Part 22 (1/2)

Skender smelled someone large and male coming out of the darkness, arms spread wide to capture him. His paralysis broke. He ducked and ran for the door, feet scrabbling on dirt. His would-be captor laughed again but made no move to follow. Only as Skender reached the door did he realise why.

A foot kicked out of the darkness and tripped him before he sensed a second person waiting for him. He fell heavily and skidded across the floor, into a wall. Stars exploded behind his eyes. He tried weakly to right himself and to run but was too slow and stunned. Strong hands went over his mouth and under his left armpit. With a grunt of effort, his captor lifted him up and carried him away.

The Letter.

*In cultures where blood is valued, the dead are frequently drained of fluids before interment.

The liquid remains are preserved in perpetuity by any means available: in ornate vials, sacred ponds, vase-like reliquaries or even private lakes; or, where water is not readily available, the remains may be carefully dried and placed in urns, for even dust retains a measure of potency.'

THE BOOK OF TOWERS, EXEGESIS 28:9.

F.

lash your headlamps,' said Chu, leaning over Banner's shoulder as they approached the city Wall. *That way they'll know we're not ghosts.'

The vast expanse of stone threw the sound of snarling engines back at them as the convoy approached. Surrounded on three sides by steep cliffs and the Wall ahead, she was already feeling closed in. The renewed threat of the man'kin - a second wave coming in from the east - lent the situation an urgency that was alarmingly real. If the Laureans didn't let them through in time, they would be caught between sentient rocks and a very hard place.

The warden followed Chu's suggestion. The lower lines of giant charms reinforcing the Wall's mighty stone blocks stood out sharply when the light returned. Giant circles overlapped squares and triangles with bold, thick strokes in a variety of colours, combining to form a single, sprawling pattern. She could see where other, now faded, signs had once done the same job but been painted over down the years. Their intricacies appealed to her.

Far above her, at the summit of the enormous stone edifice, a light flashed back.

*Well, that's a start,' Chu said. She didn't sound especially relieved. They had tried attracting the attention of flyers far above, but s.h.i.+lly couldn't tell how successful they had been. The closer Chu got to the city, the more nervous she became. *Keep going, right up to the base of the Wall, and let's see what they do.'

*Is there a chance they won't let us in at all?' asked Banner.

*A small one,' Chu admitted. *It's not as if people come this way very often. At all, actually; the usual entrance is on the far side of the city. I don't know what they'll make of us.'

*Great,' said the warden. *You could've told us this before we left.'

*It didn't seem relevant. Given time, I'm sure we can convince them.'

s.h.i.+lly glanced behind her, unable to make out the man'kin on their tail through the headlights of the buses. Time was something they definitely didn't have much of.

The buggy bounced over a series of deep ruts in the baked-hard earth then skidded to a halt in front of the Wall. A cloud of dust enveloped them as Banner swept the beams of the headlights across the impeccable stonework. Mighty grey slabs formed a vertical, mortarless barrier that curved for a hundred metres on either side. It seemed to bulge inward, but Chu a.s.sured her that it looked the same on the far side. The Wall was thickest, therefore, where it met the sides of the Divide, and thinner - relatively speaking - in the middle. She wondered if it was hollow. The top was too far away to make out in the darkness.

*Over there,' said Tom, pointing, the first to notice the gate. Banner accelerated for it, jerking s.h.i.+lly back into her seat. The gate was an unprepossessing metal hatch three metres square with hinges that looked strong enough to withstand the end of the world. A circle with an X through it stood out in faded red paint.

Red, thought s.h.i.+lly: the colour of ancient deserts and Stone Mages. The colour of blood.

A s.h.i.+ver of apprehension went through her at the thought of the Blood t.i.the.

Chu jumped out of the buggy as soon as it came to a halt. Tom and Banner weren't far behind. s.h.i.+lly limped stiffly after them, squinting in the brightness of the headlights focused on the forbidding portal.

Chu banged on it. *Open up!' she cried. *Let us in!'

There was no immediate reply from within.

*h.e.l.lo? I know you're listening. We haven't got all night!'

The two buses chugged to a halt behind them, adding yet more light and dust to the scene.

*What's going on?' asked Marmion, jogging up to them. *Why isn't the gate open?'

*Give them a moment,' said Chu, s.h.i.+fting from foot to foot. *Someone must be on duty. They might have forgotten how to -'

*STATE YOUR NAME,' boomed a voice from the hatch. Tom, who had been examining the hinges closely, jumped backwards into s.h.i.+lly. She barely kept her balance.

*My name is Chu Milang,' said Chu with a pained expression. The voice from the other side of the hatch was loud enough to physically hurt.

*WHO? SAY THAT AGAIN.'

*Stop shouting! I'm Chu Milang and I'm a miner. Check with the Magister if you don't believe me.'

*WHAT ARE YOU DOING OUT THERE?' asked the voice at a slightly reduced volume. It seemed to be coming from the hatch itself.

*Trying to get in. What do you think I'm doing? Open the door and let us through!'

*I DON'T HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO DO THAT.'

*Who does?'

*MY SUPERVISOR'S ON HER WAY DOWN. YOU NEED TO TALK TO HER.'

*Listen to me,' growled Marmion, elbowing his way through the crush. *I'm not going to stand here arguing over who has the authority to do what and who doesn't. My name is Sky Warden Eisak Marmion and I am on the business of the Alcaide. If you don't open this door right now, there will be consequences. Do you understand?'

*I UNDERSTAND, SIR, BUT THERE WILL BE CONSEQUENCES IF I DO OPEN IT'

*You're not likely to be flattened by several hundred tonnes of stone. Open this door immediately or you'll have our deaths on your conscience!'

Nothing happened for a moment. s.h.i.+lly a.s.sumed that the gatekeeper had gone for advice. She could clearly picture him: a young, inexperienced functionary given a forgotten responsibility in order to keep him out of the way. He might have had his feet up on a desk somewhere, dreaming of promotion; he might even have been literally dreaming when their call came through. The promotion he desired probably hinged on what he did next, just as their lives did.

*I think I can open it,' whispered Tom to Marmion.

*Give him a moment,' said the warden in a loud voice. *I'm sure he'll see sense.'

Ancient metal bolts clunked deep within the Wall. A faint layer of rust shook from the hatch. With a deep groaning sound, it swung open towards them. s.h.i.+lly hopped out of the way as it picked up speed and slammed into the stone beside her. The cras.h.i.+ng sound it made echoed for a full ten seconds.

*Right,' said Marmion, his mood taking on a self-satisfied edge, *let's get out of harm's way.'

The small crowd scattered. Rather than walk back to the buggy, s.h.i.+lly stayed where she was, with Marmion. The open hatchway revealed a tunnel leading through the base of the mighty Wall. It was easily wide enough to accept the three vehicles, and they roared through without fanfare.

Marmion waved s.h.i.+lly ahead of him once the last bus was past, and then he followed.

The Divide looked very dark without headlights to illuminate it. s.h.i.+lly, looking back the way they had come, could barely make out the man'kin and the cloud they were kicking up. But she could hear their cries of frustration and anger.

*Okay, you can close the hatch now,' Marmion called to the gatekeeper.