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.And it was doing nothing.Nothing creative, that Haplo could see.He hadtraveled the length and breadth of Drevlin with Limbeck and the WUPPers, andeverywhere he had gone he had inspected the great machine.It knocked overbuildings, it dug holes, it built new buildings, it filled in holes, it roaredand steamed and tooted and hummed and did what it did with a wondrous amountof energy.But what it was doing was nothing.Once a month, so Haplo had heard, the "Welves" came down from above in theiriron suits and their flying ships and picked up the precious substance-water.The Welves had been doing this for centuries and the Gegs had come to believethat this was the ultimate purpose of their beloved and sacred machine-toproduce water for these godlike Welves.But Haplo saw that the water wasmerely a by-product of the Kicksey-Winsey, perhaps even a waste product.Thefunction of the fabulous machine was something grander, something far moremagnificent than spitting out water to slake the thirst of the elven nation.Page 132 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlBut what that purpose was, and why the Sartan had left before it could beaccomplished, was something Haplo could not begin to fathom.There was no answer for him in the tunnels.Possibly it lay ahead.He hadlearned, as had all the Patryns, that impatience- any slip from the tightlyheld reins of control imposed upon themselves-could lead to disaster.TheLabyrinth was not kind to those with flaws.Patience, endless patience-thatwas one of the gifts the Patryns had received from the Labyrinth, though itcame to them covered with their own blood.The Gegs were excited, noisy, and eager.Haplo walked through the tunnelsafter them, making no more noise than did his shadow cast by the light of Gegglimmerglamps.The dog trotted along behind, silent and watchful as hismaster."Are you certain this is the right way?" Jarre asked more than once, when itseemed that they must be walking in endless circles.The guide Gegs assured her it was.It seemed that several years ago, theKicksey-Winsey had taken it into its mechanical head that it should open thetunnels.It had done so, punching through the ground with its iron fists andfeet.Gegs swarmed below, shoring up the walls and providing the machinesupport.Then, just as suddenly, the Kicksey-Winsey changed its mind andlaunched off in a completely new direction.These particular Gegs had beenpart of the tunnel scrift and knew them as well as they knew their own houses.Unfortunately, the tunnels were not deserted, as Haplo had hoped.The Gegs nowused them to get from one place to another, and the WUPPers on their way tothe Factree ran into large numbers of Gegs.The sight of Haplo createdexcitement, the guide Gegs felt called upon to tell everyone who he was andwho Limbeck was, and almost all the Gegs that didn't have other, more pressingbusiness, decided to follow along.Soon there was a parade of Gegs tromping through the tunnels, heading for theFactree.So much for secrecy and surprise.Haplo comforted himself with theknowledge that an army of Gegs mounted on shrieking dragons could have flownthrough the tunnel and, due to the noise of the machine, no one topside wouldbe the wiser."Here we are," shouted one Geg in a booming voice, pointing to a metal ladderleading up a shaft and into darkness.Glancing further down the tunnel, Haplocould see numerous other ladders, placed at intervals-the first time they hadcome across such a phenomenon-and he calculated that the Geg was correct.These ladders obviously led somewhere.He just hoped it was the Factree.Haplo motioned the guide Gegs, Jarre, and Limbeck to draw near him.Jarre keptthe numerous other Gegs back with a wave of her hand."What's up the ladder? How do we get into the Factree?"There was a hole in the floor, explained the Gegs, covered with a metal plate.Moving the plate allowed access to the main floor of the Factree."This Factree is a huge place," said Haplo."What part of it will I come upin? What part have they given over to the god?"There was some lengthy discussion and argument over this.One Geg had heardthat the god was in the Manger's room two floors up over the main floor of theFactree.The other Geg had heard that the god was, by orders of the HighFroman, being kept in the Bored Room."What's that?" Haplo asked patiently."It's where my trial was held," said Limbeck, his face brightening at thememory of his moment of supreme importance."There's a statue of a Mangerthere, and the chair where the High Froman sits in judgment.""Where is this place from here?"The Gegs thought it was about two more ladders down, and they all trooped inthat direction, the two guide Gegs arguing among themselves until Jarre, withan embarrassed glance at Haplo, ordered them sharply to hold their tongues."They think this is it," she said, placing her hand upon the ladder's steelrungs.Page 133 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlHaplo nodded."I'll go up first," he said as softly as he could and still makehimself heard above the roar of the machine.The guide Gegs protested.This was their adventure, they were leading, theyshould get to go up first."There might be guards of the High Froman up there," said Haplo."Or thisso-called god might be dangerous."The Gegs looked at each other, looked at Haplo, and backed away from theladder.There was no further discussion."But I want to see them!" protested Limbeck, who was beginning to feel they'dcome all this way for nothing."Shhh!" remonstrated Haplo."You will.I'm just going up to.scoutaround.Reconnoiter.I'll come back and get you when it is safe.""He's right, Limbeck, so be quiet," scolded Jarre."You'll have your chancesoon enough.It would never do for the High Froman to arrest us beforetonight's rally!"Cautioning the need for quiet-at which all the Gegs stared at him as if hewere absolutely insane-Haplo turned to the ladder."What should we do with the dog?" asked Jarre."He can't climb the ladder, andyou can't carry him."Haplo shrugged, unconcerned."He'll be all right, won't you, dog?" Leaningdown, he patted the animal on the head."You stay, dog, all right? Stay."The dog, mouth open and tongue lolling, plopped itself down on the floor and,ears cocked, looked around with interest.Haplo began his ascent, climbing the ladder slowly and carefully, allowing hiseyes time to adjust to the increasing darkness as he moved out of the brightlight of the glimmerglamps.The climb was not long.Soon he was able to seepinpoints of the glimmerglamp light below him, reflecting off a metal surfaceabove.Reaching the plate, he put his hand on it and cautiously and gently pushed.Itgave way smoothly and easily and, he was thankful to note, quietly.Not thathe was anticipating trouble.He wanted this chance to observe these "gods"without them observing him.Thinking regretfully that, in the old days, thethreat-or the promise-of danger would have caused the dwarves to clamor up theladders in droves, Haplo cursed the Sartan beneath his breath, silently liftedthe plate, and peered out.The glimmerglamps lit the Factree brighter than a Geg day.Haplo could seeclearly and he was pleased to note his guides had judged correctly.Directlyin his line of vision stood a tall statue of a robed and hooded figure.Lounging around the statue were three people.They were human-two men and achild.That much Haplo could tell at a glance.But the Sartan were also ofhuman derivation.He inspected each one closely, though he was forced to admit to himself thathe would not be able to tell, simply by looking, if these humans were Sartanor not.One man sat beneath the statue, in its shadow.Clad in plain clothing,he appeared to be of middle age, with thinning, receding hair that emphasizeda domed, protruding forehead, and a lined, careworn face
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