Ventus by Karl Schroeder

Karl Schroeder / Ventus / Page 491
desal 447?"
"Yes."
"Then we’re back to where we were before. We’ll tell
you what we know, if you get us out of here." The thing
already seemed willing to tell them anything they asked.
"That is acceptable," said the desal.
Far off to the left, the light behind some salt pillars began
to flicker. "Mediation directs you to the highway," said the
desal, or Mediation or whatever it was that was speaking.
Tamsin raised an eyebrow. "Highway?"
Jordan was pretty sure he knew what that was from
Galas’ cryptic description; maybe it was best not to tell
Tamsin. "A way out," he said.
They moved in the direction of the flickering. It was like
negotiating a maze, for stalactites and stalagmites of salt grew
everywhere, and mounds of the stuff frequently blocked their
progress.
The walk only took a few minutes, but Jordan
remembered every detail of it for the rest of his life. It was in
those few minutes of conversation with the desal that he finally
learned who he was to the Winds.
"Why do the Swans want you?" asked Mediation.
"Ka told me it’s because I’m not empty, so I might
`threaten thalience’, whatever that means."
"You register as a transmitter/receiver in the Worldnet,"
said Mediation. "You have the same characteristics as a
Wind."
"You mean because I can command the mecha."
"Yes."
"So what exactly is thalience?"
"Mediation wishes to speak of other things. So
Mediation will quote from an ancient human book. The