Eradicate (Manipulate, Book 3)

Chapter 14

Palace of the Pontifex

Planet: Merith Prime

Akemi was drifting when a bright light suddenly blinded her. And she couldn't blink. Why couldn't she blink?

Was she dreaming? No, that had been before, when she thought the trees were singing... Akemi's thoughts trailed off in confusion.

"What? Where am I?" No voice came from her throat.

The light hurt her head and confused her. Where was she? What had she been thinking about?

A jumble of half-focused memories swirled through her head: the Spo taking Nat away, many years ago; Nat hanging from a pipe, about to fall into a chasm; the Rik and the Merith and Claire and Nat...

With a feeling of plunging into a cold waterfall, Akemi gasped and came back to herself. She remembered the horrible void of the last hours (or days?) and the moment when her self had given up. She'd thought it was death.

Apparently not.

The light resolved into a close-up of a bulbous Merith eye as her visual processor was turned back on. Akemi still felt heavy and lethargic. She shuddered away from the memory of the long emptiness that had passed.

The visual input continued to improve, and she could see that Faal was there, and another Merith – he was taller and broader than Faal, with a lazy, half-lidded blue eye. They appeared to be in some sort of vault. Akemi could make out a huge, thick door standing open behind them, and the vault was filled with beautiful things. There were lavish wall hangings, gold and platinum knickknacks, and ancient-looking chandeliers holding diamond candles. Even the shelves that held the treasures were made from pure Spo deathglass. The sheer gaudiness of it all reminded Akemi of a dragon's hoard, or Aladdin's famous cave.

Faal and the other Merith looked perfectly at ease in the room, and their jewel-studded robes seemed a part of the decoration. Faal wore his customary brick red robes, but the other Merith wore a startling turquoise ensemble that brought out the color of his eye. It was the same color as Shara's favorite blouse, and she would love it... But... but Akemi didn't care what Shara loved. Did she? Shara had betrayed her and Nat...

"The rumors of your latest acquisition reached me days ago," the blue-eyed Merith said, interrupting Akemi's thoughts. "I appreciate you bringing it for my inspection."

"Of course. Don't I always show you my latest?" Faal replied.

Akemi finally placed herself. She must be in the Pontifex's palace now. This must be the notorious Pontifex.

He examined the biobank, which held her brain, and seemed unimpressed. "Is it truly a human brain? How strange. Is it any better than a trouncer?"

Akemi sensed Faal's conflict. He wanted to say no, to keep his toy for himself. But he also wanted to say yes, to prove that he'd acquired something worthwhile. She still felt hung over from her long sleep, but she was lucid enough to enjoy seeing Faal squirm.

She could also tell that the Pontifex was more informed than he was letting on. That thought spun Akemi into another dizzying round of memory connections, and she wondered how badly her brain had been damaged by the trip. She barely heard Faal's answer.

"It is... more creative than a trouncer brain, but less trustworthy. It can only be used under strict supervision. And indeed, I don't even know if it survived the trip intact. It is very delicate."

Akemi understood Faal's dilemma. He'd turned on the computer but he wasn't sure yet if she was crazy or even still alive after the long trip.

Well, Faal was out of luck, she was definitely still alive.