'Yes you are.'
Lightning struck a tree nearby, causing Bluebloods to run yelping for cover. The detonation was like a slap in the face for Gaunt. His mind cleared, sober.
'Don't play your mind tricks with me, inquisitor,' he snarled.
'I don't know what you mean.'
'Yes, you do. Twisting a feeling of jealousy in me against Corbec. And the images you were broadcasting, feth is one ot the Tanith tree-gods. Not some barbaric euphemism. I'll work with you, but not for you.'
Lilith smiled solemnly and held up her hands. 'Fair point I'm sorry, Gaunt. I'm used to making allies where I can't find them, using my powers to twist wills to my purpose. I suppose it's strange for me to have a willing comrade.'
'Such is the way of the inquisitor. And I thought the commissar's path was lonely.'
She stared into his eyes and another smile lit her pale face. Gaunt wondered if this was another of her guiles, but it seemed genuine.
'We both need to find and conquer the source of this,' Gaunt told her, gesturing up at the storm. 'We both want victory here. You'll find me a much more able ally if I am in full command of my powers, rather then spellbound by you.'
She nodded. 'We both want victory here,' she said, repeating him. 'But that's not all I want,' she added, mysteriously.
Gaunt was about to pick her up on it when she shivered, pushing back her cowl and running a hand through her fine hair. The commissar-colonel realised how strained she looked.
'This storm… it's really hard for you, isn't it?'
'I'm at my limit, Ibram. The warp is all around me, tugging at my mind. I'm sorry about before. Desperation.'
Gaunt stepped towards her, ushering her towards Mkoll. 'You said you liked to make allies where you couldn't find them. Why so hard on Gilbear?'
She grinned. 'He loves it. Are you kidding? A powerful woman ordering him around. He wants me so bad he'd die for me.'
Now Gaunt grinned. 'You're a scary woman, Inquisitor Lilith.'
'I'll take that as a compliment.'
'Just promise you won't use such base tactics on me.'
'I promise,' she said. 'I don't think I need to.' Gaunt suddenly became aware of how long he had been looking into her eyes. He broke the gaze. 'Let's talk to Mkoll.'
'Let me.'
'No,' he corrected. 'Let us.'
Gilbear walked the picket in the slicing rain. Invisible amphibians croaked and rattled in the wet gloom. By a fold of trees, watching the left flank, he found two Tanith Ghosts occupied in trying to light smokes from a damp tinder box.
Gilbear pounced at them, kicking one in the gut and punching the other over onto his back.
'What is this?' He seethed. 'Are you watching the flank? No? You're too busy lighting up and joking!'
One of the men protested and Gilbear kicked him again. In the face, the ribs, the kidneys as he went down. He kept kicking.
'There's a universe of hate out there, and you can't be both ered to watch for it!'
The other Ghost had risen to defend his fallen, balled-up comrade, and Gilbear turned on him, punching him out, then laying in with the boot.
A big hand caught the Blueblood major by the shoulder.
'There's a universe of hate waiting in here too,' Corbec said.
He dropped Gilbear with a headbutt that split the Blueblood's forehead. Then Corbec whaled in with two hard punches to the mouth and chest. The latter was deflected by the carapace segments.
Gilbear sprawled in the mud, pulling Corbec down on him in a threshing frenzy.
'You want me, Ghost? You got me!' he growled.
'Not before time,' Corbec agreed, snapping Gilbear's head backwards with his fist. 'It's been a long while coming. That was for Cluggan, rest his soul.'
Gilbear folded his legs up and propelled Corbec headlong over him with a kick. The big Ghost slammed down against a tree stump, upside down, the sharp stump-ends raking his back.
Now Gilbear was on his feet, fists balled. Corbec leapt up to meet him, throwing off his cape, fury in his eyes. They edged around the muddy clearing in the slanting rain, water washing off them and sluicing the blood from their wounds. Punch and counter-punch, followed by bellow and charge. The two beaten Ghosts were up on their feet, cheering and jeering. Others, Ghosts and Bluebloods both, congregated in a ring as the two officers battled by lightning flash.
Gilbear was a boxer, a heavyweight champion back on Volpone, with a stinging right hook and a terrifying capacity to take punishment. Corbec was a wrestler, Pryze County victor three years running, at the Logging Show. Gilbear bounced on spread legs, throwing humiliating punches. Corbec came in low, soaking them up, clawing his hands around Gilbear's throat.
With a roar, Corbec drove in under the whistling fists and slammed Gilbear backwards through a break of
