‘And that’s not even considering the Aachim.’ Flydd was ratcheting back and forth across the veranda, grabbing a tiny break from the endless meetings and messages. She had never seen him so stressed. He could not sit still for an instant. ‘If they join up with the enemy we’re finished. We probably are anyway.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘There’s something wrong, though …’
‘What?’
‘I think Snizort is a trap and we’ve put both feet into it.’
‘It’s not too late to pull back.’
‘I’ve done everything I can to avoid this battle, but Ghorr’s orders are specific and I have no discretion. Even if I disobeyed him and retreated, the blow to morale would be disastrous. And the enemy may have an attack plan for that, too.’
‘Where are the Aachim now?’ Irisis asked.
‘Moving down through Borgistry and Almadin, and in from Oolo and Nihilnor, according to our latest intelligence.’
‘What do you want me to do?’
‘Learn all you can about the node and how its fields are changing. Perquisitor, would you get the Snizort chart?’
Fyn-Mar unrolled it on the boards. ‘The node is not actually at Snizort, but several leagues to the south, well underground.’
‘Underground?’ He frowned.
‘My predecessor mapped it a few years ago, along with others in the area. Usually nodes are associated with some prominent geographic feature: a hill or volcano, a faultline or canyon. This one is not.’
‘What kind of country is it?’
‘Rolling hills.’
‘Is there limestone?’
‘Some.’
‘Mines or caves?’
She shrugged. ‘I don’t know of any.’
‘Not much help,’ said the scrutator. ‘Go to the location of the node, Irisis. Take Ullii and see what you can find. The field is weaker than when we arrived, so they must be taking out more power than ever. See if you can find any sign of a node-drainer.’
‘That’s lyrinx country. How are we going to get there?’
‘The air-floater will drop you there tonight. Signal when you’re ready to be picked up but be prepared to come back on your own. Just in case.’
Irisis hoped there would be no such eventuality. The node lay twenty leagues north of Gospett, at least five days’ march in this country, even supposing that Ullii would walk at all. She was more sullen and withdrawn than ever.
Irisis and Ullii spent half the night, under a bright full moon, slogging back and forth across the location of the node. Though there was nothing on the surface to indicate its presence, it was one of the strongest Irisis had encountered. Its field extended for nearly twenty leagues in all directions before being overwhelmed by overlapping fields from smaller, more distant nodes. The node itself was compact, little more than a thousand paces across, like the yolk of a fried egg, surrounded by an increasingly tenuous halo of field, the white.
‘Any marks on the ground?’ Irisis asked Ullii for what seemed the hundredth time. ‘Any pits or holes or diggings?’
‘No,’ said Ullii.
‘Any sense of a node-drainer?’
‘No! Tired. Want to sleep.’
Ullii always seemed tired lately. It was an added worry.
‘Only one line to go,’ Irisis said.
Ullii said something rude, but did keep going. They trudged down the line, Ullii sensing the shape of the node, Irisis noting its variations in her book. Finally they got to the end, only a couple of hours before dawn.
‘Anything here, Ullii?’
‘No. Have to sleep.’
‘You can lie down right here, if you like. We’re finished.’
Irisis signalled into the air. There was no response. She prayed they would not have to walk, for it was a long trek to the Westway, the first place where they could hope to be picked up. She did not fancy that, in lyrinx country.
The work they’d done had confirmed what she already knew. The node was a long way underground and there could be no node-drainer here, else Ullii would have sensed it. They would have to search from the air-floater and hope to come upon signs of strangeness, such as sinking land or a sudden appearance of hot springs, though both were common around Snizort. Ullii had to know where to look.
Irisis sat up until dawn. The air-floater did not come. In the morning Ullii rolled over and was violently ill. She curled up under a tree in the shade, her mask, goggles and earmuffs firmly in place, and could not be convinced to move. Irisis spent a restless, anxious day.
That night she signalled as soon as it grew dark and the air-floater appeared within minutes. ‘Where the blazes were you last night?’ Flydd said as she climbed over the side.
‘Right here!’ she snapped. ‘Waiting to be picked up.’
‘They went back and forth a hundred times but couldn’t find you. Got me out of bed to tell me so.’
‘Poor you! They must have gone to the wrong spot.’
‘Don’t see how they could have. They were navigating by the field. Did you find the node?’
‘Found it, mapped it. It’s small and round, with a broad halo. No sign of any drainer, though.’
‘Perhaps they’re using all the power for flesh-forming.’ He turned to the seeker. ‘Ullii?’
‘Yes,’ she said limply.
‘What’s the matter?’
‘Sick!’
‘Can you still see the lattice?’
‘Of course!’ Ullii said scornfully.
‘Well, you couldn’t after we lost Nish,’ Flydd muttered. ‘I want you to look for a node-drainer on the way back. Can you do that?’
‘Tired!’ Ullii was always snappy with Flydd these days.
‘I want you to look. All right?’
She’d fought him before, and lost. ‘Yes, scrutator.’
They travelled in a direct line from the node towards Gospett. It was a beautiful, moonlit night. The navigator plotted their track on the chart. Ullii could see nothing. They were all depressed.
‘What if we flew over Snizort?’ Irisis suggested. ‘The lyrinx could be dumping surplus power among the tar pits. Ullii might be able to pick that up.’
He considered. ‘It’s risky on such a clear night. We’d have to stay low for there to be a chance.’
‘But –’
‘On the other hand, the tar pits would be the perfect place to hide such a flow of force.’
They crossed Snizort from south to north. It was another hot night. The moon reflected off inky-black deposits as shiny as mirrors. Irisis watched Ullii.
‘Nothing!’
The air-floater turned and went back the other way. ‘Lyrinx,’ called Pilot Hila.
Ullii went bolt upright, the moonlight touching her eyes.
‘It’s all right, Ullii,’ said Irisis. ‘It’s below us. We can go higher than it can.’
‘Waves of flesh!’ Ullii cried, and fell sideways.
The scrutator caught her and shouted for the pilot to head for home. ‘What can that mean?’
Irisis had seen such a reaction before, on the plateau just before they’d attacked the ice houses. ‘It means they’re flesh-forming down there.’
‘We knew that already. Flesh-forming what?’
‘It’s Tiaan,’ Ullii whispered.
Irisis and the scrutator stared at each other. ‘Are you sure, Ullii?’
The question was redundant. Ullii had never been known to make a mistake.
‘What’s Tiaan doing down there?’
The seeker lay back, panting, and did not answer.
‘Ullii’s been sick all day,’ said Irisis. ‘She was sick yesterday morning too.’
They exchanged looks. ‘I wonder,’ said Flydd, ‘if she and Nish might have done some flesh-forming of their own?’
‘It would explain a lot.’
They travelled the rest of the route in silence. As the air-floater settled down, Fyn-Mah came running out, to speak rapidly in Flydd’s ear. He nodded. She went inside.
The scrutator helped Ullii down. ‘Do you think you’ll be able to look for a node-drainer tomorrow?’