Yedrin kept away from the edge. ‘So why hasn’t anyone tried this before?’

‘It’s too dangerous,’ Blanchez told him.

‘Good answer,’ Minka said. Blanchez had the right mix of cocki­ness and bravado. But the truth was, no one had ever thought of it. Or if they had, they did not have the troops with the skills necessary.

Next to them a team of Cadian engineers were consulting some plans with a low lumen. One of them was animated as he pointed at the plans; the others were nodding. She went to join them.

‘Last checks being made,’ one of the younger men said. He looked upwards as he spoke. Above them she could see teams of engineers silhouetted against the sky. ‘You’re Lieutenant Lesk, right?’

‘Yes.’

‘Your platoon is going in first,’ the engineer said. ‘Attack is scheduled at 0500 hours. Colonel Sparker wants everyone in place by 0400.’

Sparker appeared, an unlit lho-stub still clenched between his teeth. He checked the strength of the welding. It was solid, and the engineers had reinforced it with extra cabling.

Sparker tested the I-beam. ‘Secure?’ he asked.

‘I’d bet my mother on it,’ the engineer’s commander told them.

‘Is she here?’

‘No, sir. She was on Cadia.’

Sparker kept his hand on the wires. ‘Well, that’s Throne-all use. Got any children?’

‘Not yet, sir.’ Sparker muttered something but the man took no notice. ‘We’ve been watching the enemy all day. They’re keeping their heads down. As far as I can tell they’re not expecting anything. There’s a crap-ton of heavy weaponry embedded over there.’

Sparker nodded and looked about. He checked his chronometer. They were ahead of time. ‘Let’s get in there and sort these bastards out. Lesk? Let’s get going!’

They set off.

The Cadian engineers had been working at night lashing each section of boards to the bridge suspensions and rigging up grilled metal duckboards to replace the footing where it was compromised. Where the walkway was missing they had suspended a narrow flakboard walkway with a knotted cord on one side for balance.

Very soon the land dropped away, and it felt as if they were twice as high as before. All Minka could see below her was the sea. The walkway swayed dangerously as the file walked along it, wires creaked, and the whole edifice felt as though it was about to break free and plunge them all a mile down into the sea.

Each pair of bridge supports were spaced half a mile apart. They were all of the same construction, a gothic tower on massive rockcrete footings.