Drusher crept onto the gantry. The light from the cage was blinding. It burned his skin. The sound of the voice burned his mind.

There was no one around. No sign of anyone. He scurried over to the cage. He could feel the awful heat of it.

Eisenhorn was rigid. He was kneeling, and the light was shining through his skin and from his eyes. Every muscle of his body was locked and seized. The chain of the cuffs binding his wrists was pulled tight.

Only his mouth was moving. Un-words dribbled from it like blood from an open wound.

‘Eisenhorn!’ Drusher called. He banged on the bars of the cage. ‘Inquisitor! Can you hear me?’

He tried the cage door. It was locked shut. Of course it was.

‘Eisenhorn! Talk to me! How do I get you out of here?’

Drusher felt an odd, bubbling sensation in his head.

+Leave. Me.+

‘Eisenhorn?’

+Leave me here.+

Eisenhorn’s mouth was continuing to speak un-words in a non-stop stream. But his mind was speaking separately.

‘I’m not leaving you,’ replied Drusher. He paused to spit out a locust that had flown into his mouth. ‘I said I wouldn’t, so I won’t. How do I get you out of here?’

+You don’t.+

It was a cage. A cage sealed with an un-word, just like the ones he had released Macks and Voriet from. He’d figured out how to do that. If only he had a bullet left…

‘Can you open it? Eisenhorn? Eisenhorn! Listen to me. Can you open the cage door? Use one of your words and open it.’

+Can’t.+

‘Why can’t you?’

+Busy.+

‘Don’t talk nonsense! Busy doing what?’

+Weaving. Building up power. To put out the fire.+

‘The fire?’ asked Drusher. He brushed away the locustforms flying around his face.

+Gobleka said snuff the fire. Save the Loom.+

‘What? You’re following his orders now? Eisenhorn!’

+It’s almost done.+

‘Why? Why bother? This thing should burn. It’s a heretic engine, right? Right? Eisenhorn?’

+A heretic engine.+

‘Then why are you trying to save it? Stop. Unlock the cage!’

‘What’s happening?’

Drusher glanced up. Voriet was standing beside him, swaying with effort.

‘He won’t come out,’ said Drusher. ‘He’s… he’s trying to put out the fire. Save the Loom.’

‘What?’ replied Voriet. He knelt down beside the cage. ‘Sir! Inquisitor! It’s Darra Voriet. What are you doing?’

+Saving the Loom.+

‘Why?’ asked Voriet.

+Because… I have mastered it. The Cognitae, they… they have shown me how. They have shown me… everything. Darra, I can use this.+

‘Use it? Sir, what are you saying?’

+I need to save the Loom.+

‘He’s gone mad,’ said Drusher.

+I need to save the Loom. I have control. I can use it to annihilate the Archenemy. Finally and forever.+

Voriet looked at Drusher.

‘He’s not mad,’ said Voriet. ‘That’s too small a word. He’s completely insane.’