He located the object he’d tripped on. He shone his light down.
A face stared up at him out of the filthy water. Overseer Taskane. Baskevyl jerked back.
‘Throne,’ he gasped.
‘Bask?’
‘I’ve found Taskane. He’s dead.’
‘Dead?’
Baskevyl swung the light around. There were other shapes in the water. Other bodies. Munitorum overalls.
‘Bask?’ Blenner called. ‘How can he be dead?’
‘They’re all dead. I can see all of them. The whole crew.’
‘How can they be dead? Did they drown?’
‘No,’ said Baskevyl. He rose slowly, weapon braced in his dripping hands. ‘They were killed.’
‘How do you know that?’
‘Because not a single one of them is intact,’ Baskevyl replied. ‘They’ve been torn apart.’
Ten: Woe
‘Down here?’ asked Curth, dubiously.
‘That’s right,’ said Hark. He led her off the well-lit palace hallway and down a broad flight of steps, Trooper Perday at their heels.
‘They gave us the palace cellars,’ said Hark, walking briskly. ‘The undercroft.’
‘It’s quite cosy, really,’ remarked Perday. ‘Except, you know, in the dark. It really is black when the lights go.’
‘Only the best for the Tanith First,’ said Curth.
‘As usual,’ Hark replied with a nod.
They reached a large and heavy set of doors. The area was bare and whitewashed, with simple rush matting on the floor. Overhead, old lumen globes burned in iron holders.
‘You close the doors when you came up, Perday?’ asked Hark.
‘No, sir.’
‘I thought they were bringing the retinue out?’ said Curth. ‘Where are they?’
‘Maybe they have the problem sorted,’ said Hark.
‘Well, the lights are on,’ said Curth.
‘Up here,’ said Perday quietly.
Hark gripped the door handle and turned it. Then he rattled it hard.
‘Come on, Viktor,’ said Curth wearily.
‘It won’t open,’ said Hark.
‘Stop messing around.’
‘I’m not,’ said Hark, and rattled the door again.
Curth looked at him. She could see the bewilderment on his face.
‘Is it locked?’
‘No. There’s no lock. Bolts on the inside.’
‘Who would draw those and lock us out?’ Curth asked.
Hark shook the doors again. They wouldn’t budge. He hammered his fist against the heavy wooden panels.
‘Hello? Hello in there!’ he yelled.
There was no reply. Hark hammered again.
‘Open the damn door!’ he yelled. ‘This is Hark! Open it up!’
He waited.
‘Can you hear that?’ asked Curth.
‘Hear what?’
‘Viktor, I can hear someone crying. A child…’
Curth stepped to the door and pressed her ear against the wood.
‘It’s really faint. Far away. There’s a child crying down there.’
She tried the handle herself, then yelled. ‘Hello? Hello? Who’s in there? Can you hear me?’
She looked at Hark.
‘We need to break this down,’ she said.
Gaunt and Van Voytz stood watching the Beati. She was standing at the railing, looking down at the seething activity of the palace war room. Then she tilted her head back and gazed up at the high ceiling of the huge chamber.
‘What’s she doing, Ibram?’ Van Voytz asked.
‘I don’t know,’ replied Gaunt. ‘Waiting. Listening…’
‘Listening?’
‘I trust her instincts,’ Gaunt replied. ‘If she thinks there’s something wrong… senses it… then…’
‘Should we go to an alert?’ Van Voytz asked. ‘Inform the warmaster and the others? If an attack is imminent–’
‘She said it was here. Right here.’
‘Then all the more reason,’ Van Voytz began.
They heard voices behind them, and turned. Sancto’s team was letting Beltayn and Gaunt’s tactical cabinet into the gallery room. It was getting crowded in there. Kazader was still present, along with the Beati’s deputies. Inquisitor Laksheema and Colonel Grae had also arrived a few minutes earlier.
‘I’ll go and talk to them,’ said Gaunt. ‘Barthol, I don’t want to cause an uproar. The Beati is mercurial to say the least, and her insight isn’t always true. But let’s play it safe. Alert the Palace Watch. Then round up any high command in the building. Tzara’s here, I think, also Lugo and Urienz.’‘I think everyone else is already in the field,’ said Van Voytz. ‘Grizmund, Blackwood, Cybon, Kelso–’
‘I think you’re right. Just get the seniors assembled and aware. Tell them to get all the strengths they have in the Great Hill zone brought to secondary order. Tell Urienz to take charge of the war room… no. No, scratch that. You take charge of the war room. Lock us down, bring us to order and watch for anything. Anything, Barthol.’
‘Right.’
‘Send Urienz to inform the warmaster we may have a situation on site. He’ll receive Urienz more readily than you.’
Van Voytz nodded.
‘Tell Urienz that comes direct from me,’ said Gaunt.
‘I will.’
‘Good. This could be a chance to demonstrate your mettle again,’ Gaunt said.
‘That had occurred to me, Ibram,’ Van Voytz replied, ‘but I rather hope that it won’t be, for all our sakes.’
He made the sign of the aquila, and strode away.
Gaunt stepped off the gallery walk into the screened glass box of the briefing room.
‘What’s happening?’ Laksheema asked immediately.
‘The Saint has a presentiment of danger,’ Gaunt began.
‘Are our assets compromised?’ the inquisitor asked.
‘No,’ said Gaunt. ‘I have strengths moving in to secure them both as we agreed. The Saint’s feeling is that the danger is here.’
‘What sort of danger?’ asked Kazader.
‘She can’t be specific yet,’ said Gaunt.
‘Can’t be specific?’ Kazader asked scornfully.
‘I’ve raised the ready status of the palace, and the garrison is coming to secondary–’ Gaunt began.
‘But she can’t be specific?’ Kazader cut in.
‘Her visions are not always particular,’ said Sariadzi. ‘We must give her time to focus–’
Kazader looked at her, his eyes narrowed.
‘I think this is ridiculous,’ he said. ‘If there’s a threat, we deal with it. If not, this is dangerous foment. Scaremongering. Are we really just going to wait for some peasant girl to–’
Auerben had to hold Sariadzi back.
‘That’s enough!’ Gaunt snapped. ‘Not in here. Not anywhere. Kazader, step out. Go get your men ready. There will be a reprimand on your record for that.’
Kazader glared at Gaunt, then saluted and walked out.
Gaunt looked at the rest. ‘I’ve brought you here to consult and assist. Colonel Grae and the inquisitor are party to the most delicate confidences attached to the Urdesh situation. Biota, you and your staff need to be aware so you can support me.’
Biota nodded. The two tacticians with him were solemn and silent.
‘Where’s Merity?’ Gaunt asked, an afterthought. ‘I thought she was with you?’
‘Mr Biota excused her, sir,’ said Beltayn. ‘She’s gone down to the undercroft. Commissar Fazekiel wanted to ask her a few more questions about the Low Keen incident.’
‘She’s down there now?’
‘Went down a little while ago, sir.’
‘Alone?’
‘She has an appointed Scion with her, my lord,’ said Biota.
Gaunt nodded. ‘Right. Let’s run over what we know. Starting with the Beati’s sense that there’s a–’
Gaunt broke off. Through the room’s glass door he saw Ban Daur arrive, and exchange words with Sancto. Sancto gestured to the room. Daur said something else. Sancto turned and looked through the glass at Gaunt.