The Canticle of Whispers (45 page)

“Wolfram was mad,” Lily said, shakily. “If we'd hesitated, he'd have killed us both. And Snutworth trapped himself over there; he has only himself to blame.”

“Yeah…” Mark said, “but…”

“We needed to break his connection to the Canticle,” Lily said, ignoring the pang of guilt. “We didn't know it would bring down the whole chamber.”

Mark met her eyes.

“No?” he asked. Lily looked away. The truth was, they'd both known it was a possibility. They both remembered what had happened when the Oracle had become upset; the whole of Naru had shaken. Lily sighed. She didn't think she would be losing much sleep over either of them. She just hoped that none of the Naruvians had been hurt.

“I … I don't care about Snutworth,” Mark admitted. “But Wolfram … he had his beliefs, Lily. We all have those.”

Lily frowned.

“We live for our beliefs. He tried to kill us for his,” she sighed. “I know, it's not perfect, but I'm willing to live with it if you are,” she said.

Mark nodded, uncertainly.

“All right,” he agreed. There was a silence.

“So…” Mark ventured, “home now?”

Despite herself, Lily laughed, coughing again.

“That's it?” she asked. “All those plans and prophecies, leading up to this?” She thought about it for moment. It did have a certain appeal—it was definitely the last thing the old Librans would have imagined.

She heaved at the stones. Miraculously, she didn't think she'd broken anything, but the lower half of her body was pinned under the rubble, and she couldn't move. Every time she tried, she felt the rocks shift ominously.

“You too?” Mark groaned, struggling. “You think anyone will come if we call for help?”

Lily listened. In the distance, she heard shouts, and a storm of approaching footsteps clattering on the stone.

“Actually, I don't think we need to.”

Mark twisted around to look, just as Septima and Tertius came into view. Their normally bright robes were streaked with grime, and they looked wild-eyed. As soon as they saw the rubble, though, they stopped dead. They stared, speechless as other Naruvians caught up with them, until, eventually, the Conductor arrived, red-faced and panting.

“Why have you stopped?” he wheezed. “We must make the vessel tell us why our land is wracked with torment…” he trailed off. For a long minute, he stared stupidly at the rubble, until Lily couldn't stand it any longer.

“Conductor, aren't you going to dig us out?” she asked, as politely as she could manage, coughing up another gout of dust. The Conductor didn't respond. All he could do was look at the pile of stone that had once been the entrance to the Oracle's chamber. Lily looked at Tertius and Septima, but they seemed equally dazed.

“The harmony is gone,” Septima whispered. “The Hub is cracked, and the crystals are silent…”

“Where will our knowledge go?” Tertius added, panic beginning to set in. “What will we do? How will we live?”

“We'll help you,” Mark said, hurriedly, “we promise. But please, you've got to get us out of here…”

A few guardians at the back, still swathed in gloves and masks, looked to the Conductor. He gave them no instructions. There was no color left in his face.

“You have destroyed everything,” he said, numbly. “We have nothing. Nothing but empty, silent caves … for ever and ever …

Lily shut her eyes. She did feel sorry for him, of course she did. But every second that passed, it was getting harder to breathe. She didn't have time to be gentle.

“Conductor,” she said, firmly. “Our so-called vessel is gone. That means we're in charge again, right?”

This stern tone got a reaction; the Conductor frowned.

“I'm not sure. There was no guidance on this, and the former Oracle is refusing to talk to me…”

“Then you're going to have to make this decision yourself,” said Mark. “The plans are over, the prophecies are gone. This is just you, Conductor. What do
you
think should happen?”

The Conductor passed a hand over his brow. He looked lost, as though he were waking up from a long, peaceful dream.

He looked down at Lily. She stretched out her hand to him. He jerked back, but she kept her arm extended.

“It's a new world, Conductor,” she said. “New life. New ways. Don't be ruled by the past.”

The Conductor glanced back at his people. They were silent, their large, dark eyes fixed on him, and Lily.

He steeled himself.

And he took her hand.

Amazed whispers rippled through the crowd. One or two of the Naruvians sank to the floor, looking ill. But the Conductor held on, shaking only a little.

“Guardians!” he said, suddenly. “Clear this passage. The Judges need our help.”

The guardians worked quickly. By the time the Conductor had pulled Lily out of the rubble, Mark was already standing. Lily's knee twinged alarmingly; Mark had a nasty cut across his back, and both were bruised all over, but for now, they could move.

As soon as Lily could stand on her own, the Conductor withdrew to a safe distance, wiping his hand on his robe. He looked a little queasy, but oddly proud.

“Thank you,” Lily said, not quite sure what else to say. She could feel the stares of the Naruvians all around her. She wondered if she should apologize, but what could she say? She and Mark had changed their world forever; it would hardly matter to them that they did it for the best of reasons.

“What are your commands now, Judges?” the Conductor said, with dignity. Lily met Mark's eyes. He looked as tired as she felt.

“I think…” he said. “I think we need to go home. Is the way clear back to the Last's Descent?”

The Conductor nodded, silently. But Septima was not so dignified.

“You can't go!” she cried. “You're the Judges!”

There was a clamor of agreement from the other Naruvians, but Mark shook his head.

“You don't need us anymore,” he said, raising his voice over the hubbub. “You need someone who can send you supplies, or help you contact the other lands. And when we get back home, we'll try to do that. But we can't do anything more from down here.”

This seemed to only add to the Naruvians' confusion. But it was Tertius who stepped forward, looking directly at Mark and Lily.

“But … who will tell us what to do?” he said, hesitantly.

Lily and Mark looked at each other. For a few seconds, Lily was tempted. This was an extraordinary opportunity. Every person in Naru was looking to them. They could change anything they wanted. They could remake this place with everything they'd learned. They could turn it into a paradise.

But that had been Snutworth's plan, not theirs.

“That's up to you,” Mark said, gently. “This isn't our land; it's yours. You have to decide what you want to be.”

“But,” Lily added, “if you're looking for somewhere to start, I wouldn't look to the world above.” She looked around at the confused Naruvian crowd, and to her own amazement, managed to smile. “There are more than enough wonders right here.”

And without another word, Mark and Lily set off to climb the stairs away from the cavern of the Resonant Throne. There was still a long way to go to the Last's Descent.

As they turned the corner, they noticed the Naruvians had begun to talk to each other, earnestly. They noticed the Conductor was gathering others around him, a new sense of purpose in his bearing.

And they noticed Tertius take Septima's hand. She didn't pull away.

*   *   *

They didn't speak as the mine cart whisked them back to the Last's Descent, nor as the metal platform slowly winched them back up toward the surface. Lily knew that once they started, there would be too much to say. And right at the moment, all they needed was rest.

So it wasn't until they were nearly at the top that they started to wonder aloud if what Snutworth had said about the rebels taking over had been true. Were they about to emerge in the Virgo District as they had left it, full of locked doors, scared merchants, and wandering receiver patrols? Or would it be a violent storm of revolution? Either way, it was with some trepidation that they emerged from the secret room in the Last's house, padded through the corridors, and pushed open the iron-bound front door.

What they hadn't been expecting was utter stillness.

Mark stared around, puzzled. The early evening sunlight outlined the faded buildings around them, a welcome return to normality after the last couple of days. Most of the houses were still shuttered and barred, but here and there a door had been thrown open, and left creaking in the breeze. At this time of day, even in the quietest parts of the city, there would normally be a steady stream of people making their way home. This emptiness was eerie.

They began to walk down the cobbled streets. Lily half expected to run into a receiver patrol, lying in wait. But the only noise was a far-off rumble, like the sea crashing against the cliffs by the Cathedral of the Lost.

She stopped.

“Mark,” she whispered, “do you hear that? What is it?”

Mark cocked his head to one side.

“I think…” he said, “isn't that … shouting?”

Lily dropped her head. She couldn't cope with another mob. They were probably coming for them already, tearing through once-proud Agora—the final result of her attempt to make the city a better place.

“No…” Mark continued, cautiously. “It's … cheering…” a smile began to grow on his face. “I think it's coming from the Central Plaza! Come on!”

And despite their aches and bruises, the two of them ran through the streets of Agora.

The closer they came to the Central Plaza, the louder the noise became. Now it was easier to pick out individual voices from the wash of sound—yelling slogans, calling to friends, even singing. Lily was sure that she recognized the Sozinhos, singing that same song of Glory that she had heard three years before—on the day of the Grand Festival, the day she and Mark had truly begun the paths that had led them here.

Three years exactly. Today was Agora Day too—her day of birth. The thought stopped her in her tracks. Mark skidded to a halt in front of her.

“What are you waiting for?” he asked, exasperated. “Don't you want to know what's happening?”

Lily paused.

“Do you think there's any way we could find out without going there? This might be a celebration of the Directory crushing the rebels, you know.”

Mark's face lost a little color. He clearly hadn't thought of that. And then, just as suddenly, he smiled.

“Well, there might just be one place where we could get a better look…”

*   *   *

It was an extraordinary sight. The plaza was filled to bursting. The crowds spilled out onto the bridges, through the archways, and into the streets beyond. The remains of the barricades floated in the river, or had been trampled underfoot. Lily had never seen so many people gathered together. Even here, in the Observatory at the top of the Astrologer's Tower, she could still hear them singing.

The Astrologer's Tower was deserted; they were sure of that. No one had been living there for weeks. Mark had thought that would be the case—if Snutworth had left Lady Astrea in charge, she would have had to move into the Directory, away from the front lines. Behind Lily, Mark adjusted the great brass telescope that had once belonged to Count Stelli, angling it down to focus on the plaza itself, and get a closer look. But Lily was enjoying just staring through the windows, gazing down on the rooftops of Agora as they turned red and purple in the sunset.

“Lily!” Mark called, pulling his head back from the eyepiece of the telescope. “Come and look at this!”

Lily tore herself away from the vista and put her eye to the telescope. For a few seconds, the image was blurred, as Mark adjusted a few dials, and then …

“By all the stars!” Lily exclaimed in delight. “Is that Theo?”

But she didn't have to ask. Now she could make out their friend clearly. He was standing on the remains of the barricade, making some kind of speech. She didn't even need to hear it—she knew what it would be. It was written all over the faces of the crowd, and reflected in the cautious smiles of Laud, Ben, and Cherubina, standing beside him on his improvised podium. He would be reassuring the people gathered below, telling them that the worst was over, that there was hope. Mark shifted the telescope, and Lily saw others in the crowd nearby. She saw Inspector Greaves, solemn, but glad. She saw Pete, with tears of relief in his eyes. She saw Elespeth, looking wary, and Owain, cheering louder than any other. She saw Lady Astrea—her head bowed, but her carriage erect. And she saw receivers mixing with civilians, elite next to debtors, all cheering together at Theo's words. Tomorrow, Lily was sure that most of them would be back to normal, ready to drive their fellow revelers into the dirt to get the best deal. But for today, the revolution was over; peace was restored. And that sounded like a victory to her.

“Do you see that, Count Stelli?” Mark said, softly, into the air. “Look at Theo now—making predictions about the future in the Central Plaza, on Agora Day.” He dropped his eyes. “He's your grandson after all.”

Lily pulled away from the telescope, exhilarated by what she had seen. She wanted to laugh, to dance, but there would be time for all of that, and more, when they reached the plaza.

“All right,” she said, “we've been cautious enough. Time for some fun!”

She was halfway through the trapdoor out of the Observatory when she realized that Mark wasn't following her.

“I don't think we should go,” he said.

Slowly, Lily came back up the iron stairs. She didn't even bother to hide her disbelief.

“We just escaped from Naru,” she said, incredulously. “We just stopped Agora and Giseth from falling under Snutworth's control. And as far as our friends know, we could be dead. Don't you think they'd want to see us?”