Galactic Milieu - Diamond Mask Part 6

Ken set out to chase them, but Gran Masha urged him to sit down and then used her strong coercion to shoo the pests away. Dee got out her bird plaque, ran through the gull pictures until she identified the correct species, then soberly entered them in her Day List with a tap of her fingernail: HERRING GULL. GLAUCOUS GULL. COMMON GULL. LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL. LITTLE GULL.

"Very good." Viola nodded in approval. "And do you see that large, dark bird soaring above the sea?"

"Yes, Mummie."

"It's a pomarine skua. Rather uncommon. Find it in your book."

Obediently, Dee pressed the plaque's upper right-hand corner until the image of the marine predator appeared- And then it happened again.

Dee's face froze into a blank mask. The mind-prober was back! This time the digging was very gentle and cautious and she almost had not noticed it. Once she did, she had no trouble resisting the would-be intruder. But Mummie mustn't know!

"Well, aren't you going to enter the bird?" Viola asked rather testily.

"But-but I have to identify it myself to put it on the list. And I can't see it well enough to be sure it's not a gray allan or some other kind of skua. You forgot, Mummie ... I don't have farsight." Hold fast! The mind-prober can't get in. Angel! Help me keep my barrier strong!

Uncle Robbie pulled a little pair of binoculars out of his jacket pocket. "Use these, la.s.s. My own farsight's nothing special, and I always carry them when birding."

Dee peered blindly through the gla.s.ses and then silently tapped the plaque. POMARINE SKUA appeared on the checklist.

"I'm glad that's finally official." Viola smiled tightly. "Shall we eat?"

The hotel had packed sandwiches of Islay cheese and thin-sliced roast beef spread with crunchy mustard. There were also celery and carrot sticks, crisp green New Zealand apples, and gingerbread. The children drank cold milk, and a Zojirushi bottle brewed sweet hot tea for the adults at the touch of a b.u.t.ton. After they had finished eating they got their daypacks from the car, and then Gran Masha programmed the vehicle and sent it away on autopilot. They would find it waiting for them at the end of the hike.

"Do you think we'll be able to visit the old MacGregor place when we get to Sanaigmore?" Aunt Rowan asked.

Masha shook her head. "I inquired at the hotel this morning. The farm is privately owned and not open to the public. But we can see it from the cliffs and perhaps get a closer look when we return to the car." She buckled her small pack. "Well, let's be off."

No one noticed that Dee had eaten almost nothing. She put on her own daypack like a person in a trance, paying no attention to the sh.o.r.ebirds running about on the strand. The mind-prober was still slyly at work.

Later, Dee would remember very little of the first hour or so of the hike, during which the a.s.sault on her mind continued. Then, to her great relief, it stopped. She was still safe behind her strong blue armor and now she felt much less frightened. Whoever the prober was, he could not get in. Dee was very proud of herself and when she was able, she told Ken all about her mental victory.

"I'm only five years old," she boasted, "but I'm strong."

"Then carry my pack," Ken demanded.

She only stuck her tongue out at him and ran off ahead of everyone along the rough, high sh.o.r.e, saying the triumphant words over and over again to herself: I'm strong I'm strong I'm strong!

The path dipped to cross a little burn in a rocky hollow, and it was there that Dee saw something moving among the tumbled boulders and stopped short. She thought at first it was an animal and eagerly pulled Uncle Robbie's binoculars from her anorak pouch to get a good look at it.

It was not an animal.

Scrambling faster than a monkey, it whisked into a crevice between two huge rocks almost as soon as she got it into focus. But she had seen it clearly for the merest instant: a person nearly as small as her brother Ken, having bandy legs and arms that were disproportionately long. He was dressed in black clothes and he had frowsy black hair and a black beard.

The Dubh Sith.

No! It's only a story! He can't be real. Oh, angel ...

The adults and Ken found her standing petrified, with the binoculars still held to her eyes.

"Have you discovered something interesting, Dody?" Mummie inquired.

Slowly, she lowered the gla.s.ses. "I thought-but it's gone now, whatever it was." She handed the binoculars back to Uncle Robbie, keeping her renewed fear carefully concealed behind her mental mask. From then on she walked close to the adults, and now and then she stopped and quickly turned around to scan the landscape behind them. But there was never anyone there.

They came to a medium-sized sea-cave full of nesting rock doves and discovered the most interesting bird they had yet seen. It was a large gyrfalcon perched on a nearby rock, watching the doves fly in and out of the cave. Dee was enchanted as she viewed it through the binoculars. She had watched Tri-Ds about these rare birds and she had seen a live gyrfalcon of the dark-colored Icelandic race once before, at a considerable distance. But this was a Greenland gyrfalcon, nearly white.

Abruptly the splendid bird of prey took wing, soaring high above the sea, and a moment later it was back almost overhead. It stooped, diving with incredible speed, and seized one of the hapless doves in a shocking explosion of feathers. Then it flew off seaward with the limp body, heading toward some skerries that thrust darkly from the foaming breakers.

Dee slowly let out the breath she had been holding. The beautiful bird had killed in order to eat. She knew falcons did that, but never before had she seen it happen right before her eyes. It saddened her that some creatures should be born to kill, should need the lives of others in order to survive themselves. She entered both the rock dove and the gyrfalcon on her list, gave the field gla.s.ses back to Uncle Robbie, and then walked along at his side, brooding.

People also killed animals for food. Why, the roast beef in their sandwiches had once been part of living cattle! Some of Dee's mates at kindergarten ate only vegetables out of respect for animal life; but when Dee had spoken about this interesting idea to Mummie, she had only frowned and called it sentimental tommyrot and told Dee to finish her pork chop. Of course, the domestic meat animals didn't suffer at all when they died, the way the poor dove killed by the falcon must have.

Or had it? Dimly, she remembered a wildlife program in which the narrator had a.s.serted that creatures seized violently by predators went almost instantly into a state of shock and felt no pain. Could that be true? It would be kind of G.o.d to make it so-especially since he had made the meat-eaters in the first place ...

Thinking about this and other mysteries, Dee nearly forgot her fear.

In midafternoon they came to Sanaigmore Bay, where there were numbers of ruined stone crofts looking forlorn beneath the gray sky. While they rested among the sandhills and had a snack, Uncle Robbie told the story of the Clearances during the 1800s, when small tenant farmers who lived in the Hebrides and on the Scottish mainland were forced to leave their homes because the rich people who owned the lands wanted to create huge sheep runs.

Dee was appalled. "But, couldn't the little farmers do anything?"

Uncle Robbie shook his head. "They were powerless. The rich people had the law on their side in those days, and the law said that property was more important than people. So the poor farmers lost their homes and livelihood and had to go live somewhere else, like North America. There was a lot of suffering. The people who stayed and managed the sheep were the lucky ones-and some of them were Jamie MacGregor's ancestors." He smiled at Dee and Ken. "And yours."

Gran Masha pointed out the place where the MacGregors had lived, which lay some distance uphill from the baysh.o.r.e. There were no sheep on the land now and the farmhouse had become a luxurious private home.

As she studied the distant buildings with the wind-blasted trees and ornamental shrubbery surrounding them, Dee felt a sudden deep pulse of dread. That place ... She knew with sick certainty that it was the source of all the evil feelings that had plagued her throughout the holiday. But when she went to Ken, who was throwing stones into the surf, and told him her discovery he refused to believe her.

"Everybody knows that Jamie MacGregor was one of the greatest men who ever lived." He did not bother to conceal his scorn. "He forced the normals in the world to be fair to True People. His old house just couldn't be giving off bad vibes."

"Not the house," Dee said. Her lips were trembling and it was all she could do not to burst into tears. "The people inside! ... Kenny, it was them trying to ream my mind, not the Gi or the Krondaku. I'm certain!"

"You said the probing was exotic-"

"It was. Maybe exotics live in the house. Bad ones! And I saw the Kilnave Fiend, too, when we were back on the cliffs-"

"You're stone doolally! You know? Completely bats.h.i.t!" He turned away from her, and she felt his own sudden terror now, overlaid with strong denial. "Leave me alone! Tell Mum if you're so scared. Now naff off!"

But of course she couldn't tell Mummie or any of the other grownups. It was just impossible. Nor could she allow them to see her afraid, for humiliation would make everything worse. She covered her face with her hands, praying to the angel, submerging herself in the sweet rosy pool of redaction. Then Mummie called and they set off again on the final leg of their walk, heading for the heights of T?n Mhor. There were sure to be guillemots nesting in the cliffs, Gran said, and kittiwakes and razorbills. And if they were very lucky, they might even see puffins!

d.a.m.n that brat!

f.u.c.ked it up did you luv?

I followed her nearlyanhour used every trick in my armamentarium and had no more luck than you did. That incrediblypowerfulmindscreen of hers has been strengthened somehow since we played our little map game with her back in Edinburgh. A strong redactivefactor has been added to it. The child has grown, She's still latent as far as any external manifestation of metafaculties goes but I'm convinced that she actually senses Hydra while the boy and the 3mastercla.s.s adults and GrandMasterMasha don't.

She could be dangerous Maddy.

Yes ...

Jeopardize our plan.

Bulls.h.i.t youguys! She's only a kid. Fury would have warned us if she posed any real threat.

Fury might not have known.

FurydearFury knows everything!

Cele he only outlined the plan to us broadly how could he have suspected that a latent child would have grandmasterly screening ability to say nothing of the psychosensitivity to detect Hydra? Maddy&I softened her up on ferryboat tried to get into her skull to neutralize her but no luck.

... Parni? [Anxiety.] We'll still have the feast won't we?

Don't sweat it Celebabe. But Quint&Maddy are probably right. As usual. Sounds like we'll have to modify the plan of attack a skosh that's all.

Both the girl and the GrandMaster must be bypa.s.sed.

I agree. Our metaconcert might not be strong enough to take her+mastercla.s.s adults.

Aw s.h.i.t! Why not let me hide at the top of the geodh and just push the kid over? No coercivemetaconcert needed-just a flick of the wrist. She'll go down with the three adults and shock+physical injuries will cancel her screeningability and we'll have her cold.

Oh yes let's do it Parni's way I'd so hate to miss out on the girl! [Wistful longing.] She'd be exceptionally delicious you know. The strong latencies would provide a lovelytang that would offset the bland taste of immaturelifeforce.

[Laughter.] Celebabe you are too much!

Wait until I've dined and I'll show you what TOO MUCH can be lover ...

Will you two stop acting like fools? Parni your idea is out of the question. All units of the Hydra must be down in the geodh ready to receive the 2Strachans&Row.a.n.grant and get them quickly into the cave. They must be completely subdued before they can give a telepathic shout or press the alarm b.u.t.tons on their wrist-coms. Let me remind you that the 3researchers are the ones Fury instructed us to eliminate. The girl is extraneous.

Maddy's right.

Maddy's always f.u.c.kingright ...

It will still be a glorious meal. I'm so starved I'm actually weak- Well you d.a.m.nwell better pull your weight in the metaconcert this time Cele no bubblebraining or other wrongnotes. And you too Parni or your a.s.s is gra.s.s. This kill won't be easy. There must be NO OUTCRY no other hint that they're being harmed the others must think they've simply wandered off.

[Truculent a.s.sent.] What about the boy?

I've been thinking that over. We'll have to let him live too.

Ohhhhhhh ...

I agree with Quint. If GrandMasterMasha is enc.u.mbered with two small children it will be that much longer before she becomes alarmed at the disappearance of the others.

Ohhhhhhh ...

Hey Celebabe doncha worry we'll still have the best goodies since we got stuck here on this d.a.m.nisland. Three mastercla.s.s operants! It'll be megaloendorphic! We'll blast into solar orbit.

[Reluctant acceptance.] But you know I like young ones.

Quint have you scanned the area thoroughly? We must make certain that there are no other grandmastercla.s.s metas in the vicinity when we implement the ambush. The professor is a fairly inefficient fa.r.s.ensor I don't think she'll be able to see through the dense Precambrian rocks into the cave but a more talented GrandMaster might.

There are a few other birdwatchers and hikers at the cliff nesting sites right now. Only two lowpoweredheads amongst them. More people will probably show up by the time our friends arrive but it shouldn't affect our plans. I've found only 6 other GrandMasters on the entireisland and 3 of them are Gi. None are anywhere near our area.

Good. Let's get into position then.

Bon appet.i.t everyone!

Celebabe you are TOO MUCH.

The climb up to the headland of T?n Mhor was a steep one and Dee was exhausted when they finally reached the top-not only physically weary, but also mind-numb from the ebb and flow of fear that had afflicted her all throughout the weekend. She still felt an evil exotic presence nearby and it was as scary as ever. But it hadn't done anything except try to see inside her. She knew she could keep it out-so why should she care about it anymore? What she really wanted was to rest.

The others had gone immediately to the lookout at the cliff's edge in search of birds, but Dee plumped herself down on a small patch of gra.s.s in the lee of a great rock and didn't move. Clouds were racing overhead. She couldn't hear the rumble of waves pounding at the base of the cliffs and the shrill cries of kittiwakes. Ken and the grownups were peering over the fenced precipice a dozen meters away, and a number of other people were also busy with cameras and viewing devices. Dee heard voices exclaiming over something and after a few minutes, Gran Masha came looking for her.

"We've found puffins and razorbills nesting, Dorothea," Gran said heartily. "Come and use Uncle Robbie's field gla.s.ses."

"I'm really very tired." She tried to keep her voice steady.

Gran Masha hated whining. "I've had enough birdwatching for today. I'd like to go back to the car, please. I'm sure I could find my way by myself. You could tell me the car's door code, and I could wait for you inside."

The professor frowned, her face showing concern rather than annoyance. "Poor baby. It has been a long walk, hasn't it? But we've just come to the best birding place on all Islay. And there's wonderful news! One of the people we've just been talking to says that a small flock of retroevolved great auks have been spotted swimming off the rocks just a klom or so further west along the cliff track. Your mum and Uncle Robbie and Aunt Rowan are eager to be off at once."

"Great auks? ..."

"A black-and-white flightless bird that looks something like a huge penguin. They stand nearly a meter high. They were exterminated in 1844. But genetic engineers used DNA from some skins preserved in the British Museum to bring them back again about ten years ago. The breeding colonies are still very small and rare, and we'll be very lucky to see them."

Dee turned away. In spite of all her resolution, tears had begun to slide down her cheeks. "Granny, I don't feel well. I'm sorry to be so tiresome. Maybe I could just sit here by myself and wait while the rest of you go and see the auks."

"No, that wouldn't do, Dorothea." Masha sighed, then smiled at the sight of Dee's woeful face. "Don't worry, dear. I'll wait with you, and you can try to take a little nap. When you wake up, you'll probably feel much better. I don't mind staying. I've already seen the great auk. I'll just tell the others, then come right back."

Dee closed her eyes.

Oh, angel, I really would like to go to sleep and forget this horrid feeling! Why am I so sure that something awful is going to happen? Should I tell Gran Masha about the bad exotics in the farmhouse? Should I tell her about the mind-reamer? ... But I don't want anybody to think I'm a silly baby! I only want to hide. Hide behind my strong blue wall and float on my nice rosy pool and be safe. That's all I want. Can't I just do that-?

"There, now. It's all settled."

Dee opened her eyes. Gran stood there together with a very glum-faced Ken. "The three of us will wait here while your Mum and aunt and uncle go see the great auks at Geodh Ghille Mhoire."

"I wanted to go!" Ken said peevishly.

Masha undid her pack, took out a cushion, and pinched it to inflate it. "You're tired, too, Kenneth. The walk to the geodh is strenuous and you're better off staying here, as your Mum said. Sit here beside me on the cushion. It seems there's only enough gra.s.s for Dorothea."

Still grumbling, Ken settled down.

"What's a gyo gilmore?" Dee asked sleepily.

"It means 'Gilmour's Chasm.' It's a steep cleft in the northwestern corner of the island, and once a terrible shipwreck happened there. But never mind about that. I'm going to tell you another story-one I heard when I first came to Islay many years ago." Masha put one arm around Ken and the other around Dee. Since her rejuvenation, Gran wasn't quite as soft and comfy as she used to be, but it still felt very good to be cuddled next to her.