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Back Eternity
Chapters (90)
  1. Eternity
  2. Copyright
  3. Dedication
  4. Epigraph
  5. Contents
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. 13
  19. 14
  20. 15
  21. 16
  22. 17
  23. 18
  24. 19
  25. 20
  26. 21
  27. 22
  28. 23
  29. 24
  30. 25
  31. 26
  32. 27
  33. 28
  34. 29
  35. 30
  36. 31
  37. 32
  38. 33
  39. 34
  40. 35
  41. 36
  42. 37
  43. 38
  44. 39
  45. 40
  46. 41
  47. 42
  48. 43
  49. 44
  50. 45
  51. 46
  52. 47
  53. 48
  54. 49
  55. 50
  56. 51
  57. 52
  58. 53
  59. 54
  60. 55
  61. 56
  62. 57
  63. 58
  64. 59
  65. 60
  66. 61
  67. 62
  68. 63
  69. 64
  70. 65
  71. 66
  72. 67
  73. 68
  74. 69
  75. 70
  76. 71
  77. 72
  78. 73
  79. 74
  80. 75
  81. 76
  82. 77
  83. 78
  84. 79
  85. 80
  86. 81
  87. 82
  88. 83
  89. EPILOGUE
  90. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

“We have a group council at the first hour of sunset. If you’d like to join us, you’re welcome. Let me know if you need anything. We women have to stick together here. They don’t much care for us, Kallimakhos and his people. We’re not good for his defense contracts.” Yallos stood in the doorway. “The Kelt has to come with me now. I’ll get him a room in the old baths, where the groundskeepers bed down.”

Lugotorix flicked his slitted eyes from Yallos, whom he clearly loathed, to Rhita. “Go,” she told him. “I’ll be okay here.” She was none too sure of that, however. She already felt homesick and out of place. The Kelt shrugged and followed the houseguide. Rhita suddenly thought of something and called to her in the hall. “Can I have the lock and key?”

“No locks,” Yallos said.

“I need a lock,” Rhita persisted, irritated now and worried for the safety of the Objects.

“Come to the council meeting. We’ll discuss it. Oh…if you’re not a sister of Isis, what are you?”

Rhita made up her answer with surprising speed. “I belong to the sanctuary of Athēnē Lindia.”

Yallos blinked. “Pagan?” she asked.

“Rhodian,” Rhita replied. “It’s my birthright.”

“Oh.”

Rhita shut the door and faced her squalid cell. So much for her reception in the Mouseion. Her grandmother’s shadow obviously did not stretch this far. Was this the queen’s doing, or was Kleopatra even aware of Rhita’s arrival?

She sat for a while, shivering in the gloom. A single electric light over the bed cast a yellow glow over that corner and little else. It was already midday and the room was just beginning to warm. How much risk should she take with the Objects, not to mention her own safety? How much risk would she take before—if—she reached her goal?

Prying at a shutter jammed over one small, deep-set window, she broke an already-short fingernail to the quick. She swore beneath her breath, one green eye bright in her meager success, a thin line of indirect sunlight.

Rhita wiped gritty dust from the desk, used a frayed withy broom to sweep the floor, and opened her trunk to put her clothes away. In the late afternoon, the guides had told her, she would meet with the bibliophylax.

She did not look forward to it.

11

Earth

The Russian—so it was most convenient to think of him, at least for the moment—stood with Lanier on the porch, waiting for the wink of a shuttle’s lights. The night sky was a smear of aluminum dust across solid black, depth upon depth of stars. The air had cleared since the Death, Earth’s natural healing mechanisms removing most atmospheric traces of the conflagration. There were few pollution sources anywhere now, even with the Recovery well along. Hexamon Technology was non-polluting, self-contained.