Ian Irvine - Alchymist

They went to the machine at dawn and began to repair the tear in the airbag. 'Work slowly,' said Flydd. 'We don't want to leave today.'

Though they dawdled as much as they reasonably could, the airbag was repaired before midday. Inouye installed her controller and Flydd sent Nish to find Yggur and recover the floater-gas generator.

Nish went to the room at the end of the corridor where Yggur sat at the table, writing. The reassembled generator was at his right hand.

'Take it,' said Yggur, his nib looping across the page.

Nish reached out, rather gingerly, and lifted the heavy generator in both hands.

As he turned to go Yggur said, 'You are Cryl-Nish Hlar, weapons artificer, son of Jal-Nish Hlar. Your life is now at a crossroads. Women have been your weakness and you believe that lack of courage is mine.'

Nish flushed. 'I'm sorry, surr. Last night I was tired and hungry and afraid. Sometimes I speak without thinking.'

'Honest, at least,' Yggur said grudgingly. 'Put the generator down for a moment. Cryl-Nish, why have you come here?'

Nish sat it on the table and rubbed his aching arms. 'Scrutator Flydd brought us, surr. I don't know his reasons, though he's looking for help and can't find it anywhere else.'

'Not surprising, since he's a renegade who has been cast out and condemned.'

'The scrutators are fools, surr, who cannot —’

The black brows knitted. 'Who are you to judge the mighty, lowly artificer that you are?' Yggur thundered.

Once Nish would have slunk away, but he stood fast. 'I have eyes to see, surr. And, since you've been listening to our talk, you'll know that I've seen many great deeds done, and terrible ones too, on both sides of the world. My late father —’

'Do you tell me that Jal-Nish Hlar is dead?'

'He was killed at the great battle near Gnulp Landing, a few weeks ago. Killed and eaten by the lyrinx.'

'I'm out of touch, living here,' said Yggur. News travels slowly to Meldorin, if at all.'

'I'm a dutiful son, surr. I mourn my father, though he was an evil man who was prepared to do anything to gain a position as scrutator on the Council, including sentencing his youngest son to a miserable death as a slave.'

Yggur sat up at that. 'Oh?'

Nish briefly related that tale.

'A severe punishment for a father to inflict on a son, even for so great a blunder.' Yggur weighed Nish up. 'And yet, such qualities as your father had may be required to win this interminable war.'

'With respect, surr, I disagree. My father was corrupt, I'm sorry to say, and many on the Council, including Ghorr, are just as depraved. They could have won the war long ago, but it gave them the excuse to maintain their own power.’

'Tell me more, Artificer.'

Perhaps Yggur was more interested in the outside world than he pretended. He questioned Nish for the best part of an hour, more incisively than any interrogation by Flydd, Vithis or even his own father. All the more surprising that Yggur hid himself away from the world.

Finally Flydd came looking for Nish. Yggur dismissed him and Flydd accompanied him back to the machine; they carried the floater-gas generator between them. Nish felt quite drained.

'You seemed to be having a merry chat,' said Flydd, after an uncomfortable pause. 'I thought I told you to say as little as possible.'

'If you can stay quiet when he questions you, you're a better man than I am,' Nish snapped. He added hastily, 'Which of course you are.'

'Indeed I am,' chuckled Flydd, and left it at that.

The generator was fitted and its barrel filled with water to which a little salt had been added. Flydd cocked a glance at the sky. 'We'll break for lunch. I don't want to finish it too early.'

'Not much chance of that,' said Irisis. 'It'll take a good ten hours to fill the airbag from empty.'

'Even so.'

They were sitting around, taking a leisurely meal in the watery sun, when Yggur strode down the steps. 'Better get moving' he said. 'You're to be out of here by nightfall.'

'I don't see how we can be,' said Flydd. 'It'll take —’

'That's your lookout.' Yggur strode off, the wings of his coat flying out behind him. 'And once you're gone, you won't mention me by name.'

'What are we going to do?' said Irisis after he had gone.

'I have no idea.'

As soon as Inouye drew power into the floater-gas generator, it let out a shrieking whistle and began to hiss loudly.

'I don't like the way that sounds,' said Irisis but, on checking, found it to be working perfectly. She frowned at the mechanism. 'In fact —’

'What?' Flydd called.

'It seems to be working better than before. He must have done something to it.'

'Damn him!' Flydd paced furiously across the yard.

The bag was full an hour before dark. 'Get the blasted gear aboard,' Flydd said. It was not only that Fiz Gorgo had been his last hope. Even more vexing, Yggur had contrived to speak alone with Nish, Irisis, Muss, Fyn-Mah, Flangers and even little Inouye, but had refused to talk to Flydd. He felt neglected and insulted.

'I've got to do something,' he said. 'This is our last chance.'

'What if…?' Irisis began. 'No, that wouldn't work.'

'What?' he snapped.

'What if I were to speak to him again?' she said softly.

'What could you possibly say? He's more than a thousand years old. He's seen everything and heard everything.'

'If he's spent the last two hundred years here by himself . . , there may be things he hasn't seen, for a quite a while.'

'What do you mean?'

'You know,' she said.

'Oh, very well. There's nothing I wouldn't do to get him on my side, so if you can seduce him —’

'I didn't mean that', she said coldly. 'What do you take me for?'

Flydd looked embarrassed. 'Someone who's not quite as corrupt as a scrutator, obviously.'

'I'll take that as an apology, but don't expect to be warming my bed again.'

'I had a feeling it was over' he said. 'I suppose it's Nish, is it?'

'I have no idea what you're talking about,' she dissembled.

'I'm sure! I'll go with you' said Flydd. 'I've an idea. And if we ever get out of here, you'll repeat nothing of what you hear inside.'

'I understand.' She hadn't the faintest idea what he was talking about.

Yggur was not in his room but, as they crisscrossed the halls of the ground floor, Irisis heard the mancer's bootsteps on the stair of the front tower.

Yggur thrust his head over the edge. 'No need to say goodbye, or to thank me. Just go.'

'I must talk to you first' said Flydd. 'The scrutators are losing the war and I —’

'There's always a war being lost somewhere' Yggur said indifferently.

'You must help us!' cried Flydd. 'The very fate of humanity-'

'I don't care for your war, Scrutator Flydd, nor for you. You come to my door a beggar, sabotage your flying machine so I can't get rid of you, then presume to tell me that I have to help you. I've nothing more to say to you.'

'But surely, for the war …'

'I live in harmony with my neighbours, including lyrinx. Go and make peace with yours.'

'The enemy don't want peace.'

'Small wonder, the way your Council has treated them these past hundred and fifty years. I may not know what's going on at the present, but I'm well informed about the origins of this war and I want no part of it. Good day.' Yggur turned and went back up.

Flydd cursed under his breath. He looked old, meagre and bitter, and, Irisis thought, did not like the comparison with a hale, confident Yggur.

'Let me try,' Irisis muttered. 'Go down, Xervish.'

Before he could say anything she began to run up the stairs. 'Yggur, surr! If you please?'

Yggur climbed to the next landing, sighed audibly and turned to wait for her.

Irisis knew she was an enchanting sight, with her generous bosom bouncing, her yellow hair streaming out behind her and her cheeks flushed prettily. She had no idea what she was going to say, but he would listen. Only a dead man could have turned her away.