shrugged.
'Do you want a lictor?'
'No. You'll need all the firepower you can get.'
'All right,' Scarios said, turning away. 'Lieutenant, let's go.'
Amcathra lingered, his pale blue eyes resting a moment longer on Cristof.
'What are you thinking?' the Demican asked, as the captain headed out the door.
'The refinery isn't that far from some of the contact points on Neuillan's information.'
'It's not that far from where I was nearly mugged, either,' Taya said.
Amcathra glanced at her, then back to Cristof.
'Do not risk yourself or the icarii.'
'Don't worry, lieutenant, we'll protect him,' Cassi said, with a small smile. Pyke grunted, less pleased by the prospect.
'Send one of the uninjured icarii to inform me if you discover anything.'
'I will.'
Amcathra gave a brusque nod and followed his captain.
The only people left in the Primus office were the night clerk and themselves.
'We want to go search the refinery with you,' Isobel said, gesturing to Lars and Victor next to her. 'We can be your backup if something goes wrong.'
'That won't be necessary,' Cristof demurred.
'We're not as helpless as you might think,' Victor added. He shot a glance at Pyke, who nodded. 'I can explain better when we get back to Gregor's coach.'
'It's a long walk to Tertius,' Cristof pointed out. 'I live there, so it isn't inconvenient for me, and Cassilta and Pyke can fly back. But for the rest of you, it's a meaningless journey that could keep you out past lockdown.'
'If I go with Gregor, I can get them through the gates,' Taya said.
'Look, we want to help,' Lars added. 'I understand not taking us on a raid, but what's wrong with poking around an old factory? If we find one of those torn punch cards, we'll be helping the investigation, right?'
'Kyle is our friend,' Isobel added. 'Anything we can do to help find him, even if it's just closing off loose ends, will make us feel better.'
Cristof let out a long, exasperated breath and pushed up his glasses.
'If any of you get hurt, I'll be held responsible.'
Pyke's eyes narrowed. 'Don't patronize us.'
'But you're not lictor caste—' Cristof stopped abruptly, but not before Cassi snapped back, ' — and neither are you.'
'Taya?' Cristof gave her a pleading look. She shrugged.
'I don't want to go home and spend the night tossing and turning, either.'
'All right.' He rubbed the bridge of his nose, under his spectacles. 'But please do what I say. I'm licensed to work for the lictors, and if you investigate with me, I'll expect prompt obedience.'
Pyke muttered something about expectations and Cassi rolled her eyes, giving Taya a meaningful look.
'That's fine with me, exalted,' Lars said. Isobel nodded. Victor hesitated, then inclined his head.
'Bossy,' Taya teased. Cristof frowned and she raised her eyebrows. 'Whatever you say, exalted.'
'You should stay here, Taya. You've already put too much strain on your leg today.'
'I grew up in Tertius, right around that area, and I fly over it all the time to visit my family. I know it better than anyone else here, and I can tell Cassi and Pyke what to expect in the air. Do you have a sector map?'
'But your leg—'
'It's going to hurt whether I'm flying or in bed, and you're not leaving me behind.' Taya pushed herself out of her chair to stand. 'When all of this is over, I'll do whatever you say. But right now, you aren't the only person here who needs to stay busy.'
Cristof glowered. The rest of the group fell silent, watching with interest.
'Whatever I say,' he repeated, dangerously. 'Is that a promise?'
Taya wavered a second. Then she considered the possibilities and smiled.
'When this is over — yes.'
Shaking his head, he strode back to the offices.
'Better watch out,' Cassi said with a grin. 'A repressed guy like that….'
'You're the one who said he's a prude.'
'Prudes are the worst, once they loosen up,' Isobel pointed out. 'Or maybe I should say ‘the best'?'
Taya laughed, torn between embarrassment and amusement.
'I can't believe you like that guy,' Pyke complained. 'What's so attractive about a skinny, glasses-wearing outcaste?'
'Oooh, listen to the pretty boy.' Cassi patted Pyke's head. 'Jealous again.'
'Hey, remember, Taya asked my advice about that guy's brother. I said ‘leave him alone,’ and he turned out to be a murderer.' Pyke folded his arms over his chest. 'I'm one for one right now.'
'The exalted is all right,' Victor said. 'He has integrity.'
'He'd better,' Pyke muttered.
A moment later Cristof returned and spread a map out on the station table over the discarded punch cards and letters. They leaned over it and began to work out their route.
Chapter Seventeen
Gregor's hack clattered to a halt, and Taya pushed off from the rooftop where she'd been waiting. She'd taken another dose of painkilling medicine before leaving the station. Despite the medicine, it still ached; a dull sensation at the edge of her awareness, warning her not to overdo anything.
Now she kicked her feet up into the tailset and swept her wings down, seeing Cassi and Pyke spreading out to either side of her.
This part of Tertius was quiet at night, with no tenements, bars, or theaters to attract people and noise. The factories were all closed down and the streets were empty and dark.
The three icarii flew in near silence, concentrating on the airspace around them. The lights from the upper sectors gave the sky a dim glow, and lamps had been lit every hundred feet on the wireferry towers, but it would still be easy to mistake a factory chimney for a patch of shadow or forget about a crosscable stretching diagonally between two towers.
From above, the bombed refinery didn't look very different. In the darkness, the soot and broken windows from the fire weren't visible. A makeshift barrier had been set up around it, but parts had gone missing, pilfered away by neighbors.
Taya tilted her wings and let herself sink lower in a long circle. Pyke stayed high, watching for approaching traffic, but Cassi kept a few body lengths behind her.
The openings where the refinery's windows had been were dark and empty. Taya landed on a factory roof across the way, gasping as she took most of the impact on her good leg. She touched her calf, then made a face and pulled her hand away.
Nothing I can do about it. Tomorrow I can take Cassi's advice and spend the day in bed. Maybe she'll lend me one of her lurid novels.
Cassi cut across to the other side of the street and landed. In a moment she'd unhooded her small lamp and signaled to Pyke, three swift flashes of light reflected from her silvery wings.
Pyke rocked back and forth in acknowledgment and flew back to inform the others that the coast was clear.
Taya perched on the edge of the roof, searching the burnt building. Still no sign of life. She didn't expect any, but anything that kept them all busy seemed like a good idea.
