2. The Farseekers.pdf

(965 KB) Pobierz
The Farseekers
by Isobelle Carmody
‘I had the sudden chill premonition that the long healing time of peace was
drawing to an end.’
In the two years since its takeover of Obernewtyn, the secret Misfit
community flourishes. Protected in their remote mountain keep from the
prying eyes of the Council, the Misfits live in safety, working together to
develop their extraordinary mind powers.
But now the Council is becoming suspicious -and discovery of Obernewtyn
and its inhabitants means death. Only Elspeth, with her courage, her special
gifts, and her allies, can hope to resist the forces of destruction.
So much is at stake. And time is running out…
By the same author
The Gathering
Scatterlings
Green Monkey Dreams
Other titles in The Obernewtyn Chronicles:
Obernewtyn
Ashling
Author’s Acknowledgement:
The writing of this work was assisted by a project grant from the Australia
Council, the Federal Government’s Arts funding and advisory body.
For Shane
INTRODUCTION
Surrounded on one side by the sea and inland, bordered by jagged mountain
ranges and great tracts of poisonous Blacklands, the people of the Land
believed they alone had survived the Holocaust.
In the absence of any authority, a Council was set up to preserve order in the
growing community, but what began as a welcome central governing body
became something sinister and oppressive. Few dared speak out in protest for
fear of the ruthless Council soldierguards. Midnight arrests, torture, bribes
and an efficient network of informants, prevented any real opposition to the
Council developing. As a further deterrent, terrible punishments were meted
out to anyone charged with Sedition.
Though miraculously delivered from complete destruction, the descendents of
the survivors had not entirely escaped the effects of the Great White, for
mutant births were frequent in all species. Not fully understanding the reasons
for the mutations, a mysterious religious order called the Herder Faction
convinced the Council and community that the Great White and its effects
were a punishment from God, whom they called Lud. They claimed the
Oldtimers had been evil and proud, scorning Lud’s lore for their mechanical
gods, until Lud had vented his fury by making the dread machines turn on
their masters.
Ritual burnings of mutated babies, the misshapen young of animals, and all
surviving books and possessions of the damned Oldtimers, were performed by
the Herder Faction in an attempt to appease Lud.
Some mental mutations were not evident until long after birth and after the
Council’s Normalcy Certificate had been given. Called Misfits, those
discovered were sent to Council Farms. This was virtually slavery and a slow
death sentence since Misfits were invariably used in the difficult and
dangerous work of cleansing a radioactive substance called whitestick, used
in medicines and as a source of energy. A few escaped this fate, being sold to
a remote mountain institution called Obernewtyn for experimental work on
Misfits.
One such was Elspeth Gordie whose mutant abilities were far stranger than
the Council realized when condemning her to Obernewtyn for minor mental
mutations. Elspeth soon discovered Obernewtyn’s experimental work was a
cover for the activities of a group of Seditioners researching the forbidden
technology of the Beforetime in search of a weapon which would enable them
to overthrow the Council and dominate the Land. With the help of Elspeth,
Rushton Seraphim, the true heir to Obernewtyn, succeeded in overthrowing
the usurpers. The exposure of the plot and the incidental rescue of two
investigating Councilmen brought Rushton into favour and his inheritance
claim to Obernewtyn was allowed.
But unbeknown to the Council, Rushton himself had become a Seditioner.
His long struggle for his birthright had brought him into contact with a group
of Misfits with mutated mental abilities far more unusual and powerful than
the Council had
imagined when coining the term. In return for their help in
defeating Madam Vega, Alexi Seraphim and the lovely perverted boy, Ariel,
Rushton had promised safe refuge at Obernewtyn, and help in their struggle
for acceptance and legitimacy. Previously a loner, and with nowhere else to
go, Elspeth joined the Seditioners in their secret fight for a place in the Land.
But Elspeth’s remarkable range and strength of abilities set her apart even
among the other Talented Misfits.
During the terrible battle in which Rushton had slain his insane step-uncle,
Alexi, Elspeth discovered a dark and terrible power of her own, when she
killed Madam Vega to stop her harming Rushton. An accidental mindlink
forged between Rushton and Elspeth during this struggle created a strange
bond between the two.
In the two years following their takeover of Obernewtyn, the Misfit
community flourished, protected from the prying eyes of the Council by its
remoteness and a report sent to the Council of a firestorm which had all but
wiped out the settlement.
The Misfits organized themselves into seven highly efficient guilds based on
mutant abilities, while the day-to-day domestic running of Obernewtyn and its
farms was divided among the guilds.
Larger community decisions were made by regular formal meetings of
guildmasters, guildens and wards of the seven guilds, as well as by Rushton,
the Master of Obernewtyn. This meeting was called Guildmerge.
Of the guilds, the most powerful was the Farseekers Guild, headed by
Elspeth. Like the other guilds, the Farseekers Guild trained and developed the
abilities of its members, but its main function was to plan and execute rescues
of Misfits. The prime ingredient of the plans was secrecy, for Obernewtyn
could not risk exposure.
It was accepted by the Misfits that they must some day reveal themselves and
their abilities but, increasingly, it became clear that nothing but the complete
destruction of the Council stranglehold over the community would give the
Misfits a chance for acceptance. All hoped the time for this lay far in the
future, but the fates were at work, bringing the dread confrontation inexorably
closer.
As well, the fates moved in Elspeth’s life, reminding her of a promise made
two years before, when she had discovered the Beforetime machines which
spawned the Great White were not extinct but only dormant. She had
managed to have two carved doors containing a map showing the
whereabouts of the weapon machines burned, and had sworn to find and
destroy the remaining death machines. But two years of peace had softened
the edge of her determination.
Yet the time of peace and complacency was ending, for Obernewtyn and for
Elspeth Gordie …
PART I
OBERNEWTYN
1
Roland shook his head decisively. ‘I can do nothing to hasten the healing,
Elspeth. If you rested them more often …’
I sighed and rubbed the tender soles of my feet. ‘Kella said a warmer climate
might help.’
Roland nodded absently, returning satchels of herbs to his carry-all. ‘It’s true
cold doesn’t help the healing process, but whatever miracles healers can do,
changing the weather to suit their patient is not among them.’
I was startled at the unexpected touch of humour from the dour Healer
guildmaster. Hefting the weighty bag on to his arm, Roland gave me a
piercing look. He added significantly, ‘If you would stay in your room in
winter with banked fires instead of wandering around the draughty halls - and
beyond …’
‘I am mistress of a guild,’ I said.
Roland was unsympathetic. ‘Garth finds no difficulty in remaining in his
caves and the Teknoguild works do not crumble because of his inactivity,’ he
said with faint asperity.
The Teknoguild was concerned with studying the Beforetime and researching
the effects, past, present and future, of the Great White. I had little interest in
such things, but I had met secretly with Garth only that morning. I wondered
if Roland knew.
‘Garth … is Garth,’ I said with a smile. Roland’s lip twitched.
There was a knock at the door and Kella entered carrying a jug.
Roland waved his ward in impatiently. ‘Soak in that, then rub some of the
salve into the soles. And stay off your feet!’ he growled, slamming the door
behind him.
Kella poured the liquid in a flat pan, smiling ruefully. ‘He’s angry with
himself because your feet aren’t healing properly.’
I lowered my feet gingerly into the shallow pannier. A sweet scent rose from
the water. ‘Herb Lore?’ I guessed.
Kella nodded. ‘A recipe given us by the Master of Obernewtyn himself.’

Plik z chomika:

Inne pliki z tego folderu:

Inne foldery tego chomika:

Zgłoś jeśli naruszono regulamin