Another exchange of crimson fire took place; this time the drone escaped, unscathed.
“Maybe we shouldn't get too close,” Geste said.
The platform immediately slowed to a crawl. As always, Bredon felt no deceleration; the outside world simply stopped rushing by as quickly.
The stillness of the air in the bubble made the distant battle seem unreal, as if it were no more than an illusion, like the ones Bredon had seen created by traveling conjurors. It was infinitely more elaborate and detailed, of course, but Geste was a Power, not a mere conjuror. Bredon began to wonder whether what he saw was real, or whether Geste was playing some elaborate prank.
Another burst of red fire blossomed, followed by another, and then a full-blown barrage from a dozen or more of the attacking machines. The weapons in the castle towers replied.
“Better stop here,” Geste suggested as they drew near the paths of the outermost drones.
The platform halted, hovering a meter or so above the bare rock of the slope. The blackness of the heavy protective fields remained to either side, behind, and below. Above and before them lines and flashes of red and yellow fire spattered fitfully across the castle towers.
“Put a call through to Brenner,” Geste ordered.
The floater did not reply immediately, and the Trickster glanced up at it, startled.
“I'm sorry, sir,” it said at last, “I can't get through. All communications with the High Castle are being jammed."
“Damn!"
“What's going on?” Bredon asked.
“I don't know,” Geste answered. “I don't know, but I don't like it.” He stared up at the battle for a long moment.
“Is Lady Sunlight in there?"
“I don't know, but I suspect that she is."
“Is she in danger?"
“I don't know that, either,” Geste replied. “But I'm afraid she might be."
Bredon looked up at the flashing of incomprehensible weapons. “Is there anything we can do to help?"
Geste did not reply for a long moment. “I don't know,” he said at last, “but I don't think we're going to get in there, are we?"
“No, sir,” the floater replied. “I cannot take you much closer than this while the castle is under fire, and I certainly can't deliver you to any of the registered entrances."
“If I know Brenner, that castle is even stronger than it looks,” Geste said, reflecting. “Unless Thaddeus has one hell of an arsenal built up, he's not going to get through the defenses any time soon."
Neither Bredon nor the floater said anything. Bredon knew nothing about either Brenner or Thaddeus save various unpleasant legends, and the floater had no comment to make.
“Maybe Thaddeus has a good reason for this,” Geste said at length. “Call Fortress Holding again-tell them that I want to talk to Thaddeus."
A moment later, the floater said, “I'm sorry, sir, but the intelligences at Fortress Holding do not acknowledge. I am certain that several of them are receiving my transmission, but none have responded."
“I think we better call around, see if anyone knows what's going on,” Geste said thoughtfully. “Thaddeus may have a legitimate gripe against Brenner-though I can't imagine any that would justify this-but he has no business endangering Sheila and Sunlight."
“That assumes that Lady Sheila and Lady Sunlight are, in fact, in the High Castle,” the floater pointed out.
“Well, that's another reason to call around,” Geste said. “To see if they're anywhere else."
The floater acknowledged the point with a bluish flicker, but then said, “Sir, I believe that the mother ship constantly monitors all members of your expedition, through their internal systems, in order to provide information in the event of an emergency. Would you say this constitutes an emergency? If so, I can inquire as to the exact whereabouts and state of health of Lady Sheila and Lady Sunlight."
Geste nodded. “Do it,” he said.
“Yes, sir. The signals from Lady Sheila and Lady Sunlight have been lost due to interference, but at last contact both were in their usual excellent health and had just entered the High Castle in the company of Rawl the Adjuster and Brenner of the Mountains."
Bredon marvelled; how could the mysterious invisible talking thing possibly have learned that so quickly? He had heard nothing, seen nothing; the thing-spirit, familiar, whatever it was-had simply pulled its answer out of nowhere.
He would have guessed that the spirit was just making up its answers, had not Geste put so much faith in them.
If it was right, then Lady Sunlight was in danger, and he felt a coldness in his veins at the thought.
“So they are in there,” Geste said.
“Yes, sir."
“Thaddeus is endangering them. This is serious.” He paused to think. “Khalid lives closest to Thaddeus; put me through to him,” he ordered after a moment's consideration.
The floater paused before replying, “The intelligences at the Tents of Gold report that Khalid departed seventy hours ago, in response to a shielded call, bound for Fortress Holding. He has not returned and his present whereabouts are unknown."
Bredon saw, in the light from the “window,” that the Trickster was shaken by this news; no trace of his customary smile remained.
“What does Mother say?"
“No signal is being received from Khalid. At last contact he was entering Fortress Holding, which is heavily shielded against all signals, including the mother ship's telemetry."
“Try Madame O,” Geste said.
“The intelligences at the House of Delights have been told not to converse with me,” the floater said, “but they will acknowledge that Madame O is not at home. The mother ship reports loss of contact upon entrance to Fortress Holding, sixty-one hours ago."
“Damn! That's everyone west of the mountains!” Geste exclaimed. “What's Thaddeus doing?"
“I don't know, sir. I would point out that the Ice House lies west of the mountains."
Geste waved that away. “I suppose it does, but it's so far north it doesn't matter. Ah… get me Lord Grey."
Bredon marvelled at how ready Geste was to call upon so many of the Powers-but then, why shouldn't he? He was a Power himself!
Bredon shivered slightly. He had very little idea of what was happening, but he knew that he had somehow gotten himself involved, at least peripherally, in affairs far beyond his understanding. He had simply asked to talk to Lady Sunlight, and now he was tangled up in some sort of widespread dispute involving at least half a dozen of the Powers! Worst of all, Lady Sunlight herself was in some sort of danger. The image of her standing in the meadow as he had seen her, her multicolored dress drifting in a wind that he had not felt, filled his thoughts. He shivered again at the thought of any harm befalling anything so beautiful.
Geste was thinking aloud. “Khalid, O, Brenner, Sheila, Rawl…"
A face appeared in the air before them, a dark weatherbeaten face, half-hidden behind a bristling black beard and shoulder-length grey-streaked hair. It seemed to glow fiercely in contrast with the darkness of the protective field. Bredon started, but realized quickly that this was not an actual head floating unsupported, but an apparition or illusion of some sort.
“What do you want, Geste?” the face demanded.
Geste's relief at the sight of this forbidding visage was ludicrously obvious.
“My apologies for disturbing you, Grey, but I am inordinately glad to see you there. It appears that we may have a problem developing."
Lord Grey's disembodied head eyed the Trickster suspiciously. “What sort of a problem?"
“I don't really know-at least, I don't know what started it. Thaddeus appears to be attacking Brenner-seriously attacking him. Take a look for yourself."
Lord Grey seemed to glance away, then looked back at Geste and Bredon. “Is this one of your stunts, Geste? Where would Thaddeus get all those drones? You've been playing with images again, I suppose. Well, I'm not interested."
“No, Grey, I haven't…"