The Radical Numerologists
‘Who is this’ asked Thelma,
the old guardian, ‘We did not give you permission to enter this house with any
other’
Lily
had no time to respond. They stepped inside.
‘Strangers’
barked Thelma.
Out
of the darkness of the dimly-lit hallway came three large sheer-black tomcats,
their claws were out. They were as fat as suckling pigs.
Lily
shouted, ‘we’re friends’
The
cats took no notice of her; they leapt at Viola, furious and spitting. They
were strong and vicious. Two attached to her trouser legs and one pounced at
her chest.
Viola
threw the one on her chest off, but the others hung on – scratching through her
clothes and into her flesh. They were intent on ripping her to pieces. Through
the sharp pain, something opened in her mind
‘Servants of Eluros, stand down!’ she
commanded in Archaic Elven
The
cats dropped to the floor. They looked up at Viola expectantly, then slowly,
one by one, they began to purr and to rub against her legs.
‘Not
much use doing that now’ she grumbled, her hand holding together her shredded trousers
and rubbing her scratched skin.
“Who
are you?’ asked Thelma.
‘Major
Viola of the Visneorian army…’ Viola began, woodenly. She stopped when she saw
the look on Thelma’s face. Thelma was staring at her torn, stained imperial
jacket.
‘Viola
– that’s who I am’
Thelma’s
gaze dropped to the cats, all of whom were purring at Viola’s feet, all claws
for now withdrawn.
‘That’s
not all you are; I’ll warrant’
She
glared at Lily
‘What
is this that you’ve brought to our house?’
Lily
hesitated, out of her depth.
‘Not
an enemy – that’s about all I can say…’
The
old woman’s face lips curled with distaste.
‘You
should leave, Princess Lily. This is not your business’
Lily
looked for guidance to Viola, but all she did was shrug. Lily crept out,
feeling useless. Thelma closed the front door. She turned back to Viola.
‘Have
you been sent by the gods?’
Viola’s
heart sank. Have I been?
‘Possibly…’
she murmured
Thelma’s
lips set into disapproval.
‘How
can you be uncertain?’
Viola
attempted a watery smile.
‘Things
are unclear, everywhere, to gods and mortals’
‘So,
why are you here?’
‘To
see your leader’
An
extravagantly thin woman with cropped, bright, red hair, stepped out of the
shadows. She was wearing a grey toga and leather sandals.
‘I
am she’ Braith said. She looked once at Viola, and that was enough
‘Viola
of Ortia, welcome. It is fitting that we should meet; but dangerous’
Viola
was not shocked that she knew her full name; it seemed that everyone knew who
she was. The peril concerned her more.
‘Why
dangerous?’
‘Our
combined rank saliency is alarmingly low’
Viola’s
next question was involuntary.
‘How
low?’ she blurted
“Nine”
replied Braith without hesitation
Nine minus four is five thought Viola, remembering what the Prime had told
her, we’re very close indeed; whatever that means
‘Do
you fear an attack?’ she asked
Braith
frowned
‘Always
– we should not stay together for too long. So, what do you want of me?’
Viola’s
mind raced. She gabbled.
‘I
know that you sent the new prime to Klethropolis’
Braith
was silent for a moment.
‘Ah,
so our volunteer must have told you – too late for me to worry about that
now. He has been transformed. Anyway, I
am grateful that you alerted us’
‘To
what, though?’ asked Viola.
‘To
a breach; we had been waiting for it’
‘So,
you knew where that prime was?’
‘No
– but we had been monitoring your movements’
Fear
tingled in Viola’s bones.
‘How
did you do that?’
‘We
have our ways; we have, umm, unconventional sources of information. And you
make no attempts to hide yourself'
How could I
do that, even if I wanted to? Thought
Viola, but did not speak
‘So we could sense when and where you passed through
the portal; and when the Prime stopped working’
‘So,
you do know where the primes are?’
Viola asked, hopefully.
‘No, that was just good fortune. We know that
there were nine, and we have replaced three; we also know that there is one in
Ortia and one in Kinspit. The fate and whereabouts of the other four is unknown
to us.’
‘I
know where they are’ said Viola, softly, 'roughly - but I can find them'
Braith
thought about this for several seconds. She smiled.
‘We
can use you to find them for us, then’ she said, with some satisfaction
‘The
ones that are threatened by Bea, you mean?’
Braith
shook her head.
‘All
of them…’
‘But
what about the existing primes that are hidden to Bea?’
‘We
can’t replace them before they are destroyed, and we do not have the ability to
destroy them’
‘Then
why don’t you leave them be?’
‘No
– that would be foolish; Bea will find them eventually. And they are declining…’
‘Why?’
asked Viola
Braith
shrugged
‘I
am not sure – perhaps there is too much human magic in the air – witchcraft can
be corrosive’
‘So,
your plan is to replace them?’
‘And
Bea will help us, unintentionally; our Primes are much stronger than the old
ones’
Viola
quailed at this prospect.
‘So
you will let Bea destroy the Primes’
Braith
tilted her head in sympathy.
‘They
are just machines…’
‘And
the nagas?’
‘Them?
Outmoded, redundant, and also machines; I do not crave their annihilation, but
it is inevitable. Or the world will die’
‘My
mother made them…’ croaked Viola
‘I
know’ said Braith, soothingly, ‘but they are fragile things, doomed to die in a
sea of necromancy’
‘So,
you want me to lure Bea to the primes and then let her destroy them and the
nagas…’
Braith
stepped back, literally and metaphorically.
‘Possibly
– but there is no need to hurry – let us find them first…’
‘I’m
not sure…’ whispered Viola
‘All
that I ask for now is that you find them, that is all…’
This
seemed just about acceptable to Viola. As long as no killing was involved…
‘And
then some kind of decision can be made collectively, perhaps?'
‘Perhaps…’
said Braith
Viola
waited; uncertain. Although it was warm in the hallway she felt a cold tremor
inside.
There
was a brief pause, during which Braith was happy to wait patiently.
‘Which
one, though?’ asked Viola.
‘You
must choose. Whichever is most likely to be found first’
Viola’s
head was muzzy with uncertainty.
‘I
will have to talk to my team’,
Braith
lips drooped at the corners.
‘Tell
only those who are trustworthy and who need to know. Tell only what they require to help you. You
must treat all the information I have given you as secret’
Viola
nodded
‘Of
course, there is only one that I trust enough to tell’
‘And
who is that?’
‘I
will not say; I have my concerns on secrecy too…’
Braith
shrugged
‘I
understand’
Viola
shook her head; she was still confused.
‘But
how will I contact you?’ she asked
‘we
will be tracking you’
Viola
shivered again; she wanted to leave this place.
‘How?’
Braith
smiled.
‘As
I said – we have our sources of information – sources that no-one else knows
of’
‘But
what are they?
‘I
cannot tell you. But take this…’
Braith
handed her a small pebble. She had seen one of these before.
‘Press
it nine times when you are in the presence of a Prime. Then we will know for
certain. We don’t want to have to rely on the signal from an expiring Prime
this time; we need to be able to control events’
Viola
frowned. This was exactly how she felt, too.
‘Should
~I contact you again when I have made my decision?’
Braith
held her eyes with her own for a few seconds. It was uncomfortable. Braith was
reading something there but Viola had no idea which text she was seeing.
‘Only
return if your decision is “no”; otherwise we will wait for your signal’
Viola
nodded. She had no words left; and
Braith had no time for pleasantries. She disappeared into the shadows as
suddenly as she had earlier appeared.
Viola
walked to the door and Thelma shooed her out. Thelma was glad to be rid of her.
There was definitely something peculiar about her, even for an elf
