Twenty-Seven

TWENTY-SEVEN

How to Let a Wild Thing Out of a Cage,
and What Happens When You Do

The gun Macks had given him all those years ago barked, and sparks blinked off the cage frame.

‘Holy Throne!’ said Voriet. ‘I thought you were aiming at Eisenhorn!’

‘I was,’ said Drusher. He smiled at Voriet. ‘Not really, I was aiming for the cage.’

‘Oh, well… Good shot.’

‘Voriet, it was ten centimetres away.’

Drusher bent down.

‘I think it worked,’ he said.

He pulled at the cage door, and it swung open, groaning on its hinges.

Drusher started to speak, but things began to change rapidly. The light radiating out of Eisenhorn began to diminish. There was a screeching, squealing din as the mechanism of the Loom began to slow down, gears faltering, cogs decelerating. The chirring row of the swarm grew louder. There were insects and smoke everywhere.

Eisenhorn went limp and fell sideways. His mouth stopped moving. The violet glare in his eyes went out. Blood dribbled from the corner of his lips.

‘Get him out!’ Drusher yelled.

‘You’ll have to help me,’ said Voriet.

Between them, they scrabbled and dragged the big, heavy body clear of the cage.

‘Is he dead?’ asked Drusher.

‘I don’t know,’ replied Voriet.

‘I might as well have shot him,’ said Drusher.

He heard someone calling out his name. Nayl and Macks were hurrying across the gantry towards them, waving insects out of their faces.

‘What happened?’ Nayl asked, crouching beside Voriet.

‘Difficult to sum up,’ said Voriet. ‘The magos had an idea, so–’

‘What did you do now?’ asked Macks, turning to Drusher.

‘I’d like to think something good,’ said Drusher. ‘But, who knows?’

She looked at him.

‘You all right?’ she asked.

‘Yeah,’ he said. ‘You?’

‘Fine.’

‘I’ve missed you,’ he said.

‘It’s been ten minutes,’ she said.

‘No,’ he said. ‘I meant…’

She hugged him tight.

‘You silly bastard,’ she whispered.

‘He’s breathing!’ said Voriet.

‘Well, she clamped on quite tight there,’ said Drusher, ‘but I’m fine–’

‘Eisenhorn is breathing,’ said Nayl.

They knelt down around him.

‘Need to do something about these cuffs,’ said Nayl.

‘No idea where the key is,’ said Macks.

Eisenhorn opened his eyes. They were pale and looked very old.

‘You shouldn’t have stopped me,’ said Eisenhorn quietly. He was staring up at Drusher.

‘Well, I think I should,’ said Drusher.

‘I was close,’ said Eisenhorn. ‘The King was going to fall.’

‘He’ll fall one day,’ said Drusher. ‘Sometimes it’s important to do a small thing.’

Eisenhorn sat up slowly.

‘Why did you say that?’ he asked.

‘No reason.’

‘Someone said…’ Eisenhorn began. ‘Someone said something like that to me. I think I was dreaming. My mind is whirling.’

They helped him to his feet.