Foundryside (The Founders Trilogy #1) - Robert Jackson Bennett Page 0,142

down. She kept walking.

said the old man’s voice.

She walked down a long hallway, opened a door—it unlocked instantly for her—and found herself moving through what seemed to be some kind of party, with scrivers quaffing bubble rum out of glass tankards while a band of women—most scantily dressed—played flutes and brass instruments.

said the old man’s voice.

The scrivers ignored Sancia, who was dressed as a functionary. She passed through and walked out the door on the other side, desperately searching for another lift.

She was in a short hallway, with an open door at the end.

boomed the old man’s voice. The door at the end slammed shut. She stared at it, then turned and tried the one she’d just walked through, only to find it was locked.

demanded the old man’s voice. And then, though the voice’s previous statements had a queer, crude syntax to them, his next question sounded strangely genuine. Even passionate. He whispered,

said Clef.

She ran to the closed door and touched Clef to the knob—since the door, like so many in the Mountain, had no need of the lock.

said Clef.

She did so. The door opened for her, and beyond was a set of stairs up. She sprinted up them, taking three steps at a time.

said the old man’s voice.

She kept running up the stairs.

said the voice.

said Sancia.

Clef sighed as she came to the top of the stairs.

* * *

Sancia looked around for her next move.

said Clef.

asked the voice—the Mountain, she supposed.

thought Sancia.

Sancia picked a corridor at random and started walking. Berenice and Orso had said that the Mountain might sniff her out before long, but she didn’t think it would be this fast.

said the Mountain, somewhat resigned.

said Clef.

she said, shocked.

said the Mountain,

Sancia walked to the third right, then looked down its long hallway and saw it ended in a lift.

said the Mountain.

asked Sancia.

said the Mountain.

Sancia started walking toward the lift.

The lift opened for her. She didn’t even get the chance to tell it which floor she wanted before it started up.

whispered the Mountain.

They ignored him as they continued up.

said the Mountain softly.

The doors of the lift opened—but not on a hallway or a room or a balcony. Before Sancia was a wide, sandy plain, with a black sky above dotted with tiny white stars. Standing in the center of this plain was a tall black stone obelisk, covered with strange engravings.

“What the hell?” whispered Sancia.

said Clef.

said the Mountain.