Star Wars_ Fate of the Jedi 01_ Outcast - Aaron Allston [83]
Mistress Tila Mong approached the pyre. From the distance of a meter, she extended her hand. A crackle of lightning leapt from the end of her fingers to strike the base of the pyre. Instantly the combustible material caught fire, an odd, purplish flame that rapidly spread across all the surfaces of pyre and casket.
The flame became very fierce, very fast. Soon the Kel Dors and the two humans had to stand farther back so as not to be burned themselves. Purple flames leapt into the sky, rising nearly to the height of the temple roof. The onlookers spoke little, but soberly watched the fire consume the body of their friend.
Not long after, the pyre collapsed. Remains of the casket fell into the center of the burning mass. The flames were still fierce, but dying. One by one, the Kel Dors began turning away, taking their leave.
At an appropriate time, before the last of the Baran Do had left, Luke thanked Tila Mong and led Ben around the building toward the front gates.
“Kind of sad,” Ben said. “He was pretty nice. A good fighter, though he didn't have a lot of weapons experience. Staff, mostly.”
Luke's tone was equally soft. “It always annoys me to be lied to.”
“I wasn't lying to you, Dad.”
“What?” Luke looked startled. “No, not you. Them.”
“What do you mean?”
They passed through the gates. Instead of turning south, toward the spaceport, Luke led them north, toward the mercantile district. “They lied. About Charsae Saal. He didn't die, and they didn't cremate him.”
“Are you kidding? I felt him die.”
“You felt him vanish in the Force, as I did. A graduated diminishment that was not much different, in the way it felt to Force-sensitive onlookers, from death. Ben, have you ever met anyone who could conceal himself in the Force?”
Ben grinned. “Other than myself? And Jacen? And you? And—” “They put an empty casket on that pyre and burned it. And ordinarily I don't need to pry into other people's secrets. But this one may have something to do with what Jacen learned here, so we have to root out the truth. We're going to find a restaurant for oxygen breathers, have a good meal with our masks off, and then we're going to come back here. And find the truth.”
Two hours later they returned, but not as official visitors this time. Instead of walking up the street, they moved as Jedi knew how to, darting from dark place to dark place, sending tiny distractions into the minds of pedestrians so that they might pass unnoticed. Their dark garments helped, as did the lateness of the hour and the still-ominous cloud cover, which blocked out starlight and moonlight.
Soon enough they found themselves at the base of the durasteel-and-transparisteel walls of the temple. Luke gauged the height and sprang upward. He came to rest atop, one haunch on the transpari steel lip, balancing there. He extended his hand down for his son.
Ben leapt up, letting the Force enhance his jump. He landed beside Luke in a crouch, both boot heels on the transparisteel lip, and grinned at his father. Together they leapt down into the grounds of the temple.
Moments later, they stood by the hearth where Charsae Saal had theoretically burned. The remains of the fire had been mopped up; no ashes remained.
Luke turned his attention to the platform where the Kel Dor had stood for his speech, had lain down to die. “If we assume that this was the means by which he disappeared, there's probably a mechanism here.”
“Or a sensor,” Ben said. “From which they're watching us right now, and plotting our demise.”
“You watch too many holodramas.” Luke stroked the platform along