I went outside and pulled the door closed, breathing hard. Yanking the little hand vox from my pocket, I keyed the 'respond' rune.
'This had better be good, Jubal/ I said hoarsely.
Static crackled back.
'Jubal? Jubal? This is Eisenhorn.'
Nothing. Then a quick blurt of frantic words I couldn't make out. Then static again.
'Jubal?'
From somewhere distant, on the other side of the house, I heard a trio of muffled cracks.
Las-fire.
I snatched up Midas's needle pistol from the shelf where Medea had left it and ran for the library door.
EIGHT
The fall ofspaeton house.
For ourlives.
Sastre, loyal Sastre.
The halls of the house were quiet, with the lights dimmed, but I could smell burning. I hurried down a carpeted crosswalk, arming the needle pistol. Thirty rounds and a fully charged cell. 1 had no reload.
Tiny red lights were winking on the security monitor dials recessed into the walls at regular intervals. I went to the nearest one, opened the cover and was about to press my signet ring into the reader when I heard movement.
I raised the gun.
Two maids and a houseman ran into view and yelped when they saw me.
'Steady steady!' I cried out, lowering the gun. This way, come on!'
They ran up to me and cowered behind some ornamental plant stands.
'What's going on?'
They were too scared to answer at first. I saw that the youngest of them was the new girl, Litu. She looked up at me with terrified, tear-pink eyes.
'Litu? What's going on?'
'Raiders/ she said, her voice breathy with panic, 'Raiders, sir. Just minutes ago, there was suddenly this great big bang from upstairs, and then shooting. Men running around, with guns. I saw a man dead. I think it was Urben. I think/
Rocef Urben. One of my security detail.
'He had all blood coming out of his face/ she stammered.
The raiders, Litu. From which direction?'
'From the west, sir,' said the houseman, Colyon. 'From the main gate, I think. I heard Master Kircher say they were coming from the stable block too.'
'You saw Kircher?'
'It was a bit mad, sir. I heard him as he ran past/
I looked around. The smell of burning was getting stronger and I could hear more shots.
'Colyon,' I said, 'do you have your house keys?'
'I'm never without them, sir/ he said.
'Good man. Go along here to the east porch and then get yourself and these women into the gardens. Head for the orchards. Hide. Got a comm?'
'Yes, sir/
'If you don't hear from me in the next twenty minutes, try and get all three of you off the property. Look after them, Colyon/
'I will, sir/
They ran off. I fitted my ring into the monitor and authorised access. The little wall unit lit the air with a small diagnostic hologram. Incredibly, it stated that all security systems, all detectors, all perimeter shields, were shut down. They'd been shut down at source, using an authorised command code.