Of Fire and Night - Kevin J. Anderson [65]
From the faintest thread in the corner of his mind he felt the treeling's whisper. As he walked, he became more convinced it was close by. The honey-warm familiarity was unmistakable. Kolker made his way through the elaborate Palace like a hunter following a breath of smoke in the air. He didn't know how to search for a small worldtree he could not see.
He crossed walkways, entered large chambers, drifted past courtiers and bureaucrat kithmen. Occasionally he glanced over his shoulder and saw guards; they noted his location, but did not follow him. He found the lax security odd, but if all Ildirans shared a general pattern of thoughts, then they would trust each other. Their race probably didn't know how to do otherwise. But why did they need so damned many guards everywhere?
Kolker concentrated on his mission, pushing all questions aside. If he found the treeling, he would need only a moment. If he could just have a taste of telink again, the hunger in his mind would be quieted.
He skirted the skysphere reception hall. Might the Mage-Imperator keep a treeling next to the chrysalis chair? Inside the great hall, Jora'h held court before a small group of pilgrims. Wary, the guard Yazra'h took two steps from her position near the dais, watching the green priest. Kolker backed away before their gazes could lock. His faint senses tugged him in another direction.
Kolker rapidly entered another segment of the labyrinthine halls, focused on the tiny tingle in his mind. After many twistings and turnings, climbing ramps and glassy stairs, he found himself in a sheltered level beneath one of the Prism Palace's secondary domes: the Mage-Imperator's private contemplation chamber. He sensed the tiny melody in his mind and knew he was close. The treeling was in there! Kolker felt anticipation build like a parched man smelling a cool stream just ahead.
Then, far behind him, he spotted Yazra'h and her Isix cats emerging from a stair platform. She had followed him after all! Yazra'h did not call out a warning, but broke into a run as soon as she saw where Kolker was. Her cats leapt in front of her.
Kolker ducked into the chamber. Just a moment, just one moment! Frantically looking around, he saw the treeling in an alcove on the curved wall. It was several years old, thin and spindly but strong. The feathery fronds seemed to tremble. The long-anticipated sight was so precious to him that he froze for just an instant.
Yazra'h bounded into the chamber. Her voice was as threatening as a predator's growl. "Do not move."
Kolker lunged forward, his outstretched hands desperate to touch the tree. One brief moment of contact would signal to every green priest across the Spiral Arm. His fingers almost brushed the delicate gold-scale bark. Almost--
One of the Isix cats jumped onto his back and drove him to the floor. As he fell, his fingertip brushed the smooth side of the treeling's pot, then slid away. The ornate pot wobbled in the alcove.
He sprawled on the cool, smooth floor, sure the cat would rip him to shreds. The animal was heavy on top of him, growling deep in its throat; the pointed tips of its long claws bit into his green skin.
So close! The treeling was so close! Kolker used all his strength to push himself up again, but a second cat came between him and the treeling, quietly snarling. Kolker grew wild, thrashing, giving a wordless cry.
Yazra'h uttered quick, soothing words to the cats, and the predators withdrew. She seized his arms with a grip like a set of steel manacles.
Kolker looked at the treeling, separated by an infinite gulf of only a few inches, and he began to sob.
38
MAGE-IMPERATOR JORA'H
Jora'h rushed from the skysphere at the head of a group of guard kithmen. When he reached his contemplation chamber, he found Yazra'h still blocking the green priest from the treeling. Her cats prowled and paced. His daughter remained cool and strong, but