Kane fought down the urge to pinch himself, to reassure himself that this was all real. His legs trembled. It was as if he’d been living inside a giant soap bubble that was smooth and simple and symmetrical, and suddenly the bubble burst. Everything was different. He struggled to grasp the vast implications of the baron’s words. His reeling mind formed a mental image of Earth as a tiny speck whirling through an inconceivably vast universe.
“The Archons,” he managed to stammer. “What are they? Are they human?”
“The Archons are a race unto themselves,” Baron Cobalt declared. “That is all you need to know. You have heard the truth. What is your decision?”
“Where is my father?” He stared directly at the figure of the baron, whose lean body shifted, nearly swallowed by the shadows on the left side of the archway.
“He is still performing the work of the Trust. It is his wish that you be inducted into the society to which he has devoted his life.”
“I recommended you, as well,” said Salvo from behind him. “I have been charged with a great responsibility, and your help will be immeasurable in discharging it.”
Kane shook his head. “I don’t quiteare we talking about aliens ?”
A deep voice echoed from behind him. After a moment, Kane recognized it as that of Abrams, the Mag administrator. “As far as we know, they’ve been here as long as we have. They are incredibly ancient, and there is no actual historical record of when they first began interacting with humanity.”
“Therefore,” said another, unfamiliar voice, “they are not, technically speaking, aliens. Just different from us.”
“What do they look like?”
“No one here has ever seen an Archon,” said the baron. A note of impatience was evident in his musical voice. “Except myself and my fellow barons. But their existence is not illusory.”
Kane felt transparent. He knew he was stalling, as did the baron. He also knew if he refused the offer, he would not leave the roomwherever it wasalive. He couldn’t help but speculate if the prime purpose of the divisions was to select candidates for the Trust and to initiate them into the deepest mystery of the human race.
Or it could all be bullshit.
He asked, “If the work of the Trust is so important to our future, why is it conducted in secret?”
A quavery, reedy voice responded from the gloom. “The question is as sophomoric as the answer is obvious. Our people do not have the ability to properly evaluate such a revelation. Their reactions would range from disbelief to fear and then to anger. And bloodshed.”
Kane nodded in understanding. Inwardly he reflected that the ville-bred had been taught from birth that if they made themselves helpless, believed themselves to be miserable sinners, then the barons would shower them with rewards. Of course the people didn’t have the ability to evaluate anything outside of their limited fields of experience. The barons and the laws they enforced saw to that.
Baron Cobalt spoke again, but this time his musical voice was sibilant, like the hissing of a serpent, “You possess an admirable facility for seeking out answers, Kane. A facility shared by your father. However, there is a time for curiosity and a time for decisions. If you choose correctly, all your questions will be answeredin time.”
Kane ducked his head and said with humble reverence, “I choose to accept this honor, my Lord Baron. It is the duty of my family and I vow to continue to faithfully discharge that duty.”
His words sounded false to him, almost a parody of the oath he swore when he’d received his duty badge. It was obviously the answer Baron Cobalt wanted, however, because he uttered a short, tinkling laugh.
“Well said, Kane. And well chosen. Salvo is your guide and sponsor. Heed him and help him. He will administer the pledge of eternal fealty.”
The golden light flickered, dimmed, shadows suffused the arch and Baron Cobalt stepped back inside them.
“Turn, Kane,” commanded Salvo.
Kane did so, finding himself facing men standing in a semicircle around him. He sucked in a sharp breath of recognition. This was no fussy little men’s lodge. Represented here were the top administrators of the ville, plus the pinnacle-level inner-staff members. Though he didn’t know them all by name, he recognized a couple, including the doddering old man Salvo had addressed as Lakesh on B Level.