Chapter 44

“I thought she was never going to go.”

“Miss Dru says Dryden is ingratiating himself with Ferdinand.” Tresilian ran a hand through his hair. “I expect we’d best avoid discussing anything with him.”

“If Ferdinand learns enough about their weapon and finds a way to steal it, he’ll take it to the S.O.R. and they will use it. Otherwise, he’ll offer loyalty to the Atlanteans. Either way the world loses out by falling under the dominion of the Atlanteans or the S.O.R. Freedom and democracy will be sacrificed on the altar of absolute power. You can’t have educated people with access to information and reading without censure. That creates a society that wants to think for itself. The majority will therefore be kept downtrodden, as ignorant as the rulers desire, too wrapped up in the hardships of daily life to remember what’s been taken from them.”