Geomancer

'What about the clanker?' said Gi-Had. 'Could it not…?'

'It was destroyed, surr.'

'What, completely?'

'The back was crushed, and the people inside. Beasts got the other soldiers too. They fought bravely but it was useless. We dropped our loads and ran.'

'Cowards!' sneered Nish, forgetting himself.

'Shut up, boy!' Gi-Had roared. 'Or you'll join them. You did well, Ell-Lin. The goods we can replace, if they took them, but porters are vital to the war. Which way did they come?'

'Down the mountain,' muttered the man who had tried to run away.

'And you didn't see which way they went?'

'They were still there, trying to open up the clanker, when we turned the corner.'

'And you saw no one else? No sign of Artisan Tiaan?'

'No,' said Ell-Lin, and the men shook their heads.

'We'll go carefully.' Gi-Had eased the knife in his belt. The others were not armed. There had never been a need for it up here. 'I don't like this,' he muttered to Nish. 'Lyrinx in these mountains, attacking our caravans – there's something we're not being told. And what's become of Tiaan? We need her more desperately than ever.'

'Perhaps she came upon the caravan. The lyrinx may have eaten her too.'

'Better pray they haven't, Nish!' said Gi-Had.

It was late afternoon by the time they reached the scene; shadows slanted right across the road. A breeze carried the stench of blood and ordure. A snow eagle, its beak and breast feathers tinged red, flapped slowly off as they trudged up to the wreck. The bird went as far as the out-jutting branch of an ancient pine, where it perched, watching them with jealous eyes as if they wanted to share in its feast.

Gi-Had inspected the ruin gloomily. 'No chance of repairing it, artificer?'

Nish shook his head. 'Even if we could, you'd never get anyone to operate it. Death Clanker, they'd call it, and you'd have to force them at swordpoint. The hedron would probably pick up the taint of the lyrinx…'

'Maybe we could salvage some of the parts.'

'Perhaps.' Nish put his head in through the opening, but one look at the shambles inside and he hurriedly withdrew. Running to the edge of the road, he vomited up his breakfast. Then, thinking how far he had to go to rehabilitate himself, he hurried back. 'Sorry! I've not seen…'

'Just get it done,' Gi-Had said sharply. He seemed to be having trouble with his own stomach.

Nish held his breath this time. The operator and passengers must have died instantly, though the bodies had been further despoiled by the lyrinx. The inside looked like the floor of an abattoir. He finished his inspection and pulled away. The smell lingered in his nostrils.

'The controller's gone!' said Nish.

'I'm starting to see a story here. First they sabotage the crystals, then my best artisan, and now they're stealing the controllers. What's next? And why steal them? Are they planning to use them against us?'

'I don't know, surr,' said Nish.

'I don't like this at all. It's too big for me. For the first time since the letter, I'm wishing your father would hurry up.'

I'm not, thought Nish.

'Anything else missing?' said Gi-Had.

'I don't think so.'

'The porters' boxes have been torn open, but nothing else taken, as far as I can recall from the shipping manifests. Not even the white gold.'

'Maybe the beasts have no use for it,' Nish said.

'I wouldn't advise you to think of them as beasts. They're as smart as you or I. We'll take back what we can and send a salvage party for the rest. Any sign of Tiaan?' he said to Ell-Lin, who was standing up on the bank, well away from the gruesome scene.

'None here, surr.'

'Very well. Come down. Take what you can.'

They loaded up and began the trek, arriving at the manufactory without incident after dark. News of the attack had already reached them. Tiaan had not been seen.

'She was poorly dressed,' said Nish, consulting the inventory of clothing the matron had given him. 'Her feet were wrapped in rags. She's probably dead by now.'

'Neither you nor I can afford to think so,' said Gi-Had. 'I'll make up a search party and you'll be on it.'

Nish knew better than to complain, though his back was crucifying him. 'In that case I'll need -' he began.

'You won't be leading it,' Gi-Had said coldly. 'Don't imagine I'll be giving you responsibility anytime soon. Gryste!' he bellowed.

The foreman came running. Within minutes a salvage party and a search party had been formed and sent out. They searched the road all night with blazing torches, and on into the following morning, but found nothing.

Returning bone weary and in great pain around noon, Nish looked up to see Querist Fyn-Mah standing by the great front doors, scowling fiercely at him.

F IFTEEN

Nish gaped at her. 'How… how did you get here?' As far as he knew there was only one road from Tiksi to here, and he'd been on it.

'I was already in the mountains. Hunting!' The word tolled like an execution bell. 'Did you find her?'

'Not a trace!'

Fyn-Mah caught him by the arm. He resisted momentarily, though only long enough to think better of it. She could be the means of his rehabilitation, or destruction. He went with her to the wall where it was sheltered from the driving snow, and from being overheard.

'Bloody damn fool!' she said in a low voice. 'What were you thinking, to do such a thing?'

'I was… Irisis said… I didn't…' Nish could think of nothing to say.

'Do you realise what you've done?' she hissed. 'Tiaan had just made a desperately needed breakthrough. We were eagerly awaiting her thoughts on the bigger problem…'

'What bigger problem?'

'You don't even know?' she exclaimed. 'The failure of the field at Minnien. Fifty clankers were destroyed in a few hours.'

'I had no idea.' The implications were horrifyingly clear.

'We've always thought Tiaan had potential, though only recently has she begun to show it. In a few days she solved two controller problems. Two, artificer! She may have helped us with the third had she not been conspired against. Was that malice, or treachery of the highest order? Is that why the lyrinx are all around?'

'All around?' he gasped.

'The mountains are full of them. We're losing the war, Cryl-Nish. If more fields fail, we're finished.'

'I didn't know.' He was stricken with horror at his folly. 'I just didn't know. What is my father going to say?'

'I'd be more worried about what he will do. And all this for the sake of your -' She broke off, jerking her knee up towards his groin.

He flinched. She let her knee fall again.

'I don't know what you're alluding to,' Nish lied.

The knee came up again, so fast that he had no chance of avoiding it, crushing his testicles. Pain shrieked through him as the blow toppled him backwards onto the frozen ground.

She stood over him, looking down. 'You dare lie to a querist? Clearly the whipping has taught you nothing, boy!

'Now you listen! Are you stupid as well as a liar? I had not thought it. We have special ways of finding out the truth. I've been here since yesterday morning and in that time I've questioned two hundred people. I know everything! Surely you realise that? I know you boasted about your family connections as you crudely tried to seduce Tiaan, and then threatened her. I know how Irisis seduced you, and every jerk and thrust of your little fornications.' Her voice rose higher. 'I know all about her lies, how you conspired to cover them up, and your betrayal of your prober's position. I suspect Irisis of being behind the sabotages and the poisoning of Tiaan. I suspect you connived at the death of Apothek Mul-Lym, Cryl-Nish, even if you did not actually hold the flask to his lips. If that turns out to be true nothing can save either of you.'