'Any idea of numbers?' I asked.
'Not a thing, but Skynner's mob has found trouble too. Vessorines, so he reckon, wrapped up in carapace suits and loaded for bear.'
"We'd best be careful then/
I tried Ravenor, using my mind instead of my intervox.
Status?
THE ASPECTS HAVE-
Whoa, whoa, whoa… quieter, Gideon.
Sorry. I forget sometimes you-
I what?
You're hurt, I meant to say. The aspect warriors have engaged. It's quite busy here.
I could feel the sub-surface twinges of power as he channelled his mind into his force chair's psi-cannons.
Opposition? I sent.
Vessorine janissaries and some other heterodox meres. We-
He broke off. There was a grinding wash of distortion for a moment.
Sorry, he sent. Some sort of fusion weapon. They certainly don't want us in here.
In where?
He broadcast a sequence of map co-ordinates and I took the map-slate out of Nayl's hands and punched them in.
A structure, Ravenor sent. Ahead of us, south-west of you. It's built into the end pier of one of the gorge junctions. Although I can't see how. There are no doors. The Vessorine are coming out of somewhere, though. There must be a hidden entrance.
More distortion. Then he floated back to me.
The Vessorine are fighting like maniacs. My lord seer says they have already earned the respect of the aspects.
Your lord seer?
Send again. I didn't make that out.
Nothing, Gideon. We're going to try and come round on your flank, around the north-east intersection of the gorge.
Understood.
Come on! I urged. The others all jumped, all except Eleena, and I realised I was still using my psyche. Sloppy. I was tired and in pain. Still no excuse.
'My apologies,' I said, vocal again. 'We're moving forward. This chasm turns south-west and intersects with two others. Target site's at the junction, so Gideon reckons/
We hurried forward, moving through the steep shadow of the gorge.
'Glory be!' exclaimed Kenzer suddenly. He was looking up.
Bright flashes lit up the starry sky framed by the sides of the chasm. They washed back and forth like spills of milk in ink. Alerted to our presence, Glaw's starship had presented for combat and the Hinterlight was answering. Vast blinks of light lit up the sky like a strobe.
'I wouldn't wanna be up there/ said Korl Kraine. Kraine was a hiver who'd never served in any formal militia. His allegiance was to Ravenor first and to the underclan of Tanhive Nine, Tansetch, second and last. He was a short, pale man wearing patched and cut-off flak-canvas. His skin was dyed with clan colours and his eyes were cheap augments. He wore a string of human teeth around his neck, which was ironic as his own teeth were all made of ceramite.