Still grinning, Edeard grabbed his friend's shoulder and dragged him aside as Kanseen came through; little whimpering sounds burping out of her throat as her arms windmilled furiously. She looked round in astonishment. 'This is incredible. It's… I had no idea this existed.
Edeard caught her arm and just managed to pull her out of the way of Dinlay's feet. Dinlay's eyes were screwed up shut behind his glasses.
'Waaaahoooo, Macsen yelled wildly as he dropped through the roof of the tunnel.
Edeard faced his friends, still unable to wipe the grin off his face. He'd rarely sensed their minds so unguarded; but surprise had left them too jittery to veil their emotions as usual. 'So, he drawled. 'You must have been keeping these tunnels from me, what with you city natives knowing everything there is to know about your own home.
'You bastard, Macsen said happily. 'What is this?
'This is the tunnel under the Great Major Canal, every canal has one.
'But how…? Dinlay was blinking up at the roof of the tunnel, his farsight probing the substance to try and find where they'd come through.
'I'm the Waterwalker, Edeard told them. 'Remember?
'Seriously, Kanseen asked with a noticeable edge in her voice. 'How did we get here?
'I'm not sure, exactly. I just ask the city, and it lets me through.
'You. Just. Ask. The. City.
'Yep, he said, faintly apologetic.
'After today, you have a lot more explaining to do.
Edeard sobered up. 'Then let's get today over with.
Their mood followed his down to a more sombre level. He started to walk along the tunnel towards Forest Pool. 'The fish smoking business is only one street back from Pink Canal.
'So you do have a plan then? Macsen said.
'Yes. The way we come down reverses. The five of us will slide up into the cellars close to where Mirnatha is being held.
'You said there's ten of them?
'At least. I'm worried the kidnapper is there as well. He can conceal himself, so we'll never know for sure until we're there. The first thing they'll do at any sign of rescue is kill Mirnalha.
It won't matter how clever I've been finding her, or how good we are at sneaking up on them if she's dead at the end of it all.
'Why go up there at all? Kanseen asked. 'Just ask the city to let her fall down here.
'First off, she's shackled to the wall. We'd have to break the chains, and even I can't do that from down here. Secondly, there's no tunnel directly underneath her cellar, not even a drain. We're going to have to come up in the one next to hers.
'Crap, Boyd muttered.
'We go up concealed, Edeard said. 'If I can get into the cellar where they're keeping her, my third hand should be able to protect her from bullets. It's going to be up to you to cover my back.
They splashed across the shallow basin that emulated Forest Pool high above. Edeard could just farsight people gathering along the sides of the canals. Children with their flower boats, eager to launch them. Adults still seething over Mirnatha.
'How many in her cellar? Kanseen asked.
'Two that I can sense. He still wasn't sure about the kidnapper. The cellar had many old crates and lengths of wood as well as a couple of small benches. If anyone with a concealment was sitting on them he couldn't tell. Certainly the cellar floor had no current memory of anyone else standing on it. It would take a long time to filter through the day's memories.
'How are you going to get to her, then?
'Brute force. As soon as we're all up there, I make a run for the door. I can smash through it and get in front of her, where I can protect her. Then I just hang on while you take the others out.
'And if it goes wrong?
'Then we're all dead, and Makkathran has to find someone else to campaign against the gangs.
Kanseen gave him a disapproving grin. 'You're going to make a terrible Chief Constable. Grand Councillors are supposed to be smooth and subtle.
'You can teach me. You'll have a hundred years, after all.
'No, she said. 'You move quicker than that.
Edeard led them along Pink Canal tunnel, then off into the drain fissure until they were standing underneath the cellar closest to where Mirnatha was being held captive.
'I can sense her, Kanseen said excitedly. 'The poor thing's terrified.
'Everyone ready? Edeard asked.
When they assured him they were, he said: 'I think I can do this so we all go up together. Remember, keep yourself concealed until they know I'm there, then take them out. And for the Lady's sake don't call out. You're not actually falling, it only feels like it.
'Wait, Boyd said. 'It feels like we're falling when we're going up,
'Yes. And no; I don't know why.
Macsen clicked the safety catch off his pistol. 'Let's just go. See you all up there.
'All right, Edeard said. He concealed himself, and waited until the others had vanished from his sight, then told the city to take them up.
The cellar he slid up into was barely high enough for him to stand upright. It was a simple oblong box of a room, with dark walls inset with narrow alcoves, and a shallow vaulted ceiling of lierne ribs. Ancient fishing nets and tishcrab cages were piled up along one wall. One doorway opened on to a spiral stair up to the smoking caverns above. The kidnappers were sitting at two wooden tables in front of it, slowly consuming a quantity of food. There was no beer or wine, just water, Edeard saw. Whoever had organized this had chosen well. These men had a ruthless discipline; they'd use the pistols resting on the table without a qualm. Just standing among them made him worry for the squad.
One of them started to look round the room, frowning. 'Did you hear something?
Edeard made for the half-open door. He wiggled his way round through the gap, not daring to breathe. Behind him, the kidnappers were picking their pistols off the table. Powerful longtalk voices were directing questions at the guards upstairs.
Edeard looked along the low corridor. The smell of fish and oak-smoke was heavy in the air. Directly opposite him was a door to the cellar where Mirnatha was being held. It was made from tyewood planks three inches thick, with iron hinges that had recently been re-set in the walls. There were heavy bolts on either side, and both sets were drawn shut. He braced himself against the wall, summoned up the full strength of his third hand, then leapt forwards.
His concealment dropped as he was halfway across the corridor. The door burst apart as he smashed it with his third hand, putting up no more resistance than if it had been made of glass.
A shout in the cellar behind: 'Hey! as their farsight caught him. Then he was through the smashed door, and folding his third hand protectively round the dazed little girl.
Three pistol shots boomed out behind him, appallingly loud in the confines of the underground chambers. His farsight caught Kanseen flicker into view behind one of the kidnappers sitting at the table. He was rising to his feet. Kanseen's pistol was aimed at the back of his skull. She pulled the trigger, and his face exploded outwards in a spray of gore. Kanseen vanished again. Dinlay was firing into the side of another kidnapper; his mind ablaze with rage and fear. He vanished. Macsen appeared on the other side of the cellar.
Edeard's pistol was swinging round to line up on one of the two men guarding Mirnatha as he charged across the cellar. It was hardly a perfect aim, but he fired anyway, getting off four shots. More pistol shots echoed round him. Shouts and longtalk howls behind him created a bedlam of white-noise. The guard he'd shot at grunted in shock, and stared down at his tunic to see a huge stain of blood spreading across his chest. Two bullets punched Edeard, knocking him to one side. One bullet hit his third hand directly above Mirnatha's head. Then he was squashed up against her, closing his arms round her shaking shoulders as she screamed a soprano wail that never ended. More pistol shots. One slammed into his neck — fired by the uninjured guard. Edeard reached out with his third hand, his strength shoving through the man's own shield. He ripped at the man's brain. The skull cracked, blood pulsed out of his ears as he crumpled to the ground.