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Thecla looked about her before answering The examination room - our workroom - is not divided into cells, but is a unified space, pillared with the tubes of the ancient engines and cluttered with the tools of our mystery "The one to which I will be subjected - is that old too?"

"The most hallowed of all," Master Gurloes replied He waited for her to say so more, and when she did not, proceeded with his descriptions "The kite I'm certain you must be familiar with - everyone knows of it Behind it thereif you'll take a step this way you'll be able to see it betteris e call the apparatus It is supposed to letter whatever slogan is de order I see you're looking at the old post It's no more than it seeed scourge for correction It used to stand in the Old Yard, but the witches complained, and the castellan o"

"Who are the witches?"

"I'o into that now Severian can tell you when you're back in your cell"

She looked atback, eventually?" and I took advantage of my position on the side opposite Master Gurloes to clasp her icy hand

"Beyond that - "

"Wait Can I choose? Is there any way I can persuade you to do one thing instead of another?" Her voice was still brave, but weaker now

Gurloes shook his head "We have no say in the matter, Chatelaine Nor do you We carry out the sentences that are delivered to us, doing no es" E, I think We call it Allowin's necklace The client is strapped into that chair, and the pad is adjusted against his breastbone Each breath he draws thereafter tightens the chain, so that the more he breathes, the less breath he can take In theory it can go on forever, with very shallow breaths and very ss"

"How horrible What is that behind it? That tangle of wire and the great glass globe over the table?"

"Ah," said Master Gurloes "We call this the revolutionary The subject lies here Will you, Chatelaine?"

For a long moment Thecla stood poised She was taller than any of us, but with that terrible fear in her face, her height was no longer i

"If you do not," Master Gurloes continued, "our journeymen will have to force you You would not like that, Chatelaine"

Thecla whispered, "I thought you were going to show me all of them"

"Only until we reached this spot, Chatelaine It's better if the client's ain"

She lay down at once, quickly and gracefully, as I had often seen her stretch herself in her cell The straps Roche and I buckled about her were so old and cracked that I wondered if they would hold

There were cables to be wound from one part of the exanetic alea of soe insect filled the entire chaine of the tower lived again One cable was loose, and sparks as blue as burning brandy played about its bronze fittings

"Lightning," Master Gurloes said as he rammed the loose cable hoet Anyway, the revolutionary here runs by lightning It's not as if you were going to be struck, of course, Chatelaine But lightning's the thing that o"

"Severian, push up your handle there until this needle's here" A coil that had been as cold as a snake when I had touched it a moment before arm now

"What does it do?"

"I couldn't describe it, Chatelaine Anyway, I've never had it done, you see" Gurloes's hand touched a knob on the control panel and Thecla was bathed in white light that stole the color fro all h not the loudest; it see of a cartwheel She was not unconscious when the white light died Her eyes were open, staring upward; but she did not appear to seewas shallow and rapid

Roche asked, "Shall ait until she can walk?" I could see he was thinking hoard so tall a woman would be to carry

"Take her now," Master Gurloes said We got out the travail

When all my other as complete, I came into her cell to see her She was fully aware by then, though she could not stand "I ought to hate you," she said

I had to lean over her to catch the words "It's all right," I said

"But I don't Not for your sakeif I hate my last friend, ould be left?"

There was nothing to say to that, so I said nothing

"Do you knohat it was like? It was a long ti upward, toward her eyes I caught it and forced it back

"I thought I saorst ene I put clean lint there and taped it down, though I kneould soon be gone Curling, dark hairs were entangled in her fingers "Since then, I can't control my handsI can if I think about it, if I knohat they're doing But it is so hard, and I' tired" She rolled her head away and spat blood "I bite ue and lips Once ood, I will die now But I only lost consciousness, and they th, because I woke It's like that machine, isn't it?"

I said, "Allowin's necklace"

"But worse My hands are trying to blind me now, to tear my eyelids away Will I be blind?"

"Yes," I said

"How long before I die?"

"Ain you that hates you eaken as you weaken The revolutionary brought it to life, but its energy is your energy, and in the end you will die together"

"Severian"