it turned out, I did not need to wait long.
— TWENTY-TWO —
‘SIBLINGS, CHILDREN, NEPHEWS, welcome.’
The following day news of a meeting was screeched through the forest, and we travelled again to Ertanea, this time at a less spectacular pace. Boron’s hoof had improved so we rode upon him, with you sitting astride his shoulders exclaiming what you saw and heard.
‘Tree. Bird. Tree. Tree. Bird.’
‘Yes. Bird.’
You were tired when we arrived, so I lay you to sleep on a bench at the back of the hall. Unlike the last time you had been in the Halls of Reason, you drew interest in the form of whispers and pointed fingers, though nobody came to talk to me. I placed a blanket over you and joined the throng.
The council line was full, but there were ten missing from the hundred, including Haralia and Jakob.
My mother brought her hands together.
‘Transcendence.’
Transcendence. Again.
‘The progress made by Benedikt and his team, aided by many of you—’ I caught my mother’s eye, certain I had heard the word “many” louder than the rest ‘—has been staggering. Not in the five centuries of our achievements have we developed such technology at such a rate, and with—’ she found Benedikt in the circle—’such promising results. Benedikt?’
Benedikt, who had already stepped forwards, smiled and raised his chin.
‘Yes, indeed, most promising. A proof of concept has been achieved and we have made a start on a prototype. We will be ready to begin full trials within two years, with the help of our team of volunteers.’
He held out his hand to a group of ten, who stepped from the darkness behind.
‘I give you The Devoted.’
There was Haralia with Jakob by her side. She seemed to glow more brightly than ever, beaming with pride in the halo of candlelight.
My mother approached them, face shadowed with concern.
‘Such bravery,’ she said. ‘Such selflessness. To give up your lives, to submit yourselves to the unknown as you do. What purpose you have.’
She began to clap, and the council joined her.
‘What purpose!’ she repeated, and the room filled with the sound of applause and appreciative murmurs. I joined with my own small claps, glancing back at you, relieved when you failed to stir. I did not want to risk an outburst.
The noise ebbed, and my mother returned to her place at the front.
‘More of you will be required as work begins on the prototype, and we shall have more regular meetings to discuss progress. Thank you, all of you, for your efforts.’
This was my chance. I prepared to speak over the throng’s murmurs, but my mother got there first.
‘Now then, onto another matter. Ima?’
The murmurs stopped, and every face turned to me. I stared back in surprise.
‘Yes?’
My mother smiled kindly and raised her eyebrows, nodding at your bench.
‘How is your project?’
‘What?’
‘The human, Ima. How does it fare?’
‘Well, actually I wanted to… I mean I—’ I began, swallowing and looking around the sea of expectant faces. In the shadows I saw Benedikt, his eyes doing what they always do. I felt a sudden unfathomable urge to flee.
My mother cocked her head.
‘He is two years old now, is he not?’
‘Almost three.’
‘And how does he behave?’
My mind presented me with a recent memory of you, red-faced and squashed in a corner, grizzling over a plate of incorrectly arranged carrots.
‘He can walk.’ You still stagger, and not over any great distance. ‘He feeds himself.’ You mash food into your maw when it suits you. ‘He has learned speech.’ I have already discussed this.
‘Perhaps we can see… him,’ said Council Member Caige, who stood beside Benedikt. There were murmurs of agreement.
‘He is asleep,’ I said.
‘Could we wake him?’
I paused.
‘I would strongly advise against it.’
More murmurs, this time of dissatisfaction. Benedikt rolled his eyes.
‘Why have you moved dwellings?’ he said. This brought silence.
‘Pardon?’
I had heard him perfectly well.
‘I understand that you have built a new dwelling, up in the rocks above your settlement.’
‘Really,’ I said. ‘How do you understand that?’
‘It is my job to know everything that happens in the settlements.’
‘Is that so? I thought you were absorbed in the problem of transcendence. I did not think you had time to send out spies.’
I was speaking dangerously, but I did not care, and it was of no surprise to me that I had been spied on, or that my villagers had passed information to Benedikt without me knowing.
‘Spies?’ he said, frowning. ‘What a strange word to use. A human word. They sent spies to discover information of interest which was otherwise kept hidden