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that its actions were no longer its own. And if that were the
case, then neither did the Hierophant.
The thaumaturg's mind was simple in comparison to the
Archimage's, but he was careful not to rush his explorations.
The Hierophant was a wily old bird, and it would be just like
her to rig her creatures with psychic tripwires in case such a
takeover were ever attempted. He probed with a lover's touch,
stroking the thought processes and caressing the memories,
until he located the images he was seeking; the images that
represented the simple yet secret incantation which would open
the Labyrinth to him.
Moments later, the Archimage descended the dark stairs
into the Hierophant's warren. He didn't give the smoking husk
of the thaumaturg a backwards glance.
`Would this be of any use?'
Both the Doctor and the Technomancer looked round with
a start. Anastasia was standing next to the curtained doorway,
pulling at a heavy silk sheet that was draped over a table in the
corner. The Doctor wasn't sure what surprised him most: the
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fact that she was offering to help them; or the serene majesty
that she radiated, in total contrast to the anger and bitterness
that she had previously wrapped around herself. And then he
recognized the artifact that she had revealed. Despite its
wooden exterior, the keyboard and monitor identified it as
some sort of computer terminal.
`Fascinating!' exclaimed Melaphyre, hurrying over to it and
sitting down. 'Where did it come from?'
`Come from?' The Hierophant laughed. 'It didn't come from
anywhere, Melaphyre. The computer system has been here
since the creation of the Great Kingdom.'
`Oh, very convenient,' muttered the Doctor. 'The haphazard
logic that holds this pantechnicon of cozenage together would
try the patience of a saint.' He started to smile, but a wave a
dizziness overcame him. Unseen by either of the women, he
supported himself against the nearest bookshelf, hoping that
the effect would soon pass.
It didn't. The room started to spin around him,
accompanied by waves of nausea, nausea with a smiling face
and engulfing black wings.
`Doctor, look at this!' Melaphyre's shrill voice brought him
to his senses, but he still felt odd; detached, distant, as if his
body were nothing more than an ill-fitting space suit with him
inside it. Shoving this worrying allusion to one side, he obeyed
Melaphyre's irritating summons and walked over to her. But he
still needed the desk to provide surreptitious support.
`This system indexes the entire Labyrinth!' she gushed, her
fingers moving from keyboard to mouse and back in a dazzling
blur. Although that could be an after-effect of his earlier
malaise, the Doctor ruefully admitted to himself. `And the
index itself is a relational database with over thirty
dimensions!'
Melaphyre's enthusiasm was sickening, but she was
evidently skilled in the use of such technology. Not surprising,
he decided, given the nature of her original template. 'The
information we need is, is . . .' He lurched against the desk.
`Are you all right, Doctor?' asked the Hierophant, coming
to his aid. He waved her away, shocked by how dark his sleeve
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appeared in the gloomy light that the desiccated Hierophant
favoured.
`I'll be fine if you just leave me alone,' he snapped. 'No
wonder the three great rulers don't talk to one another. You'd
be climbing up the walls after five minutes of what passes for
meaningful discussion around here.'
Melaphyre looked up from the computer. 'Doctor? What's
wrong? Why are you being so, so horrid?'
`Horrid?' he repeated. 'Horrid? Horrid? Now I know you're
Mel. Insipid words from an insipid person. Now move aside
and let a real genius have a look.' With a violent push, he
knocked her chair aside, throwing the Technomancer to the
floor.
`Now, if this database is designed along the Darwen model
' He navigated through the thirty-dimensional web of the
database at breakneck speed, ignoring the Technomancer who
was now standing behind him, her anger tangible. And there it
was, the book that he needed. Only a couple of shelves away,
according to its database record.
`How dare you!' screamed the Technomancer. 'I am '
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