The Makers of Light by Lynna Merrill Read Free Book Online Page A

building his own path.
    "My kind? It must be obvious that I am here because I no longer adhere to the practices of my kind. I ask questions and expect answers from those who claim they know better than me, Mister Gabriel Flint. You people despise Mentors. But how are you different from them if you, too, forbid questions and doubts?"
    Someone jumped at Dominick at that. Gerard, once again brandishing a dagger. Dominick did not even have time to unsheathe his before Gabriel Flint moved as fast as the wind, gripping Gerard's elbow and wrist in a way that made the dagger drop to the ground, pushing Gerard so that Gerard staggered away, propelled by his own attacking force.
    "This is not a boys' game, Brothers."
    No. Especially when a man who would more rightly be called old rather than young played it better—although not well enough to conceal his skills. Kind men did not as a rule repel attackers without seemingly giving it a single thought; kind men's movements were not full of precise, detached coldness. The question was, why had Gabriel Flint, who a moment ago had rebuked asking questions, stood up for Dominick now? What had Gabriel Flint stood up for exactly?
    If the older man was going to say anything more, he did not have a chance, for suddenly Hannelore rose, her kindness now hidden deeply behind her eyes, her lips thin, a line cutting through her forehead. "No. This is not a game at all."
    She made a step forward, and then, whether from emotion or from age, faltered. Dominick found himself reaching out to support her. She shook her head.
    "No. I will be truly old the day I cannot walk by myself. Or the day I can no longer answer the right questions. I am neither a samodiva nor a witch. To borrow a term from fairytales, perhaps you can call me a priestess. I serve the Mother and care for those who seek to live according to her wisdom and kindness. And to answer your other question, my son, this kindness is what makes us different. Or should. If we truly are kind." She looked away from Dominick, towards Gerard. "If we do not torture. Tell me, Gerard, my son, why are you here?"
    Gerard lowered his eyes to the ground, while beside him Calia stared at Dominick. She was angry and worried; Dominick could feel her. Because of the detector? So long after he had used it? It did not usually do that. Now that he thought about it, however, he could feel something else, too. A presence, something that had come to the room together with Hannelore, and it seemed to trickle inside his mind even as his mind tried to focus on it.
    Then the leaves were green and sprinkled with snow, glittering in the blazing sunlight, and at that place the Factories were but a shadow of a dream, and he, the Mentor, was but a tiny speck of a strange world, neither loved nor hated. This time, despite the sunlight, it was cold, and somewhere in the air was a hint of darkness.
    "What is this place?" This time, he had belief and strength enough to ask, but even as the words left his mouth, the blazing world faded.
    The Order of the Mother were watching him in silence, even Hannelore, even Gabriel Flint and Gerard. He was breathing heavily, and he found himself clutching the back of Hannelore's chair, not trusting his trembling legs to hold him.
    He had not heard Gerard's reply at all, but it was suddenly important. "Why, Gerard?" He looked into Gerard's eyes. "Why are you here, except for the free food?"
    Gerard stared back, but this time did not reach for his dagger. "You do not know? Why are you here? I am personally here because I refuse to give up."
    The crowd rustled; obviously Gerard had not said the same before, but Gerard did not pay attention to them. "I am here because the world I know is crumbling before my eyes, and I do not know what to do about it. I am here because I was an office manager with the Toy Factory, but the Toy Factory does not need me and most of my colleagues any more. Soon it will close, and I won't be able to even feed my concubine