Dangerous Offspring

‘How fast can you open the gate safely? What do you need? Tell us, so we can make plans.’

She jumped up and dashed to her desk. She whipped a sheet of paper towards her, grabbed two pencils, shoved one behind her ear and poised the other. ‘If Q is the flow rate and dt is the time…Hum! Could the debris block the gate? No, its compressive stress is tissue to that force of water…You there! Yes, you. Bring me some more coffee! Where’s my foreman? Asleep? Why? We have work to do! Oh, if Zaza were here we could do this in a couple of days!’

Lightning and I backed off. ‘Thank you,’ he said gratefully.

‘I’m just trying to keep her occupied. We don’t have sufficient troops to reach the winch tower anyway.’

He nodded. ‘I know. We’re stranded here, Jant, for now. But at least we’re stranded with the largest store of arrows in western Lowespass.’

I noticed Kestrel Altergate at the far end of the room, trying to help a field surgeon without actually touching his patient. ‘Just make sure Frost sleeps at some point, and keep those bloody reporters away from her.’

One of Lightning’s wardens called from the spiral stairs. Lightning raised a hand in acknowledgement and said, ‘I have to organise the archers on the towers. Please bring us some instruction from the Emperor.’

‘I will.’

‘I hope San knows what to do, because I fear I don’t…Jant, did you find Cyan in Hacilith?’

‘Er. Yes.’

‘Wonderful! Well?’ Lightning glanced to the Zascai clamouring for his attention. The bolder ones were begi

‘She’s safe now,’ I said.

‘Now? She wasn’t safe before?’

‘She was safe before and she’s safe now.’ But not during the time in between, I thought. Lightning gave me an urgent look, but I met his gaze. ‘Rayne is bringing her here. They’ll arrive in a couple of days.’

‘Good. Thank you, Jant…’ I could see Lightning wanted to ask me more but the Zascai were waiting. He fidgeted with the scar on his palm, then he nodded and went back to issuing commands.

Wre

Wre

He said, ‘These clips don’t last long. I have to keep threading on new ones. God, that’s better. I feel much lighter now.’

His armour was state of the art, top of the range. I cast an envious eye over it. ‘Nice gear.’

‘Isn’t it? Check out Sanguin.’ He passed me his broadsword.

‘Very nice.’

‘You can see the temper line and everything.’

I tilted the blade to see its etched arabesques and the name in a flowing Awian script.

Wre

‘I crash-landed.’

‘Did you? Armour, Jant; get yourself some of this.’

‘I can’t fly in harness.’

‘Wear something on your arms at least.’ He gri

I picked up one of his mirror-finish arm plates from the floor and turned it over. Its canvas straps were hidden underneath it and woven through with steel wire resistant to Insect jaws. The straps had metal spring clips-they could be unfastened in a second if something did go wrong, and they were all easily reachable. Wre

He nodded at it. ‘You should ask Sleat to make you some. It’s much better than that old crap scale you wear.’

‘Show me,’ I said.

He took off a greave and ran his finger inside it. ‘Well, it’s lightweight. Feel that. My breast and back plates are thi

It was the highest-quality steel with the sunburst inlaid in orpiment yellow. I ran my thumb over the smooth embossing and Wre

‘Is this Morenzian?’ All human armour was adaptable to Awians these days but sometimes the added pieces were unreliable.

‘Sleat extended the pauldrons for me and I tuck my wings under them. He can do the same for you. He took my measurements when I joined the Circle. He made exactly what I wanted.’

‘Sleat custom-forges armour for every new Eszai,’ I said.

‘He made me a whole garniture suite.’

‘Really?’

‘Yes. All interchangeable plates, for all purposes and the decoration matches. I wear this to joust; I just change the breastplate for one with a lance stop, and I have a closed-visor bascinet with a crest instead of this light casque.’

‘Clever.’

‘Oh, and I have a matching surcoat too. I don’t want to joust in bare Insect-fighting steel when there are ladies watching.’

‘Frost is a keen jousting supporter,’ I said. ‘You should talk to her about it and help calm her a little. She remembers all Hayl’s scores.’

‘At the moment I’d rather not.’ He began unhooking the leather spats stretched over his feet to prevent mud working in between the joints. ‘These are the only thing I have a problem with. Leather never lasts long in a bout with an Insect-I might as well wrap myself in bacon.’

Lightning yelled from across the hall, ‘Jant! Are you going to the Castle or are you going to wait until we’ve all been eaten?’

‘Damn,’ I said. ‘I’d better go. See you in a few days.’

‘Bye.’ Wre

I walked out to the square and climbed up to the hall roof, dwelling enviously on Wre

I stood on the ridge, watching Insects descending on the town. I ducked as one buzzed overhead, blotting out the rising sun, and waited for a clear space when it would be safe to take off.