Part 84 (2/2)

[Image: Son and daughter gesture walk up path rain falls on louring stone castle barbican gate opens glimpse inner courtyard people machinery weapons SILVER HEMISPHERE FLASHES INTO BEING enveloping entire castle Golden Manikin appears.] Aiken: I've moved the entire Guderian Project from Goriah to Castle Gateway. One of my loyal subjects has hooked up the big SR-35 sigma generator to a pair of SR-15s that I happened to have stashed away-and now Cloud and Hagen are safe inside the sigma-field with all the others. The psychoenergetic equivalent of the stacked screens is over 900 now. You don't have enough watts to break through even if you push your creativity to the limit with the enhancer and mesh all your old cronies into the metaconcert. There isn't a weapon in the Pliocene that can puncture that silver bubble Marc. Not even my photon Spear. Not even Felice could crack it! And the only one who can activate its airlock now is Me ... You're checkmated Marc. Your children told me they'd rather die than go your way. But they aren't going to die. I've taken them under my protection. They're going to finish the Guderian device and go through the time-gate into the Milieu. Right there inside Castle Gateway under the sigma-umbrella if need be. The device will work in there. Ask Alexis Manion if you don't believe me ... I don't want to fight you Marc. I want to resolve this mess peacefully if I can and tend to some other urgent business.

But if you insist on attacking the Guderian Project be a.s.sured that I'll defend it-and so will the minds that work in metaconcert with me. Thousands of them all meshed nicely now under my command in the program you gave me down at the Rio Genii ... I know that the schooner carrying your CE-rig power supply is somewhere in the Gulf of Armorica or the Seine Delta.

You've got her camouflaged with some kind of farsight buzzer.

But if you try to fight me I'll find Kyllikki one way or another and I'll nail her and nail you ... But wouldn't that be a tawdry way to end it now? Wouldn't it be more your style-and mine-to let the Truce prevail? Sail Kyllikki right up the Seine all the way to the Field of Gold-white flag up and screens off.

You and your Rebels are invited to be my guests at the Grand Tourney! Watch the games then kiss your kids goodbye and sail on back to Florida ... Think about it Marc. You have a lot of things to think about.

[Fading image.] Elizabeth said: That's the entire message. Aiken's told you the truth about Castle Gateway. He did move the Guderian Project there-in a single evening. He's regained his strength and integrated the powers of Nodonn and Mercy as well. Don't challenge him Marc. You'll only destroy the Many-Coloured Land to no purpose. Yield. Please!

Marc said: They've made their decision. Now I'll make mine.

It may take some time.

The farspoken voice died away, and all that was left in the aether were reverberations from faraway lightning bolts and a faint rustle of mental static.

Elizabeth sent her tightest farsight beam arrowing along the path of Marc's communication. But at the extremity there was only wind-riffled water where a great river met the sea, and starless night.

In the stern hold of Kyllikki, Jordan Kramer and Gerrit Van Wyk lifted the heavy casque from Marc's head, then helped him from the body armour. The other surviving magnates were there waiting: Cordelia Warshaw and Ragnar Gathen and Jeff Steinbrenner and Patricia Castellane. Off in a corner on a stool, with eyes strangely lucid in spite of the docilator, sat Alexis Manion.

They waited.

Marc said, ”The children have declined my offer. As you know now, there can be no Mental Man without them. Cloud and Hagen and the others are at the time-gate site on the Rhone River. Aiken Drum transferred the entire Guderian Project there, and s.h.i.+elded it with a nine hundred power sigma. My son and daughter have said they would prefer death to cooperation with me in the engendering of Mental Man. They intend for Him to be subordinated to the Milieu.”

Alexis Manion smiled.

Patricia cried, ”You can take their genes!”

”I don't know whether I can or not.” He stood there in the black pressure suit, soaked with the amniotic fluid of the enhancer, blood from the electrode wounds flowing thinly down his brow and cheeks. ”At the moment, I can't think of any way to break through their defences. I'm not even convinced I should try.” One side of his mouth lifted gently. ”I find myself precariously tempted to virtue.”

”But, if you give it up-it's the end!” Patricia exclaimed.

Alexis Manion said distinctly: Mon front est rouge encore du baiser de la reine.

J'ai reve dans la grotte ou nage la sirene ...

Marc nodded in agreement. ”And the siren still sings and holds out the promise, and I'm addicted to the kiss of the vampire-queen.”

Patricia said, ”You're exhausted. You should sleep. Later you can consider what might be done.”

The other magnates added a murmur of half-voiced thoughts.

All of them hid behind thick mental walls.

Marc said to Ragnar Gathen, ”We'll sail up the river. I've been told that it's navigable for several hundred kilometres.

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