After John’s
audience it was very clear that the authorities were keen to move him off the
island. The next day some of his new friends came with a fast carriage and
kindly escorted him to a ship. They waved him off with considerable relief. The
only good thing that came out of it was a letter from the Basileus instructing
all who met him on the mainland to give him whatever help he needed to get to
Hipparia, where the Archon lived.
He knew nothing more about the Archon than that which he had gleaned
from the Basileus. His friends had become rather tight lipped after his meeting
with their emperor. In fact, he now realised, that he’d learnt a lot more about
the culture and cuisine of Helios than the history or politics. He admired
their skill but was annoyed that he had briefly been taken in by a coterie of
spies.
One thing that he did know, however, was the name ‘Archon’. He knew
that it was the term for the old Elven king; the king in charge of the
spiritual health of the nation.
In Pelagia John found a merchant who he was able to sweet talk, with
the help of the Basileus’s letter, into providing a carriage to take him to
Hipparia. It was about two day’s journey and he spent the time huddled in his
carriage, occasionally taking a peek out at the landscape, but mostly worrying.
Would he be too late?
He was dropped off in the middle of Hipparia, a much smaller and
shabbier city than any that he’d seen before in Helios. He had no idea where he
might find the Archon, but his enquiries eventually led to a small complex of
buildings that apparently belonged to his group. These were also shabby,
without any obvious name plates or central buildings. He just knocked on the first door that he
came to and waited. No-one answered. He did this at about a dozen doors before
someone responded.
A small, very old and extremely wizened elf came to the door and peered
out.
‘Yes?’ he said staring hard at John.
‘I’d like to speak to the Archon’
‘What?’ exclaimed the old elf.
John wondered if he were a bit a deaf.
‘I’d like to speak to the ARCHON’ he said, twice as loudly.
‘Don’t shout, strange human’ the old elf replied looking at John very
intently.
‘I thought you might be slightly deaf’
‘Well, I’m not’
John was briefly at a loss.
‘You must be that Ismay chap’ muttered the old elf.
John caught up quickly.
‘And you must be the Archon’
The old elf looked affronted.
‘Who else would I be?’
John looked around at the empty buildings.
‘No-one else, my lord’ he said, ‘excuse my confusion’
The Archon stared even more closely at him.
‘I’m not your “lord”, what on earth would make you say that? Has the
air here addled your brain?’
John frowned. This was a bad start.
‘I’m sorry, again…. I just needed to talk to you’
‘So I have heard’ said the Archon, ‘I should warn you though – you may
not like what I have to say’
They went
inside and sat in a bare room with three wooden chairs and a desk. The Archon
had no wine but he was able to rustle up a cup of peppermint tea in a cracked
mug. Was this really the person he had set out to find?
‘John Ismay of the Hybitor’ said the Archon as they sat down, ‘how by
the Triple Worlds did you get here?’
‘How do you know who I am?’ asked John, taken aback.
The Archon laughed a wheezy laugh.
‘Well, partly because the Basileus kindly told me, but also because I
have a foot in both camps, so to speak’
‘You’ve been to Skiophos, then?’
The Archon nodded and repeated his croaky laugh.
‘Yes – I’ve been to Kinspit many times’
A little spark of hope flashed in John’s brain.
‘I need to get back there, as quickly as I can’
‘I’m sure that you do’ said the Archon, ‘however, you still need to
explain to me how you got here in the
first place’
John hesitated.
‘I will’ he said, ‘but not until you explain to me who on earth you
are’
They sat there for a few seconds like chess players deciding on their
opening gambits. Finally the Archon concluded that he had to make the first
move.
‘I’m the Archon of the Double Worlds’ he said, stopping very
deliberately at that. John realised that
he would have to work quite hard for his information.
‘Of Helios and Skiophos, you mean?’
The Archon nodded.
‘I act as the gatekeeper between the two worlds’ he explained.
‘Gatekeeper?’
‘Yes – that’s what I just said’
‘What does that mean?’
‘You don’t know what “gatekeeper” means?’ The Archon repeated the
sentence in Ethian, with a very heavy accent.
John shook his head.
‘I understood the word, I just didn’t understand what it meant in this
context’ he said patiently.
The Archon still looked like he was talking to an idiot, but he
continued.
‘Someone has to ensure that those who come and go are suitable’
‘Suitable?’
‘Yes – are you sure it isn’t you who’s deaf?’
‘Suitable in what way?’ persisted John.
‘To come into Helios or go into Skiophos’ replied the Archon, stage
whispering to himself, ‘it’s like talking to a small child’
‘How do you decide that?’ asked John
‘By asking the right questions’
‘What sort of questions?’
The Archon gave John a very sharp look.
‘Anyway, now it’s your turn to answer my question’ he said, ‘how did
you get here?’
‘I was in an extra-dimensional box which was shifted into a strange
blue space. From there I tried to teleport back to Skiophos but ended up
somewhere in the mountains here’
‘That is very likely to happen if you try to teleport anywhere from the
Outer Void. The co-ordinate space is mirrored, you see…’ said the Archon sadly,
‘a spectacularly foolish thing to do…’
John prickled with irritation.
‘So, should I have stayed and been eaten by a massively nasty blue
ray?’
‘Of course not – are you a complete and utter imbecile?’
John sighed and tried something else.
‘Will I be permitted to return to Skiophos?’
The Archon gave him another of his scathing, uncomprehending looks.
‘What?’
‘Will I be…’ John began again.
‘Why do you keep repeating yourself?’ asked the Archon, fidgeting in
his chair, ‘it makes for an exceptionally irritating conversation’
John stopped and tried again.
‘Can you show me how to get back to Skiophos?’
‘Yes, but I wouldn’t recommend trying’ said the Archon carefully.
‘Why not?’
‘Because the Folds are dangerous at the moment’
John remembered that the Basileus had mentioned the Folds.
‘The Folds are what you travel through to get back, yes?’
The Archon groaned.
‘Why do you waste time asking questions when the answer is already
embedded in the question? Is that an Ethian thing? Weren’t you taught how to
converse properly?’
John focused all of his energy on getting through this conversation. He
remodelled his question.
‘Why are the Folds difficult to pass through at the moment?’
‘Because there is a perturbation in the Outer Void: someone has been
tinkering with it’
John dared not ask what that meant.
He groped for a suitable next question to guess.
‘Can the Outer Void be penetrated at all?’
The Archon stared at him – it looked like his patience had run out
completely. John knew it was time to stop asking questions. He addressed the
Archon very simply.
‘Please take me to the Folds and
tell me how to get through them’
The Archon considered this briefly. Then he got up and gestured for
John to do the same.
‘I will do both things, very gladly’ he said, sighing, ‘I’m sorry to
have to say this but I really can’t stand talking to you for a second longer’
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