from each corner dangled a ribbon of the same material.
It was something that certainly required further study. But, as long as it reeked with the smell of the monster, he couldn't bring it into the world without causing commotion. So he put it down and scraped dirt over it, fixing the location of the spot in his mind.
On the way back he almost collided with his brother, who was groping along the passageway.
"It sounds like you'll be Prime Survivor sooner than you expected,"
Romel said, not without a trace of envy in his voice.
CHAPTER SIX
". . . We therefore humbly invoke the guidance of Light Almighty as we rededicate ourselves under new leadership."
Survivor Averyman, as Senior Elder, was bringing his speech to a close. He paused and listened out over the Assembly.
Standing behind him, Jared too heard the silence, relieved only by the soft flow of many tense breaths. It was an anxious stillness, rather than one that bore respect for the Investiture Ceremonies.
Nor could he himself muster much attention for the Elder's words.
His thoughts were overburdened with bitterness. It wasn't as much that Light had broken the covenant as it was that He had decided on so ruthless a means of making that fact clear.
That the Prime Survivor was gone forever from the worlds of man was, for Jared, a tragedy. On several occasions over the past two periods he would have gone charging defiantly up the passageway had it not been for the remote possibility that the loss of his father was only temporary, to test the sincerity of his repentance. A more practical reason he hadn't tried to track down the monster was that Protectors had been stationed at the entrance.
He sneezed and sniffled, evoking a disdainful pause in Survivor Averyman's speech. After a moment, the Elder resumed:
"We must not expect from our new Prime Survivor the forehearing and wisdom that we came to associate with his late father. For what _could_ compare with an understanding deep enough to hear ahead to the imminent necessity of preparing his successor?"
Jared listened impatiently over toward the guarded entrance. There was yet another reason he couldn't go plunging beyond the Barrier in search of his father. That would only call the wrath of the Elders down on his head and they would make Romel the Prime Survivor--a development which could bring only chaos to the world.
Someone nudged him forward and he found himself standing in front of the Guardian of the Way.
"Repeat after me," Philar said solemnly, "'I swear that I will bend all effort to the Challenge of Survival, not only for myself but in behalf of every individual in the Lower Level."
Struggling through the vow, Jared interrupted his flow of words with a sniffle.
"'I dedicate myself,'" the Guardian went on, "'to the needs of all who depend upon me and I will do whatever I can to draw aside the Curtain of Darkness--so help me Light!'"
Jared punctuated the final word with a sneeze.
Investiture over, he remained in front of the Official Grotto receiving perfunctory handshakes.
Romel was the last to approach. "Now the fun begins," he said facetiously. The words were not as relaxed as they might have been, though, and they offered no clue as to what expression was silenced by the obscuring veil of hair.
"I'll need a lot of help," Jared admitted. "It won't be easy."
"I didn't think it would." Romel wasn't successfully concealing his envy. "Of course, the first thing will be to finish the hearing."
Interrupted by Investiture, the hearing wasn't Jared's concern, however. It was being conducted by the Elders, who were even now ffling back into the Official Grotto. And there was no doubt that its mention had been subtly intended to lead to something else. For a moment Jared could almost hear the familiar _hiss_ of the swish-rope.
"Do you suppose," Romel continued, unnecessarily loud, "that the monster that got the Prime Survivor was anything like the one you heard in the Original
It was something that certainly required further study. But, as long as it reeked with the smell of the monster, he couldn't bring it into the world without causing commotion. So he put it down and scraped dirt over it, fixing the location of the spot in his mind.
On the way back he almost collided with his brother, who was groping along the passageway.
"It sounds like you'll be Prime Survivor sooner than you expected,"
Romel said, not without a trace of envy in his voice.
CHAPTER SIX
". . . We therefore humbly invoke the guidance of Light Almighty as we rededicate ourselves under new leadership."
Survivor Averyman, as Senior Elder, was bringing his speech to a close. He paused and listened out over the Assembly.
Standing behind him, Jared too heard the silence, relieved only by the soft flow of many tense breaths. It was an anxious stillness, rather than one that bore respect for the Investiture Ceremonies.
Nor could he himself muster much attention for the Elder's words.
His thoughts were overburdened with bitterness. It wasn't as much that Light had broken the covenant as it was that He had decided on so ruthless a means of making that fact clear.
That the Prime Survivor was gone forever from the worlds of man was, for Jared, a tragedy. On several occasions over the past two periods he would have gone charging defiantly up the passageway had it not been for the remote possibility that the loss of his father was only temporary, to test the sincerity of his repentance. A more practical reason he hadn't tried to track down the monster was that Protectors had been stationed at the entrance.
He sneezed and sniffled, evoking a disdainful pause in Survivor Averyman's speech. After a moment, the Elder resumed:
"We must not expect from our new Prime Survivor the forehearing and wisdom that we came to associate with his late father. For what _could_ compare with an understanding deep enough to hear ahead to the imminent necessity of preparing his successor?"
Jared listened impatiently over toward the guarded entrance. There was yet another reason he couldn't go plunging beyond the Barrier in search of his father. That would only call the wrath of the Elders down on his head and they would make Romel the Prime Survivor--a development which could bring only chaos to the world.
Someone nudged him forward and he found himself standing in front of the Guardian of the Way.
"Repeat after me," Philar said solemnly, "'I swear that I will bend all effort to the Challenge of Survival, not only for myself but in behalf of every individual in the Lower Level."
Struggling through the vow, Jared interrupted his flow of words with a sniffle.
"'I dedicate myself,'" the Guardian went on, "'to the needs of all who depend upon me and I will do whatever I can to draw aside the Curtain of Darkness--so help me Light!'"
Jared punctuated the final word with a sneeze.
Investiture over, he remained in front of the Official Grotto receiving perfunctory handshakes.
Romel was the last to approach. "Now the fun begins," he said facetiously. The words were not as relaxed as they might have been, though, and they offered no clue as to what expression was silenced by the obscuring veil of hair.
"I'll need a lot of help," Jared admitted. "It won't be easy."
"I didn't think it would." Romel wasn't successfully concealing his envy. "Of course, the first thing will be to finish the hearing."
Interrupted by Investiture, the hearing wasn't Jared's concern, however. It was being conducted by the Elders, who were even now ffling back into the Official Grotto. And there was no doubt that its mention had been subtly intended to lead to something else. For a moment Jared could almost hear the familiar _hiss_ of the swish-rope.
"Do you suppose," Romel continued, unnecessarily loud, "that the monster that got the Prime Survivor was anything like the one you heard in the Original
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