The words struck home.
‘I will be loyal to this city…’
‘Will you?’
‘Yes!’
He realized he was arguing with a dying man. This was not behaviour worthy of a warrior of Ekrano.
‘Yes,’ he repeated. ‘I will. This city will be safe in my charge.’
‘Will it?’ asked the dying robot. His body was melting, the heat of his mind was radiating from the metal. ‘Then what about Jai-Lyn?’
‘Jai-Lyn?’ said Wa-Ka-Mo-Do, confused by the sudden change of subject. ‘Jai-Lyn? What has she to do with Sangrel?’
‘Nothing,’ said the robot. ‘Yet she asks for your help. Three times now we have received messages from Ka, asking for you by name.’
‘Jai-Lyn asked for me? Why didn’t you tell me?’
‘The Vestal Virgins ordered us not to.’ His voice distorted. His mind was melting. ‘They buzzz saw the buzzzz treachery in your buzzz mind.’
‘Why did she want me?’
Go-Ver-Dosai just smiled. He reached up and placed a finger to his head, pried open the broken panelling there and pushed the finger inside. There was a blue flash and three loud cracks. He convulsed and died. Smoke came from his head.
Li-Kallalla looked as if his own mind was melting.
‘You killed him…’
Wa-Ka-Mo-Do looked at the young robot.
‘Li-Kallalla,’ he said urgently, ‘whose orders will you follow. Mine, or the Vestal Virgins? Will you speak of what happened in here?’
‘Will you kill me too?’
Wa-Ka-Mo-Do didn’t answer. He didn’t know.
Li-Kallalla spoke, but Wa-Ka-Mo-Do wasn’t listening, swamped by thoughts. Go-Ver-Dosai lay dead and smoking in the middle of the wreckage. He had betrayed the Emperor, betrayed his command, all for what he hoped were the right reasons. Could he be trusted?
Jai-Lyn was asking for help. She had summoned Wa-Ka-Mo-Do. He had promised to go to her aid. But he couldn’t. He had to stay here in this city.
First Ell, then Sangrel. And now Ka.
What was happening on Yukawa?
‘How long will he stay with us?’ asked Melt, looking at the Spontaneous robot walking the Northern Road ahead of them.
‘There’s no telling,’ said Karel. ‘The Spontaneous are like this, especially when they first emerge.’
‘What happens to them then?’
‘Some of them assimilate into the prevailing society. Some of them wander to the borders. They seem to be driven by imperatives according to the knowledge they are born with.’ He looked around at the high mountain views, thoughtfully. ‘Just like us, I suppose. I wonder how he knew about this road?’
‘There have been others here before us,’ said Melt. ‘An army has marched this road. Kavan’s, I suppose.’
Karel hummed in agreement. The high passes of the Northern Road were littered with the ash of portable forges, the stones worn further by the many feet that had passed.
‘The views are amazing up here,’ said Karel, looking at the streams of snowmelt that wet the grey rock beyond the low wall. ‘The sky is bluer. The rocks seem more alive.’
‘I know,’ said Melt, and Karel thought he heard a touch of sadness there. What was he remembering?
‘Why don’t you like Simrock?’ he asked.
‘No reason.’
‘Yes there is. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.’
‘I’ll tell you why. His mind is twisted around a story. How can we trust him?’
‘All of our minds are twisted around stories,’ said Karel. ‘Who is to say which ones are the right ones?’
‘I need to rest,’ said Melt, suddenly. He sat down, leaning his heavy body against the low wall by the side of the road.
‘Simrock!’ called Karel. The Spontaneous robot was up ahead, looking over a ridge at the road’s descent beyond. He came back to join them.
‘We need to rest.’
They remained in silence for a while, the blue sky deepening to black above them.
‘Did you have a wife, Melt?’ asked Karel.
‘No,’ said Melt.
‘Karel does,’ said Simrock. ‘She’s in Artemis City.’
Metal scraped on rock as Karel turned to stare at the other robot.
‘How do you know that? I never mentioned that to you.’
‘I know about you, Karel,’ said Simrock.
‘How?’
‘How did he know about these mountains?’ asked Melt. ‘I thought that was the way of the Spontaneous.’
‘What do you know of me?’ said Karel, eyes glowing uncomfortably.