Master Esselin was not happy to see the handwriting on the envelope Lord Toric addressed to him. He was even unhappier when he read the message; his sallow complexion turning paler and his fat face showing how irritated he was.
"Lord Toric felt that only you," and Shankolin knew how to flatter subtly, "would be able to grant my deep and abiding desire to see where the Aivas was housed."
That sentiment had the ring of truth and Shankolin infused his tone with reverent respect and awe.
"Just the briefest look would fulfill my life's ambition," Shankolin went on.
"Well, well, it is Lord Toric," Esselin said, as he tore the message into the smallest parts his thick fingers could manage.
At this hour, when most would be going to their homes for the evening, there were few on the neatly kept paths. However, Esselin made absolutely certain that no one else was nearby as he kicked a small hole in the nearest garden bed. The pieces of paper fluttered from his fingers into the hole and he stamped hard, looking all about him as he did so. One last look at his feet and he could see that not even a white corner was visible.
"Follow me," he said, straightening the lapels of his coat. "A brief look is all. I have work awaiting me in my quarters. As always." Esselin's tone was long-suffering as he waddled as quickly as he could pump his fat legs in the direction of the Admin Building.
Shankolin jumped as the lights illuminating the pathway blinked on in the twilight. He felt sullied by so much abomination around him. The sooner he could demolish all this, the better. There was, however, far more to Landing now than he had anticipated. It would make his ambition to destroy allthe Abomination's work much harder but there should be a way. He might have to recruit more helpers. He wondered how deeply indebted the fat little man was to Southern's Lord Holder.
He was surprised when he saw that Esselin was leading him, not around the bulky building to the front door, but to a
"We'll just come through this way and go out the front door," Esselin said, waving Shankolin to follow him.
The guard stepped back to allow the portly man to pass. His expression was totally blank as if he was just as happy to avoid any conversation with Esselin and scarcely looked at Shankolin.
They continued down the corridor, and doors closed on either side. Probably he could peer in through the windows once he was again outside on the path. Perhaps. Then they reached the wider hallway that Shankolin remembered, part of the entrance he had used before. No one of those talking among themselves did more than glance at Esselin and quickly look away.
The rooms to the left would have to be inspected. Perhaps burning pitch from an outside window? No, an explosive would be needed to achieve the most destruction. Fire would never damage enough.
Then, there, at the end of the hall, was the softly lit Aivas Chamber. Shankolin felt no reverence at all, but an intense thrill of pleasure. He had never thought he could gain entrance to the facility so easily.
When he had planned Batim's raid on the main Healer Hall they'd thought it would be much harder to enter. Unfortunately for that expedition, it had been much harder to leave.
Should he prevail on Master Esselin to accompany him on his next visit here? The fat man's clothes would hide more than his excess weight. But first, he must get to the actual chamber. And take a quick look at what was in the room to the left. Light spilled out into the hallway and, by the sounds he could hear, a lot of machinery was being used and quite a few people were at work.
Suddenly a big man stepped from that room, frowned when he recognized Esselin, and gave Shankolin the briefest glance.
"Promised him just a look, Tunge," Esselin said, flapping his left hand to dismiss the man.
Tunge started to protest but by then Esselin stopped at the threshold to the chamber. He turned to beckon Shankolin to hurry along.
"There isn't much to see now, of course, since Aivas terminated…"
Shankolin ignored him. He was savoring this moment, heart pounding in anticipation as it had on that previous occasion. He stiffened with remembered fear of the awful noise that had deafened him. But Aivas had terminated itself. Impatient to view the site that he would soon see in rubble, Shankolin shouldered a startled Esselin aside and strode purposefully over the threshold.
That was as far as Shankolin got. From the opposite wall of the chamber two narrow shafts of light struck him on the chest at heart height. He was dead before he fell backward.
Master Esselin collapsed in hysterics, trying to scramble as far from the corpse as he could. Tunge yelled for help and then peered down at the dead man, scratching his head in perplexity. When he pushed back the cap and saw the scarred face, he bent down and picked up the left hand. The tip of the first finger was missing. Tunge dashed to the main hall, rummaging through the top drawer of the desk until he found the harper sketch that he remembered seeing. Master Stinar was now in the hall, to find out who was screaming hysterically and why.
Stinar immediately summoned a healer to attend to the Master Archivist. When Tunge showed him the harper sketch, Stinar then got in touch with D'ram and Lytol at Cove Hold and dismissed everyone in the Admin who was not essential, with the exception of the rear door guard who was mystified and kept repeating that he had never thought to question Master Esselin. The man was in and out of Admin all the time, wasn't he? When D'ram and Lytol arrived, Stinar escorted them to the body and requested Tunge to tell them exactly what he had seen. "Like I've already told Master Stinar, I saw beams of light
Both Lytol and D'ram looked down at the dead man for a long time before they looked at each other.
"He got this far once before, you know," Lytol said in his slow sad voice. "When he and two others attacked Aivas. On that occasion, what Aivas called a sonic barrage deafened the intruders. Aivas said that he had been provided with self-defense units."
Surprised, Stinar turned from one to the other. "But that must have been twelve Turns ago."
"Thirteen, give or take a sevenday or two," Lytol replied. "Once a person entered that chamber, Aivas would know him or her again."
"You mean that Aivas's self-defense system is still operational?" Stinar asked in awe.
Lytol regarded him kindly. "I would hazard the opinion that some internal circuitry was never turned off. A system as sophisticated as Aivas's would have recognized this man as a previous intruder. Computers, as you should know, Master Stinar, have long as well as accurate memory files."
The Harper Hall was informed by fire-lizard message, and Pinch, who was the only person who had ever seen the Abominator leader, was conveyed to Landing to confirm the identification.
"No idea who he was, Master Mekelroy?" Lytol asked.
Pinch shook his head slowly. "Fifth" was only a convenient designation. He'd been called "Glass" at Crom Minehold 23, but that was no more the man's rightful name than Fifth. Pinch hoped it took a long while before Lord Toric realized that Fifth, too, was no longer available. Now, if he could just find Fourth and neutralize her, they might forget about Abominators.