sheritepper.necromancer nine-第33部分

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r　the　meeting。　You　may　see　for　yourself。　I　will　tell　you　then　what　the　mittee　has　decided　about　your　request；　your　request　to　have　access　to　our　defenders。　I　do　not　think　they　will　be　sympathetic；　Huld。　They　believe　that　the　Council　and　the　mittee　are　effective　counterweights　to　one　another。　They　believe　it　is　so　we　keep　the　world　in　balance。〃
　〃Until　the　Council　grows　tired　of　balance。〃　It　was　said　very　quietly；　but　with　enormous　menace。　With　that　utterance　the　room　became　perfectly　still。　One　of　the　little　girls　whimpered；　the　sound　falling　into　quiet　as　a　pebble　into　a　pool；　the　ripples　spreading　ever　wider　to　rebound　from　the　walls；　an　astonishment　of　sound。　Manacle　stared　at　Huld　with　eyes　grown　suddenly　wary。　　〃Why　would　they　wish　to　destroy　the　historic　balance？〃　he　quavered。
　〃Why　would　they　not？　They　grow　proud；　powerful。　They　long　for　new　things。　Why　else　would　they　have　created　this　'Peter；'　this　new　Talent？　For　what　other　purpose　than　to　change　the　balance？〃
　One　of　the　magicians　who　had　stood　silent　during　this　exchange；　one　taller　than　most；　with　a　face　the　color　of　ash；　said；　〃Do　you　know　this　to　be　true？〃
　〃Professor　Quench；　I　know　it　almost　surely。　The　likelihood　disturbs　me　greatly。　And　it　should　disturb　you。〃
　〃We　must　know；〃　said　Quench　in　a　voice　of　lava；　flowing；　hardening；　roughening　the　room　with　its　splash　and　flow。　〃We　must　know；　Manacle。　We　must　know；　Shear。　Likely　isn't　good　enough。　We　must　know。〃
　Manacle　dithered；　shifted　his　feet；　picked　at　an　invisible　spot　of　lint。　〃The　mittee　of　the　Faculty；〃　he　offered；　〃the　subject　is　to　be　brought　before　the　mittee　when　it　meets　tonight。〃
　Quench　stared　him　long　in　the　face；　then　nodded。　〃See　that　it　is；〃　he　said；　walking　out　of　the　room；　voice　splattering　behind　him。　〃See　that　it　is。　I　will　be　there。〃
　Manacle　now　very　much　on　his　dignity；　feeling　diminished　by　ashy　Quench　and　burning　Huld；　flutters　at　Shear。　〃Take　the　consecrated　monsters　away；　Shear。　This　has　quite　disordered　my　day。　If　we　are　to　have　questions　raised　like　this；　out　of　order；　before　the　mittee　has　had　a　chance　to　consider；　well。　I　have　much　to　prepare。〃　He　bustled　away　in　the　direction　Quench　had　gone。　Shear　herded　the　girls　away；　and　my　last　glimpse　of　Huld　was　of　his　fiery　eyes　watching　Manacle　to　the　end　of　sight。　We　went；　Mavin　and　I；　quiet　as　bunwits；　down　the　carpeted　hallway　and　into　the　place　designated。　There　were　pallets　there　for　sleeping；　and　spigots　for　a　kind　of　gruel；　and　a　pool　for　bathing。　There　was　nothing　of　interest　save　the　tall；　barred　door　which　led　into　Manacle's　quarters。　Once　Shear　had　gone；　it　would　be　no　trick　to　shape　a　finger　into　a　key；　to　go　out　and　lock　the　door　behind　us。
　So　we　did。　〃What　will　he　think　when　he　finds　two　of　us　gone？〃　I　whispered　to　Mavin。
　〃He　will　think　the　two　remaining　ate　the　two　who　are　missing；〃　she　snarled　at　me。　〃Don't　be　a　fool；　boy。　Leave　the　door　open　as　though　Shear　forgot　to　lock　it。　Then　he　may　wonder　where　his　breeders　are；　but　he　will　not　suspect　a　spy　in　his　own　place。〃
　Shamefaced；　I　went　back　to　unlock　the　door。　Inside　the　room　the　two　little　girls　had　settled　upon　one　of　the　pallets　and　were　engaged　in　a　game　of　a　curious　kind。　I　turned　my　face　away；　flushing。　Evidently　they　were　not　totally　mindless。　They　had　been　trained　to　do　at　least　one　thing。　〃What　now？〃　I　asked　Mavin。
　〃Now　I　need　to　think；〃　she　rasped。　I　could　not　understand　her　anger　until　she　spoke　again。　〃What　is　he　up　to；　that　fustigar…vomit？　What　does　he　mean　saying　you　were　created　by　the　Council？　I　know　better　than　he　how　you　were　created；　and　it　was　in　the　usual　way。　No　Council　had　part　in　it　save　the　counsel　between　man　and　woman。　He　seeks　to　trick　these　magicians　in　some　way　for　some　reason。　What　is　the　reason？
　〃Who　are　these　people；　these　magicians　who　do　not　like　to　be　called　magicians？　They　say　they　are　'faculty'　of　a　'college。'　Well；　I　know　what　a　college　is。　It　is　only　another　word　for　school。　Windlow　had　a　college。　So　did　Mertyn。　What　are　faculty　except　schoolmasters。　Hm？　Except　these　seem　strangely　preoccupied　with　signs　and　rituals；　speaking　often　of　signtists　and　Searchers。　Is　this　some　kind　of　religion？　Manacle　claims　himself　descended　from　original　Searchers。　Well　enough。　Searchers　after　what？　They　hold　Gamesmen　in　contempt。　There　are　no　women　among　them。　They　seem　to　admit　only　four　kinds　of　beings：　themselves；　monsters；　Gamesmen；　and　pawns。〃
　〃Tallmen；〃　I　offered。
　〃Only　a　lesser　kind　of　monster；　or　perhaps　I　should　say　a　superior　kind　of　monster。　What　is　this　Council　that　Huld　uses　to　frighten　them　with；　as　a　nursemaid　uses　night…bogie　to　frighten　naughty　children？〃
　〃Himaggery　spoke　of　a　Council。　I　thought　he　said　it　was　a　group　of　very　powerful　Gamesmen…I　think　he　said　Gamesmen。　They　search　out　heresy　。。。〃
　〃Some　such　group　has　been　rumored；　yes。　But　is　it　that　group　which　Huld　speaks　of？　And　meantime　we　know　nothing　about　Himaggery　and　Windlow　except　that　they　are　'in　the　laboratories。'　Where　are　the　'laboratories'？　What　are　they？　We　are　rattling　around　in　here　like　seeds　in　a　dry　gourd；　making　a　slithering　noise　with　no　sense。　e；　son；　set　a　plan　for　us。〃
　To　hear　Mavin　say　this　in　such　noise　and　frustration　amused　me。　There　was　no　time　to　be　amused；　no　time　to　treasure　that　moment；　but　I　stored　it　away　to　gloat　over　later。　Of　such　moments　are　adulthood　made。　I　almost　said　〃manhood；〃　but　thought　better　of　that。　〃We　must　not　be　misled　by　the　puzzle；〃　I　told　her。　〃Whatever　the　Council　is；　whatever　this　place　may　be；　whatever　the　history　of　the　place　or　its　reasons　for　existence…none　of　these　are　more　important　than　Himaggery　and　Windlow。　Manacle　will　meet　Huld　after　tonight's　meeting。　So　we　will　go　to　the　meeting　and　hear　what　is　said。　After　that　we　will　follow　Manacle　to　his　meeting　with　Huld；　and　Didir　must　protect　me　as　best　she　can。　If　we　are　inconspicuous；　we　will　likely　pass　unnoticed。〃　
　When　I　said　the　word；　inconspicuous；　it　made　me　think　of　Chance；　and　for　a　moment　I　was　overe　with　a　terrible　homesickness　for　him；　for　Schooltown；　for　the　known　and　familiar　and　sure。　I　gasped；　but　Mavin　had　not　noticed。
　〃I　will　be　inconspicuous；〃　she　growled。　〃And　I　will　be　patient；　but　this　place　itches　me。〃
　It　itched　me；　too；　as　I　tried　to　find　the　place　of　the　meeting。　No　mind　I　sought　through　knew　of　the　meeting　or　where　it　might　be　held。　〃An　exclusive　group；〃　murmured　Mavin；　when　I　told　her　this。　〃Do　you　suppose　the　room　is　never　cleaned？〃
　This　took　me　a　moment　to　puzzle　out。　Then　I　understood　that　the　room　would　undoubtedly　be　cleaned　by　someone；　a　pawn。　I　began　to　search　among　pawnish　minds；　Didir　dipping　here　and　there　as　we　moved　above　the　place。　On　the　sixth　or　seventh　try；　we　found　a　mind　which　had　once　known　of　the　place。　We　went　to　it。　All　of　this　had　taken　so　much　time　that　we　were　there　only　a　moment　before　the　magicians　began　to　arrive；　only　time　to　find　a　dark　corner　in　a　kind　of　balcony　over　the　main　room　where　two　additional　chair…like　shapes　would　go　unnoticed。　The　place　was　under　a　duct　which　brought　in　heat；　and　Mavin　settled　into　it　with　a　tired　sigh。
　〃One　more　shift　and　I　would　have　started　to　eat　myself；〃　she　confessed。　〃I　cannot　store　as　you　do；　my　son。〃
　I　realized　with　some　guilt　that　Shattnir　had　gone　on　storing　power　for　me　at　every　opportunity。　It　had　begun　to　feel　as　natural　as　breathing。　I　let　power　bleed　between　us。　〃Take　from　me；〃　I　whispered　to　her。　〃I　feel　we　will　not　move　from　this　place　for　some　time。〃
　One　wall　of　the　place　below　was　made　up　of　hundreds　of　tiny　windows；　blank　and　black；　except　that　on　one　or　two　a　light　crawled　wormlike　and　green。　One　end　of　the　long　table　had　a　slanted　surface　with　buttons　and　knobs　on　it。　There　had　been　many　surfaces　like　that　in　this　place；　controls　for　the　contrivances　of　the　magicians。　Both　the　windows　and　the　control　surface　looked　dusty；　unused。　A　side　wall　held　rows　of　portraits；　face　after　face；　mushroom　pale　above　black　garb；　gold　plates　identifying　each　in　letters　too　small　for　me　to　read。　The　last　portrait　in　the　bottom　row　was　of　Manacle；　however；　which　told　us　enough。　The　tops　of　the　higher　frames　were　black　with　dust。　The　carpet　of　the　place　was　worn　through　in　spots。　At　each　chair　was　set　an　empty　bottle　and