Incarceron Part 31

"Where's Keiro?" he said. Gildas stopped. He planted his staff in the ground and leaned on it.

"Scouting ahead. Didn't you hear him tell you?"

Suddenly he strode forward and looked hard at Finn, the blue eyes clear as crystal in his small lined face.

"Are you well? Is this a vision coming on you, Finn?"

"I'm fine. Sorry to disappoint you."

Sickened by the eagerness in the Sapient's voice Finn looked at the girl. "We need to get that chain off you."

She had wrapped it around her like a necklace to stop it swinging. He could see the raw skin under the collar where she had padded it with cloth.

She said quietly, "I can manage. But where are we?"

Turning, he stared over the miles of forest. A wind was rising, the metallic leaves meshing and rustling. Far below, the wood was lost under snow clouds, and high above the roof of the Prison was a distant oppression, its lights misted and faint.

"Sapphique came this way."

Gildas sounded tense with excitement.

"In this forest he defeated his first doubts, the dark despairs that told him there was no way on. Here he began the climb out."

"But the way leads down," Attia said quietly.

Finn looked at her. Beneath the dirt and hacked hair her face was lit with a strange joy.

"Have you been here before?" he asked.

"No. I was from a small Civicry group back there. We never left the Wing. This is so ... wonderful."

The word made him think of the Maestra, and the chill of guilt struck through him, but Gildas pushed past and strode on.

"It may appear to lead downhill, but if the theory that Incarceron is underground is true, we must climb eventually. Perhaps beyond the wood."

Appalled, Finn gazed at the forested leagues. How could Incarceron be so vast? He had never imagined it would be like this.

Then the girl said, "Is that smoke?"

They followed her pointing finger. Far off, in the distant mists, a thin column rose and dissipated. It looked like the smoke from a fire, he thought.

"Finn! Give me a hand!"

They turned. Keiro was dragging something out from the thickets of copper and steel; as they ran over to him Finn saw that it was a small sheep, one of its legs crudely repaired, the circuits exposed.

"You're still thieves then," Gildas said acidly.

"You know the rule of the Comitatus."

Keiro sounded cheerful.

"Everything belongs to the Prison, and the Prison is our Enemy."

He had already cut its throat. Now he looked around.

"We can butcher it here. Well, she can. She may as well make herself useful."

None of them moved.

Gildas said, "It was stupid. We have no idea of what inmates are here. Or of their strength."

"We have to eat!"

Keiro was angry now, his face darkening. He threw the sheep down.

"But if you don't want it, fine!"

There was an awkward silence.

Then Attia said simply, "Finn?"

He realized she would do it if he asked her to. He didn't want to have that power.