Spirit of Empire 4: Sky Knights (32 page)

“I hope not, Krys. We’ve both been hopeful they’d end, but there will never be an end to problems within the Empire.”

She considered Tarns words for a while, as did the rest of her crew. When she spoke again, she digressed. “I said that each of the visions I’ve had has had a significant impact on our war efforts, but said another way, each person for whom I’ve received a vision has proven to have a significant impact on our war efforts. In other words, people for whom I’ve received visions are important. All of you are now in that category.”

Atiana took Havlock’s hand and looked to him with a hint of alarm in her eyes. He spoke softly to her, “Stay the course, My Lady. She’s a Great One.”

Galborae started to speak, then though better of it. He put an arm around Milae, both of them looking nervous. Hawke and Kori looked at each other in confusion, but they remained silent.

“Governor, you might be in a category all your own,” Krys said, continuing. “When I first started receiving visions, I ignored them. Later, I fought them. Later still, I felt compelled by them but I still fought them. Finally, I felt strongly compelled, so strongly compelled that I had no choice but to act. Do you see where I’m going with this?”

He shook his head. “Sorry, My Lady. No.”

“Yes, you do. Out of everyone else here, I believe you know what it’s like for your mind to be strongly compelled by an outside force. It comes without explanation. It simply is. For all these years I have believed I was the only Seer, but now I wonder. I believe the Leaf People might have compelled you to hide that day.”

Havlock, and pretty much everyone else in the room, looked stunned. Tarn stepped in to clarify. “Governor, visions that Krys receives have to come from somewhere, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Well . . . yes.”

“She know’s where they come from, or more correctly, she knows who sends them. She and three others met the senders whom we call the Leaf People. They are utterly alien to us, but they are a wonderful people. We think they’re manipulating a lot of what’s happening in the cosmos.”

Havlock frowned. “The cosmos? Not just the Empire?”

“I pick my words carefully, Governor.”

Krys interjected. “They took four of us on a mental journey through our galaxy, then through other galaxies. We experienced many, many civilizations and millions of years of history. I have no idea why they chose me to be their messenger, but they did. Through them, through visions they send to me, I occasionally glimpse the future, though I rarely understand what I’ve seen. Tarn has a gift for interpreting those visions.”

Her eyes focused on Havlock. Had she not been blind, he felt like those eyes would have delved into his very soul. “I have been the only Seer for many years. I think there’s another now, Governor. I think it’s you. The
scree
physically harms me, most likely a side affect of my being a Seer. After my first encounter with the
scree
, I had the worst headache one could ever imagine. It was a consequence of bleeding in my brain. I wonder if it affected you the same way? Whether it did or not, I think the Leaf People need you for something, so they compelled you to enter your armory and hide.”

Havlock stood up, his mind reconsidering the compulsions he had felt that day. He took a few steps, then turned back to her
.
“My Lady, I would give anything to have an explanation for what I did, but this? It’s too easy.”

She nodded, enjoying the opportunity to finally share with another potential Seer. “Actually, having visions is not easy, but this particular one could explain something that had no explanation. If I’m right, if the Leaf People really sent you a vision, it’s not necessary that you understand. I rarely understand.”

“Then what good are they?”

“You’re still alive, aren’t you? Without the compulsion, you would not be. For me, the Leaf People knew I did not understand their messages, but they promised to send me a Guide, someone who would interpret my visions. Tarn is the Guide.”

The visitors from Tranxte all looked to Tarn. He looked back at each one of them and nodded. “It’s true. Even I don’t always understand the visions in their entirety, but because of Krys’ visions, we won the battle you were a part of at Aldebaran I. It turned into the largest battle ever fought in space at the time. Since then we’ve guided the Queen, her First Knight, governors, admirals and generals, and many others. It’s not us guiding them, of course. It’s the Leaf People.”

“Tarn is the Guide,” Krys added, but in truth he’s not my guide. He guides the people who are the objects of my visions. Governor, the only requirement I place on you concerning future visions is that you pay attention to them.”

“If any of this is true, how will I know?”

“The Leaf People are persistent. If there’s something they want you to do, you’ll know it.” She changed the subject. “Let’s discuss the vision I just had of you.”

Havlock shook his head.
“What?”

“Actually, it was not a vision
of
you, Governor. I believe it was a vision
for
you. Before I tell you about it, I have to warn you that for some quirk of fate known only to them, the Leaf People usually communicate with me through riddles. I sometimes see snippets of events as well, but my vision for you consisted only of words.

‘
Cry the forgotten, smile the misbegotten. Secrets abide, hunters thrive
.
’”

She sensed his confusion and repeated the words, then asked
,
“Any thoughts, Governor?”

Havlock went internal and considered the words deeply, then shook his head as he returned mentally to the room. “No thoughts at all, My Lady.”

“Tarn?
”
she called.

Tarn was already pacing with his hands behind his back and his head down in concentration. Havlock went back into himself, questioning not only this vision that seemed to apply to him but the whole concept of visions.

Hawke spoke up. “I’m not a great riddle-solver, but if this applies to him, it might apply to Tranxte. He’s trying to find a new hunting ground for the gleasons and it mentions hunters. Could this be a roadmap?”

“Possibly,” Tarn said, looking up, “though visions do not always apply to current issues, so we want to be careful we don’t go off on a wrong tangent. Let’s see where we go with this one, because there’s more evidence to back up your assertion. We had one other vision that referred to hunting, a vision that was definitely about gleasons. The rest of the words are a little more challenging.”

He looked around the room. “What if it said, ‘The forgotten cry, the misbegotten smile?’ Does that add any clarity?”

No one responded, so he continued thinking aloud. “If we can figure out who or what’s been forgotten, it might give us a location. Any ideas?”

Atiana spoke up. “Of all the things I’ve seen and experienced since the arrival of you sky knights, this might be the strangest. Do you really believe all this?”

“It’s not a game,” Tarn said, his gaze boring into hers. “Not only is it real, it’s important.”

She lifted an eyebrow to show she was cooperating under duress. “Well, in that case it might apply to Tranxte. We are definitely crying. We know with certainty that the gleasons are hunting happily. Whoever brought them here probably did so in secret and might have forgotten about us.”

Tarn continued staring at her, but his mind was elsewhere. He nodded, but he seemed uncertain. “Your logic is good, Your Majesty, but the gleasons coming to Tranxte is past history. I believe we’re searching for something that lies ahead. If the forgotten are crying, it might be because of the misbegotten. What’s a misbegotten?” he continued.

Hawke answered. “I consider gleasons misbegotten, though abomination better describes them. If this is a roadmap to something the gleasons want to hunt, they’d both be abominations.”

Tarn nodded, though he did not appear convinced. “That feels partially right to me, but I get the feeling none of this vision applies to gleasons.” He looked up sharply to Hawke. “I could be wrong,” he said, then he went back to contemplating. “If the gleasons are going to hunt the object of this vision, I agree with you that the creature will be an abomination. Who’s crying, and who’s holding secrets? I feel like both of them go together.”

Atiana spoke up again. “I can tell you that my province had problems before the arrival of the gleasons, problems I’ve forgotten about now because they’ve lost significance. You’ve been in the midst of a rebellion. Could something or someone have been forgotten in the crush of events?”

Tarn’s eyes shone. “You might be on to something, Your Majesty. Well done!”

“Please, Sire. I’ll only play your game if you agree to call me Atiana.”

He nodded absently, something Atiana found intriguing. Within her province no one treated her absently. These people really did not care the slightest about pretense or privilege.

“A forgotten secret?” Tarn mused aloud. “George,” he asked into the air, “do you find anything that might fit that description in your data banks?”

“Checking . . . Yes, there are a number of possibilities. I do not see any connections to gleasons, however. I do not have access to rebel data bases, of course.”

Tarn snapped his fingers. “That fits! And it feels right. The rebels have been on the run and might have abandoned a number of projects, some of them secret.” He continued musing aloud.
“Secrets abide
, and it’s present tense, meaning they’re current secrets.” He looked up toward the ceiling. “George, if the Rebels, or better yet Struthers himself, formed such a project, a secret project, how would we find out about it?”

“We can search records on Triton. It might be quicker to ask him.”

Tarn’s eyebrows lifted. “He’s still alive?”

“I can’t say with certainty.”

Tarn looked to Havlock. “You need a location for the gleasons. The fact that a vision is involved raises the stakes, making it an Empire issue. Something else is going on here that I don’t see, something the gleason issue might be just a part of.” He stopped talking and paced the room for a long time before saying, “I’m sensing a research project. If we can find the project, we have a location. Beyond that, I’m not sure I can take this one any further.”

He stepped behind Krys’ chair and put a hand on her shoulder. “Do you sense urgency?”

“No, but I’m certain the people of Tranxte consider this urgent.
”
She looked toward Galborae. “I received three visions today, the most I have ever had at one time. The third vision was yours.”

Galborae’s eyes widened. “Surely you jest, My Lady. I’m the least of everyone here.”

“Are you?” she asked. “Consider this: out of a whole planet of people dying at the hands of gleasons, we found you that night. You should be dead. Instead, you were essentially brought back to life and taken on a long journey to a new civilization. You returned to your homeland at the head of an army and have struggled on many levels since then to fulfill what you believe to be your duty to your people. Your queen claims you are the glue that’s holding Governor Havlock’s operation together. Do not sell yourself short.”

She looked to Havlock. “When we told you the Leaf People were manipulating a lot of what goes on in the cosmos, we meant what we said, and this is just one example. They know you, Governor, and they know the rest of you,” she said, looking at the other five from Tranxte.

Galborae started to retort, then closed his mouth and folded his arms across his chest. Krys could not see him, but she sensed his pensiveness. His had not been an easy road, and because of her visions she knew it was not going to get any easier.

“My vision of you was, I believe, meant for others as well. It consisted only of words.

‘
Eight was six, mentors fix. Speaker unites or civilization ignites
.
’

“I believe I actually know what this vision means, but we should hear what Tarn has to say about it—unless you know what it means?” she asked Galborae.

He held out his hands in surrender. “Sorry, My Lady.”

“Are you?” she asked. “Are you unhappy with the position you occupy?”

He shook his head. “No, My Lady. That’s not it at all.”

“What is it, then?”

“I don’t even know what a light-year is. I’m drowning in ignorance. I’m just hopeful someone else will come along—soon—who can take my place.”

She turned to Havlock. “Governor?”

He in turn looked to Galborae. “Sorry, my friend. I’m not letting you off that easy.”

“Nor am I,” Atiana added. “I meant it when I told Lady Krys you were the glue holding all of us together. You’re guiding me, the Sky Lord, the Teacher, and both Healers, and don’t think I haven’t noticed the protection you and your sword are providing for us while you do it.”

Galborae scowled, then remembered she was his queen and looked apologetic. He looked to Lady Krys. “What do the words mean?”

Tarn answered his question. “I believe Queen Atiana has it right. The vision applies to all of you and to two others.”

“Who?” Havlock asked.

“I have no idea,” Tarn answered. “We’ve only had one meeting with the Leaf People, a meeting at which they called six individuals to duties none of them wanted or even understood. Oh . . . did I tell you the meeting took place 12 years before the rebellion? The Leaf People actually forecast the rebellion, though no one at the time knew it. Of the six called that day, only four of them were there. They had no idea who the two others were, and it wasn’t until 12 years later that they found out.

“Six were called to lead the Empire through the rebellion. I believe the Leaf People are calling eight to lead Tranxte through its emergence.”

He paused, but not for long, his focus returning to Galborae. “We all agree that knowledge of our advanced civilization is a tragedy for the people of Tranxte. I believe the Leaf People are calling seven mentors to fix the problem, meaning they are to lead the people of Tranxte through the transition: Governor Havlock, Queen Atiana, the Teacher, both Healers, and two others who are as yet unnamed. That’s seven. The Speaker makes it eight. His job is to unite the people of Tranxte.” His eyes moved to each of them, then he said, “If he fails, Tranxte might not survive.”

Galborae stared back at him, not comprehending. Then, he reviewed the words of the vision in his mind and blinked as the meaning struck home. His eyes went first to Krys, then to Tarn. “You think it means me?” he asked.

Tarn believed that Galborae had to answer his own question. He said, “When Krys first told me about the Leaf People and that I was the Guide, my initial reaction was to fight it, but I did not. Instead, with just a little consideration I knew without any doubt that she was, in fact, right. I was the Guide. Tell me you don’t feel rightness here.”