God. She sensed Razeel was a mage, like him. Perhaps she even recognized Razeel. That was why she wasn't running. Razeel stopped in front of Fa, and behind her shifting veil of hair, her gaze flicked briefly to the ring. She smiled. She was only about a foot taller than Fa, able to make friendly eye contact without bending.
"Galen, you mean. Yes, that's right. He asked me to come for you."
Fa wiped at her tears.
"Is he with you? Why didn't he come?"
"Galen is very ill. He sent me and my friends to help you."
Friends? Elizar, then. Perhaps others. But why would they bother to come to Soom? Why seek out Fa? To strike at him? To try to provoke him into the open?
I will find you, Elizar had written in his final message. And I will kill you.
That had been nearly two years ago, though. Why now? Galen realized he was rocking back and forth, his nails digging into the skin of his palms. They were going to hurt her, he knew. They were going to do something horrible to her, because of him.
"Will you take me to Gale?" Fa asked.
"Is that what you want?" Fa nodded vigorously.
"First we need your help," Razeel said.
"What can I do?"
"Let me take you to the others. They are near where Galen used to live."
Razeel flipped her cape back over her shoulder. Beneath, she wore yet another ill-fitting dress, this one of layered black chiffon. She had still not found an identity that fit her. Despite that, she seemed more assured, in some way that frightened Galen. She held out her hand, and Fa took it. She smiled into the ring, her hair blowing over her face.
"Hello, Galen."
They walked out of town and down toward the mak, Razeel humming a cheerful tune. He had to do something. He had to help Fa. But how?
"Galen... Gale has lost something," Razeel said.
"Because he is ill, he cannot remember where he left it. But he is certain it is here. Do you know of anything he or Elric left behind?"
"What did he lose?"
"Did he leave any papers, any crystals, any devices?"
Did she think he and Elric were fools, to leave anything behind? What was it they were after? Something in Elric's place of power? Or was it truly something of his? In that case, it could be only one thing: the secret of destruction. But why would they think he had left it behind?
"Everything burned up when they left," Fa said. "It's all gone. I've looked."
"He left you that ring."
Fa jerked her hand away. "It's mine."
"I wouldn't dream of taking it from you. I'm just wondering, did he leave anything else? This is very important to Gale. Please think carefully."
Fa looked into the ring.
"I don't think so."
He could send no message to Razeel to bargain, plead, or threaten; that channel was blocked to him. All he had was the probe. And the ring. Made by Galen's mother, given to Galen's father on his birthday, his death day.
It would copy any data crystal with which it came into contact. That would do him no good. But perhaps the ring held other powers – the power to generate an illusion, or a shield, or something to help Fa. After his initiation, he had made a halfhearted, unsuccessful attempt to access the ring's systems. It would respond only to his father and to those who knew his key. Failing to gain control of it, Galen had added a probe that would respond to his own key.
Now he must discover his father's key. He visualized the equation requested his authorization. He tried to think what the key might be. It had been so long since his parents had died, and he had buried the memories of them so deeply – all that came to mind was the image of their shrouded remains floating supine behind Elric as he emerged from the fire of the spaceship crash. They hardly seemed real.
He didn't remember. But he must remember. His parents had been powerful mages, highly respected, working at the right and left hand of a corporate president who had risen to great influence. What key would his father have used? It could be anything.
Numbers, significant or random; letters, of
"Galen, you mean. Yes, that's right. He asked me to come for you."
Fa wiped at her tears.
"Is he with you? Why didn't he come?"
"Galen is very ill. He sent me and my friends to help you."
Friends? Elizar, then. Perhaps others. But why would they bother to come to Soom? Why seek out Fa? To strike at him? To try to provoke him into the open?
I will find you, Elizar had written in his final message. And I will kill you.
That had been nearly two years ago, though. Why now? Galen realized he was rocking back and forth, his nails digging into the skin of his palms. They were going to hurt her, he knew. They were going to do something horrible to her, because of him.
"Will you take me to Gale?" Fa asked.
"Is that what you want?" Fa nodded vigorously.
"First we need your help," Razeel said.
"What can I do?"
"Let me take you to the others. They are near where Galen used to live."
Razeel flipped her cape back over her shoulder. Beneath, she wore yet another ill-fitting dress, this one of layered black chiffon. She had still not found an identity that fit her. Despite that, she seemed more assured, in some way that frightened Galen. She held out her hand, and Fa took it. She smiled into the ring, her hair blowing over her face.
"Hello, Galen."
They walked out of town and down toward the mak, Razeel humming a cheerful tune. He had to do something. He had to help Fa. But how?
"Galen... Gale has lost something," Razeel said.
"Because he is ill, he cannot remember where he left it. But he is certain it is here. Do you know of anything he or Elric left behind?"
"What did he lose?"
"Did he leave any papers, any crystals, any devices?"
Did she think he and Elric were fools, to leave anything behind? What was it they were after? Something in Elric's place of power? Or was it truly something of his? In that case, it could be only one thing: the secret of destruction. But why would they think he had left it behind?
"Everything burned up when they left," Fa said. "It's all gone. I've looked."
"He left you that ring."
Fa jerked her hand away. "It's mine."
"I wouldn't dream of taking it from you. I'm just wondering, did he leave anything else? This is very important to Gale. Please think carefully."
Fa looked into the ring.
"I don't think so."
He could send no message to Razeel to bargain, plead, or threaten; that channel was blocked to him. All he had was the probe. And the ring. Made by Galen's mother, given to Galen's father on his birthday, his death day.
It would copy any data crystal with which it came into contact. That would do him no good. But perhaps the ring held other powers – the power to generate an illusion, or a shield, or something to help Fa. After his initiation, he had made a halfhearted, unsuccessful attempt to access the ring's systems. It would respond only to his father and to those who knew his key. Failing to gain control of it, Galen had added a probe that would respond to his own key.
Now he must discover his father's key. He visualized the equation requested his authorization. He tried to think what the key might be. It had been so long since his parents had died, and he had buried the memories of them so deeply – all that came to mind was the image of their shrouded remains floating supine behind Elric as he emerged from the fire of the spaceship crash. They hardly seemed real.
He didn't remember. But he must remember. His parents had been powerful mages, highly respected, working at the right and left hand of a corporate president who had risen to great influence. What key would his father have used? It could be anything.
Numbers, significant or random; letters, of
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