As if to prove him right, the lights flickered and we were moving again. He smiled. 'There we are, sir.'
I went back to my cabin. I barely marked the two further stops we made that night. But I kept my weapons to hand.
The second full day of travel passed without incident. The weather alternated between long, furious blizzards and quick, glorious episodes of sunlit calm. We stopped five more times before supper. Five more routine hesitations. The tannoy whispered that though we were behind schedule, we were likely to make up time once we were clear of the mountains and crossing the Southern Plateau in the latter part of the following day.
I was growing impatient. I found myself pacing the train a lot, end to end. I even took Crezia to the salon for lunch and stayed long enough to play a board or two of regicide with her.
Medea was gaining strength. By the afternoon, she was sitting up and eating for herself. The cyber-skulls disconnected all her drips except the vital monitor. We took turns to sit with her. I let Eleena tell her the details of what had happened since the attack on Spaeton House. Medea listened intently, increasingly dismayed.
When it was my turn to spend an hour at her side, she said, 'You came back for me.'
'Yes.'
'You might have been killed.'
You would have been.'
They killed Jekud,' she said after a pause. 'We were running across the paddocks and they cut him down/
'I know. I felt it/
'I couldn't help him/
'I know/
'I felt terrible. After all he had done to show me my father. And I couldn't save him/
'It was probably quick. The Vessorine are ruthless killers/
'I thought I heard him call out, after he had fallen. I was going to turn back for him, but they were everywhere/
'It's alright/
She took a beaker from the bedstand and sipped. 'Eleena says they killed everyone/
'I'm afraid they might have/
'I mean, not just here. The Distaff. Nayl. Inshabel/
I nodded. 'Someone was very thorough that night. But here's a thought to cheer you: Nayl's alive, and so's Fischig. We're going to meet up with both of them/
That made her smile. 'How did Nayl get away?'
'I don't know. He hasn't given me any details. It would seem he got wind of something and left Messina before the attack. I'm looking forward to finding out what he knows/
'Like who's behind this, you mean?'
I winked. That, Medea, I already know/
Her eyes widened. 'Who?'
'I'll tell you when I've confirmed my suspicions. I don't want you worrying unnecessarily/
'Now that's just cruel/ she scolded. 'I won't be able to think about anything else now/
Then see what you come up with/1 suggested. Medea was privy to most of my operation, and I thought it might be interesting to see if she arrived at any conclusion herself.
The jolt made me strike my head against the side panel of the bed and woke me up in time to feel two more hard judders before the train came to a complete stop.
It was nearly three in the morning and pitch black. I could hear the ice flakes pattering like small arms fire off the window of the cabin.
Every halt we had made so far had been smooth and gentle. Not like this.
Aemos had woken too, and sat up as I turned on the sidelight and strapped on Barbarisater.
'What is it?' he asked.
Nothing, I hope/ The inter-cabin door opened and Eleena looked in.
'Did you feel that?' she asked sleepily.
'Find your pistol/1 told her.
We woke Crezia and got all three of them into Medea's cabin. Crezia looked befuddled and worried. Eleena was wide awake by then and checking the cell of her weapon.
I pulled on Aemos's over-robe to conceal my own armaments.
'Stay here and be vigilant,' I said and then left the connecting suite via the door to my cabin.
In the gloomy hall, I could hear movement in the other cabins, low voices and the occasional pip of a summoning alarm as worried passengers tried to call the stewards.
I went back down the car to the monitor display the moment I saw the two red lights shining amongst the green ones.
I slid open the display's glass cover and fitted my signet ring to the optical reader. The potent Inquisitorial authority codes loaded into my signet ring rapidly overcame Trans-Continental Line's confidence software and gave me access to the express's master system.
The monitor's little screen woke up, and flickered with user-friendly graphics and bars of data. I requested clarification of the red warning lights.
I hurried along the upper deck of the train, heading for the rear. Some cabin doors opened and anxious faces looked out. 'No need for concern!' I called in my best Trans-Continental tone, backing it up with a gentle surge of will that slammed doors after me like a drum roll.
At car six, I had to go down to the lower deck because of the dining salon. Passing into car seven, I saw three train staffers hurrying down the companionway in the direction of car eight.
The lower hallway of car eight was bitterly cold and a gale was blowing down it. I saw six or seven rail employees pulling on foul weather gear and lighting flares as they jumped down out of the open wagon door into the night. Several more were grouped around the monitor display and one, a steward, saw me approach.
'Please go back to your cabin, sir. Everything's fine.'
'What seems to be the problem?'
'Just hurry back, sir. What is your cabin number? I'll bring along complimentary liqueurs in a few minutes.'
'The rear brakes have just thrown and door 34 is open/ I said.
He blinked. 'How did you-'
What's going on?'
'Sir, I want to guarantee your comfort, so if you'd just like to-'
I didn't have time for a debate. 'What's going on, Inex?' I asked, reading his name off his brass lapel badge and juicing my words with just a touch of will. A name always helped to enhance the mental coercion.
