Captain Paran reined in his horse near the smoke-blackened rubble of the East Watch redoubt. He twisted in his saddle for a last look at Capustan’s battered walls. Jelarkan’s Palace reared tall and dark against the bright blue sky. Streaks of black paint etched the tower like cracks, a symbol of the city’s mourning for its lost prince. The next rain would see that paint washed away, leaving no sign. That structure, he had heard, never wore the mortal moment for very long.

The Bridgeburners were filing out through the East Gate.

First in, last out. They’re always mindful of such gestures.

Sergeant Antsy was in the lead, with Corporal Picker a step behind. The two looked to be arguing, which was nothing new. Behind them, the soldiers of the other seven squads had lost all cohesion; the company marched in no particular order. The captain wondered at that. He’d met the other sergeants and corporals, of course. He knew the names of every surviving Bridgeburner and knew their faces as well. None the less, there was something strangely ephemeral about them. His eyes narrowed as he watched them walk the road, veiled in dust, like figures in a sun-bleached, threadbare tapestry. The march of armies, he reflected, was timeless.

Horse hooves sounded to his right and he swung to see Silverfox ride up to halt at his side.

‘Better we’d stayed avoiding each other,’ Paran said, returning his gaze to the soldiers on the road below.

‘I’d not disagree,’ she said after a moment. ‘But something’s happened.’

‘I know.’

‘No, you don’t. What you no doubt refer to is not what I’m talking about, Captain. It’s my mother – she’s gone missing. Her and those two Daru who were caring for her. Somewhere in the city they turned their wagon, left the line. No-one seems to have seen a thing, though of course I cannot question an entire army—’

‘What of your T’lan Imass? Could they not find them easily enough?’

She frowned, said nothing.

Paran glanced at her. ‘They’re not happy with you, are they?’

‘That is not the problem. I have sent them and the T’lan Ay across the river.’

‘We’ve reliable means of reconnoitring already, Silverfox—’

‘Enough. I do not need to explain myself.’

‘Yet you’re asking for my help—’

‘No. I am asking if you knew anything about it. Those Daru had to have had assistance.’

‘Have you questioned Kruppe?’

‘He’s as startled and dismayed as I am, and I believe him.’

‘Well,’ Paran said, ‘people have a habit of underestimating Coll. He’s quite capable of pulling this off all on his own.’

‘You do not seem to realize the severity of what they’ve done. In kidnapping my mother—’