The City And The Stars - Arthur C. Clarke [85]
It was not difficult to locate Airlee—which was fortunate, for the robot could guide him no further. Alvin had expected this, and felt a little glad to have discovered some limits to its powers. It was unlikely that it would ever have heard of Airlee, so the position of the village would never have been stored in its memory cells.
After a little experimenting, Alvin brought his ship to rest on the hillside which had given him his first glimpse of Lys. It was quite easy to control the machine; he had only to indicate his general desires and the robot attended to the details. It would, he imagined, ignore dangerous or impossible orders, though he had no intention of giving any if he could avoid it. Alvin was fairly certain that no one could have seen his arrival. He thought this rather important, for he had no desire to engage in mental combat with Seranis again. His plans were still somewhat vague, but he was running no risks until he had established friendly relations. The robot could act as his ambassador, while he remained safely in the ship.
He met no one on the road to Airlee. It was strange to sit in the spaceship while his field of vision moved effortlessly along the familiar path, and the whispering of the forest sounded in his ears. As yet he was unable to identify himself fully with the robot, and the strain of controlling it was still considerable.
It was nearly dark when he reached Airlee, and the little houses were floating in pools of light. Alvin kept to the shadows and had almost reached Seranis’ home before he was discovered. Suddenly there was an angry, high-pitched buzzing and his view was blocked by a flurry of wings. He recoiled involuntarily before the onslaught; then he realised what had happened. Krif was once again expressing his resentment of anything that flew without wings.
Not wishing to hurt the beautiful but stupid creature, Alvin brought the robot to a halt and endured as best he could the blows that seemed to be raining upon him. Though he was sitting in comfort a mile away, he could not avoid flinching and was glad when Hilvar came out to investigate.
At his master’s approach Krif departed, still buzzing bale-fully. In the silence that followed, Hilvar stood looking at the robot for a while. Then he smiled.
‘Hello, Alvin,’ he said. ‘I’m gad you’ve come back. Or are you still in Diaspar?’
Not for the first time, Alvin felt an envious admiration for the speed and precision of Hilvar’s mind.
‘No,’ he said, wondering as he did so how clearly the robot echoed his voice. ‘I’m in Airlee, not very far away. But I’m staying here for the present.’
Hilvar laughed.
‘I think that’s just as well. Seranis has forgiven you, but as for the Assembly—well, that is another matter. There is a conference going on here at the moment—the first we have ever had in Airlee.’
‘Do you mean,’ asked Alvin, ‘that your councillors have actually come here? With your telepathic powers, I should have thought that meetings weren’t necessary.’
‘They are rare, but there are times when they are felt desirable. I don’t know the exact nature of the crisis, but three senators are already here and the rest are expected soon.’
Alvin could not help smiling at the way in which events in Diaspar had been mirrored here. Wherever he went, he now seemed to be leaving a trail of consternation and alarm behind him.
‘I think it would be a good idea,’ he said, ‘if I could talk to this assembly of yours—as long as I can do so in safety.’
‘It would be safe for you to come here yourself,’ said Hilvar, ‘if the assembly promises not to try and take over your mind again. Otherwise, I should stay where you are. I’ll lead your robot to the senators—they’ll be rather upset to see it.’
Alvin felt again that keen but treacherous sense of enjoyment and exhilaration as he followed Hilvar