She had been provided with new clothes in Nennifer — half a dozen undersuits of the neck-to-knee spider-silk that protected her sensitive skin, as well as outer garments, coats, boots, scarves and hats. His artisans had made her several pairs of goggles and earmuffs, and all were to hand. Ullii stored all her possessions in two small packs beside her bed. It provided her with the only security she had.
A servant picked the packs up. Ullii snatched them from her and sat on them to get dressed. Already wearing an under- suit, she pulled on her boots, coat and hat, and made sure a set of goggles and earmuffs were in the pocket. While wearing the spider-silk undergarments she could better tolerate life's assaults on her other senses, though she still could not go out in the bright sunlight without her goggles. 'Follow me,' said Ghorr.
A swarm of knots grew in Ullii's lattice, like those made by the controllers of clankers or air-floaters, though these were much larger. Her stomach formed knots of its own.
Taking up her packs, Ullii trotted after Ghorr, up the stairs, along the corridors, out through the vast double doors and down the broad steps onto the paved area, as large as a parade ground, that ran from fortress Nennifer to the towering cliff that fell into the Desolation Sink. She stopped in shock. The paved area was crammed with monstrous air-floaters, reaching above the topmost storey of Nennifer, which was five floors and a steep roof above the ground. Each was supported by no less than five cigar-shaped balloon bags as long as the trunk of a forest tree. Four were arranged at the corners of a diamond, one each at front and rear, another out to either side. A fifth, smaller balloon was suspended in the centre. The vessels slung beneath the balloons were more than twenty spans long and their side decks were packed with weapons whose design was unknown to her, though each looked deadly.
The machines were painted in brilliant reds and yellows, like poisonous reptiles, for they were intended to be seen and feared. Barbaric designs decorated their prows — vicious creatures with gnashing teeth and bloodstained tusks, or devices spitting fire or venom.
There were sixteen of the air-floaters, and drawn up at the front of each stood a squad of heavily armed soldiers, in a rank of five by five, with two officers before them. There were almost as many mancers, artisans, artificers and servants.
'What do you think of our air-dreadnoughts?' said Ghorr beside her. 'Aren't they the most magnificent sight you've ever seen?'
'I hate them,' she said fiercely, for their auras reeked of violence.
He smiled patronisingly. 'It doesn't matter what you think, little Ullii. Just find Flydd and Irisis, and we will have your revenge for you.'
In a flash she understood just how badly she had blundered. She didn't want revenge, but retribution, and it had to be with her own hands. Taking that away rendered it meaningless, vicious.
Ghorr shouted orders. People ran in all directions, in what appeared to be confusion but was carefully orchestrated, then she was urged up the ladder into the first air-dreadnought of the fleet, and ushered inside.
With a flourish of cornets, Ghorr's machine loosed its tethers.
The great triple rotors began to tick, then whirr, its nose lifted and it rose into the sky. She could feel the drain on the field, which manifested itself as a swirling yellow pattern across her lattice.
The others followed, one by one, taking care to keep their distance. When all were in the air they manoeuvred into formation, signalled to each other with flags and then turned towards the west, to pick up the rest of the scrutators in Lybing. And then, on to the hunt.
The journey took days, though it was mostly uneventful, for which Ullii was glad. Used to shutting the world out, she found the proximity of so many hard, relentless people unbearable. She could not sleep in the great cabin, as the racket of chatter, snoring, belching and farting never stopped. On the second night she climbed onto the roof, found a recess sheltered from the wind and spent the night there, wrapped in blankets and coat. It was miserably cold but she was used to that. The air was fresh and the constant wailing of the wind blurred out the sounds of the fifty people below.
Only once during that journey did anything of note happen. It was about a week after they had departed Nennifer — Ullii did not count the days — and the fleet had just sailed high over the Sea of Thurkad, heading towards Meldorin Island and the ancient city of Thurkad, whose fall had heralded the loss of the west.
Ullii was standing at the bow, where the air streaming in her face protected her from the stink of unwashed humanity, when her keen hearing picked up Ghorr's voice, just outside the forward cabin door. He was talking to Scrutator Fusshte.
'Are you still going to give a demonstration?' Fusshte asked. His sibilant tones always made Ullii shiver, and the way he looked at her was worse.
'When I find the best target,' said Ghorr. 'I'll send a warning to our enemies not to take us too lightly.'
'And to our friends!' Fusshte chuckled nastily.
'Indeed' said Ghorr. 'There's not a single person on Santhenar who should not know what I can do, and beware! Fusshte took a step backwards, just managing to control his alarm. 'Quite,' he said smoothly. 'People have come to doubt the power of the scrutators. After this, they'll be in no doubt at all.'
Ghorr called the captain of his personal guard. The man listened carefully, saluted, then gave orders to his signalman, who began to pull his coloured flags up and down. After checking the acknowledgment with a spyglass, he reported back to the captain.
The air-dreadnought turned slowly. The others followed it, maintaining their formation, until they were heading directly for the southern section of the city of Thurkad. Ghorr consulted a plan and gave further orders, which the signalman relayed.
'Just there,' he said to the captain, pointing. According to my intelligence, many lyrinx house themselves in that one.'
They were now close enough for the largest buildings of Thurkad to be distinguished. Ghorr's outstretched arm indicated one of a series of tall wooden warehouses, built on the edge of the wharf city that formed the seaward rim of the city proper. Lyrinx soared in the air though, as yet, none approached them. This mighty armada would be the match of hundreds of flying lyrinx, and flew above the height they could reach.
Artificers now pulled the cover off a large metal mirror, the best part of two spans across, and swung it out. But it was more than just a mirror, for it had a complicated controller apparatus at the back, and an operator to use it. On the other air-dreadnoughts, similar devices were being moved into position.
More signals were sent. At the bow, a young woman in a green and grey uniform turned over a minute-glass. The air-dreadnought floated ponderously towards the target. The operator made continual adjustments to his mirror, reflecting the sunlight in a narrow beam across the bay, and then at the wharves ahead. The beams of the other mirrors followed the first, making a tight cluster of bright dots.
'Ten,' called the young woman. A man behind her raised a series of signal flags, one after another, as she counted down the numbers. 'Five, four, three, two, one. Now!'
The signalman swept down his red flag. The mirror operator stood up on his toes, drew power into the mighty controller crystals and pulled down a lever. The air-dreadnought shuddered.
Ullii felt a sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach as the field — what was left of it — tried to tie itself in knots. For an instant the rotors stopped completely, and there was silence, apart from wind whistling through the ropes and wires.