The Illusionists Read Online Free Page A

knowledge of its citizens, everything it’s ever achieved, resides in Life. Isn’t that incredible? Everyone with access to the same knowledge – no more elitism, no more barriers because of where you live or what family name you have or how much money you have, like in Angle Tar. Everyone with the same advantages, the same choices.’
    It was a fairy tale. It was everything that Angle Tar was not.
    â€˜Let’s turn to languages,’ said Wren, lifting his hands and playing them on an invisible piano.
    â€˜What are you doing?’
    â€˜Looking through my personal account. You won’t see what I see because Life recognises my signature and shows some things only to me. I’ll show you how to access your account, though it’ll be empty at the moment, of course. Ah!’
    With a pleased look, Wren lifted his hand up and withdrew, from thin air, a long, blue rod that glowed pleasantly.
    â€˜This is the World language. My manager got it a few hours ago and sent it through to me.’
    Rue stared at the rod. It looked alive.
    â€˜What do you do with that?’
    â€˜It’s just a data stick,’ said Wren, waving it. Its glow left blue trails in the air. ‘It only exists in Life. I want you to take it, and push it into your head.’
    Rue laughed nervously.
    Wren nodded.
    â€˜No,’ she said. ‘That’s  …  stupid.’
    â€˜I know it sounds it, but trust me. I can’t push it into my head to show you – I’d use it up and we’d have to get you another one, which would be impossible anyway. Just  …  take it. And press it against your head. Then slide it in.’
    â€˜You do it,’ said Rue, feeling a horrible urge to laugh again and swallowing it. She had a feeling Wren wouldn’t appreciate it. His face was quite serious.
    â€˜All right. If you trust me.’
    â€˜I do, of course I do.’
    Wren shifted up closer to her and she gazed at the rod.
    â€˜It’s humming,’ she said. ‘Is it meant to do that?’
    â€˜All data makes a sound in Life, don’t worry.’
    â€˜It’s warm.’
    â€˜That’s so it feels pleasant when you have to absorb it.’
    The sensation of the rod next to her skin was strange because it didn’t correspond to what she was seeing. Against her, it felt like a leaf of paper, but when she looked at it, she could see its thickness, its weight.
    â€˜It tickles,’ she said.
    â€˜It will do a lot more than that. Ready?’
    â€˜Yes.’
    It slid into her head.
    The blue glow that gently suffused the room sharpened to a point, and the point was piercing the side of her skull. It was not painful, exactly. It was more as if her brain had been thrown into a jug of bubbling water. The shock shut her down. She couldn’t remember with any certainty afterwards whether she had been able to think throughout the whole thing, to wonder at what was happening. It was a shame, somehow.
    She felt a hand touch the side of her face.
    â€˜What?’ she said. A part of her was momentarily delighted that she still had the ability to speak.
    â€˜That’s it.’
    Rue looked around. Her head was too slow, as if it had trouble catching up with the rest of her.
    â€˜Thassit?’ she said.
    â€˜It’ll take a few hours to integrate properly with your brain. And it’ll work a lot better after you’ve had some sleep.’
    â€˜Can we talk World now, then?’
    â€˜Not yet, my Rue. But very soon. A few hours.’
    â€˜I can sleep now.’
    Wren grabbed hold of her arm. Without really being aware of it, she had started to fall sideways towards the bed.
    â€˜No, no,’ he said. ‘You shouldn’t sleep yet. It might not sit right. You need to stay awake as long as you can.’
    â€˜Sleep,’ she insisted without any strength. Her head felt enormously heavy and unbalanced. It was the weight of all that