his eyes took in the uniform and the stars on Dainyl's collar, the Myrmidon relaxed. "Submarshal, sir?"

"Just looking around," Dainyl replied. "This is Tempre, isn't it?"

"Yes, sir." Puzzlement appeared in the other's eyes.

"Good. Thank you." Dainyl closed the door behind him and walked into the corridor, turning right, since he saw some sort of light in that direction. Behind him, he could pick up the murmurs between the two.

"... said only the ones with stars, submarshal and marshal, and the high alectors..."

"... what's behind the door..."

"... don't know, and Furtryl said I'd better never ask, and never look..."

Dainyl kept walking. After fifty yards, he came to a circular stone staircase. Did he want to go up? He decided against it-Asulet was waiting-and walked back to the Table chamber.

Neither guard said a word as he opened the door to the Table chamber and closed it behind him.

He looked at the Table, took a deep breath, and stepped onto the black stone surface, concentrating on the blackness below. As he dropped through the Table, this time, he was aware of silverness spraying away from him.

Again, the chill purple blackness enfolded him, but this time, he was already focusing on finding a pink-purple wedge. He fumbled for a moment before Talent-linking to the pinkish wedge. Silver sprayed away from him...

He stood on the Table at Lyterna.

Asulet smiled. "Congratulations, Submarshal. You are now qualified tobe considered as a High Alector."

Dainyl stepped off the Table. That made sense in a way. "At least, the Highest and Marshal Shastylt won't have to look for another submarshal."

"Not until you become marshal; then it will be your problem."

That was likely to be many, many years away-if ever. Dainyl still recalled all too vividly what had happened to Tyanylt-and how no one had ever mentioned his name again, even to Lystrana, once he had crossed the marshal and the Highest.

77.

On Duadi, Mykel had sent out the scouts but given the rest of Fifteenth Company a day of badly needed and well-deserved rest. Then he had headed off to see Dohark.

The overcaptain was standing in the study that wasn't his, rather than pacing, and he still had dark circles under his eyes. "You might as well come in, Mykel."

Mykel closed the study door behind him.

Dohark sat behind the desk and waited for Mykel to seat himself. He did not speak.

"What have you heard?" asked the captain.

"I've heard that I have a captain who's managed to slaughter between one and three entire companies of rebels, and who has probably shot half of them himself."

While Mykel felt he'd shot and killed all too many rebels, the number couldn't have been that high. "I've shot a few. Most rankers in Fifteenth Company have."

"How long can you keep it up?" From his tone of voice, Dohark might have been asking about what was being served in the officers' mess.

"For as long as they don't know how to use scouts and don't trust each other." Mykel paused. "Is there any word on when the colonel will return back? Or on reinforcements?"Dohark shook his head.

"Do you think that we've been left here to rot on the vine, sir?"

"I don't think so. I don't have any delusions about the warmth of the Myrmidons and the alectors, but I can't see any benefit to them jn abandoning us." A wry smile ap-peared. "Waiting until we're in great difficulty before pulling us out... I can see that as a way of reminding everyone of our dependence on the power of the alectors."

Mykel could see that as well. He just didn't like the implications for Third Battalion-especially for Fifteenth Company.

"What new idea do you have for keeping us less dependent on them?"

asked Dohark.

"Can you get me several barrels of gunpowder?" asked Mykel. "And a length of good fuse, and two or three kegs of nails? Big nails."

Dohark looked across the desk at the captain. "How are you going to manage that, without blowing up your own company? What happens when the locals decide to reciprocate? Or the Myrmidons show up again?

They're not exactly fond of large explosive devices."

"I've heard words about that, but I've never seen anything."

"You won't. It's not written anywhere. I was a ranker for longer than most officers," Dohark said. "I'd been with Ninth Company a year, maybe two, when we were sent east to deal with a bunch of Squawts in the hills around Dekhron. They'd built a redoubt on a hilltop, walls a good three yards thick, and at least four high. Had a well or a spring there, and enough food for years. Stone roof as well. Firelances didn't do any good."

Mykel nodded. Solid stone would stop a skylance.

"We had a captain. Bright man. You remind me of him. He didn't like us getting picked off one at a time. He suggested that maybe we ought to leave the Squawts alone. Majer Bryten said no-we had orders to take the place, even if it meant killing half the battalion. He was like Majer Vaclyn.

The captain did pretty much what you were thinking about. Did it himself. Sneaked up the hill on the darkest night and climbed up the stones where the Squawts couldn't see him. He lowered the barrel ofpowder somewhere, lit the fuse, and made off. Blew a big hole in the redoubt. We attacked, and the Squawts surrendered."

"What he did worked," Mykel said. "Then what happened?"

"He was recalled to Elcien. Told to ride there immediately the next morning. He never made it. One of the Myrmidons thought he was a Squawt-fried him to a cinder. Terrible mistake." Dohark paused. "The word is that anytime someone starts using gunpowder for anything besides rifles, there's a terrible mistake."

Mykel could not only sense the truth of Dohark's words, but the concern behind them. He also realized he'd never heard or seen gunpowder used for anything except rifles or work in the mines. "I'd better think of something else."

"I worry about you, Mykel. All you've been doing is thinking of ways to kill people."

"Isn't that what we were sent here to do?" Mykel heard the tiredness in his own voice.

"You seem to like it."

Mykel could feel his face stiffen. "Sir, I don't like it. I never have. I'm getting good at it, but that's only because the choices don't seem to be very great. If Fifteenth Company can't strike first and harder, then Third Battalion loses more men."

"Frigging tough problem, isn't it?" Dohark laughed, a sound both harsh and soft. "Do you have any other ideas?"

"I'll have to think about them, after the scouts get back."

"Maybe the lady seltyr can give you some ideas. She seems to talk to you. She won't say a word to me, or Majer Herryf. She wouldn't even say anything to Colonel Dainyl. Do you know why she talks to you?"

"No," admitted Mykel. "She doesn't say much. I'm fortunate if I can get her to say more than a few sentences."

"That's more than she'll say to anyone else." Dohark stood. "Do you stillthink you can operate effectively against the seltyrs?"