‘And Felyx?’
‘Is your daughter. Merity Chass. She’d been disguising her gender.’
‘Why?’
Daur shrugged. ‘The son of the great hero of Vervunhive stands to advance faster than any daughter? I don’t know, to be honest. Verghast was always damned patriarchal. There’s an issue of honour here, primogeniture, succession. Shame.’
‘Shame?’
‘Take your pick,’ said Daur.
‘She’s in there?’ Gaunt asked.
Daur nodded. ‘You haven’t asked how she is,’ Daur said.
‘I’m going to find out, Ban,’ replied Gaunt.
‘Do it gently,’ Daur suggested.
‘I’m aware of the sensitivity,’ said Gaunt. ‘Her mother is de facto governor of Verghast. That means F– Merity could succeed in turn. If she acquires enough status here at the front line for the families of Verghast to take her seriously. To return with any disgrace or stain on her reputation would guarantee a lack of confidence from the rival houses, and that would in turn lead to a power struggle and instability on the planet that–’
‘Not that,’ said Daur. ‘I know that. I meant because she’s scared.’
He let himself into the room, closing the door behind him. His bedchamber was a simple space of white-washed stone. There was a folding cot and a wash stand, and his kit bag and effects had been brought up by an attendant and piled in the corner. A freshly laundered uniform had been laid out on the cot. Items had been ordered up from the Munitorum stores: black trousers with dark silk piping and a black pelisse jacket with black frogging. Gaunt had been very specific about a lack of ostentation. He wondered if the clothes would fit.
A side door led through to the small tower room that served as a study. Merity was sitting at the desk under the window. She looked small, dressed in the simple black fatigues of a Tanith trooper. When she turned to face him, he saw, despite her close-cropped hair, how much like her mother she truly looked.
She rose to her feet, and stood like a soldier on review. Her face was pinched-pale, and there was a clean field-dressing on her forehead.
‘Are you all right?’ he asked.
‘Yes, sir,’ she said.
‘I’m sorry this has occurred.’
‘Sir.’
‘I’m sorry you… you felt compelled to conceal your real identity from me.’
‘Females do not advance on Verghast,’ she said. ‘Coming here was a chance to achieve some credibility. Some capital that rendered my gender irrelevant.’
‘I thought coming here was about finding your father?’ said Gaunt.
‘I found him,’ Merity said. ‘He was a soldier. Occupied with the war. He was not family-minded, nor do I blame him for that. I never expected a happy family reunion. I saw only political gain.’
‘Really?’
Her face remained hard-set.
‘Who knew?’ he asked.
‘Only Maddalena. Then Dalin and Ludd.’
‘Both of them?’
‘I swore them to secrecy. They both honoured that.’
‘You could have told me,’ said Gaunt.
She half-shrugged. ‘Not really,’ she said.
‘We could talk about it.’
‘I apologise for the problems I’ve caused. I expect to be returning to Verghast as soon as circumstances allow.’
‘We could talk about it now, I mean.’
‘You have time?’
‘I have… ten minutes or so.’
‘Ten minutes of the Lord Executor’s time. I’m honoured.’
‘I didn’t–’
‘I wasn’t being sarcastic. I’m impressed you’re even here. Honestly, I don’t want to talk about it. About any of it. I’d rather–’
‘What?’
‘No one’s really talked to me about anything for the last four days. Commissar Fazekiel has been very sensitive in her questions. But I’d rather talk about… well, absolutely anything else.’
Gaunt took a seat.
‘Like what?’
‘This war, maybe?’
‘This war?’ he echoed. He gestured to the desk chair and she sat back down.
‘I have been shut in here for three days,’ said Merity. ‘I know nothing about anything. I’m hoping for distraction, I suppose. You have been named Lord Executor?’
‘I have,’ said Gaunt.
‘Which makes you warmaster elect. Second only to Lord Macaroth. His–’
‘Fixer,’ said Gaunt.
She looked surprised.
‘You’re not pleased at the promotion?’
‘It’s a huge honour, and unexpected,’ said Gaunt. ‘But I’m not a fool. Macaroth is a private man, and his detachment from staff business has become a chronic problem. I’m supposed to bridge that gap, become his mouth. I’ve no illusions. A fair amount of dirty work will come with the role. Most of it political.’
‘You must learn the art of delegation,’ she said.
‘You’re not the first person to tell me that today.’ He smiled.
‘The Munitorum, the Administratum, the Officio Tacticae and the Office of the Militarum exist to take ninety per cent of that burden off your desk. Leaving you only with the command effect decisions. A warmaster elect can surely establish his own cabinet to filter and process information, just as a secretarial cabinet of the Administratum would–’
He raised an eyebrow.
‘I had no idea you were so well-versed,’ he said.
‘Only in terms of civil administration,’ she replied. ‘I didn’t mean to speak out of turn.’
‘Please do,’ said Gaunt. ‘We’re only having a conversation.’
‘I was raised as the heir of House Chass,’ she said. ‘Civic Administration was considered a fundamental skill-set, so my primary at Vervun Didact was administrative proceeding. My mother believed any scion of House Chass needed a full grounding in housekeeping, and I say “house” in the fuller sense of the dynasty itself. I had begun to broker those qualifications into a placement with the Verghast-Vervun Munitorum as a way to acquire some military credentials. Then a more direct path appeared.’
‘Coming here?’ asked Gaunt.
‘Coming here,’ she agreed. ‘Clearly, now, an idiotic plan. But the rivals of House Chass, House Anko, for instance, barely tolerate my mother’s seniority. To accommodate, when the time came, a second female successor… well, that successor would need exemplary credentials. Significant military experience, of any sort. And even then–’
‘You’re ambitious?’
Merity stared at him.
‘Of course,’ she replied. ‘Like my mother. Like my father.’
‘I don’t know how ambitious your father is,’ he said.
‘It doesn’t really matter, does it?’ she replied. ‘Given the lofty position he now finds himself in.’
There was a long silence.
‘Is Sek defeated?’ she asked. ‘The raids have subsided.’
‘That is the question,’ said Gaunt. ‘The assaults on Eltath and Zarakppan have been repulsed for now, but there is considerable enemy activity in the surrounding zones. Fresh assault could begin at any time. Our forces under the Beati have dealt the Archenemy a considerable blow at Ghereppan. In fact, we don’t know how badly the Saint has hurt Sek. He may even be dead. Certainly his death, or serious incapacity, could explain the sudden collapse of the assaults at Eltath. Then again, he could be regrouping. Intel operations are in progress. The next few days will show us. Either we’re approaching the final battle with the Anarch’s forces, or we’re facing a long suppression and purge of surviving enemy elements. Whichever, Urdesh is far from won.’