Part 21 (1/2)

'Great,' said Ben sourly. 'So our little search won't be over till we've accidentally gone through every one of them.'

Creben shook his head. 'I imagine we'll have reached our destination long before then.'

'Always there with a cheery thought, ain't you.'

'We'll just have to look harder in the places we can can see,' see,'

said Tovel decisively. 'Starting here.'

Even as Tovel spoke, Ben noticed with a jolt some dark fleeting movement on the pillar behind him. 'What's that?'

Tovel protested mildly as Ben shoved him aside. A thin black trail had appeared on the pillar. It stretched vertically down from top to bottom, where it resolved itself into a sticky liquid pooling round his boots.

'Blood out of a stone,' he murmured nervously, while Tovel just swore in disbelief.

'Where's it coming from?' Creben demanded, unholstering his gun. The others followed suit.

'Up there,' said Tovel.

Ben took a few steps back and several shaky breaths.

Whatever was at the top of the column, spilling blood, it was obscured by the huddle of statues crouched over it.

'If we want to see what's bleeding,' Ben said grimly, 'we're gonna have to climb for it.'

Joiks laughed briefly. 'You're crazy.'

'You volunteering?' Roba said expectantly as he knitted his huge fingers together into a makes.h.i.+ft stirrup.

Ben looked round anxiously. 'Well...'

'We've got to know what's there, after all,' Creben said mildly.

'He's right,' said Tovel with the faintest of smiles. 'Reckon you can make it?'

So, it was time to earn his place with the boys again. Fair enough. The column was broad, but there were occasional chips and ridges that could give him footholds.

He put his right foot in Roba's hands and the giant propelled him upwards. The trail of blood smeared against his body as he wrapped his arms round the pillar, holding on tight while he kicked about for a footing. He heard whistles and claps, shouts of encouragement, urging him on. His breath pushed out in ragged gasps through clenched teeth, his heart was racing, but slowly he was scaling the column.

The rough stone scuffed and stung his palms as he searched for cracks and ledges he could use to help lever himself further up. His feet caught in crevices, and some were p.r.o.nounced enough to take his weight. He was going to make it. Then he tried to imagine what grisly scene was waiting for him at the top, and felt less elated.

Far below, the lads still shouted their encouragement. The sounds echoed strangely up here, were almost lost under the rustling of the vegetation, thick with fleas, and the ghostly clinking of the gla.s.s tapestry. As he climbed the final few feet, the shadowy statues at the top loomed above Ben. He saw their wings, their smooth stone backs lit with a gentle radiance.

'I made it!' he shouted.

One of the statues twisted round to look down at him.

Ben's pounding heart nearly stopped dead. He wanted to shout out, but the sound died in his throat.

The statue's stone eyes were wide and innocent. Its thick lips were smiling at him benignly.

A sc.r.a.p of wet, dark material tell from its huge b.l.o.o.d.y hands, flapping like a bat past Ben's face.

In the thick shadows at the statue's feet he thought he glimpsed a human hand, slender fingers twisted and outstretched.

The smiling stone angel reached for his neck.

Chapter Ten.

The Secret Adversary

I.

Ben slid painfully down the column as fast as he could go, resisting the instinct to abandon it altogether and take his chances with the fall. He caught crazy corkscrew glimpses of the angel as he spiralled downwards, the pitted rock clawing at his arms and legs. Around him, bolts of energy shot up into the ceiling, pounded into the pillar, caught the statue full in the face. Slowly, the other enormous cherubs reacted to the onslaught. Heads c.o.c.ked to one side. Arms reached slowly out towards the soldiers. Stone wings began to flap, and the air twittered with movement.

Lazily, the smiling statues launched themselves into the air and drifted down after him, like falling leaves.

Ben leaped down the last ten feet, fell awkwardly. Roba stopped firing long enough to scoop him up and push him towards the mouth of the tunnel.

'Out!' yelled Tovel. The soldiers scattered as the angels drifted after them, pus.h.i.+ng through the air like swimmers through water. The air seemed alive with the soft, rhythmic sound of their wings beating.

Ben pelted for the opening in the rock. He was almost there when a bolt of searing brightness shot from out of the darkness. It nearly took his face off. Finding himself under attack again, Ben threw himself instinctively to the ground and landed in a pile of fallen fleaweed. 'There's something in the tunnel!' he yelled, his voice cracking in panic, the pale fleas dancing about him, crawling and jumping over his face.

He crawled away, spat them out, saw the grey angels as they floated ever nearer.

Two more yellow bolts whizzed into the room. Then Ben heard a familiar voice, and realised he'd almost been killed by the cavalry.

'What are they?' Haunt was standing in the mouth of the tunnel, brandis.h.i.+ng her rifle, looking on appalled.

'They were statues before,' Roba said, backing away until he stood beside her. 'Just statues'

Haunt's voice was barely audible. 'Constructs. Morphiean constructs.'

'There's a girl's body up there,' Ben said, the words tumbling off his tongue. 'I dunno whose, I only saw the shadow. G.o.d knows what they'd done to her.'