‘My eidoscope is linked to the sentinels,’ said Muss, pulling away. ‘It enables me to see truly, even in this chaos, though the sentinels are failing now.’
‘What do you see, Muss?’ said Flydd.
‘The scrutators have survived the collapse and guard the amplimet still. You won’t easily get to either.’
‘But it is possible?’ said Flydd. ‘You can lead us to it?’
‘I believe so,’ said Muss. ‘Though even for me, the dislocation of Nennifer will not be easy to track through.’
‘What about Artisan Tiaan? Does she live?’
‘Unless she died in the dislocation. I expect I can find her.’
‘Tell me about the amplimet. What is its state?’
‘Ah!’ said Muss pregnantly. ‘Not being a mancer, surr, I cannot say.’
‘What do you know, Muss?’
‘The Council has been probing the crystal, very carefully, ever since they brought it back from Fiz Gorgo. And I understand, surr, though I’ve not been able to confirm it with my own eyes, that they’ve contained it to prevent it drawing more than a trickle of power.’
‘With ice wards,’ said Flydd. ‘But they’ve been melted; that’s how it got free.’
‘Ice was just the inner ward,’ said Muss. ‘There were outer wards as well.’
‘What were they?’ said Klarm eagerly.
‘I know no more than that,’ Muss said. ‘And beyond the wards was a circle of adepts, just in case …’
‘In case?’ said Flydd.
‘I was unable to discern the contingency they were guarding against.’
‘And you call yourself a spy,’ said Klarm.
‘The Council guards its secrets jealously,’ said Muss. ‘Though I dare say it bears upon what you’ve done to destroy Nennifer, for all that you had no idea what you were doing.’
‘Thank you, Muss,’ snapped Flydd. ‘Such speculations exceed your mandate. Lead us within, if you please.’
‘Hold just a moment,’ said Klarm. ‘I think this fellow knows more than he’s telling us. Prober Muss, pray enlarge upon your previous statement. What do you know about our doings?’
Muss glanced at Flydd but found no relief there.
‘Well?’ said Klarm. ‘What does a humble prober know about the Art?’
‘Nothing, surr,’ said Muss, his normally impassive face showing the faintest sign of discomfort.
‘Come now, Eiryn Muss,’ said Flydd. ‘Don’t treat us like fools. You’re far more than a humble prober, aren’t you?’
‘I don’t know what you mean, surr.’
‘Of course you do. One of the reasons you’re such a brilliant spy is that you have a hidden talent, in the true sense of the word. You’re a mancer too, Eiryn Muss, but of a very rare kind.’
‘I –’ Muss shook his head. ‘No, surr …’
‘You’re a morphmancer, Muss – you can take on the shape and appearance of any human, or any creature, roughly your own size. You can go anywhere, and disguise yourself as anyone, and no one will ever know it’s you.’
Muss, who had regained his self-control, scarcely reacted this time. All Nish caught was a slight tightening of the fists, a momentary flexure of the brows.
‘I can take on certain shapes and appearances, surr,’ Muss said, ‘but my essential nature remains unchanged. Therefore any ward or sentinel set against me will keep me at bay no matter how I change my shape. I tried to enter the chamber where the amplimet is held, but the sentinels would not allow it. Therefore I know not, of my own eyes, what went on in there.’
‘You just said your eidoscope was linked to the sentinels,’ said Klarm.
‘Only to read them. I can’t change their settings.’
‘What does your eidoscope tell you about what we did?’ said Flydd.
‘I believe,’ Muss said carefully, ‘though I do not know, that you managed to bypass the wards and the rings of mancers surrounding the amplimet. You melted the ice wards –’
‘That was our intention, but the ice wards had already been eaten away from within,’ said Flydd. ‘The amplimet must have done that, so it must have already woken, secretly.’
‘You forced power into the amplimet,’ said Muss, ‘allowing it to take control of the field for an instant. It lashed out, killing the ring of adepts and causing the dislocation of Nennifer, before the Council brought up another ring of ward-mancers to reinforce the wards that now contain it again.’
‘Are you sure they’ve contained it?’ said Malien, trying to sit up but failing. She lay down, cradling her head in her hands. ‘It’s under their control?’
‘For the moment,’ said Muss. ‘Though it may not remain so. Once they tire, or if Fusshte decides that there’s no more to lose …’
‘Are the Council united in this?’ said Klarm shrewdly. ‘One would have thought that Fusshte …’
‘They weren’t,’ said Muss. ‘Had you chosen subterfuge over action I would have led you inside. You might have taken advantage of their intriguing to seize control. That’s not possible now – they’re united by their fear of the amplimet. Your rash stroke has made your task far more difficult.’
‘You forget yourself, Prober!’ snapped Flydd.
‘You taught me to speak plainly,’ said Muss.
‘There’s a difference between plain speaking and insolence. Does the Council know we’re here?’
‘They must do,’ said Klarm. ‘The guards fired on us.’
‘The guards fired on a shadowy movement,’ said Muss. ‘I explained it as a mountain goat wandering onto the parade ground.’
Flydd regarded him dubiously. ‘Really?’
‘False alarms aren’t uncommon. The guards are taught to shoot on sight, then go and see what they’ve shot.’
Flydd nodded. ‘So even in this supposedly impregnable fastness the Council feels insecure. How interesting. Can you get us inside without alerting the guards?’
The spy consulted his concealed instrument. ‘The sentinels have failed now and we can get in anywhere, if we’re quick. Once the guards recover from the dislocation they’ll renew their watch on the perimeter.’
‘Very well. Lead us in, Prober, without delay.’
‘Where do you wish to be taken, surr?’ said Muss.
‘To the chamber where the amplimet is held,’ said Malien from the ground. ‘Before anything, we must put it –’
‘Can you help us?’ said Flydd. ‘Are you fit, Malien?’
‘Alas,’ she said, ‘I can’t even stand.’
‘And Yggur is still unconscious,’ said Flydd. ‘Aftersickness won’t release him today, so we can’t take on the amplimet yet.’
‘The Council are close by the warding chamber,’ said Muss.
‘And they’ll be in disarray, so we’ll try to overpower them. Only then can we attempt to deal with the crystal.’
‘Once you bring them down,’ said Malien quietly, ‘their hold on the amplimet will fail and you may not be able to control it.’
‘I can see no other way,’ said Flydd. ‘We can’t delay any longer. Where can we safely leave our disabled, Prober?’
‘There, surr,’ said Muss, indicating a corner section of wall jutting out from the front of the building. ‘It’s solid and sheltered from the wind; as safe as anywhere.’
Which isn’t saying much, Nish thought. They left Malien and Yggur inside, along with the soldier with the broken leg, plus food, drink and cloaks to cover them, and Evee to do what she could for their hurts.
‘Splendid,’ said Flydd, visibly gathering his resolve. ‘Take us within, Muss.’
TWENTY-FIVE
The stream of fleeing people had dropped to a trickle, now following an ant trail of refugees that led around to the rear of Nennifer, where there would be shelter from the biting wind.
‘This way will be quicker,’ said Muss. ‘Try not to attract attention.’
‘What about a disguise?’ said Flydd.
‘Your own mother wouldn’t recognise you under all that dust, surr.’