The Quest - Smith Wilbur (читать лучшие читаемые книги TXT) 📗

Then he touched the shoulder of Heh, the god of infinity and long life; he waved the Palm Fronds of a Million Years. 'You shall be blessed with youth eternal in a body whole and perfect.'

Then he touched Thoth, the god of wisdom and all learning, who

opened his long, curved beak and uttered a harsh, resounding cry. 'You shall be given the key to all wisdom, learning and knowledge.'

When Pharaoh touched the last divine figure, Anuke clashed her sword against her shield. 'You shall triumph in war, and hold dominion over earth, sea and heaven. The wealth of all nations shall be yours to command, and their peoples will bow down before you. All these are being offered to you, Taita of Gallala. You have but to reach out your hand and seize them.'

The golden image of Pharaoh stood tall and regarded Taita with a straight, burning gaze. Then, with solemn majesty, the bearers carried the palanquin back into the dark recesses of the grotto. The vision faded and disappeared.

Taita sank down upon the grass and whispered, 'No more. I can suffer no more temptations. They are part of the great Lie, but no mortal man can resist them. Against all reason my mind longs to accept them as the Truth. They arouse hunger and craving in me that will destroy my senses and deprave my eternal soul.'

When at last he left the grotto and went down, he found Meren waiting for him at the garden gates: 'I tried to find you, Magus. I had a premonition that you were in danger and might need my help, but I lost my way in these jungles.'

'All is well, Meren. You have no need for concern, although I value your help above all other.'

'The woman doctor is asking for you. I know not what she wants of you, but it is my instinct that we should not trust her too far or too deeply.'

'I shall bear your advice in mind. However, good Meren, thus far she has not treated you unkindly, has she.7'

'Perchance there is more to her kindness than we are aware of.'

Hannah came to the point as soon as they had exchanged greetings.

'Colonel That Ankut has delivered to me a decree from the Supreme Council signed by Lord Aquer. I apologize for any inconvenience or embarrassment that this may cause you, but I am commanded to conduct an examination of your person and to furnish the Council immediately with a full report. This may take some time. I would be

most obliged, therefore, if you would accompany me to my rooms so that we may begin at once.'

Taita was surprised by Hannah's peremptory tone, until he realized that a decree from the Supreme Council would have the same force and urgency in Jarri as a pharaonic order under the Hawk Seal in Karnak.

'Of course, Doctor. I shall be pleased to comply with the decree.'

Hannah's spacious rooms were in one of the most distant blocks of the sanatorium, tiled with pale limestone. They were austere and free of clutter. Two rows of large glass containers were set out along a bank of stone shelves against the far wall. In each one, a human foetus floated in a clear liquid that was evidently some kind of preservative. On the lower shelf the nine specimen foetuses were arranged according to the age at which they had been taken from the womb. The smallest was no more than a pale tadpole and the largest just short of full term.

On the upper shelf all of the foetuses were grossly deformed, some with more than two eyes, others with missing limbs and one with grotesque twin heads. Taita had never seen such a collection. Even as a surgeon, accustomed to the sight of mutilated and distorted human flesh, he was repelled by this explicit display of pathetic relics.

'She must have a special interest in child-bearing,' he thought, as he recalled the unusually large number of pregnant women he had seen since he had been at the Cloud Gardens. The rest of the room was dominated by a large examination table, hewn from a single block of limestone. Taita realized that Hannah probably used it for operations and deliveries, because grooves were chiselled into the stone top and a drain hole at the foot channelled fluids into a bowl placed on the floor below.

Hannah began the examination by asking Taita for samples of his urine and stools. He was only a little taken aback. He had met a surgeon in Ecbatana who had had a morbid fascination with the excretory processes, but he had not expected one of Hannah's status to show similar interest. Nevertheless he allowed himself to be led to a cubicle where one of her assistants provided him with a large bowl and a jug of water with which to wash himself once he had satisfied her request.

When he returned to Hannah, she examined his output, then asked him to lie face up on her table. Once he was at full length, she transferred her interest from the contents of his bowels to his nose, eyes, ears and mouth. Her assistant used a polished silver disc to direct the beam from an oil lamp into them. Then she placed her ear against

his chest and listened intently to his breathing and the beating of his heart.

'You have the heart and lungs of a young man. No wonder you are a Long Liver. If only we were all allowed to partake of the Font.' She was talking more to herself than to him.

'The Font?' he asked.

'No matter.' She realized her lapse and glossed over it. 'Take no notice of an old woman's idle chatter.' She did not look up, but continued her examination.

Taita opened his Inner Eye, and saw that the fringes of her aura were distorted, a sign that she regretted mentioning the Font. Then he saw the distortion clear, and her aura harden as she closed her mind to further questions he might ask about it. Clearly it must be one of the deeper secrets of the Guild. He would bide his time.

Hannah completed her examination of his chest, then stood back and looked squarely into his eyes. 'Now I must examine the injuries to your manhood,' she said.

Instinctively Taita reached down with both hands to protect himself.

'Magus, you are a man entire in your mind and soul. Your flesh is damaged. I believe I may be able to repair it. I have been ordered to do so by an authority I dare not gainsay. You can oppose me, in which case I shall be forced to call for my assistants and, if necessary, for Colonel That Ankut and his men to assist me. Or you can make it easier for both of us.' Still Taita hesitated. She went on quietly, 'I have nothing but the deepest respect for you. I have no wish to humiliate you. On the contrary, I wish to shield you from humiliation. Nothing would give me deeper satisfaction than to be able to repair your injuries so that you may command the respect of all the earth for the perfection of your body as well as that of your mind.'

He knew that yet another temptation had been placed before him, but there seemed no way in which he could resist it. In any case, if he co-operated it might carry him one step closer to Eos. He closed his eyes and raised his hands from his groin. He crossed his arms over his chest and lay quiescent. He felt her lift the skirts of his tunic and touch him lightly. Unbidden, the lascivious images that the imp had placed in his mind returned. He clenched his teeth to prevent himself groaning.

'I have finished,' said Hannah. 'Thank you for your courage. I will send my report to the Council with Colonel That Ankut when you leave us tomorrow.'

Tomorrow, he thought. He knew he should have been relieved and happy to be escaping from this hell that masqueraded as paradise. Instead, he experienced the opposite emotion. He did not want to leave, arid he looked forward eagerly to being allowed to return. Eos was still playing shadow games with his mind.

It would be another hour before the sun showed above the wall of the crater, but Colonel That and his escort were waiting in the stable yard when Taita and Meren came out of their quarters, Meren carrying their bags. He slung his on to the bay, then went to Windsmoke and strapped Taita's behind her saddle. When Taita came to her, the mare whinnied a greeting and nodded vigorously. Taita patted her neck.