Jo Clayton: Shadowplay

The second day started out more interesting and improved as it progressed, especially after the girl began singing. He listened to that soaring voice, contemplated the shining youth of the singer, so sweeet, so tennnderand on the verge of ceasing to exist. Exquisite pathos. He could see his clients weeping at the sadness of her fate, reveling in every nuance of her pain. They were a sentimental lot. Which was just as well-if they were not they would not pay his prices.

In the early afternoon when the resonance was born between the singer and the pilgrims and began to build and build, he was elated; the charge coming through the EYEs was so strong it was close to blowing the circuits of the pathecorder. His connoisseurs of emotion would be ecstatic.

When he saw the giant Holos form, he laughed aloud and murmured encouragement, tender nothings, loving nonsense. "So good, so good, a phenomenal finale, blessed be the Lady for sending you to me…"

A moment later he was scowling as Shadith began slogging slowly and painfully down the ramp, then across the crater floor, forcing her way through the pilgrims, heading for the broken section of the crater wall where the Road came in, the Cicipi Gate. Kikun, Rohant, and his beasts were following her. "That, that…" He looked around as if the answer to handling her was pinned on the wall somewhere. He was alone, Ajeri was in the gym, and Puk was still tucked away in the tranx web. He rubbed his hands together, glared up at the Pet whose chatter was beginning to irritate him. He didn't need them. He knew the kephalos better than anyone, it just took time…

Stroking his thumbnail over his chin and down along his throat, he contemplated Cell 1. She was halfway across the crater already, the others plowing along behind her, the Holos of the local demigods dancing a stately pavane-above them, the pilgrims swaying and ululating, lost in a trance so deep they were blind to everything but the towering images moving over their heads. He examined the readouts and frowned. What was pouring off the locals was beginning to move beyond the capacity of the pathecorder circuits, even of the kephalos itself. Triggered, he thought, by the Three, especially the girl and that odd little lizardman. Despite the strain of his instruments, it was good. It was very good. Better than anything he'd expected to capture. Fascinating, the synergy developed by those Three.

He unfolded Cell 2, the one assigned to Rohant, emptied it out and sent the POV dancing from EYE to EYE, the scene careening here and there, front and back, side to side, as he tried to decide what to do; he did not want to break the trance and lose the dancing demigods, they were going to make this Edition the best he had ever created… still, he did not need much more of that Shadowplay, that giant ghostdance. Yes, he thought, yes. More pathos. Let her allt-most reach the Gate, then drag her back. Yes.

"Ajeri tiszteh, come to the Bridge immediately. I need you."

Ajeri Kilavez strode to her chair, a vortex of nervous energy in precarious control. Once she was settled, she glanced at Cell 1 and her mouth tightened until her lips disappeared. She swung to face Ginbiryol. "Well?"

"Let them get to the Gate, then pull them back. From what I have seen, all you will have to do is disrupt that trance."

"That's all?" Her voice dripped sarcasm.

He ignored that, though he added it to the balance against retaining her once this project was completed. "You will find it easy enough, simply disrupt what comes from those speakers. It is her singing that controls the effect she is producing."

"Hmm." Ajeri swung back, frowned at the Cell. "Given it works, that should be easy enough. All right. What about the Banger?"

"It is in place. All it needs is the touch of my finger." He held up the bony digit, the flesh finger on his realhand. "That is not long off, Ajeri tiszteh."

"Good." After a long dark stare at the Cell, she bent over her sensor board and started working.

The music and the voice came from everywhere, sound picked up from a thousand speakers, Shadith singing with herself,, smooth as water flowing, effortless as breathing or so it seemed until the POV swooped closer to her, showed her face, gaunt with strain, sweat rolling into her eyes, dripping from her nose and chin…

Ajeri leaned forward, smiling; tongue moving along her lips, eyes glowing with anticipation, she reached slowly down and touched a sensor…

The song collapsed into a screech… the kind of noise that made the teeth ache and put twitching knots in the back muscles…

Shadith dropped the kitskew and fell to her knees, her arms pressed over her ears, her eyes squeezed shut…

Kikun fell flat, unconscious, his eyes rolling back, his mouth sagging open.

The cats went crazy, clawing at their ears, rolling on the ground during the first seconds of that assault, then they howled and attacked whomever they could reach, grabbing with their forelegs, disemboweling with their powerful hinddaws, one stroke and twist away, on their feet again, jaws closing on necks, a shake and leap ahead to the next..

Rohant brushed Kayataki away, tossed Miowee off him (she landed on several surviving pilgrims, rolled to the ground bruised but intact and screaming for her daughter) and raced after his beasts.

Before he got near them, Na-priests came from the crowd like maggots from meat and shot the cats into hamburger.

Rohant the Ciocan roared his fighting challenge, and ran at the nearest shooters, his lips drawn back from his tearing teeth, his eyes red with fury,

As he ran past, a priest snapped erect, hammered him to the ground with a club like a young tree.

The sound cut off.

Shadith struggled to her feet, looked wildly around, started running, head down, driving as hard as she could for the Gate.

A Na-priest came after her, whipped his stranglecord about her neck, jerked her back against his body, tightened the ligature… she started to lift her hands then there wasn't anything left…

A chime sounded repeatedly, a pleasant bonging sound. with an unpleasant message; quiverwort #3 was announcing the arrival of a starship-over a week before he was expecting it. Ginbiryol swore, swung round and tapped off the alarm. It might be coincidence, a wandering trader, but he didn't think so. He set the kephalos searching for the intruder and turned to the Pilot. "Wake up the Paems and get ready to go, fast, Ajeri tiszt. Thirty minutes, no more, then we run for the Limit."

"Trouble?"

"It could be. We will continue to record as long as possible. When the time comes to leave…" He pointed to the traces of a ship racing recklessly insystem. "Head out ninety degrees that line, as fast as you can wind her up." He looked at the track of the incoming ship for a minute. "Yes, I'm sure of it, that has to be a Vryhh ship. If we are not obtrusive about it, I believe the Hunter will ignore our departure in favor of the world itself." He smiled tightly, slanted his eyes at Ajeri. "With a little Luck, she will still be there when the Banger lets loose."

"Luck."

"Oh, yes." He turned his shoulder to her and went back to watching the scene in Cell 1 unfold.

The stink of perfumed oils brought her back. She was tied to the center pole of a Sacrifice Pyre, her boots sunk in the carved sticks, Mlowee bound beside her knees like a slave sacrificed to serve her mistress in the afterlife, Kayataki beside her mother, bound and gagged so she wouldn't cry out when the Fire took her, both of them tethered to the center post. Shadith tried to say something, but all she could do was croak; her throat felt destroyed. He should have ended it, that priest. He was too cruel. Ropes wound round her, knees to neck. No more running, no more maybes left for her.