Eighth Circle

The waves were beginning to white cap. That told you about wind speed and wind speed is important when you are sailing a boat. Bryn had never sailed one like it before. He was reminded of boats in photographs of his village before The Fall. It was a pleasure boat.

The people of Elm Grove enjoyed the good things of life. The entire area was designated for special treatment by the guardians. It was famous because of its prison but that was just one of the many facilities the guardians had there. Elm Grove was where they manufactured the high-tech equipment needed to run their evil empire.

Most people were well-off and those at the top were highly privileged. Being a factory manager or senior government officer meant being a surrogate. Many were prepared to pay that price. They had been duped into thinking it was a great honour to have a microchip implanted in their brains so they could become the arms and legs of a great collective consciousness controlled by heads in jars.

Elm Grove had been targeted by Plaid Koerno for special treatment. It was the guardians' power base and they planned to knock it out. But knocking out Elm Grove was no easy task. The entire area was crawling with trolls. There were all sorts and all of them were lethal.

That was why the meeting with Crispin was so important. He had hinted at a major breakthrough. But there was no way of telling what that breakthrough was until they could speak to him. If his enthusiasm was justified they could be close to delivering a decisive blow.

Liala sat in the rear of the boat. Her green hair was hidden by the hood of her padded coat. She wore lipstick and eye shadow and her face was heavily powdered like the girls in town. The coat reached to her knees and the padding made her look dumpy. That was what she wanted. It hid her slim athletic figure ... but it also made her uncomfortably hot.

She undid the toggle buttons and faced into the wind. Elm Grove was stretched out along the coast. It was more an area than a city. Public buildings were grouped around the main harbour. The factories and the prison camp were on the outskirts, far to the west. Everything was neat and well kept.

The factories and prison looked modern but everything else was built in the style that had been popular a hundred years or so before The Fall. Some of the buildings were big. Others were more modest. All were pleasant and set in pleasant surroundings.