12. The Visit
1461 Words
The House of Medicine, like the rest of Thalian architecture, had rounded walls and a Maca"s Tower. The tower was Medicine"s deep purple, the windows violet. At night or when shaded by cloudy days the buildings would appear black with only the windows giving off the purple glow. Their compound within the allotted land in Donnick was completely surrounded with high, rounded purple walls. The gates opened into a long walkway.
On the left was the Maca"s Tower, on the right the medical facilities. The walkway led to double doors that opened to reveal a pleasant courtyard and the housing for the inhabitants spread to the right and left in a circle. The larger individual homes had surrounding walls hiding any garden or padport. The Maca"s home was next to the Tower and its walls fully enclosed the pool, garden area, and padport. The walls did little to insure privacy as any flying vehicle nearing or entering the compound would be monitored or completely in view of the inhabitants.
Llewellyn landed his fliv on the padport at the front of the double doors. A passing cloud blocked the sunshine and for a moment he felt the brooding darkness before everything was bathed in a purplish tint from the summer sun. He had arranged and inspection of the grounds to see if Donnick"s growing population of Tris could move here without renovation once Medicine relocated.
What, he wondered as he sauntered through the opened double doors, had started this unease? Was it Jolene"s warning, the sudden darkness of the sun, or was it some remnant of that far-a-way time on a primitive planet? Unlike his laddie, Lorenz, or his Earth friend Herman, his hunches were vague and infrequent. He relied on observation of a situation, of people, and intelligence reports. The more than one hundred years he had been in exile meant the populace of Don was mostly unknown to him and intelligence from Medicine difficult to procure.
The doors to the Maca"s Tower swung inward and he nodded at the woman sitting at the console. She smiled sweetly and pressed a circle.
“The Maca tis expecting you. She tis in her office.”
He entered the smaller hall that led to the office. He kenned the first door on the left would be the lift, the second the gym. The hall on the right would lead to the Ops Room and the lower level for confinement until transfer to Ayran. Some instinct from his Earth days stirred in him as he moved towards the Maca"s office. A slight noise sounded like the soft scrape of a rodent"s scurrying, and Llewellyn looked to the right. He saw a flash of silver before he crumpled to the floor and four Sisters in the purple and lilac of Medicine appeared and pulled him into the lower regions.
“We should take his balls now.”
“Nay, that tis for Beauty to do when we secure her release.”
Once they were in the guardroom, they lifted and pushed him into a chair.
Mala administered the spray and dropped the instrument back into her pouch as the wall com came to life.
“I need help. Our Maca has sent out a distress message when Llewellyn did nay appear. She saw his fliv land.” It was the voice of the younger one manning the console in the foyer.
Mala raised her hand com. “Why would ye require help?”
“The people outside are already banding together. Mayhap they are suspicious of us.”
“Have ye managed to explain we are the Sisterhood? Our Maca tis nay in danger.”
“Ye are to release him immediately.” Magda voice came over the com. “Ye have stained my name, my word, and my House. How dare ye take such action? Llewellyn tis my invited guest.”
“We intend to free Beauty. Will ye nay join with us? If nay, we will close off yere com.”
Mala"s voice was sharp. She had managed to evade capture during the fall of the Sisterhood. She had been guarding Beatrice and ran when the screen showed Beauty subdued. Beauty"s release became her prime objective. Those fools trying to dispose Magda as Maca had done nay but made her alert.
“Lock all the doors.” Mala commanded. “We"ll head for the Ops Room and contact Betta.”
“I"ll stay and administer the sleep should he stir.” Marzina offered.
“We need to adjust for weight and mass.” Morela sounded like she doubted their abilities
“I have.” Mala snapped at them.
“Have ye considered that he tis also Justine?”
“Of course, I have. The dosage canna be increased, it may kill him. Use it again in forty-five minutes.” Mala gritted her words out. They were wasting time.
“Mala, I"ve locked the doors,” came the voice from the front. “Magda tis confined, but I am nay sure where Melanie tis. Someone needs to be in Ops.”
Mala looked at them. “Marzina, ye stay here. The rest come with me.”
She led them into the Ops Room and seated herself at the large desk against the wall.
“Great Betta, we have captured the mutant interloper, Llewellyn. We can demand Beauty"s release, but prefer to give the honor to ye.”
It took a few moments for Betta"s face to appear. “Ye fools! All of Thalia will have scanned this transmission. As tis, we are aware of Magda"s distress call. Gar kens where LouElla and the Laird are.”
Tis nay wonder she stayed at Betron during the War, Mala thought to herself before she spoke. “Betta, ye should still be Guardian of the Realm. We are fighting for our freedom and for the freedom from Maca"s. If ye would negotiate with Jolene for assistance, it would produce faster results.”
Tis nay wonder she stayed at Betron during the War“Jolene will nay care what ye do to Llewellyn!” Betta was almost screaming. “She cares but for Ayran.”
“That tis nay true, Betta, Lass of Betron.” Jolene had joined them on the visual, her voice husky with emotion. “I care deeply for Thalia. Beauty tis condemned by the Council of the Realm. I will nay help to release her without approval from the Council. Ye are nay the Council. I dinna how ye will convince LouElla to convene the Council when the Guardian of Flight tis a prisoner, Magda, the Guardian of Medicine, tis confined to her Tower, and the Counselor of Medicine canna be located.” Jolene"s face disappeared.
“Ye see what ye have caused!” Betta screamed. She disappeared and then reappeared on screen. “Ye are fools twice over. LouElla has entered the Maca of Don"s Tower.” Her face vanished into blackness.
Marla stared at the visual. “Surely, LouElla kens that if she uses that blue crystal on us, her laddie dies.” Her face cleared and she rerouted the com.
“Raven, Maca of Rurhran, we need your assistance.”
Raven"s dark head appeared, fury almost snarling her lips. “Ye err. Ye lost. Your actions condemn the Sisterhood forever.” The screen darkened.
Marla gritted her teeth and contacted the Don Tower. “LouElla, we ken ye are at the Maca of Don"s Tower. We offer ye Llewellyn in exchange for Beauty and for your promise to join the Sisterhood.”
“Mala,” it was Morela, “the Kreppie ship tis in the air. Aim our crystal at it.”
Marla swung her gaze away from visual. The green Kreppie spacecraft had risen and was almost out of range. She started the calculations when a male"s voice entered over the com.
“You all have been saying I do not honor my father. Well, chew on this. If he doesn"t come out of there alive with every hair intact, I"ll blow the House of Medicine into hell, your Darkness, and I don"t give a damn who else dies.”
“And I twill destroy what tis left of Thalia if my laddie dies.”
The vehemence in their voices shook Mala. “I can assure ye, Llewellyn tis resting quite comfortably. We have nay need to kill him if ye agree to leave. I will give ye thirty minutes to think it over. I propose a truce till then. I will nay use our defenses if ye do nay fire at us.”
She pressed the circles for the visual and outside com.
“Gather the rest of our Sisters. I would speak to them before we proceed.
- Writer
