‘But foul this up and you’ll regret it. Don’t make the mistake of thinking I wouldn’t have that thing torn out of your foot. Slowly.’
Kordenza sulked for a moment, then said, ‘I thought your bald friend was supposed to be here.’
‘What?’
‘Tall, skinny. Bosses some spy unit.’
‘Respect for your betters isn’t a strong point with you, is it? I assume you’re referring to Commissioner Laffon.’
‘That’s him. The creepy one.’
‘You’re obviously unacquainted with the expression about how people who live in houses made of glass shouldn’t cast rocks.’
‘Pardon?’ She looked confused.
‘Forget it. The Commissioner was recalled to Gath Tampoor at the last minute, if it’s any of your business.’
‘How irritating for him.’
‘Yes. Particularly as he also has a personal interest in someone who could be on the Diamond Isle. As a matter of fact, I agreed to assist him in that regard. You can help.’
She eyed him suspiciously. ‘Can I?’
‘I think you’d be eminently suited to the job. Laffon wants us to capture a certain rebel.’
‘We specialise in termination, not taking prisoners. Why the leniency?’
‘The person in question’s wanted back in Gath Tampoor. She was once a member of the security forces herself, so there’s a political element. She needs to be interrogated, and something like a trial would be expedient, in terms of public opinion.’
‘Who is it?’
‘Actually, it’s quite possible you know her. Laffon believes she’s associated with Caldason. That means she could be a path to Caldason, of course.’
‘Now that is interesting. Tell us more.’
‘I can do better than that; I can show you. My aide’s approaching with everything you need.’ He indicated the lower deck with a prod of his thumb. Lahon Meakin marched their way, carrying something under his arm. ‘Here’s a chance to practise your new found discretion,’ Bastorran added mordantly.
Kordenza shot him a dagger look.
Meakin climbed the stairs, and gave a deferential head bow. ‘From Commissioner Laffon, sir.’ He held out a sizeable leather wallet, tied with red ribbon.
Bastorran snatched it. ‘This is the suspect’s CIS file,’ he told Kordenza as he unwound the ribbon.
Discreetly, Meakin retreated a step or two.
‘Here.’ The paladin slipped a thin, square object the size of a palm from the wallet. He handed it to her.
Kordenza stared at the swirling, milky surface until it coalesced. A face appeared, projecting out from the surface of the slate, and began to slowly turn, until the whole head had been shown. Then the face grew a miniature body, gradually revolving as though on a potter’s wheel.
‘Familiar?’ Bastorran asked.
‘Oh, yes. Laffon’s right; she was with Caldason. And we owe her a spanking.’
‘She’s to be captured, remember. Though a little damage in the process would be quite acceptable.’
‘What’s her name?’
Bastorran held up the wallet. The stitched label bore copperplate writing that read, ‘Serrah Ardacris’.
22
‘ Twelve fathoms!’ The crewman gathered the chain, ready to cast it again at the skipper’s command.
‘When do we start worrying about the depth?’ Serrah asked.
‘At a fathom or less,’ Cheross told her, ‘if we take possible submerged outcroppings into account. And the currents in these parts are particularly treacherous, which is why seafarers don’t come here.’ He nodded at the crewman to take another measure.
The packet had entered an area of the ocean dotted with barren islands, many little more than rocks jutting from the freezing waters.
‘Now we’re here,’ Serrah said, turning to Caldason, ‘exactly how do we go about finding what we want?’
‘If I’m being completely honest, I’d have to say I don’t really know.’
‘There’s a surprise.’
‘ Ten fathoms!’
‘But we should be able to narrow things down a bit through a process of elimination,’ he went on.
‘What are we eliminating?’
‘Well, it seems reasonable that the Clepsydra isn’t going to be on one of these tiny islets.’
‘Why not? We don’t know what the Clepsydra is, let alone the form it might take.’
‘To figure this out we have to make guesses about where to start.’
‘Guesses?’ she repeated witheringly.
‘ Eight fathoms! ’
‘Assumptions, then. There are hundreds of islands in this group. We can’t search all of them. So we have to concentrate on the most likely, and mass is a logical way of sifting them.’
‘But that means scouring the whole group for islands of the right size. That alone could take weeks.’
‘Not necessarily. There was something I noticed on the maps of this place Phoenix showed me. And the Captain can confirm it. Rad?’ Caldason looked across at him.
‘There’s an old myth attached to this area,’ Cheross explained. ‘Well, not so much a full-blown myth, just a story. It’s said two gods were warring with each other, and one of them…I can’t remember which; it doesn’t matter…one of them took up a mountain and flung it at the other. Only it missed and fell to earth here, in the ocean. The waters being shallow, the mountain shattered and its fragments became the island group.’
Serrah frowned. ‘How does that-’
‘When you see the charts,’ Caldason said, ‘that’s what it looks like. As though a great big rock was dropped from the sky and shards flew off it. The largest islands are at the centre of the group. Most of them, anyway. The rest get smaller the further they are from the core. So the first thing we do is head there, and as this is a dense cluster, it shouldn’t take too long to reach the centre.’
‘Hmm. So what’s your definition of a big island, seeing as we know nothing about the Clepsydra? How big is big enough?’
‘Some of the larger islands have vegetation, and fresh water springs. That might be a clue about where to look. But we’ll set a minimum. Say…anything large enough to sit a small village on,’ Caldason replied.
‘How many fall into that category?’
‘A couple of dozen,’ Cheross volunteered. ‘Maybe more.’
‘That’s ridiculous,’ Serrah complained. ‘How do we narrow it down?’
‘I’m hoping Kutch’s spotting talent might help,’ Caldason replied.
‘ Five fathoms!’
‘So that’s the plan, is it? Look for the biggest rocks and hope the boy can solve the riddle?’
‘It’s all we’ve got. Along with these.’ He tapped his forehead.
‘I don’t want to add to your worries,’ Cheross interrupted, ‘but take a look above. A storm’s brewing. We could be in for a bumpy ride.’
Rain hammered down from the night sky. The ship rolled and pitched. But they still moved, inching through the muddle of islands.
Caldason, Serrah and Kutch clustered under the bridge block’s overhang, seated on crates. They wore furs for the cold, hoods for the rain.
A clattering water bottle rolled towards them across the sloping deck. Caldason trapped it with his boot. He squinted into the ocean mist. ‘At least the rocks seem to be getting bigger.’
