Part One Lilit was troubled because murder, though not unheard of in Gardenland, was not an action to be getting over likely. Sitting in the seclusion of her little office, she opened herself to the memories of previous cases, which had occurred, trying to learn from them what to do and how to act in this case.
There was that young woman, she recalled, who could not bear the suffering of the old member of her Family; she gave him a potion without consulting either a physician or her co-parents, to relieve him of his suffering. Lilit was acting as a local Councilor at the time, and, since the incident occurred at a different locality from her own, she had had no authority over the matter. It was solved, she found out without the need for her personal intervention.
Another case was more serious, and, like in the present instance, had become a matter for the High Council; again, it was out of Lilit's hand, though she took an interest in the event and its outcome. It concerned a young man, whose problems had grown with him from childhood and erupted at the Youth Hall. He was what might be called a charismatic man, who had had a lot of influence over weak-minded youngsters; at the Hall he led a small gang, who disrupted the place, pestered the inhabitants and in the end, caused the death of a girl...
Lilit paused in her thoughts. Memories assailed her, stories from her predecessors and from her successors to endless generations; her peculiar telepathic ability bringing her in touch with them through Time and Space, enabling her to see backward and forward. In combination with all these generations, she was eternal, still living each moment of her life - being all-embracing on the one hand, caring for the individual on the other.
She was continuity incarnate, keeping the memories of her close and far ancestors and descendants. She had lived through the Earth's devastation, helped the recovery of its survivors and build Gardenland; she was part of it all being watcher, leader and protector, all at the same time. If Gaia, the spirit of the Earth, was the foundation on which Gardenland was built, then Lilit, the ancient spirit of Wisdom and Judgment, was the axis around which its human life revolved.
When his evidence was finished, Ben was taken back home by the two elderly people he had been staying with since the incident. These people, who formed a temporary trio with their patient, looked professionally after people who found themselves in similar trouble - though they did not usually end up as murderers. Ben was not considered dangerous, not even to himself; all he required was some personal attention to his needs, rather than punishments for an act he was unlikely to repeat. It was obvious that his separation from Nan was punishment enough as it was.
