аЯрЁБсџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџ§џџџўџџџўџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџRџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџace and so duly
terminated."
"The experiments were terminated because they failed to
produce
worthwhile results. Every combination resulted in a monstrosity,
or so we
thought." The Speaker continued smoothly as he slowly glided
around the table
toward the Warder. "Now we know better."
The Warder maintained his attentive posture but continued
to argue his
point. He knew he was being drawn into an argument he couldnt
win but could
not stop now. A greater truth, the truth of his sacred Shikul
Lyeaz had to
be voiced. He shook his head slowly "The Mongrel might indeed
be the only
surviving product of Zhellerons twisted endeavors.. but she
excels because
she is Lyeaz. Nothing more. Nothing less. To return again to an
act of such
depravity is a grave transgression against everything we hold-"
"Dont you think it more than coincidence that the
renegade subject of
Lyeazic creation ends up in association with the Quickning? She
was never
kept, raised or properly trained into her service
yet she found
them. You
yourself said she takes to the training more readily than any
initiate you
have ever seen." The Speaker now stood away from the table but
immediately in
front of the Warder. He spoke softly, a tone of understanding
for the dilemma
he knew that the Warder must feel.
"In defending the exhalted integrity of Shikul Lyeaz
certain
concessions must be made. In order to strengthen the Immaculate
Reach the
Zhellaron experiments were grudgingly granted by the Regents,
provided they
show merit. With the Mongrel, you have shown us the merit of
those days once
thought as a blight in our history. We will now use her for the
next phase of
the Zhellaron project. She will produce more. The sub-caste
called Mongrel
will be the most far flung and undetectable of the Immaculate
Reach. When she
has given us what we need she will be trained to be New Cadre..
and then
released. She will be left alone to find herself again and to
immerse herself
in the life she once knew. She will be free until we decide its
time to pull
her leash. The mind might forget but the body remembers. We made
her, we know
now how to enact her. "
For the Warder this was no longer a debate or a
questioning of values.
He was at the head of watching an eventual dark episode of
history repeat
itself. To extend the Immaculate Reach would inevitably
strengthen Shi'kul
Lyeaz but it still did not sit well with what he felt to be
essential.
As much as he tried to reconcile what he was hearing, some
of it still
did not make sense. "To produce a caste from one womb would be
inefficient. It
would be easier to make a brood mare of a retired assassin than
the other way
around." Until he saw the knowing smirk of the Speaker did he
realize that he
had muttered his words aloud.
"True enough but considering the fact that the subject in
question is a
shape shifter whose male form is capable of producing viable
seed, that
concern has resolved itself." The Speaker lifted what seemed
like a wrapped
scroll case towards the Warder. "The experiments will resume.
Steps have
already been taken. Your last service as Warder will be to
prepare the Mongrel
and hand her over to the next phase."
The Warder eyes fell on the proffered case and lifted
again to meet the
Speakers. He held his face in stony regard and made no move to
take the case.
The Speakers calm voice carried a tone what was not so
much indignant
at the act of defiance as offering a sinister ultimatum. He had
been waiting
for this moment. "Would you like to take part in the project as
well? Because
rest assured, we have considered it. And it is still an option
if the Mongrel
doesnt provide us with what we need. Remember your place,
Warder. Deliver the
Mongrel to her new service.. or join her in it."
His body moved with the pronounced fluidity of one in
perfect control.
He reached up and closed his hand around the case and taking it,
offered a
well practiced nod of respect. And with just the perfect amount
of inflection
that denoted an apology, he repeateмЅeHbefore the elite of the Lyeaz for the second
time today. He
stood erect, his head inclined in a posture of attentive respect
to those of
the higher caste, while they discussed what they had just
witnessed amongst
themselves. Though his bearing was that of one intently aware of
his superiors
before him, a good part of his mind was elsewhere than before
the Regents of
the Synod and Conclave.
Something was tickling at the back of his senses. It made
his palm itch
to have a Bane blade in hand. There was an unsettling stirring
in his
awareness but nothing he could focus on. And nothing he could
further pursue
without giving his split attention away to his superiors. For
all he knew they
could be aware of it as well. Perhaps some other test. Perhaps
nothing.
His mind puzzled between that rippling within his instinct
and the
implications of his audience with the Synod and Conclave. The
Mongrel had
exhibited promise as he had foretold. They were pleased with
what they
witnessed, that much was obvious. He could feel their estimation
of him having
risen in some respects. Yet something told him that he should
be dreading
this meeting.
The Speaker for the Regents was standing at the center of
the arc-shaped
table while the others of the assembled caste elite remained
seated. "You are
to be congratulated. You have done well with the Mongrel. Your
past failures
with producing the Quickning have been redeemed with your
breaking and making
of this one." The Warder stood opposite of the Speaker with his
hands clasped
behind his back. His chin lifted a degree or two in somber
acceptance of the
compliment, still he was silent and waited for the Speaker to
continue. "You
have shown us what we needed to see. You will be reinstated to
your previous
titles and station as soon as you have performed your last
office as Warder."
The Warder tilted his head in a gesture of profound
respect and
gratitude. He quelled the question that begged to pass his lips
and instead
murmured the immediate and proper response of the Adge Kruix
when presented
with a service to the Regents of Shikul Lyeaz. "Command me. For
I am your
Hand."
The Speaker nodded "You will prepare her and deliver her
to the
laboratories for her new service."
This time he heard the question spoken aloud before he
could stop it.
"What more do you need to learn from her at the labs? Now that
she has
established herself as Adge Kruix you would not see her rise to
Cadre
Assassin?"
The Speaker arched a thin brow but deigned to answer "Oh,
in due time
she will be reinstated into the Adge Kruix training to become
New Cadre. She
has proven her worthiness in that respect. But more than that
she has
validated the Zhellaron theories." The Speakers lips twitched
slightly as he
noted the minute shift in the Warders awareness. Had he not been
watching for
it, it would have escaped notice. Only then did he continue "We
will resume
the experiments using her as a focal point"
He felt the Speaker's eyes intently on him and raised his
own to meet
their scrutiny. There was no mistaking the tangible silence and
weight of all
eyes on him. He was now being watched, being observed like the
Mongrel was
before him. They were his superiors, there was not questioning
that, yet there
was one entity he would answer to above them. Everything called
for him to
silently and complacently assume his task yet his pride and
sense of honor to
what he held sacred, Shi`kul Lyeaz, wouldnt allow it. And so
he heard
himself contest where he shouldve turned and walked away to
execute his
latest task.
"Was it not the Synod and Conclave both that deemed that
the Zhellaron
endeavors were reprehensible-- an obscenity to all Shikul
Lyeaz? It was
recognized as contrary to the ideals of our rd words he had spoken earlier
and many a
time before. "Command me. For I am your Hand." He turned and
gestured a silent
honorific to the other assembled regents that had watched
silently and took
his leave.
As he walked away from the council chambers, the echo of
his own
wooden words reverberated in his head and his mouth tasted of
ash for speaking
them. He barely heard the creaking of the case within his
trembling fist as it
threatened to give under his crushing grasp. He relented and in
a disciplined
routine he categorized the buzz of thought and emotion in his
head and filed
it away for later analysis. Once done it cleared his head to
receive the
mercurial current that flirted with his awareness. Something
pressing demanded
his full attention.
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