‘Yet it – and others like it – are growing within the bounds of the site,’ said Jaff. ‘Keshtre didn’t collapse and perish in the last few decades. It has been gone long enough for three hundred-year-old trees to grow up through its bones.’

Eisenhorn glanced at Voriet, who was scanning the area with a portable auspex of a type Drusher hadn’t seen before.

‘Nothing residual, sir,’ Voriet said. ‘Nothing electromagnetic or ectomagnetic. No background psionics. Of course, this device isn’t as sensitive as you…’

The inquisitor nodded. He limped through the ruin a little way until he was standing a short distance from them. Then he stopped and closed his eyes.

Drusher and the others waited. Birdsong in the neighbouring glades died away to silence. The breeze stilled, and there was a palpable drop in air temperature.

‘Remain calm,’ Voriet whispered to Drusher, Macks and the deputies.

Macks looked deeply uncomfortable.

‘I’m going to circle the perimeter,’ she said. Voriet nodded, and Macks moved away quietly with Cronyl and Edde in tow. Drusher got the feeling she was simply finding an excuse not to be present.

It certainly wasn’t comfortable. Though the sun continued to wink through the tree canopy above, light in the glade had somehow dimmed to an eerie dusk. Drusher realised his breath was steaming slightly in the cold air. He saw frost dusting the tree trunks and the ground-cover leaves like powdered sugar. He looked up at the sun, twinkling beyond the leaves, to steady his nerves.

The light slowly returned, the temperature rose and birdsong resumed.

Eisenhorn sighed.

‘Nothing,’ he said.

‘Well,’ said Jaff. ‘I propose we return to Helter and make a new plan.’

‘There are no birds singing,’ said Drusher quietly.

‘What, sir?’ asked Garofar.

‘Around this site,’ said Drusher. ‘No birdsong. You can hear it in the nearby areas, but not here.’

He gestured towards a stand of trees outside the limits of the old ruin.

‘I can see redbeaks,’ he said. ‘And little-tailed skeens. There, up in the branches there. See? But nothing comes this way. We’ve been here ten minutes, and I haven’t seen a single bird enter or cross this area.’

‘What does that mean?’ asked Voriet.

Drusher shrugged and looked up at the sun again.

There was movement in the undergrowth, and Macks returned with the other two deputies.

‘There’s a track,’ she said. ‘A hundred metres that way. Looks like it runs all the way down from the mountain trail. It’s been in use. Wheeled vehicles, ATVs, I’d guess. Someone’s been visiting this place, often and recently.’

‘But the track runs out,’ said Edde, ‘ten metres short of the ruin. It just stops, then thick undergrowth.’

‘Well then,’ said Jaff, ‘the visitors – hunters, I imagine – came that close and no closer.’