Part 61 (1/2)

'Should it prove to be true,' said Ghorr. 'What more have you to say about Minnien?'

'Only that we saw a lyrinx there. It removed an object that had been placed at Minnien some time ago. Afterwards the field quickly grew stronger. It would appear that they have built, or grown grown, a node-draining device.'

'It is as I suspected,' said Halie. 'Show us this object, Flydd.'

The scrutator faltered. 'I ... don't have it.'

Suddenly every eye was on him and Flydd was no longer a worm on a hook; he was an insect being pinned to a board by a throng of cold-eyed philosophers.

'Why not?' Ghorr said with icy calm.

'They took it away.'

'And you allowed them to?'

'I did not realise the lyrinx had taken anything until later, when the node began to regenerate.'

'A costly failure. Had you brought back such a device, we might have reconsidered your position. As you have no evidence that it even exists, I can only a.s.sume you're lying to try to regain your standing. No one has ever found a node-drainer.'

Flydd restrained himself, though not without a struggle. 'They've been looking in the wrong place. It doesn't have to be close to the node.'

'In which case it can be anywhere, and impossible to find.'

'Ah!' said Flydd. 'But we did did find one.' find one.'

That created a sensation. The scrutators began to chatter among themselves. 'He's lying,' said Ghorr.

Halie stood up. 'Where is it, Xervish?'

'In good time, my friend,' said Flydd. 'I must be allowed to give you the full tale.' He called upon Irisis to tell her version of what had happened at Minnien, which she did. One part aroused the interest of all, including the chief scrutator.

'Fields like two planes at right angles,' said Ghorr, glancing at his fellow scrutators. 'Can it be ?'

'We'll come back to that, if you please,' said Flydd.

'So the only evidence of a node-drainer was a few dried-up shreds of leathery plant,' said Halie. 'Not enough, Flydd. Did you do any better at the second node?'

'The one inland from Fadd we found to be completely dead. There was not the least trace of a field.'

'No news there,' said a short man with a black spade beard and a cross-shaped bald patch at the top of an ovoid head. Snake eyes glittered. 'You're not telling us anything we don't know, Ex-Scrutator Flydd.'

'I'm giving a d.a.m.n sight more than you ever have for your councillor's badge, Fusshte!' said Flydd, so vehemently that the short man drew back. 'It was at Fadd that Crafter Irisis made the breakthrough. Tell them, crafter.'

'I merely wondered,' said Irisis, 'that if a node-drainer was was at work, what was happening to all the power it drained. Wherever that power was going, there had to be proof of it.' at work, what was happening to all the power it drained. Wherever that power was going, there had to be proof of it.'

'Ahhh!' sighed Halie. 'So I was right after all. They do have a node-drainer.' She cast the others a bitter glance. 'Had the Council listened, we might have solved this problem years ago.'

'We hear a dozen crack-brained ideas every week,' said Ghorr. 'And without evidence, that's all they are. Get on with it, crafter.'

No one interrupted as Irisis told her story, after which the Council questioned her. The process was calm and measured, yet Irisis knew she was being weighed by eleven of the sharpest minds on Santhenar. And not just her words. Every flicker of her eyelashes, every drop of sweat on her brow, was evidence in their interrogation.

And all were mancers. All were probing her with the strange version of the Art that was scrutator magic. The waistband of her pants was soaked with perspiration by the time Ghorr signed that they were done. And, to her relief, he seemed satisfied that what she had said was true.

Flydd resumed his tale. 'Finally, we went back to Irisis's manufactory to inspect the node, which lies deep in the hedron mine.'

'That was a foolhardy deed,' said Halie.

'But essential. That node was already weak '

'So Jal-Nish has told us,' said Ghorr, 'because you failed to protect it from the enemy.'

'I believe that has already been covered in despatches,' said Flydd.

'Not to my satisfaction.'

'As soon as we started to sense the field it went dead. As if someone had been watching and turned it off.'

'Is that all?' cried Fusshte.

'We could find no node-drainer there either,' said Flydd. 'Then Jal-Nish '

'Jal-Nish was at the node?' someone cried.

'He, er, interrupted us,' said Flydd. 'Jal-Nish asked the seeker a most interesting question. He asked her if she could see the field of the node. Tell the Council what your answer was, Ullii.'

Ullii had been sitting so quietly, hunched up into a little ball, that she was practically invisible. Now she unfolded, gave the a.s.sembled scrutators a frightened glance, and said in a wispy little voice, 'I could see all sorts of fields.'

'Fields?' cried Ghorr. 'Explain, seeker.'

'The node had four fields,' she said, mimicking his voice. She had not done that in ages. 'There was a weak one that people called the field the field, but it was dead. The clawers had drained it all away.'

'”Clawers” means lyrinx,' said Flydd obsequiously.

'Don't treat us like fools!' said Ghorr. 'Go on with your story, seeker.'

'There were three more fields, like walls going through each other. They were very bright.'

'The strong strong forces,' breathed Ghorr. 'At last! Have you seen such forces before, Ullii?' forces,' breathed Ghorr. 'At last! Have you seen such forces before, Ullii?'

'Yes,' she exhaled.

'Where?'

'I can't remember.'

Ullii was looking distressed and Irisis knew why. No one had thought to ask her the question, but she dared not give that answer.

Irisis took the seeker's hand. 'Ullii,' she said kindly, 'what you know about these fields may be vital. Please think where you might have seen them before.'

'I saw them at the cold place where I helped you where there was an evil node.'