Obernewtyn

"Of course you're right. I was forgetting," said the Doctor, talking too quickly. He seemed afraid of the other man. Alexi flicked his weird eyes over me.

  "Alexi is my assistant," the Doctor said and I gaped. "Would you like to examine her? The tainted water ..."

  "I am sick of this," Alexi snarled, cutting the Doctor off. "She is of no use to me. I do not need another dreamer. Get rid of her. Where is Vega?" he asked imperiously.

  The Doctor looked around, as if he expected her to pop up in answer to her name. "She was here ... a moment ago," he stammered.

  The blond man turned his shadow-dark eyes on me. The colored section seemed to be much larger than usual, with very little white visible around them. "Well, sit down. I might as well see if there is any use in you."

  The Doctor rushed away and brought back two seats. Alexi sat down to face me and I wondered who he was to order the Master of Obernewtyn around like a servant.

  "Her name is Elspeth," said the Doctor nervously.

  "That is of no consequence," said Alexi coldly. He fixed me in his frigid black stare.

  "Your family were Seditioners?" he asked.

  I did not know if he was asking or telling me so I nodded slightly.

  "They were burned by the Herders?"

  I nodded again.

  "You dream true?" he asked.

  "Sometimes," I said firmly, but my voice came out as a croak.

  "Are you able to know what people feel or think before they tell you?" he asked.

  My heart almost stopped but I managed to shake my head.

  "Can you sometimes sense things that have happened before, in rooms or... or from some object?"

  I shook my head again.

  "What was the crime of your parents?" he asked. "For what were they charged?"

  "I don't know," I said truthfully.

  He stared at me, then jumped to his feet growling with frustrated anger. "This is impossible. When will the right one be found?" he snarled.

  "That blond girl..." the, Doctor began, but Alexi shut him up with a poisonous look.

  "My dear Alexi," said Madam Vega suddenly. I realized there must be rooms behind some of the shelves. "I have been looking for you."

  Alexi stalked over to her. "This one is impossibly stupid. I cannot tolerate fools. Why did you bring her here?"

  "I already told you what happened. You are too hasty and Stephen wanted to see her," Madam Vega added in a soft but steely voice, I stared, wondering if they were bonded. He seemed to have some regard for her where he had none for his master. "Does it not occur to you that stupidity is easily feigned? The one we seek would be clever. Have a care, someday you will make a fatal error in your impatience."

  She glanced at me. "I admit, that.one was a mistake, but there are others," she added calmly.,

  "That last fiasco had better not..." Alexi began, but Vega soothed him.

  "We will speak of this matter later," she said, her eyes sliding pointedly to where I sat. She moved closer, her expression vaguely threatening.

  "It is not wise to speak of visits to the Doctor, Elspeth. See that you remember to mind your own affairs, and keep to yourself. You will be most regretful if I hear that you have spoken of this visit." Her voice was ice cold and I felt a chill at the underlying menace of her tone. I did not doubt for one moment that she would carry out the implied threat. So this was how they prevented talk.

  The Doctor had not spoken and stood crouched beside me like a third-rate Councilman's official. He was, I thought suddenly, a ridiculous figure, and obviously intimidated by the other two. Abruptly I remembered Da-meon's notion that there was no such person as the Doctor. This man was so timid and ineffectual, despite the treatments he meted out, that I wondered who did control Obernewtyn.

  Dismissed and returned to the anteroom adjoining Madam Vega's domain to wait for Willie, I was lost in reflections and seemingly mad speculations. I was certain, though, of two things. Selmar had been to the Doctor's chamber since her supposed disappearance, and the mysterious Dr. Seraphim was defective. No wonder those who saw him were not permitted to talk about the experience. But some greater influence man a mere threat must be used to make those subjected to treatments keep quiet. The great Doctor appeared to be little more than a simpleton.

  So who was the real Master of Obernewtyn?

  XVIII

  The morning dawned warm and the air was full of butterflies. Harvest time in the mountains was not the event it had been in the Lowlands with local fairs and festivals. Few of the hardy mountain bushes flowered or retained their leaves so the mountains became gaunt-looking, the bones of dark rock showing through the foliage like the skeleton of a half-starved creature. And yet, there was a special promise in the air, a sort of sweetness you could almost taste, that marked the final days before wintertime began in earnest, for that season came far earlier to the mountains than to the coast.

  Between mouthfuls, Matthew had told me Ariel was back. Nothing had been said officially of his absence and it seemed where he had been would remain a mystery. There was still no sign of Selmar.

  In the fields we all toiled, baling and packing the rest of the harvest Every spare Misfit was on the farms and each of the sections was alive with activity. Some of the boys were already transporting the stores to the main house. There was one final field to bale before midmeal, and to my delight, Matthew and I were sent out with a group of others. Baling is a two-person job, so whenever we were at the far end of our row, we were able to talk.

  "Where is Dameon?" I asked.

  "In th' dryin' rooms. Everyone is busy today. It was like this last year. It seems like a big fuss but wintertime is really a killer. You know that stranger we saw in th' kitchen yesterday?" Matthew said suddenly. I nodded, again struck by the teasing feeling that I had seen him somewhere before. "I saw him talking to Rushton later in th' day."

  "It was probably because of the plow. I remember someone saying it was broken," I said.

  Matthew looked disappointed, but there were enough mysteries around Obernewtyn without looking for them.

  "So what happened in th' Doctor's chamber, or don't you remember?" he asked anxiously.

  We had not had the chance to talk since my visit to the Doctor's chamber.

  "Madam Vega made it very clear that there would be unpleasant consequences if it got back to her that I had talked about my visit. I think that must be how they shut up people who only go there once. As for others, well, I think Dameon is right about hypnosis."

  "So, what else?" Matthew urged.

  "Not much ... on the surface. But Madam Vega asked me to keep a watch out for Misfits who were unusual," I said meaningfully.

  Matthew paled. "Us?" he gasped.

  "I think so. I'm sure she didn't suspect me. My being here at all was a mistake, according to her." I had already told Dameon and Matthew about the tainted water and the denouncement. But I had not said I forced Rosa-munde to denounce me. "The Doctor only wanted to see me because he was curious about the effect of tainted water."

  Matthew laughed incredulously. "What is he like?" he asked.

  I frowned "If I didn't know better, I would think he was defective," I said.

  Matthew stopped work and gave me a look of disbelief. "He can't be. It's agin' th' lore fer a defective to run a place like this. I dinna think defectives can even inherit."

  It was now my turn to gape.

  "Of course," I whispered fiercely, "That's why he's kept out of sight. So that the Council won't come to hear about him, and take over Obernewtyn." It was so obvious that I was amazed I had hot seen it at once.

  "But... then who is runnin' Obernewtyn, and what are the treatments?" Matthew pondered.

  I bit my lip, for it was obvious from Madam Vega's words that the Doctor had something to do with treatments. That didn't make sense. A fantastic notion occurred to me. "Maybe the... the Misfits given-to him are just something to keep him occupied. He thinks he's a doctor and is quite content being locked away conducting his
'researches,' so they give him a few patients."

  Matthew grimaced in horror. "It can't be true."

  My mind raced. "And as to who runs this place, of course Madam Vega and this Alexi must do. The Doctor actually seemed afraid of Alexi, though he called him his assistant."

  "Alexi?" Matthew asked with confusion.

  I nodded impatiently, telling him quickly about the pale-haired assistant

  "But why?" Matthew asked, and my mind stumbled to a halt, for I could not answer that question. Possibly it could be for power, but what glory was there in controlling a remote institution supposedly aimed at rehabilitating Misfits? No, there must be more to it than that, and I was convinced the Doctor could not have made Selmar what she had become. There was something missing, some unseen element.

  Soberly I looked up. "I don't know what it's all for, but from what Madam Vega said, and from the sort of questions Alexi asked, I am certain it has something to do with us, or people like us." I remembered something else.

  "Do you know, before I came to Obernewtyn, I heard a rumor this place was only interested in unconventional types of Misfits; ones who varied from the usual sort." Matthew gave me a quick frightened look and we fell silent as the couple working along the next row passed us.

  "If only we knew what they were up to," he said, and I knew he was thinking of Cameo. He looked up, a fire in his eyes. "We have to get away from here."

  We had spoken often of escape in a philosophical and practical way, but nothing had ever been seriously planned.

  I bit my lip and thought for a while. "We have to do something positive to get us moving," I said, lowering my voice as another pair of workers passed us. "I want to have a proper look at that room. I could steal a map maybe ..." I said. But I thought to myself that I would also try to find out what they were up to.

  "Yer daft," Matthew said. "Ye'd never get through all th' locks. An' what if someone was in there." I explained to him about my ability to pick locks mentally. He was mildly impressed but still worried about the idea. The bell for midmeal rang and we joined Dameon.

  Matthew went to collect our food and returned practically stuttering with excitement. "Tell never guess!" he cried. "Selmar's back."

  "When? Where?" we asked together.

  Matthew didn't know, but Sly Willie had told him. He had also said a new Misfit had arrived, sent by the Council.

  "Was he telling the truth?" I asked cautiously.

  "Oh, yes, I think so. He said she was defective."

  "Selmar?" I asked puzzled.

  Matthew shook his head. "The new Misfit."

  "I meant was he telling the truth about Selmar?" I asked patiently.

  "He just said he saw her, that's all," Matthew said. "I wonder where she's been all this time."

  I looked up suddenly and saw Cameo, standing in the shadows and watching us. "Come and have something to eat," I said gently, bringing her over to sit down. She looked awful. Then I saw her eyes clearly. She was in some sort of trance.

  "Elspeth, we have to get away. Something terrible is going to happen," she whispered. She leaned very close and looked straight in my eyes. "They want you. They want the power..." She slumped forward in a dead faint.

  "Oh, Cam ..." Matthew whispered and gathered her up into his arms. I looked at his stricken face but could feel nothing.

  There was no doubt in my mind that Cameo's peculiar warning was connected to whatever Alexi and Madam Vega were doing. I remembered, too, vividJy, what Mar-uman had said about the things that waited for me in the mountains. Somehow, he had seen in his dreams a little of what I would encounter.

  Dameon shuddered violently and I realized some of my feelings had reached him.

  "I'm sorry," I said, forcing myself to calm down,

  Dameon looked pale. "It cannot be helped.' You are in danger?"

  "I think we are all in danger," I said, quelling ripples of fear that ran down my spine. "Whatever Madam Vega and Alexi are doing at Obernewtyn, it is linked with people like us, with forbidden mental abilities. I can't imagine how they know we exist. But I don't believe they suspect any of us yet, except Cameo."

  "Cameo! But that's absurd," Matthew exploded. "Anyway, I thought th' Doctor wa'S treatin' her."

  I shook my head briskly. "I think those treatments are a cover for something else that has nothing to do with Dr. Seraphim," I said stonily.

  Dameon's face took on a determined look. "We must get away from here before it is too late," he said. "Cameo will be better too, if we go,"

  I told him that I wanted to go to the Doctor's chamber and find a map. "Maybe there is a way through the mountains that would avoid our having to cross tainted ground and keep us off the main road."

  "Ye cannot go. Who will lead us if yer caught?" Matthew interjected.

  I nodded. "The time has come for us to decide on a leader. It cannot be me. There are those made to lead and those to follow. There are also those who go a lone path, to scout the way ahead. I am a scout at heart. I do not lead or follow very well. We need someone smart and steady to lead. I think Dameon is the best choice."

  "But I am blind," Dameon said, truly astonished.

  "You are not blind when trueseeing is wanted," I said. "You will lead us with those cautious instincts of yours and not be led astray by false paths."

  "O wise and tricky Elspethelf," Matthew laughed. Cameo stirred in his arms and he looked down at her with quick concern until she settled. "Ye know I'd follow either of ye, so maybe I am a follower. But if Dameon is leader an' says ye mun nowt go to th' Doctor's chamber, ye mun obey him," he added so slyly I had to smile.

  "Well?" I asked Dameon, somewhat defiantly.

  Dameon shook his head slowly. "I will accept your decision for now, but I will not lead when we go. It would be stupid. As for the other, I wish you had not given me the power of veto, Matthew, for I must disappoint you. If Elspeth can find a map it would be worth some risk. Also you might look out for an arrowcase. Do you know what that is?"

  I nodded solemnly. "A thing to point the direction. In . the Old time it was called compass," I said.

  "Bad will come of this," Matthew said darkly as Cameo woke.-She struggled from his arms and stood up, seemingly unaware of her collapse or her words prior to that. Matthew watched her go sadly.

  I worked alone that afternoon, cleaning and oiling bridles and saddles and other equipment for storage. I was glad of the chance to think. Things seemed to be moving too quickly. If the rumors were true, both Selmar and Ariel had come back.

  I had discovered a few important things about what was happening at Obernewtyn. No wonder guardians weren't allowed to stay at the main house, and official visitors were discouraged. I wondered what would happen if a visiting party of Councilmen from the Lowlands did come up, for they rarely traveled without soldiers. And again I racked my brain, trying to fathom what Alexi and Madam Vega intended.

  I thought of Cameo's warning. Maruman had been right; my destiny did await me in the mountains. But where would it lead? Suddenly I wanted very much not to know the answer to that question. I would go to the Doctor's chamber, find a map, and we would escape. Nothing else mattered.

  That night I saw Selmar. Nothing could have prepared me for the look of her. Completely drained of blood, she resembled a walking corpse. Even her lips were white, and her eyes stared blankly around the room as if she were blind. Ariel had led her in, sat her down, and put food in front of her. The room was utterly silent. She did not eat or drink. She only sat, staring at nothing.

  I glanced across the table at Cameo, but she was staring at Selmar. She looked terrified.

  XIX

  The walls were chill and silent as I slipped along them in stocking feet. The locks on some of the doors were very old and more complex than any I had encountered before, but none would keep me out. I was absolutely determined to find a map. The sight of Selmar had only increased my resolve.

  I crossed silently through the entrance hall, reflecting that I had not
crossed that hall since the first day I entered Obernewtyn. Slipping quickly into a hall on the other side, I hoped my sense of direction was accurate, for I could not recall the way Sly Willie had brought me to Madam Vega. The halls were very dark, for no windows opened into them. All but a few candles had been allowed to die, and I hurried past the pools of light they made.

  At one point I detected someone approaching, and concealed myself quickly in one of the numerous alcoves along the halls until guardian Myrna had gone. I was using a very slight amount of power to warn me when anyone approached. When she had gone I continued, following the way Willie had brought me only days before. I passed through the outer room of Madam Vega's chamber, making sure no one was inside before I unlocked her door. The air was cold and smelled of stale smoke.

  Searching, I eventually found the snib that worked the door alongside the fireplace. I left it ajar behind me to show the way down the musty hall. I searched ahead, very carefully probing the Doctor's chamber, but there was no sign of life. I hoped no one slept in there; it was much harder to sense a sleeping presence unless you knew the person. The lock was very difficult and for a while I despaired of opening it. At last I heard a faint click and the door slid open.

  The enormous fire had burned low and only a few orange embers remained. I closed the door and walked softly across to the fireplace. Looking around, I wondered where to start. It was a matter of too much rather than too little. I tried to remember where I had seen maps when I was there before. Though it was quite dark, the dim coals threw an orange light over everything, The painting of Marisa Seraphim caught my eye and I crossed to look at it.

  In that light she did not look so sharp and detached. There was a gleam akin to amusement in her secretive yellow eyes. The artist had caught a faint hint of cruelty in her mouth and heavily lidded eyes. She seemed to be watching me with those brilliant eyes, almost laughing. Even when I turned away, those painted eyes bored into my spine.

  Scanning the room quickly, I tried to remember where I had spotted the maps, but I was distracted by the sight of so many books. Of course, most were forbidden, but up in the mountains who would care? Impulsively, I reached out and took a thick tome from the shelves. In the manner of Oldtime books, the pages were as thin as leaves and the scribing perfect. Who could guess how long it had taken priests to perfect that style?