The Draykon Series (1-3)

Orlind: Chapter Fifteen

'So,' Tren said, collapsing in an armchair. 'Do you suppose anybody out here's telling us the truth?'

'Or the whole truth, specifically, rather than just bits of it,' said Eva, rolling her eyes. 'Probably not, no. Not even Andraly, I suspect.'

Tren shook his head in despair. 'Bizarre, and unhelpful. Why in the Lowers are they so damned secretive anyway?'

Eva sat cross-legged on her bed, brushing her hair. She had been about to go to bed when Tren returned, finished with whatever he'd been doing with Limbane. 'I don't know, but I have a theory. They don't seem to have any currency, did you notice that? They work as a community, sharing everything - except knowledge. That they hoard the way humans hoard gold. That's why they all live in "Libraries". Each one contains the collected knowledge of the group in question, and the more of it they have the more important and powerful they are. Given the size of this place, Limbane's group must be powerful indeed.'

'So where's this spirit of sharing when it comes to telling us what we need to know?' Tren's tone was profoundly grouchy.

'Think about it. If secrets can make a group powerful, they can make an individual powerful too. So if you want to be important in this world, you collect up as many secrets as you can and then hang onto them. Once you start freely sharing them around, they lose their power and so do you.'

'That's absurd,' Tren grumped.

'Seems so, but I daresay hoarding mountains of arbitrary currency seems absurd to them, too.'

'But we aren't part of this world. Limbane could break their silly rules for us.'

'That may be why he hasn't - we're outsiders. But it's more than that. The problem with secrets is you can never know how many someone else is holding. It's worse than money for that. I suspect Limbane's power comes partly from the appearance of holding more secrets than anyone else. If you can make people believe you're more knowledgeable than they are, they'll defer to you. So Limbane can't start throwing information around; he'd undermine his own position too much. He can never let anyone see what his limits are.'

'I suppose that explains his smug attitude,' Tren said. 'If he's to be believed, very little is ever news to him, and he doesn't like to admit when he's wrong, either.'

'Mhm. All part of the same thing. Even Andraly's still playing that game, no matter how harshly she scorned it. I'll bet she knows more than she told us.'

'So in theory,' Tren said slowly, 'once we've uncovered Krays's secrets, we'll be in a hugely powerful position when we come back.'

She laughed. 'True. It would be like winning a fortune back home. I wonder what we could bargain for?'

'Give it some thought, but for my part I want a private swimming pool and a personal valet.'

'Your ideas are so drably mercenary,' she chided. 'You trade secrets for secrets, Tren.'

He thought about that, then shook his head. 'Nope. I still want my swimming pool.'

'Maybe that can be arranged,' she grinned. Setting down her hairbrush, she lifted the blankets and climbed into bed. Tren immediately stood up and made for the door.

'Where are you going?'

He stopped and turned, confused. 'To bed, of course.'

Eva just looked at him.

'Um... does that mean you want me to... stay?' He blushed a little - how adorable - and his eyes brightened.

'It's cold in here by myself,' she said, shivering and pulling the blankets up to her neck. 'I need to be warmed.'