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第70部分

cb.imajica1-第70部分

小说: cb.imajica1 字数: 每页4000字

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 when the woman spoke again。 〃Don't you know they'll hurt you?〃 〃Who will?1'she said。
 〃The people in the tower。 The Tabula Rasa。 What were you looking for?〃 〃Nothing。〃
 〃You were looking very hard for nothing。〃
 〃Are you spying for them?〃
 The woman made an ugly sound that Judith took to be a laugh。 〃They don't even know I'm alive;〃 she said。 Then; for the third time; 〃Who are you?〃 〃My name's Judith。〃
 〃I'm Clara Leash;〃 the woman said。 She cast a glance back in the direction of the tower。 〃Walk on;〃 she said。 〃There's a church halfway up the hill。 I'll meet you there。〃 〃What is all this about?〃 〃At the church; not here。〃
 So saying; she turned her back on Judith and walked off; her agitation enough to dissuade Judith from following。 Two words in their short exchange convinced her she should wait at the church and find out what Clara Leash had to say; however。 Those words were Tabula Rasa。 She hadn't heard them spoken since her conversation with Charlie at the estate; when he'd told her how he'd been passed over for membership in favor of Oscar。 He'd made light of it at the time; and much of what he'd said had been blotted from her mind by the violence and the revelations that followed。 Now she found herself digging for recollections of what he'd said about the organization。 Something about the tainted soil of England; and her saying tainted by what?; and Charlie making some ical reply。 Now she knew what that taint was: magic。 In that bland tower the lives of the men and women whose bodies had been found in shallow graves or scraped from the rails of the Piccadilly Line had been judged and found corrupt。 No wonder Oscar was losing weight and sobbing in his sleep。 He was a member of a Society formed for the express purpose of eradicating a second; and diminishing; society; to which he also belonged。 For all his self…possession he was the servant at two masters: magic and its despoiler。 It fell to her to help him by whatever means she could。 She was his lover; an without her aid he would eventually be crushed between contrary imperatives。 And he in his turn was her ticket to Yzordderrex; without whom she would never see the glories of the Imajica。 They needed each other; alive and sane。
 She waited at the church for half an hour before Clara Leash appeared; looking fretful。
 〃Out here's no good;〃 she said。 〃Inside。〃
 They stepped into the gloomy building and sat close to the altar so as not to be overheard by the three noontime; supplicants who were at their prayers towards the back。 It was not an ideal place in which to have a whispered conversation; their sibilance carried even if the sense did not; its echoes corning back to meet them off the bare walls。 Nor was there much trust between them to begin with。 To defend herself from Clara's glare; Judith spent the early part of their exchange with her back half turned to the woman;; only facing her fully when they'd disposed of the circumlfr…cutions and she felt confident enough to ask the question most on her mind。
 〃What do you know about the Tabula Rasa?〃
 〃Everything there is to know;〃 Clara replied。 〃I was a
 member of the Society for many years。〃
 〃But they think you're dead?〃
 〃They're not far wrong。 I haven't got more than a few months left; which is why it's important I pass along what I know。〃
 〃To me?〃
 〃That depends;〃 she said。 〃First I want to know what you were doing at the tower。〃 〃I was looking for a way in。〃 〃Have you ever been inside?〃 〃Yes and no。〃
 〃Meaning what?〃
 〃My mind's been inside even though my body hasn't;〃 Judith said; fully expecting a repeat of Clara's weird little laugh in response。
 Instead; the woman said; 〃On the night of December the thirty…first。〃
 〃How the hell did you know that?〃
 Clara put her hand up to Judith's face。 Her fingers were icy cold。 〃First; you should know how I departed the Tabula Rasa。〃
 Though she told her story without embellishments; it took some time; given that so much of what she was explaining required footnotes for Judith to fully prehend its significance。 Clara; like Oscar; was the descendant of one of the Society's founding members and had been brought up to believe in its basic principles: England; tainted by magic…indeed; almost destroyed by it…had to be protected from any cult or individual who sought to educate new generations in its corrupt practices。 When Judith asked how this near destruction had e about; Clara's answer was a story in itself。 Two hundred years ago this ing midsummer; she explained; a ritual had been attempted that had gone tragically awry。 Its purpose had been to reconcile the reality of earth with those of four other dimensions。
 〃The Dominions;〃 Judith said; dropping her voice; which was already low; lower still。
 〃Say it out loud;〃 Clara replied。 〃Dominions! Dominions!〃 She only raised her voice to speaking volume; but after such a time whispering it was shockingly loud。 〃It's been a secret for too long;〃 she said。 〃And that gives the enemy power。〃
 〃Who is the enemy?〃
 〃There are so many;〃 she said。 〃In this Dominion; the Tabula Rasa and its servants。 And it's got plenty of thos …believe me; in the very highest places。〃
 〃How?〃
 〃It's not difficult; when your members are the descendants of kingmakers。 And if influence fails; you can alwa buy your way past democracy。 It's going on all the time。〃
 〃And in the other Dominions?〃
 〃Getting information's more difficult; especially now; I knew two women who regularly passed between here an the Reconciled Dominions。 One of them was found dead week ago; the other's disappeared。 She may also have been murdered…〃
 〃By the Tabula Rasa。〃
 〃You know a good deal; don't you? What's your source?〃
 Judith had known Clara would ask that question eventu…ally and had been trying to decide how she would answer it Her belief in Clara Leash's integrity grew apace; but wouldn't it be precipitous to share with a woman she'd taken for a bag lady only two hours before a secret that could be Oscar's death warrant if known to the Tabula Rasa?
 〃I can't tell you my source;〃 she said。 〃This person's ia; great danger as it is。〃
 〃And you don't trust me。〃 She raised her hand to ward
 off any protest。 〃Don't sweet…talk me!〃 she said。 〃You
 don't trust me; and why should I blame you? But let me ask
 this: Is this source of yours a man?〃
 〃Yes。 Why?〃
 〃You asked me before who the enemy was; and I said。 the Tabula Rasa。 But we've got a more obvious enemy: the opposite sex。〃
 〃What?〃
 〃Men; Judith。 The destroyers。〃
 〃Oh; now wait…〃
 〃There used to be Goddesses throughout the Dominions; Powers that took our sex's part in the cosmic drama。 They're all dead; Judith。 They didn't just die of old age。 They were systematically eradicated by the enemy。〃
 〃Ordinary men don't kill Goddesses。〃
 〃Ordinary men serve extraordinary men。 Extraordinary men get their visions from the Gods。 And Gods kill Goddesses。〃
 〃That's too simple。 It sounds like a school lesson。〃 〃Learn it; then。 And if you can; disprove it。 I'd like that; truly I would。 I'd like to discover that the Goddesses are all in hiding somewhere…〃
 〃Like the woman under the tower?〃
 For the first time in this dialogue; Clara was lost for words。 She simply stared; leaving Jude to fill the silence of her astonishment。
 〃When I said I've been into the tower in my mind; that isn't strictly true;〃 Jude said。 〃I've only been under the tower。 There's a cellar there; like a maze。 It's full of books。 And behind one of the walls there's a woman。 I thought she was dead at first; but she isn't。 She's maybe close to it; but she's holding on。〃
 Clara was visibly shaken by this account。 〃I thought I was the only one who knew she was there;〃 she said。
 〃More to the point; do you know who she is?〃
 〃I've got a pretty good idea;〃 Clara said; and picked up the story she'd been diverted from earlier: the tale of how she'd e to leave the Tabula Rasa。
 The library beneath the tower; she explained; was the most prehensive collection of manuscripts dealing with the occult sciences…but more particularly the legends and lore of the Imajica…in the world。 It had been gathered by the men who'd founded the Society; led by Roxborough and Godolphin; to keep from the hands and minds of innocent Englishmen the stain of things Imajical; but rather than cataloguing the collection…making an index of these forbidden books…generations of the Tabula Rasa had simply left them to fester。
 〃I took it upon myself to sort through the collection。 Believe it or not; I was once a very ordered woman; I got it from my father。 He was in the military。 At first I was watched by two other members of the Society。 That's the law。 No member of the Society is allowed into the library alone; and if any one judges either of the other two to be in any way unduly interested or influenced by the volum they can be tried by the Society and executed。 I don't thin it's ever been done。 Half the books are in Latin; and who reads Latin? The other half…you've seen for yourself they're rotting on their spines; like all of us。 But I wanted order; the way Daddy would have liked it。 Everything neat and tidy。
 〃My panions soon got tired of my obsession and left me to it。 And in the middle of the night I felt something 。 。 。 or somebody。 。 。 pulling at my thoughts; plucking them out of my scalp one by one; like hairs。 Of course I thought it was the books; at first。 I thought the words had got some power over me。 I tried to leave; but you know I really didn't want to。 I'd been Daddy's repressed little daughter for fifty years; and I was about ready to crack。 Celestine knew it too…〃
 〃Celestine is the woman in the wall?〃
 〃I believe it's her; yes。〃
 〃But you don't know who she is?〃
 〃I'm ing to that;〃 Clara said。 〃Roxborough's house stood on the land where the tower now stands。 The cellar is the cellar of that house。 Celestine was…indeed; still is… Roxborough's prisoner。 He walled her up because he didn't dare kill her。 She'd seen the face of Hapexamendios; the God of Gods。 She was insane; but she'd been touched〃 by divinity; and even Roxborough didn't dare lay a finger on her。〃
 〃How do you know all this?〃
 〃Roxborough wrote a confession; a few days before he died。 He knew the woman he'd walled up 

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