unconvinced, but subsided. He motioned Corien close. ‘We need to find a way round.’
‘I’ll have a look.’
‘No-’
He stood up but Antsy pulled him back: a bright light was approaching. A man appeared walking up one of the right-hand halls. He was carrying the smallest of lanterns yet to Antsy’s dark-adjusted vision the light seemed as intense as the sun. The man stopped at a side opening, threw something in that clattered amid debris, then set down the lantern and started undoing the ties at the front of his trousers.
Orchid turned her face away.
A stream of urine hissed against the stone floor.
Wonderful. They were skulking in the cesspit.
Finished, the man hawked up a great mouthful of phlegm and spat, then picked up the lantern and headed back up the hall. Embarrassed, Antsy did not look at Orchid when he motioned them across. He chose the darkest of the right-hand halls, hoping that it would perhaps lead to a way round the camp. Once within it was obvious to Antsy that it was indeed dark, even to him. There was no source of the blue night-light in the hall. A side portal beckoned just beyond and he had started towards it, meaning to talk things over with Orchid — perhaps she could provide some sort of light — when he stepped on someone.
The woman shrieked to crack open the very rock and Antsy leapt backwards. ‘Shit!’
Many voices arose around them, clamouring, shouting.
Pounding feet sounded from a number of the side corridors. Antsy pushed Orchid back across the main hall into the maze of left-hand passages. She thrust the crossbow at him and he sheathed his long-knives to take it. ‘What are we doing?’ she hissed.
‘Hiding. Now, c’mon.’
He led them up a side corridor, turned a corner and stopped dead. Now he knew why the left-hand side of the complex was being ignored. The corridor was blocked by heaped rubble. They’d stopped up the route.
They came out on to the main hall close to the tall double doors. Antsy stepped out first, crouched, crossbow ready. The hall appeared empty. He listened for a time. All the noise seemed to be coming from elsewhere. He motioned Orchid to him. He didn’t want to have to do it, but back down the main hall was the only exit he could be sure of.
When Corien edged out, sliding along the wall, a lantern was unhooded further down the wide hall and a voice ordered: ‘Halt or we fire!’
He and Corien exchanged despairing glances and it was Orchid who said, ‘The doors …’
Antsy felt his shoulders fall.
‘Fire!’
They ducked. Crossbow bolts slammed into the stone walls around them. It occurred to Antsy that they must be at the very limit of the lantern light. He and Corien backed up, covering Orchid, who ran first through the tall yawning doors. They followed her in and took up positions covering the opening. From the echoing sounds around him he knew the room they’d just entered must be immense but he had no time to think about that just then.
Feet slammed and the light bobbed as lanterns neared. Antsy levelled the crossbow and Corien braced himself, sword and parrying gauche at the ready. But their pursuers did not enter. Instead, the doors began grinding shut. Antsy and Corien exchanged further uncertain looks. What to do?
‘You’ve run to your deaths!’ someone laughed.
‘Fools!’
Antsy dropped the crossbow to grab an edge of one door. ‘
Laughter answered and a blade chopped at his fingers. He yanked his hands away. The doors slammed shut, cutting off the light.
Antsy stood frozen in the darkness. To one side Corien panted his tension. ‘Orchid?’ he whispered into the black. Even this faint murmur raised echoes from distant walls.
‘Corien?’ Antsy said.
‘Yes?’
‘I’m coming to you. Don’t move.’ Arms out, Antsy edged his way towards Corien’s loud breathing. His hand brushed a blade and Corien gasped in surprise. ‘It’s me.’
‘Yes. Sorry. Where’s Orchid?’
‘Don’t know.’
‘You have the lantern?’
‘Yeah. In my bags. I’ll try and light it.’
‘Okay. I’ll cover you — though I can’t see a thing.’
Antsy knelt and yanked off his bedroll and bags. Rummaging, he found the small metal box then dug out his tinderbox. ‘Pray Oponn’s with us,’ he murmured, and readied the flint and iron.
He tapped down into the gathered tinder and kept at it until a glow betrayed itself. He blew gently, hands cupped. Between blows a tiny flame climbed to life within his hands. He held the wick to the tinder, turning it slightly to catch the fibres. A yellow-orange flame grew to life. Antsy carefully handed the box over to Corien then repacked.
‘Well, at least there’s no wind,’ the lad offered, his smile bright in the strengthening light.
‘Just like a gods-damned mine,’ Antsy grumbled, drawing a single long-knife. He took the lantern. ‘Let’s have a look.’
The weak flickering flame hinted at an immense room. Fat pillars of black stone serried off into the distance. He could just make out an arched ceiling. The polished stone of the floor appeared to be inlaid with what looked like a near infinity of gems.
He didn’t want to find out why but was afraid he was going to anyway.
Carefully advancing, they found Orchid standing motionless at the far end of the chamber. She stood before a chair — a huge seat carved from black stone. Antsy raised the lantern to see her staring upwards, seemingly enraptured.
‘Orchid,’ he whispered. ‘Are you all right?’
Blinking, she glanced at him as if not seeing him then smiled, motioning all about. ‘Isn’t it wondrous?’
‘Orchid,’ he began gently, ‘we can’t see a damned thing.’
‘Oh. I’m sorry …’ She clapped her hands and gave a command, a single word in Tiste Andii. An ice-blue glow arose from the gems at her feet and expanded in all directions. The inset gems blossomed to life all about the huge chamber, on the floor, the pillars, even the ceiling, until it was as if they stood suspended among an infinity of stars.
Antsy and Corien turned full circles, stunned. Antsy blew out the lantern.
‘The Sacristy of Night. Perhaps,’ Orchid supplied.
Most of the lights were mere tiny diamond-like pinpricks. Just like stars at night. But some were large pale- blue balls suspended overhead like moons. The room was now fully lit, but it was the cool silvery light of a full moon on a clear starry night. There was no sign of any sun anywhere in the sky.
‘It is said that this is a representation of what one would have seen from the homeland of the Andii,’ Orchid explained. ‘Perhaps. I don’t know for certain, of course.’
‘And this?’ Antsy motioned to the seat. ‘Is this … some kinda throne? Is this like a throne room?’
‘I don’t think so. More like a temple to Mother Dark, I should think. Sacred-’ She broke off.
Antsy had seen them as well: shapes approaching. Like rippling cloths of pure black darkness. They’d seen one just like them before: the guardian who’d tried to kill them. He moved back to back with Corien.
