Dorland, but found Dorland already beside him.
They walked down the tube for twenty minutes 90 William Greenleaf
before they reached another intersection with an access port. Karyn went through without pausing. Paul dropped back to walk next to Selmer.
'How long will we stay in this tube?' he asked.
'About an hour.'
Paul's eyes went to Dorland, who lagged a few paces behind Karyn. 'Tell me about the Sons of God. Sabastian said they'd be guarding the temple. But if they're young boys—'
'Young, but dangerous,' Selmer said. 'They're initiated when they're fifteen. But only if they're good enough. The brightest, the best in physical shape—those are the ones they take.'
'How many are there?'
'About twenty-five. Only twenty have been trained for combat, though. Elder Jacowicz trains them himself. First they leam how to fight with dart guns and knives.'
'Sounds primitive.'
'Maybe so, but the boys are good. And the darts have poisoned tips. If one of them touches you—' He snapped his fingers and grinned. 'But we have a few surprises of our own.' He lifted his arm and pulled back the sleeve of his shirt to reveal a long-bladed knife strapped between wrist and elbow.
'You'd use that on a young boy?'
Selmer pulled the sleeve back down. 'I don't know. But if I did, I'd be doing him a favor. High Elder Brill has told them how wonderful their existence will be beyond the Far Peaks if they lose their lives fighting for Lord Tern. Supposedly it was Lord Tern's idea to train them and organize them.'
'For what reason?'
'To patrol Fairhope and make sure everyone stays pious. If they can track us down in the meantime, so much the better.'
They walked for a while in silence. Then Paul
CLARION 91
asked: 'The ceremony that initiates them into the Sons of God—that's semarch?'
'Yeah, but it's more complicated than just an initiation. It's based on something the Tal Tahir did with their young. We don't understand all of it, but we know it's supposed to bring about a change in the boys themselves.'
'A change?'
'That's the theory. As far as I can see, all it does is turn nice young boys into murdering scum. But Karyn says the Tal Tahir ceremony was a transition for the young. According to her, it was quite a big deal. The young were special to the Tal Tahir.'
'Transition to adulthood,' Paul suggested. He'd heard of similar concepts that had carried over from primitive Terran cultures.
'Maybe,' Selmer said.
Silence fell over them again. Ahead of them, the others walked steadily, footsteps ringing hollowly inside the tube.
'Brill and Jacowicz are brainwashing the boys,' Selmer said at last. 'We haven't found a way to counter it. Boys are turning in their own families as heretics and praying to Lord Tern while their parents die on the God Wall.' Selmer paused to take a deep breath. 'The next generation will be monsters, even if the eldership changes. That's why we have to get rid of the Holy Order now, and get the Tal Tahir completely out of our lives. That's the only way Clarion will survive.'
'Five of you will save the planet?' Selmer offered him a crooked grin. 'Maybe not, but we'll die trying.'
Probably, Paul thought. 'I've seen the God Wall, and you told me about the Sons of God and the punishment for disagreeing with the Holy Order. Why don't more people turn against the Holy Order? You said there are only ten
