already touched her.
The Director looked up at Tyen. “You have examined it several times since you found it. What did you learn?”
“She is over a thousand years old and from another world. She was created from a person – a woman – and is only conscious when touched by a living human. Her purpose was to collect and spread information. Ask her a question and she will answer it to the best of her knowledge – and she can only tell the truth.”
“Ingenious,” Kilraker breathed, then he turned to look at Tyen with narrowed eyes. “And you didn’t think she was valuable enough to hand over to the Academy?”
Tyen winced. “Not at first.”
“At what point did you realise she
was
valuable?”
“When I … Though actually…” Tyen sighed. “At the same time that I realised she wasn’t ready for the Academy.”
The Director leaned back and crossed his arms. “What do you mean?”
Tyen met the man’s gaze. “She had been locked away in that tomb for six hundred years, so her store of information was out of date. Some of the ideas she had needed disproving.”
“Such as?”
Taking a deep breath, Tyen forced himself to tell them what they would discover soon anyway. “Such as the belief that creativity generates magic.”
Professor Delly chuckled. “Hard to disprove, when nobody has yet proven where magic comes from.”
Hapen’s expression was serious. “If she – if
it
contains such superstitions and is so out of date, why would you trust the rest of the information contained within?” he asked.
“I didn’t. Not until I had checked it against other sources,” Tyen explained. “Not all of her knowledge is incorrect. Just as a great deal of our knowledge is built on the wisdom of the past, so is hers. Just as we are constantly reassessing our knowledge, so is she. Like the Academy library, she is only as useful as the information stored inside her, but because she is more portable it is easier to expand that store and … and perhaps educate people beyond the Academy walls.”
“Because sharing our secrets with the rest of the world would be of great benefit to all,” Ophen said, his scowl and tone suggesting otherwise.
“We need only take care that we do not fill it with
our
secrets,” Kilraker said in a low voice.
This time Tyen did wince. He should tell them that Vella had already read their minds, but still he hesitated.
They will find out as soon as anyone reads her. Though if they don’t know she can then perhaps nobody has tried yet. Perhaps they all have secrets they fear will be revealed. Perhaps if I offer to do it for them – yes!
That way he could continue to talk to her, and the Academy would have the benefit of using her for her true purpose.
“You don’t have to read her yourself to use her,” he told them. “Roporien used to have someone else do it for him.”
Five heads turned to stare at him and he cursed silently as he realised his mistake.
“Roporien,” Delly gasped, his eyes wide.
“You didn’t say—” Kilraker began.
“Well, who else could have made such a thing,” Hapen said. He gave a low laugh. “Out of a poor, innocent woman, too.”
Director Ophen’s hands were now braced against the desk, as if to push himself as far back in his chair and away from Vella as possible. But his gaze was avid, as if he was both attracted and repelled.
“How do you know that she must tell the truth?” he asked. His gaze lifted to Tyen. “Have you tested her?”
“No. I haven’t had time to think of a method to do so, but so far I have not found an instance where she has lied to me. Even when doing so would have been in her best interests.”
The Director slowly turned his head from side to side in a shudder of denial. “No,” he said. “No, no and no. It is too dangerous. If this got into the hands of the radicals…” He rose, picked Vella up and handed her to Delly. “Lock it away.”
Tyen’s stomach swooped down to his knees. “But
The Director looked up at Tyen. “You have examined it several times since you found it. What did you learn?”
“She is over a thousand years old and from another world. She was created from a person – a woman – and is only conscious when touched by a living human. Her purpose was to collect and spread information. Ask her a question and she will answer it to the best of her knowledge – and she can only tell the truth.”
“Ingenious,” Kilraker breathed, then he turned to look at Tyen with narrowed eyes. “And you didn’t think she was valuable enough to hand over to the Academy?”
Tyen winced. “Not at first.”
“At what point did you realise she
was
valuable?”
“When I … Though actually…” Tyen sighed. “At the same time that I realised she wasn’t ready for the Academy.”
The Director leaned back and crossed his arms. “What do you mean?”
Tyen met the man’s gaze. “She had been locked away in that tomb for six hundred years, so her store of information was out of date. Some of the ideas she had needed disproving.”
“Such as?”
Taking a deep breath, Tyen forced himself to tell them what they would discover soon anyway. “Such as the belief that creativity generates magic.”
Professor Delly chuckled. “Hard to disprove, when nobody has yet proven where magic comes from.”
Hapen’s expression was serious. “If she – if
it
contains such superstitions and is so out of date, why would you trust the rest of the information contained within?” he asked.
“I didn’t. Not until I had checked it against other sources,” Tyen explained. “Not all of her knowledge is incorrect. Just as a great deal of our knowledge is built on the wisdom of the past, so is hers. Just as we are constantly reassessing our knowledge, so is she. Like the Academy library, she is only as useful as the information stored inside her, but because she is more portable it is easier to expand that store and … and perhaps educate people beyond the Academy walls.”
“Because sharing our secrets with the rest of the world would be of great benefit to all,” Ophen said, his scowl and tone suggesting otherwise.
“We need only take care that we do not fill it with
our
secrets,” Kilraker said in a low voice.
This time Tyen did wince. He should tell them that Vella had already read their minds, but still he hesitated.
They will find out as soon as anyone reads her. Though if they don’t know she can then perhaps nobody has tried yet. Perhaps they all have secrets they fear will be revealed. Perhaps if I offer to do it for them – yes!
That way he could continue to talk to her, and the Academy would have the benefit of using her for her true purpose.
“You don’t have to read her yourself to use her,” he told them. “Roporien used to have someone else do it for him.”
Five heads turned to stare at him and he cursed silently as he realised his mistake.
“Roporien,” Delly gasped, his eyes wide.
“You didn’t say—” Kilraker began.
“Well, who else could have made such a thing,” Hapen said. He gave a low laugh. “Out of a poor, innocent woman, too.”
Director Ophen’s hands were now braced against the desk, as if to push himself as far back in his chair and away from Vella as possible. But his gaze was avid, as if he was both attracted and repelled.
“How do you know that she must tell the truth?” he asked. His gaze lifted to Tyen. “Have you tested her?”
“No. I haven’t had time to think of a method to do so, but so far I have not found an instance where she has lied to me. Even when doing so would have been in her best interests.”
The Director slowly turned his head from side to side in a shudder of denial. “No,” he said. “No, no and no. It is too dangerous. If this got into the hands of the radicals…” He rose, picked Vella up and handed her to Delly. “Lock it away.”
Tyen’s stomach swooped down to his knees. “But
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