JULIEN

II

Chapter 62

Off piste

A major problem with some branches of mathematics, and in particular that branch practised by the more expert mathematicians among the Guides, is the immense difficulty in finding some means of notation that can cover such esoteric subjects as 'the differential tension of reality' and 'the index of dimensional withdrawal', because such subjects are not only far beyond the understanding of most intelligent beings but also defy any attempt to represent them graphically.

One of the most prized aspects of Ambar's genius was an unprecedented ability, not only to grasp such bizarre concepts, but also to visualise them, not as images – that would be impossible – but as a kind of mental state which, although there was no other way of expressing them, was nonetheless a perfect reflection of what they represented. Of course this only meant anything to those beings who were capable of perceiving these mental states and could appreciate their substance. In other words, only Guides could perceive what Ambar created, and only a tiny minority of them were able to understand what they were perceiving. In fact the number who could really follow the incredible complexity of his speculations was thought to be three or four at most, despite the claims of a number of senior members of the High Commission for Mathematics who tried to include themselves in that number.

At first the baroque, or even extravagant, fruits of the boy from Nüngen's exceptional brain had been received with a scepticism that grew in proportion to the self-esteem of the High Commission's leading lights. But it had rapidly become clear that, not only was the boy offering viable information, but that anyone who wanted to avoid being considered second-rate needed to follow his work closely, or – if they were unable to do that – to keep themselves up-to-date by reading the reports prepared by those few who were able to interpret them for the benefit of less finely-honed minds.

Ambar's strange gift was clearly going to secure him a comfortable future practising a fascinating discipline which he loved surrounded by some of the greatest minds in the Known Universe, but it hadn't in any other way changed his personality: he was still the same happy, good-natured and well-adjusted boy he had always been. He certainly wasn't a typical introverted geek, far less a tortured genius who was prisoner of his talent.

But his gift was responsible for what had happened to him now.

He and Yülien were engaged in the process that would lead them to the state called Nyingtchik, where they would become, in mental terms, a single entity, like two almonds in the same shell.

They were aware of this and proud of it, too, and they could hardly wait for the inner signal that would prompt them to ask Julien to help them complete their union. This relationship was nothing like the one between Ambar and Julien, but all the same the feeling between the young human and the little Guide was a closeness like that which sometimes exists between twins.

Yülien had been strictly forbidden from trying to jump, especially with a passenger, unless one of his two instructors was also with him. And Ambar had been warned that were he to attempt to suggest such an escapade to a budding Guide who was far too suggestible for his own good, he would incur the considerable wrath of those responsible for his well-being. Of course, everyone knew that such warnings wouldn't be effective for all eternity, but they hoped they would last long enough for Yülien to be taught enough basic techniques to enable him to avoid disaster when the temptation became too strong.

Sadly...

Ambar had spent two hours in Master Subadar's study, listening to a fascinating lecture on the legends of Kang Tamal, during which time his attention had been drawn away from his beloved mathematics (which was in fact the whole point of the lecture). So as soon as he was free, purely by way of relaxation, he tried to recreate in his head the scheme he'd spent most of the past ten days working on. At that moment Yülien, who had been sleeping at his feet during the lecture, chose to re-establish contact with him by pressing against him, and Ambar, who was completely absorbed in his contemplation, automatically responded by placing a hand on his neck without even being aware of it.

Yülien was totally unable to identify the mixture of images and emotions flooding through his friend's head, but his reaction was nonetheless immediate. He didn't jump in the usual way, but his mind, obeying an irresistible impulse, did something that no Guide had ever done before.

They instantly found themselves 'somewhere else'.

Yülien was unable to recognise anything.

Like most young Guides, he hated the Outside, which Julien and Wenn Hyaï had frequently taken him into in order for him to get used to it. But this was not the Outside. If it had been, Ambar would not have been clutching his neck hard enough almost to strangle him, because he lacked the sensory equipment to perceive the other side of reality. In the Outside Ambar would have remained placid, totally unaware of his surroundings until they re-entered normal space. So this wasn't the Outside, and nor was it the Narthex, which Yülien had visited a few times in order to witness some of Julien's fascinating sessions of 'environmental creation', which were part of his regular exercises.

No, this 'elsewhere' into which they had just travelled was more completely alien than anything they could have imagined. Instead of the relatively familiar chaos of the Outside they found themselves immersed in a sickening mixture of pseudo-localisations that gave them the feeling of being in several places at the same time, none of which resembled anything they had ever seen before. The only thing that was stable and real for them was each other.

What really terrified Yülien was that, for the first time, his training as a Guide was no use to him. Even before he had learned to talk he had been made to look, over and over again, at the image of the Table klirk. It was a relatively simple diagram that even Guides whose Gift had never developed knew by heart. It was what they used when they made their spontaneous first jump, and it was what they used to get home again if they ever became lost. As soon as he realised that something had gone wrong he had visualised the Table klirk in his mind, held it stable and tried to jump, but nothing had happened. He knew there was nothing wrong with his Gift: he'd given the requisite push. But there was nowhere to jump to: no Orientation Table, no Palace, no Nüngen, no Nine Worlds. Nothing!

What's this? cried Ambar; panicking. Where are we? Is this the Outside?

No, it's not the Outside, Yülien replied.

Take us home!

I can't. It doesn't work.

Have you lost your Gift?!

No, but I don't know where we are and I can't get us to the Table. Ambar, you're choking me... careful!!! Don't let go of me whatever you do!

No chance! Urghhh... I think I'm going to puke! There's no floor – it feels like we're falling non-stop...

At once Ambar felt solid ground under his feet and the feeling of being in free-fall ended.

Did you do that? he asked.

I think so. I did what Akou Julien does in the Narthex, but I didn't think it would work.

Are we in the Narthex, then?

I don't think so. You can jump to the Table easily from the Narthex, and I can't do that here. I can't jump to the Palace, either.

I feel like I'm everywhere and nowhere. It's driving me mad... are you sure there's nothing you can do?

What do you want me to do?

I don't know... maybe make us a big b...

At that moment Ambar visualised a cube, and as soon as it appeared in his mind they were inside the large box he had been thinking about. It was filled with the pleasant light of a normal day, and at the same time the horrible feeling of not knowing where they were vanished.

Did I do that? he asked.

I don't know. Probably, because I didn't do anything. But this certainly feels better.

Are you sure we're not in the Narthex? I mean, I've never been there, but it does seems a bit like it, don't you think?

Well, yes, it is a bit like it, but I've never been able to do anything in the Narthex. Akou explained everything to me, but every time I tried to change things, nothing happened. And, anyway, like I said, you can jump from the Narthex. Every time we've been there I've been the one who took Akou Julien back to the Table.

There must be a way to get back.

I hope so, because I'm getting thirsty.

Can you try to make some water appear?

I've tried. It didn't work.

Julien will rescue us.

I suppose we'll just have to wait until he starts wondering where we are.

oo0oo

So they waited.

For a little while...

A long time...

A very long time.

In other circumstances they would have been able to think of plenty of ways to keep themselves entertained, but here... well, they really weren't in the mood. Back at the Palace the dinner gong must have been struck, and that meant that people were probably looking for them by now.

Perhaps we shouldn't stay in this box, suggested Yülien. Perhaps it's keeping them from finding us.

Perhaps, but I haven't got the foggiest idea of how to get rid of it. And I'm not that keen to find myself back outside it, either.

If they can't find us, do you think we're going to die?

They'll find us. Julien will turn over every stone in the R'hinz to find us.

But what if we're not in the R'hinz any more?

He'll find us anyway.

I'm thirsty. What are we going to do if it lasts too long?

Gradik told me that he once got lost in a small boat and had to drink his own urine for several days.

D'you think it was true?

He swore it was.

I don't think I'm that thirsty yet.

Nor am I. I am pretty tired, though. Shall we try sleeping for a bit? Then maybe we can try to open the box, if you think it's a good idea.

oo0oo

Chapter 63

Planning
 

Julien had a terrible night in which his sleep was several times interrupted by awakening abruptly from dreams of falling, and in the morning he decided that it was time to go and consult his personal oracle. So he left Dillik with Subadar and went to the Sang Kang to meet the strange image of Yangdehar of Dahlreng.

The hologram seemed to be completely up-to-date with the latest developments, which Julien supposed was not too surprising, given that the artificial character probably used the same network of sensors as the archives, and he had already seen that the archives apparently knew everything.

“A first analysis of the data gathered hitherto leads only to projections whose reliability fails to reach a threshold of...”

“Yang, I don't need a lecture on your methods,” interrupted Julien. “I'm not in the mood for a session of technical gobbledegook. Please speak plainly.”

“Forgive me. I know you had a bad night.”

“I certainly did. So?”

“It is impossible to deduce with any computable probability what might have happened to the Noble Brother Ambar and the Tsenn kenn Yülien.”

“That's really helpful!”

“But I can make up a story, if you'd like to hear it.”

“Go ahead.”

“Since the target-klirk worn by Lord Ambar has disappeared, there are three possibilities. One, that your Tsenn kenn jumped them into a star. Two, that they were abducted by a Neh-kyong or a Dre Tchenn. And three, that Yülien took his companion into the territory of a Neh-kyong.”

“If that's the case, what can I do?”

“You could summon a Neh-kyong and ask him for help in exchange for a trade of some sort. Or you could summon a Dre Tchenn, who would demand a sacrifice.”

“Are you suggesting that I use the Dark Arts?!”

“Certainly not – in fact you have sworn not to use them. But it remains a possibility.”

oo0oo

Wenn Hyaï, we're going to have to inform the Major Circle of the Guides what is happening, and I don't want them finding out about it from anyone else.

I'll deal with it, Julien. Maybe we'll be lucky and one of them will come up with a plan.

I doubt it, but if it does happen I'll certainly give it a try. Otherwise I think I'm going to have to ask a Neh-kyong.

A Neh-kyong?! Excuse me, but whose idea was that?

I... went through some of Yulmir's personal records.

I know you've had dealings with them in the past, but I don't know if they'll be able to offer much help in this situation.

Got any better ideas?

oo0oo

“Subadar,” asked Julien, “where do you suppose I could find a Neh-kyong who might be willing to help me?”

“Julien, I really don't think a Neh-kyong would be of much help here.”

“Well, I'm not just going to sit here doing nothing. It's already half a day since they disappeared. If they could find their own way back I'm sure they would have done it by now, and nobody seems to have any alternative suggestions.”

“It's not easy to understand the Neh-kyongs. They don't have the same motivations that we do.”

“All the same, I have dealt with them before, and Yulmir did so plenty of times.”

“Yes, but with Tchiwa Ri Kor it was fairly simple: you were offering him a gift, and all he had to do in return was to keep people away from the area. This time you don't have anything to offer.”

“Oh yes, I have.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I've got the Nyatchoung Ling islands. Now that there's been an atomic explosion there, nobody will ever be able to live there. Perhaps a Neh-kyong would be really happy to claim it as his territory. I was intending to try doing that anyway: right now people are too scared to go anywhere near it, but we can't post a watch there for the next thousand years to try to stop idiots going there and contaminating themselves.”

“You're right, and it would be a good way to solve the problem. But that doesn't mean that even a Neh-kyong will be able to help us.”

“I'm going to try, anyway. How should I set about it?”

“It would probably be best to do it the same way as you did with Tchiwa Ri Kor.”

“Subadar, we don't have time to organise a complete expedition with a flybubble!”

“Obviously not, even though that would be the best way to do it with minimal risk. You could simply jump to the islet closest to the island where the explosion took place. It'll be contaminated, obviously, but you could wear a suit like the one you used last time. That should enable you to stay for half a day or so without too much risk. I'll be coming with you, of course.”

“I don't want to deprive you of a nice outing from the Palace, but I really think I can manage without you. After all, I'm the only one who can actually negotiate with a Neh-kyong.”

“Julien, I beg you – let me come with you.”

“Well, if it makes you feel better, I don't see why you can't come. I'm going to get Wenn Hyaï to drop one of my target-klirks on the island, because I don't yet feel quite secure in my ability to navigate without klirks when I have a passenger with me, and I'm sure you don't want to suffer the consequences if I mess it up.”

“I'm sure there's no danger of that. Wenn Hyaï says there's nothing more he can teach you.”

“Wenn Hyaï is too kind and he underestimates his skill as a teacher. In any case I don't want to take any chances. It's worrying enough just having to wear a protective suit.”

oo0oo