“We are born as you are-we live our lives in the blinding light, and thus it is that we cannot see until we come underground.”
“How does that make sense?” Daniel asked.
“The world-the universe is so big, no man can keep it all in his mind. Blinded by the light, blinded by fact. We seek a life in the dark under our own terms.”
“Better to stand up in the dark than lie down in the light,” said an yfelgop on the other side of Daniel.
“One day we will emerge, once we have quantified the very foundation of the world, of knowledge.”
“But. . really?” Daniel asked. “You want to know
“Yes. Yes. Life is a mystery.”
“A mystery unknown, but not unknowable. Undefined, but not undefinable.”
“That is how the leafleas are different from our brothers. It is their contention that all that can be known is known-all the edges of life have been found and measured. Whereas we are doubtful.”
There were exclamations of pride and support following this declaration. “The Doubtful! The leafleas!”
“We doubt that the world is all that is seen. We doubt that all experience has been quantified. We doubt that all distances have been measured.”
“And we doubt even those doubts. But what is undoubted is that there is more.”
“More! Yes, more. And that is what defines us-the others, the hopeless, the slaves to Gad, they believe that the walls of the world have been found, and they are angry. They have built a prison for their own senses and are angry at it.”
“They have killed their own spirits and are mortally jealous of anyone who still possess joy and wonder.”
The exposition continued, but Daniel’s attention was already drifting. He was having trouble following the words and found that his feet were starting to drag.
II
After much debate about distance and steps taken, they all negotiated a halt in order to rest and take stock. They hadn’t yet crossed the ni?erplane yet, but the ceiling was getting closer to their heads. They couldn’t see it, exactly, but they could hear the difference in the echoes and feel it in the air.
“Oh dear. We must make our decision about which direction, exactly, to strike for,” a leafleas named Consistent Uncertainty said. “We must decide which direction is the most probable that Godmund and his forces lie in. I fear this will be most difficult.”
He brought out a map from his pack and Daniel joined the huddle around the rolled sheet of parchment. The lamps were placed around it and the shutters lifted. It was a map of the whole of the land beneath England. He noticed many similarities to the ones that Alex and Ecgbryt had shown him, but there were also differences. Either routes that the others didn’t know about, or else errors, Daniel didn’t know. The locations of knights’ chambers, or their suspected locations, were marked with a reddishbrown fingerprint. It might be worth keeping if he could get his hands on it.
“What makes you think that Godmund is still underground?” Daniel asked. “Why not go above?”
“It is possible that he is not underground.”
“But not probable. Probabilities suggest that he would stay beneath. It is what he knows. It is where his resources are. He would be lost aboveground.”
“Further, he has not made contact with you, an overworlder with knowledge of the lower realms.”
That made sense, Daniel thought. Also, he knew that Godmund hadn’t contacted Ecgbryt or Alex. So he really must be down here, somewhere. But did the yfelgopes really not know where he was, or was it all part of the ruse?
“So where do you think he’ll be?” Daniel asked.
“We were hoping you might be able to direct us. All yfelgop searches for him have turned up nothing.”
“As far as we know.”
“Yes. As far as we know. Those that have returned have returned empty-handed.”
“But there are some that did not return.”
“Yes. Those are still unknown factors. Those may be worth investigating.”
“That is predicated on the assumption that he stays only in one place.”
“To leave not one member of a hunting party alive to report back would indicate an ambush site. Which would indicate a fixed location.”
“Or more than one.”
“That is possible as well.”
“So, one location or several,” Daniel said, jumping into the flow of conversation once again. “Where is the, uh, area of greatest unknown. . the area of the most unknown factors? Because that’s where he’d be, right?”
“Yes, that logic follows,” said Certain Doubt. “And that area would be here.” He pointed to the top of the map.
“Right, then. Let’s head for that. . see? That junction right there? It’s not far from there to these two chambers, and then this one as well. We can check to see what the deal is there, at a stretch.”
“These places would already have been rendered. . inert.”
“You mean that the knights sleeping there have been murdered already.”
“Yes,” said Consistent Uncertainty. “You should prepare yourself for a sight that might be unpleasant to you.”
Daniel just stared at him, wondering what he meant, then wondering why he couldn’t seem to make sense of his words. He shook his head to clear it.
“Are you well?” asked Judicious Speculation. Or Argument. Daniel was becoming unsure of all of their names. “Do you need to rest?”
“No. I’ll stick,” Daniel said. “I am all correct,” he said. “My systems are go. It’s good. It’s good.”
The leafleas squinted at him, trying to figure him out. Daniel was aware that other eyes were on him as well. He had to play it cool-not raise suspicion.
“Seriously, I’m folded down and good to go, my little captain. It’s good. It’s good. We need to cover ground anyway. When we get to the next chamber, then we’ll rest. I’ll hold till then. It’s good. It’s good.”
“That sounds like the best course,” Certain Doubt said. He rolled up the map and handed it off to be secured in its tube. “Let’s keep moving.”
The leafleas moved away and Daniel shuffled after them. He had to really concentrate on moving his legs, he was so tired. He could feel his heart-every beat a cold, weak thump. He had to keep it together, to stay normal. To help him in this he recited a short mantra that made him calmer, gave him a feeling of continuity, of comfort.
“It’s good. It’s good. It’s good,” he said under his breath. “It’s sticky, it’s sticky. Sticky. Stretch. Sticky. It’s good. It’s good. It’s in a pocket. It’s good.”
III
They reached a parting of paths. To their right was a carved tunnel, bored by the inhabitants of Ni?ergeard however many centuries ago, while the natural path they walked continued down a fissure.
“Let’s rest here,” Daniel said. He sat down on a rock and broke out his water, taking a mouthful and swirling it around in his mouth.
“We are still a ways from the first chamber,” said Certain Doubt. “That was where we agreed to make our first camp.”
“I know. I just-I just can’t move another step.” That much was completely true, Daniel thought. “I just. . it’s. .” He was about to use one of his lucky words, but he had to watch it with those. He would have plenty of opportunity to say whatever he liked soon enough.
