eyes. That was fairly obvious. The Herald is usually more subtle. “And your response?”
William shrugged. “I merely insulted her honor and left. It seemed the prudent course.”
“No doubt. She would have twisted any answer to serve her own purposes.” Lorcan continued to watch William carefully, noting the size of his pupils and the beat of his heart. “So what are your plans?”
William met his gaze imperiously. “Do you question my commitment to our cause, Master?”
Lorcan shook his head slowly. “No. But your role will change once you are no longer my subordinate. You may wish to forge your own separate alliance with the Redeemer, rather than accept my orders.”
William sighed. “My Lord, my goal is not to elevate myself, but to achieve victory. You and the Redeemer are one. It would serve no strategic purpose to sever my ties to you and divide our forces. The Great Work is paramount. All other concerns are secondary.”
Lorcan nodded. “I envy your purity of purpose.” He reached back and picked up a datacrystal in a portable reader. He handed the assembly to William. “Enter your security code on the keypad.”
William glanced at the unmarked datacrystal. “What is this?”
“This is the complete record of all of our strategic assets and alliances, as well as the intelligence we have managed to gather on prospective partners in the Great Work.”
William gaped at him. “You collected that information on a single datacrystal? Are you mad? What if it were acquired by our enemies?”
Lorcan smiled. “The crystal is encrypted with three data keys. Two keys are required to open the archive and release the data. Rory and I each hold one of the keys. I have cleared the temporary code for the third key, so you can enter your own.” He took a deep breath. “If I am killed or captured, then you and Rory will be able to access the information in order to plan your counter-attack.”
“And if the Redeemer is also captured?”
“If Rory is taken, then the cause is lost already, and the data will make no difference either way.”
William stared at him for a few moments, then turned his attention to the keypad and entered a twenty-digit code. He handed it back to Lorcan without further comment.
Lorcan saved the code to the encryption matrix, then removed the crystal and handed it to William. “Take good care of it.” He glanced once more at the grandfather clock. “And now, I have a prior engagement, I’m afraid.”
William examined the archive in his hand for some sign of its terrible secrets, and then casually slipped it into his pocket. “Happy anniversary. Give the Redeemer and Prince Nicholas my regards.”
April 2142; Northwest of Juneau, Alaska
Rory swept up the pine needles that had accumulated since the last time they had used the cabin. Setting his broom aside, he looked at the night sky and watched an owl flit across the moon with his enhanced sight. He settled into the rocking chair on the porch and relaxed, opening his telepathic senses wide to find no hint of another mind other than Lorcan’s for miles around. Listening to the Daywalker working in the kitchen, he closed his eyes and luxuriated in the psychic silence. I should get away from civilization more often. I keep forgetting how much psychic chatter there really is around any of the Hidden Cities. Thank God Ruarc thought of buying this place, or I’d have never known what I was missing.
Lorcan came out onto the porch and leaned against one of the wooden pillars. “Dinner’s ready, as soon as Nick shows up. Did he say why he was going to be late?”
Rory shook his head, keeping his eyes closed. “He said he had to get something special out of storage.”
“I’m surprised he went to the trouble.”
Rory opened his eyes and glanced closely at his lover, hearing the edge in his voice. “We agreed not to rush him.”
Lorcan laughed bitterly. “I know, but I keep wondering when he’ll be ready to let go,
William shrugged. “I merely insulted her honor and left. It seemed the prudent course.”
“No doubt. She would have twisted any answer to serve her own purposes.” Lorcan continued to watch William carefully, noting the size of his pupils and the beat of his heart. “So what are your plans?”
William met his gaze imperiously. “Do you question my commitment to our cause, Master?”
Lorcan shook his head slowly. “No. But your role will change once you are no longer my subordinate. You may wish to forge your own separate alliance with the Redeemer, rather than accept my orders.”
William sighed. “My Lord, my goal is not to elevate myself, but to achieve victory. You and the Redeemer are one. It would serve no strategic purpose to sever my ties to you and divide our forces. The Great Work is paramount. All other concerns are secondary.”
Lorcan nodded. “I envy your purity of purpose.” He reached back and picked up a datacrystal in a portable reader. He handed the assembly to William. “Enter your security code on the keypad.”
William glanced at the unmarked datacrystal. “What is this?”
“This is the complete record of all of our strategic assets and alliances, as well as the intelligence we have managed to gather on prospective partners in the Great Work.”
William gaped at him. “You collected that information on a single datacrystal? Are you mad? What if it were acquired by our enemies?”
Lorcan smiled. “The crystal is encrypted with three data keys. Two keys are required to open the archive and release the data. Rory and I each hold one of the keys. I have cleared the temporary code for the third key, so you can enter your own.” He took a deep breath. “If I am killed or captured, then you and Rory will be able to access the information in order to plan your counter-attack.”
“And if the Redeemer is also captured?”
“If Rory is taken, then the cause is lost already, and the data will make no difference either way.”
William stared at him for a few moments, then turned his attention to the keypad and entered a twenty-digit code. He handed it back to Lorcan without further comment.
Lorcan saved the code to the encryption matrix, then removed the crystal and handed it to William. “Take good care of it.” He glanced once more at the grandfather clock. “And now, I have a prior engagement, I’m afraid.”
William examined the archive in his hand for some sign of its terrible secrets, and then casually slipped it into his pocket. “Happy anniversary. Give the Redeemer and Prince Nicholas my regards.”
April 2142; Northwest of Juneau, Alaska
Rory swept up the pine needles that had accumulated since the last time they had used the cabin. Setting his broom aside, he looked at the night sky and watched an owl flit across the moon with his enhanced sight. He settled into the rocking chair on the porch and relaxed, opening his telepathic senses wide to find no hint of another mind other than Lorcan’s for miles around. Listening to the Daywalker working in the kitchen, he closed his eyes and luxuriated in the psychic silence. I should get away from civilization more often. I keep forgetting how much psychic chatter there really is around any of the Hidden Cities. Thank God Ruarc thought of buying this place, or I’d have never known what I was missing.
Lorcan came out onto the porch and leaned against one of the wooden pillars. “Dinner’s ready, as soon as Nick shows up. Did he say why he was going to be late?”
Rory shook his head, keeping his eyes closed. “He said he had to get something special out of storage.”
“I’m surprised he went to the trouble.”
Rory opened his eyes and glanced closely at his lover, hearing the edge in his voice. “We agreed not to rush him.”
Lorcan laughed bitterly. “I know, but I keep wondering when he’ll be ready to let go,
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