|
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
Brenna considered the question, and then grinned with-out mirth. Why not? Who would believe him, if she chose to deny it? The energy left in the carvings& reanimates& and shows me the circumstances under which the image was created, she said swiftly, embar-rassed to hear the words spoken aloud. Only Duncan had known for certain of her talent, although Brenna believed Grana had suspected. David did not smile. You mean the spirits reveal them-selves to you? he asked. Who said anything about spirits? she retorted, mov-ing to the petroglyphs. Are any of the carvings familiar? I think I know precisely what they are. The Hopi have four sacred tablets, stones of prophecy we have held in our hearts for centuries. These carvings match the ones on the tablets. Brenna swiftly turned. Exactly? Your tablets are cop-ies of this wall? Or the walls are copies. Our legends say we entered this world at the spiritual center of the universe, but we had to make our migrations to the four corners of the continent to weed out all the latent evil of the previous world. This was half to himself. Brenna felt a chill as she watched David examine the dark rock fragment. Oraivi is the site we finally returned to, all clans, dependent on our mighty Creator for rainfall and life. To think that our Emergence and Ending might be the same place. He looked up, smiling, as if to reassure her he had not lost his mind. Never laugh at a legend. It may come back to haunt you. May I borrow this? I d like to take it to the leader of the Fire clan. We may be able to help you after all. And you, us. Brenna nodded, mystified, as David stood to leave. In-terpret your dream, Brenna. I think it will answer almost everything. And he left. The dream? First engineer, then mystic, and now psychologist Dr. Stewart? The light from the first chamber was blocked by several shadowy figures. It was the elusive Asbin, looking pinched, a living skull with haunted eyes. Ling A-Ttavitt was among the group amassed at his back. Colonel, she said neutrally. We must prepare to evacuate; our orders are to leave at 0600 hours. The defense effort has reached Crisis One proportions, and Where could be safer than a million miles from any-where? Brenna asked conversationally. Asbin blinked, and then seemed to regroup his thoughts. Surely you wish to be with your family at My family, she interrupted him, died in this cave. If the world is changing irrevocably, let me try to save a piece of the past. I can be packed in five minutes. Her gaze flicked beyond him to the shade that was A-Ttavitt. Bring me the black box. Put it in the first chamber, and start imaging the pictographs. To Asbin she said: I am making progress, and prefer to remain here tonight. The look she gave the officer was direct as she gestured at the petroglyphs. I m a Celt, colonel, and Celts aren t afraid to die. Asbin considered her a moment, and then pivoted toward his following. Get the imager, he told the mo-tionless A-Ttavitt. Only then did the site artist start out the stone corridor. * * * * Brenna left Ling A-Ttavitt working in the first chamber and strolled into the second, the black box swinging from one hand. David Lansa was taking a long time& She became conscious of hunger, of how long it had been since she had eaten. Dust sifted down into her hair. Interpret your dream. No, thank you. Her dreams were often fright-ening. Better to work on the walls. Carefully she posi-tioned the instrument, sampling one of the incised lines, seeking trace elements from carving tools, exposure rates, organic materials. The light sequence flashed as the box began compiling information. Why had she taken this job? To please Duncan. And she would finish it, to honor his memory. Where was David? Who could interpret these, now that Duncan She felt a pang at his name, the first real mote of grief she had allowed herself. The delicate chill slid around her, encouraging the emotion encouraging? Shaking, Brenna set the black box down on the dirt floor. It hummed along, oblivious to her discomfort. Something was aware of her thoughts, her feelings. Or someone. A question rose from her subconscious. Vainly she tried to suppress it. What if ... what if what she had felt all these years was not pure energy, but [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] |
Podobne
|