‘But this place… it isn’t reality?’ asked Drusher, propping Jaff upright.

‘As usual, you’re sharp,’ said Eisenhorn. ‘This place, Keshtre, is a weak point in the fabric between our reality and the warp. I think it always has been… a liminal place of monsters, feared by the ancient Udaric tribes who gave it its ominous name, becoming part of folklore, as all such bad places do. The Cognitae have exploited this weakness in real space fabric and built this place in the in-between.’

‘To hide?’

‘Yes, and now I know they can do it, I realise they may have other such boltholes across the Imperium, in other bad places. Which is why they have always been so damned elusive. But here, there is a secondary purpose.’

‘Because we’re in the warp?’ asked Drusher.

‘We’re in an interstitial space between reality and the warp,’ Eisenhorn replied. ‘It’s called an extimate zone. But yes. It is a laboratory-perfect environment in which to build an Immaterium Loom and set it running without risk of real space contamination interfering with its function.’

‘That’s all speculation, I take it?’ asked Drusher.

‘For now. Let’s ask Jaff about it,’ said Eisenhorn. ‘Hold her.’

He stepped back.

+Audla.+

Drusher shivered. He felt the woman quiver in his arms. Her head snapped upright.

‘Should you be doing that?’ he asked nervously. ‘I mean, if your powers are limited and–’

‘I need information,’ said Eisenhorn. ‘Let her go and step away.’

Drusher moved to Eisenhorn’s side. Audla Jaff was standing upright, clenched stiffly and awkwardly. Her eyes were open, but she was looking at nothing.

‘Please…’ she whispered.

+I trusted you.+

Frost crystals began to form on the metal decking around her feet.

+You brought us into a trap.+

‘You brought yourself, Eisenhorn,’ she whispered. ‘Inshabel sniffed out the traces of our work here on Gershom. It was an ideal opportunity to entice you here and remove your persistent opposition.’

+A trap. To silence me.+

‘And your retinue,’ she said. ‘All loose ends.’

+You never expected us to get inside this place, though, did you? You meant to kill me… all of us… at Helter.+

Jaff’s eyes narrowed.

‘You got further than expected,’ she said. ‘Thanks to Drusher. I animated the revenant at Helter, but it was not sufficient. I was regrouping to make another attempt. You pushed on despite my efforts to divert you. You opened Keshtre’s doors. But we have adjusted. We improvise well.’

‘Is this the truth?’ Drusher whispered to Eisenhorn.

Eisenhorn was concentrating hard. He looked sick. His cheeks were flushed, and there was sweat on his forehead.

‘She can’t lie,’ he grunted. ‘Not given the psionic coercion I am using.’

‘Is Macks alive?’ Drusher asked Jaff. ‘Have you killed her? Have you killed the others?’

‘Don’t interrupt,’ snapped Eisenhorn. He was struggling to focus.

+Is this an Immaterium Loom?+

‘Yes.’ Jaff shivered, every word tight and unwilling.