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The memory of the message in the night popped back into my head as soon as my eyes opened and I had a hard job acting normal and eating my first-meal. As soon as I could I left the house and ran to find Jedd, but the Historyuns’ rooms were empty when I called. Everything looked flustered, as though people had left in a hurry. I wandered across to the Commons to see if anybody worth talking to was there then headed back home. I was just about to step through the door when I realised the raised voices I had been hearing all down the corridor were coming from inside. Before I could stop myself, I had stepped through the doorway and stumbled in on my father, Jedd and Erish the Master Historyun. I started to back away, mumbling apologies, but my father turned and fixed me with a glare.
‘Garret, come and join us.’
I walked slowly into the room, with a bad feeling rushing over me. I stopped as far away from them all as I could get. My dad looked mad and Erish looked at me as though I was stupid. Only Jedd didn’t look me in the eye.
‘Are these ridiculous allegations true?’ my father snapped.
‘What ... ?’ was as far as I got before he took another bite out of me.
‘Don’t play games, Garret. Did you or did you not go to Apprentice Jedd last night and claim to have been hearing voices?’
He ignored a discrete cough from Erish about getting Jedd’s rank wrong. I looked at Jedd again. He still wouldn’t look at me, and I wasn’t surprised. I tried to think of a way to stall, but all I could do was be honest and try to play it down at the same time.
‘Yeah. Sure.’ I tried to sound as though it was no big deal, and threw a shrug in for good measure.
‘What would make you think you could get away with a lie like that?’ said my father. I had never seen him look so angry. He was leaning on the table, his hands making fists, and I thought I could see his lips trembling slightly. ‘Garret, I swear that if this is another of your cowardly plans to shirk your responsibilities by trying to smoke your way into the apprentice Historyun role, I’ll ... ’
He ran out of steam, apparently having trouble thinking of anything bad enough to do to me. I tried on a confused expression.
‘Dad? What’d I do wrong? I just asked Jedd what he thought.’
‘About voices in the head?’
‘Well, yeah. I guessed I was probably just dreaming them. Jedd said I should try talking back to it, to see if it said anything. That was all.’
‘And?’
‘And, what, dad?’
‘Did it say anything back?’
This wasn’t easy. I didn’t like telling my dad lies. I wasn’t very good at lying anyway. ‘I haven’t heard the voice since.’
Erish butted in. ‘Where did you read this, boy? How did you hear about voices in the head?’
My father raised a hand. ‘Peace, Erish. We should not ask questions that just lead to more questions.’
‘But the Story,’ said Erish. ‘What about the Story? How does he know so much about the Story?’ He was looking accusingly at Jedd as he spoke.
‘The Story is just that,’ said my father. ‘A fantasy. Untrue. We will speak of it no more and I will have you remove it from the teaching cycles, Erish. I don’t want foolish and dangerous material like this being passed on to the new apprentice, when you find one.’
‘As you wish,’ said Erish, but he looked as though he would be having a discussion about it with my dad afterwards. I thought it looked like a good time to leave.
‘Can I go now?’
My father looked hard at me for a minute, and I was waiting for him to come out with some more questions, but he seemed to change his mind just before he spoke.
‘Yes, Garret. You may leave.’
I turned for the doorway but he called me back.
‘One thing. Leave your dreams on your pillow, boy. They can be dangerous if spoken of out of turn.’
I swallowed hard, nodded and left. As soon as I was back in the corridor I could hear raised voices again. I kept walking. I needed to get away from there and slow myself down.
My heart was beating like a pulp masher and I was breathing so fast I was making myself dizzy. I’d never been betrayed like that before. It felt so horrible, and I felt kind of dirty. I couldn’t think where I could go, and just wandered. I found myself outside the door where Pitr lived. I stared at it for what could have been minutes or seconds, and was just about to leave with Pitr’s mother came outside. She looked at me, jumped, and let out a kind of squeal.
‘Garret, whatever is the matter? You must come inside. Sit down.’
She grabbed me by the arm and didn’t give me a chance to argue. Truth was, I didn’t want to. I had always liked Pitr’s mum. She pulled me inside, pushed me down into a chair, and put a glass of water in my hand before she asked me again what was wrong. I opened my mouth a couple of times, false starts before I could answer.
‘It’s sort of hard to explain,’ I said. ‘I just found out someone I thought I trusted, well, couldn’t be. I think I was coming to find Pitr to talk to him about it.’
She looked at me shrewdly. ‘It’s not something you’re in any trouble about? You seem mighty shaky just for being let down by someone.’
I managed a small smile. ‘No, nothing like that. At least, not as far as I know.’
She didn’t look convinced, but didn’t push me and I was grateful for that.
‘Pitr is running an errand for me. He shouldn’t be long. You wait there until he gets back.’
‘Thanks,’ I mumbled, and sipped my water.
‘Soon’ was starting to drift towards uncomfortable by the time Pitr made it home. I was starting to think about making my excuses and wandering off when he burst through the door, saw me, and gasped ‘There you are.’
‘Where was I supposed to be?’ I said, frowning, then my stomach flipped over. ‘My dad’s not looking for me, is he?’
Pitr looked surprised. ‘Not that I know of. I need you to come with me.’
He actually grabbed my arm and pulled, all excited and eager. Not something Pitr usually did.
‘Why? And where?’ I asked.
‘Ahhh, the Commons?’ he said, looking at me in an odd way and jiggling his head. I knew he was lying. His mother also knew he was lying and turned to look at him. Then I caught on. I pretended to be reluctant, but agreed.
‘All right, then.’ I put the beaker on the table. ‘Thanks for the water, and for...’
I made a sort of wave at the chair, but Pitr’s mum knew what I meant and gave me a smile. ‘Any time, Garret.’
Pitr and I stepped outside and I turned for the stairs, heading for level 4 and the small tank room. That was what Pitr had been trying to tell me. He walked really fast, for him, and didn’t talk all the way there. When I walked in, I saw Jedd waiting just out of sight of the door.
I just snarled at him and turned away, heading back for the door. He yelled something, but I ignored him. He had lied to me, and betrayed me to my father. What could I have to say to him, or him to me? I was so angry I wanted to fight him, and I would have if he hadn’t been so much bigger than me. Somebody clutched at my left arm and tried to pull me back, or at least hold me. Before I could think, I had half turned and my right arm was cocked and ready to backhand the face of whoever had grabbed me. Just in time I saw it was Pitr, looking frightened and flinching.
‘Get your hands off me,’ I yelled, then I glared a Pitr. ‘Thanks a bunch, or don’t you know he told everything to my dad?’