An almost evil smile transformed her sweet, young face into one of malice. “Of course, you do. Like when my father traded me to a dragon for riches and you said you’d save me. That kind of plan?”
That memory, like a fresh moment that just happened, appeared in his mind. He had failed because he refused to use his power and that was the first time Nimueh had died.
She stood up, dusted her white skirt off and began to walk back to the city. “Tell Uther what you found,” she called back. “See what that does to your plans.”
He wouldn’t tell Uther what he had found. It would be simple to hide his findings; there were millions of reasons he could say he found nothing strange about her. That also helped him avoid divulging his own newly discovered secret, but she was Avalonian now. That was new. Were there other souls that had been reborn in different bodies? This time was too different; a dark feeling of unknown crept into his heart.
17
Arrival
“Nearly every household has an Avalon Station,” Uther excitedly told his court on the bridge of the Prydwyn. “The two months for building have come and gone, our government is thriving, law enforcement is busy, and every province is nearly represented in my court.” The windows had been transformed into dozens of screens holding the faces of the newly appointed representatives from various provinces around Camelot. Some were very far away now.
“We continue to pioneer east and west.” He waved his gloved hand and pulled up a map of Camelot. It was similar to what Nimueh had done only Uther needed the synchronized glove to have the illuminations follow his movements. “You can see here how that is going. Just splendid. And the Avalon Law was passed two weeks ago so everyone has a Station and each province keep has a Cleric Capitol where all the data is gathered. And,” he smiled broadly, “the military academy is blossoming better than I had ever hoped.”
Senator Ban spoke up. His new wife from the planet Benwick behind him, her red skin and yellow hair vibrant on the screen. “My people do not entirely understand these Avalon Stations, Uther.” He frowned in concern. “I have nothing against alien technology—”
Some of the other soldiers snickered as Lady Ban pursed her alien lips.
Ban bit his tongue and went on. “But what exactly is it they do?”
“All in good time, senator,” Uther smiled. He had grown several inches over the eight months since they’d landed on Camelot and he stood up to show off his height. Such boyish boasts were not yet beyond him. “For now, let’s just say they are a way for all the people of Camelot to have access directly to this court. Or rather, us to them. Every time someone checks in and is, well, not as they should be or is having thoughts or feelings that could be threatening to Camelot or any of its rulers, we will know.”
A few whispers went up at this and someone objected.
“I am afraid to tell you that objection you cannot say rightly,” Pellinore spoke up from his screen. “The details were in the file manuscript sent out a month ago.”
“We didn’t have enough time to study it!” Ban interjected. “What is your game here, Uther?”
“I have no game and to think so is to question Camelot.” His voice grew stern. “Let’s think on our cities, shall we? Pendragon is a bursting metropolis now. Buildings as tall as the sky, the sky-lanes are full of craft ferrying our people to work. Our hospital has filed nearly twelve thousand births and some of those are from cryo-mothers. We have our first, native born Camelot citizens! That is amazing. Our numbers are growing and we, as a new civilization and planet, are moving forward. I cannot express my delight at this.”
“Many sprouts the mothers have made,” Pellinore said musically.
“Camelot boasts a little over two-million square miles on the surface,” Uther said proudly. “The moons and planets are galactic wonders. This is no time for petty debates!”
At this remark, agreement was met. No one could deny that settlement was going smoothly and that land was ample. Camelot as a planet was not large by historical standards if the measurement of the Original Earth could be believed. But the entire solar system tested as inhabitable. Every moon and many small stars sustained life. Some, like Lothian, had been given out to adventurous settlers. However, some planets like Listenoise were already inhabited and the new-comers had to adopt to the culture already there or move on. So far, the settlers had avoided those planets.
“Excellent,” sighed Uther. “On to other business?”
Suddenly, all the screens went black but all the outraged voices could be heard in a sudden, venous tumult. Every console on the bridge began to flicker and static crackled around the large room with an ear-splitting feedback.
“What is going on?” Uther commanded.
“I don’t know!” Ector’s voice was frantic as he tried to recall the computers in total darkness.
Then a deep, dragon-like voice spoke from the communication unit.
“Are you the Pendragon?”
Uther waited and his crew grew silent. “I am, founder of Camelot and who are you who disrupts my court like this?”
The screens flickered and then an image appeared. The bridge was bathed in dark red colors as the mysterious speaker’s face filled every screen. Uther knew that all of his representatives could see it too. The figure sat in a primitive-looking throne made out of broken industrial metal and wrapped loosely in what seemed to be red silk. Behind it, a fiery background shimmered from heat waves. Seated in this throne was a black-skinned demon with a white mane of long hair and glowing green eyes. The horns on his head swept back from his head and upwards as he looked down into Uther’s eyes.
“Who are you?” Uther gasped.
“Don’t be so scared of my appearance, human. I know your legends and
