‘How many did you save, Mach?’ he asked.
Bonin shook his head, his eyes lifeless.
‘Twenty… maybe thirty…’ he said. ‘Any we could.’
Gaunt squeezed his shoulder.
He rose and faced the cowering survivors.
‘The Saint’s here,’ he said. ‘The darkness is going to end. We’ve come to get you out.’
‘There are no stairs…’ Yerolemew mumbled.
‘There are now,’ the Beati assured him. ‘Stairs, a door, and light above. You have endured great horror, but you have remained strong. The Emperor has protected you.’
‘Not enough,’ said Bonin. ‘Not nearly enough. We tried, but…’
‘I need these people led up out of here,’ said Gaunt. ‘Fast. Now. Sancto?’
The Scion frowned. ‘I will serve your word without question, my Lord Executor,’ he said, ‘except in this one way. My primary oath is to protect you. I will not leave your side.’
Gaunt looked him in the eye. Sancto did not flinch. Gaunt didn’t like him, but he had to admire the man’s steel discipline and devotion.
‘Can they all walk?’ he asked. ‘Can you all walk?’
He was answered by moans and weak affirmative noises.
‘All right,’ said Gaunt. ‘Perday, Beltayn? Lead them out and up the stairs. Have them link hands. Take them all, one of you at the front, one at the rear. Yes, like children, Bel. Get them out and get them to the nearest medicae hall.’
‘Level three,’ said Hark.
‘Now, while the walls stay where they are,’ said Gaunt.
‘Mach? Sergeant major? Luhan?’ Gaunt looked at the three shell-shocked Ghosts. ‘Bel’s in charge. Just follow him. No arguments. Follow him, and do as he tells you. You’re walking wounded. You’re also brave as feth.’
Bonin nodded dumbly.
Beltayn took his hand and began to lead the line of shuffling, blank-eyed survivors out.
Daur looked at Bonin as he passed.
‘Elodie?’ he asked.
‘She… she was on the stairs,’ said Bonin in an empty voice. ‘I didn’t see her after that.’
The long line of survivors snaked out. Sancto’s team covered them until they had cleared the hallway.
‘It didn’t get them all,’ said Laksheema. ‘It’s still hungry, then.’
‘Agreed,’ said the Beati.
They waited until the survivors had walked clear, then exited the chamber where Bonin and the others had concealed and protected them, following the hall deeper into the undercroft. Blood stains flecked the whitewash in places, bloody hand prints smeared across the stonework.
The hall narrowed and dropped down by way of six stone steps. Flood water lapped at the steps, knee deep. The saint didn’t hesitate. They waded after her through the chill water and through an arch into another large billet. This one was vaulted, with stone pillars supporting the bowed ceiling. Pieces of bedding and splinters of wood floated on the gently rocking surface of the flood. An empty mess tin. A child’s toy.
‘It’s close by,’ said Laksheema.
The scratching and buzzing had grown louder. Curth looked down at the water around her legs, and saw that the surface was trembling as if subject to microvibration interference patterns.
They fanned out, weapons ready, leaving little frothing wakes behind them. Curth stayed with Daur.
Sancto suddenly swept his weapon around, aiming.
Yoncy was standing ahead of them, several metres away. She stared at them with big, frightened eyes. The water came up to her thighs and she was soaked, her clothes clinging to her. She hugged herself for warmth, her flesh pink with cold.
‘Papa Gaunt?’ she said.
Gaunt pushed Sancto’s aim up.
He stepped towards Yoncy.
‘Yoncy? Are you all right? Are you alone here?’
Yoncy nodded, her teeth chattering.
‘I got lost,’ she said. ‘The bad shadow was here.’
Curth splashed over to join Gaunt. They approached Yoncy together.
‘How is she still alive?’ Laksheema called out.
‘Same way as Bonin and the others,’ snapped Hark.
‘Alone?’ asked Laksheema.
Gaunt waded towards Yoncy, who held out her hands to be picked up.
Curth caught his arm.
‘She was giggling. We heard her,’ she said.
‘So?’ he asked.
‘The offspring of the Great Master,’ said Curth. ‘What Laksheema said. A daughter. Born on Verghast.’
Gaunt looked at her, and then back at the child stretching out its arms to him.
‘This is Major Kolea’s child?’ asked Laksheema suddenly.
‘Yes,’ said Hark.
‘It is possible the signal may be interpreted in a number of ways,’ said Laksheema. She strode forwards, the water rippling around her long gown. ‘Lord Executor–’
‘Yoncy,’ said Gaunt. ‘Listen to me, Yonce. Why were you laughing? What made you laugh?’
‘Because it’s time, silly,’ she said. ‘Papa says it’s time. I didn’t want it to be, but he says it is. The bad shadow won’t wait any longer.’
A low whine began, like a bone saw cycling up to full power. Violent ripples radiated out across the water from Yoncy Kolea, and out through the air around her as subspace membranes cracked and buckled.
Curth screamed. Gaunt just put himself in front of her.
Yoncy was no longer Yoncy. A stifling darkness whirled out of her as though a dead star had blinked anti-light. She fractured and rearranged in a neat but complex fractal fashion, folding like some intricate, hinged puzzle. Her smile was the last thing to disappear.
What took her place was still her. It was also the most abominable thing any of them would ever see.
Fourteen: Truth and Other Lies
‘This is grim, there’s no way to pretend it isn’t,’ said Kolea as they waded along.
‘Your little girl, she’ll be all right,’ said Blenner beside him. ‘I’m sure of it, major.’
He didn’t sound convinced. In the half-light, Kolea could see Blenner’s stressed body-language, as if he was trying to flee into himself because there was nowhere else left to go.
‘I appreciate you trying to sound encouraging, Vaynom,’ he said.
‘Well, that’s what commissars are for,’ said Blenner, his laugh empty.
‘That and other things.’
Blenner sighed. His breathing had sped up. ‘Comes with the territory,’ he said.
‘Must be hard though, that first time?’
‘I don’t want to think about it,’ said Blenner.
‘Sorry,’ said Kolea. ‘We should keep our chins up.’
Blenner nodded. ‘I’m… I’m finding that hard these days, major,’ he replied.
‘Sometimes you just need someone to talk to,’ said Kolea. ‘A friend. You know? Otherwise, those things can build up inside. Lock a man’s mind down. Make him do stupid things.’
‘Things?’
‘I’ve known men fall apart,’ said Kolea. ‘Turn to drink. Or abuse pharms. Just to keep the daemons inside.’
‘Pharms?’
‘There’s always a way back, Vaynom. You just have to open up and talk.’
‘I wish–’ Blenner began.
‘What?’
‘I wish you hadn’t just said “daemons”,’ he said.
Kolea smiled. ‘Vaynom?
‘Yes?’
‘Earlier on… you remember? When I first came down into the billet. You were going to tell me something.’
‘Was I?’ asked Blenner. ‘I don’t recall.’
‘I do,’ said Kolea. ‘If I ever saw a man who was going to lift a burden off his shoulders, it was you then. What was it?’
Blenner didn’t reply for a moment. Then a little crushed squeak came out of him.