We wait for one other, Brynd signalled to them, meaning the monster.
And there she was, right on cue, scrambling over the rooftops towards them, an unnatural sight even in the most unnatural of circumstances. He watched in awe as she dropped herself to street level using some kind of self-produced cable. Brynd whistled three times and the towering creature scuttled next to him. Lupus instinctively raised his shield in front of him.
Brynd signalled to another group, then he jogged to a different position. By now, the Rumel Irregulars had arrived as backup, led by Lieutenant Jeryd. The ex-investigator nodded to him, acknowledging the situation. Brynd found he had to admire this tough old professional. A reassuring line of grey-skinned rumel stretched behind him, various wagons and carts visible among them. As Brynd returned, he gestured to the spider then whistled three times. In decreasing amplitude, the whistles were echoed into the distance.
The Night Guard crossed the intervening street with stealth, in one swift and fluid movement. Backs against the granite warehouse now, whose wall must have been a hundred yards in length. Reeking of marine odours, the place had probably been used as a fish storage facility and just how many hostages could fit inside it was anyone's guess.
A look to the left, the right, up, across and down.
Then along the street the rest of the Night Guard came stepping lightly through the snow.
Brynd had placed an ear against the wall, making the most of his heightened sense of hearing: indistinct shuffling – could have been rats – and a groaning, like some painful lament.
Was that them?
The spider lumbered across his path and skittered up the wall. The soldiers gaped as they watched her climb then flip directly onto the roof.
Another hand signal, a further change in position, this time further along the wall in search of the suspected points of entry. The Rumel Irregulars came through the snow to draw up behind. Jeryd stood at the front with his crossbow at the ready, one hand held out to urge caution. Their silent approach was matched by the eerie calm of the war-torn city at night.
Brynd located a suitable entry point, signalled for them to follow, whistled sharply to those further along the wall. The metal door was slung open, Brynd's small group began to enter. With bow nocked, Lupus was just about to follow the others inside when a small troop of red-skinned rumel came marching into the main street. They didn't notice the remaining Night Guard soldiers in the shadows, and focused instead on the Irregulars, now running towards them, a cacophony of yelling. The enemy began to release arrows and the Irregulars instantly returned fire with crossbows. Two rumel had fallen on each side before Lupus eliminated three of the redskins in rapid succession. They retreated back before it could develop into a close-quarters skirmish.
Brynd signalled for Smoke to deal with the redskins before they could get away and bring reinforcements.
A quick sprint back to investigate the casualties.
Four Irregulars were gathered around Jeryd, who now lay on his back with two arrows in his face and another in his chest.
Fucking hell, you too, Jeryd. After all you've done to help us.
'Shit, the old sod's dead,' someone said, pointing out the obvious.
'He's not just some old sod,' Brynd snapped, 'but an investigator who served the Empire loyally. Make sure he gets put on a decent pyre, you hear, and free his soul with some dignity.'
There was a high-pitched screech as the spider suddenly reappeared. It came bounding through the snow at an unlikely pace, forcing everyone away from the body of the investigator. The creature prodded the corpse with one of its legs. It tried to secrete something to stop the bleeding. How bizarre, Brynd reflected – this was the person who tried to put the creature behind bars.
Smoke rejoined them with a simple nod, confirming that he'd finished off the escaping redskins.
'Good work,' Brynd murmured.
The soldiers trotted across the street, weapons in hand, and all the time Brynd was checking around for any further incidents. Bringing his shield up in front of him, they headed into darkness.
*
Scan the walls, the doors, any signs of ways in or out. Lines of the corridoere evident to Brynd's senses, as was the cold dampness and stencf decay, but he couldn't source where the hostages were being held.
They pressed on for some time, the only noise detectable thootsteps and breathing of his own soldiers. An open space presentetself, a hallway, and after brief analysis he chose another corridor tollow. Lupus held his bow ready, Smoke and Tiendi gripped smalrossbows and sabres.
He put his arm out behind to halt the others: there was a distinct change in texture in the light up ahead.
A flicker?
A redskin rumel stood at the far end of the passage, leaning on his sword, talking in alien constructs to someone out of sight. Brynd signalled for Tiendi and Smoke to take out the nearest one, and for Lupus to fire at the one beyond.
Click, click, thud.
The enemy collapsed on each other. Brynd dashed ahead and, by the bodies, gave a quick look around. If their minds had been connected in some way, then others would be arriving soon. He dragged the corpses into shadow where Lupus retrieved his arrow.
They had to be getting close now.
Stepping with extreme caution, they approached a partially closed doorway. Back pressed against the wall, Brynd nudged the door open with the tip of his sword. Three soldiers beyond: all redskins, no Okun. Brynd gave his team the signal then deliberately coughed.
Two of the redskins emerged into the hallway where their throats were slit quickly. Brynd burst into the other room, shield raised, and engaged immediately at close quarters with another. He found it easy to block the sloppy strokes, then he knocked his assailant's arm against the wall. With his sword he ripped open the creature's torso, thrusting upwards to the hilt. Thick blood spilled onto the floor. The creature slumped sideways.
The rest of his unit filed in behind. Brynd hoped the rest of the Night Guard had managed to penetrate this far.
The next door they came to revealed some kind of washroom, with decrepit plumbing and broken wall tiles. The floor was covered in ice so they had to slide forward on hands and knees to the door leading into the main chamber.
Brynd opened it to reveal a vision of hell.
Immediately before him lay the remains of dozens of humans, and it took him a minute to realize they were mainly children and the elderly. Their corpses littered the floor or were heaped in the corner. Bones were fragmented across the floor, amid pools of blood long congealed. Many of the corpses had been sliced open and the bones partially removed, then left discarded. He wondered why. Were they rejects, the human waste? Ones who had not been loaded on boats and removed from the city?
There was no hope of recovering these bodies until later, so Brynd beckoned the others to move on. He could not blame them for standing there gaping with their jaws slack and eyes wide in disbelief.
We move on, he signed.
Too late? Lupus queried.
No. These are abandoned. Young and old. Probably find citizens still alive further on.
Tiendi was the first to shake herself out of the shock, coming to stand alongside Brynd, expectantly.
Into the next room…
Where hundreds of hostages lay slumped on the floor – but still alive.
Suddenly they began stirring. They had already noticed the arrival of the elite troops, more of whom were now appearing through different entrances.
Don't talk, don't talk. Brynd made obvious signs for them to remain quiet, but it was no good. The sounds that would blow their cover rippled through the warehouse, and within a few heartbeats, enemy soldiers began filtering in to the room.