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.Something else.'She kept silent, hearing only the wading sloshes of Rix behind them, weighed down by his pack.And then Keiro swore, and she heard it too.With an unearthly screech a flock of tiny blood-red birds shot out of the tunnel, splitting in panic, so that Rix ducked.Behind the birds, something vast was coming.They couldn't see it yet, but they could hear it; it scraped and sheared against the sides, as if it was metal, a great tangle of sharpness, a mass forced down by the current.Keiro swung the torch, scattering sparks; he scanned the roof and the walls.'Back! It'll flatten us!'Rix looked sick.'Back where?'Attia said, 'There's nowhere.We have to go ahead.' it was a hard choice.And yet Keiro didn't hesitate.I Ic raced into the dark, stumbling in the deep water, the torch shedding burning pitch like stars into the torrent.The roar of the approaching object filled the tunnel; ahead in the darkness Attia could see it now, an enormous ball of tangled wires, red light faceted from its angles as it rolled towards them.She grabbed Rix and hustled him on, straight into the path of the thing, knowing it was death, huge, a pressure wave building in her ears and throat.Keiro yelled.And then he disappeared.It was so sudden, like a magic trick, that Rix howled in anger and she almost stumbled, but then she was floundering towards the spot, and the rumble of the great mesh ball was on her, over her, above her.A hand shot out.She was hauled sideways and she fell, deep in the water, Rix crashing over her.Then arms went round her waist and hefted her aside, and the three of them felt the scorching heat as the object sheared past them, its blades scraping sparks from the walls.And she saw there were drowned faces in it; rivets and helmets and coils of wire and candlesticks.It was a compacted sphere of ore and girders, impaling a thousand coloured rags, a million scraps of steel flaking off in its wake.As it passed she felt the friction, the condensed air imploding in her eardrums.It filled the tunnel fully; it scraped itself by with a million screeches and the darkness stank of scorching.And then it was wedged tight in the dark, filling the world, and her knee was aching, and Keiro was picking himself up and swearing furiously at the state of his coat.Attia stood, slowly.She was deafened and stunned; Rix looked dazed.The torch was out, floating in the thigh-high water, and there was no Eye here, but gradually she made out the dim shape of this fork in the tunnel that had saved them.Ahead was a red glow.Keiro slicked back his hair.He looked up at the crushed and tangled surface of the sphere; it shuddered, the force of the water juddering it against the constricting walls.There was no way back now.Over the noise he yelled something, and though Attia couldn't hear it, she knew what it was.He pointed ahead, and waded on.She turned, and saw Rix reaching out to touch something that glared out from the metal, and she saw it was a mouth; the open snarling maw of a great wolf, as if some statue had been swept away in there, and was struggling to get out.She pulled at his arm.Reluctantly, he turned away.I want the drawbridge up.' Claudia marched along the corridor shedding her coat and gloves.'Archers in the gatehouse, on every roof, on the Sapient's tower.'' Master Jared's experiments.' the old man muttered.'Pack the delicate things and get them down in the cellars.Ralph, this is F— Prince Giles.This is my steward, Ralph.'The old man bowed deeply, his arms full of Claudia's scattered clothes.'Sire.I am so honoured to welcome you to the Wardenry.I only wish.''We haven't got time.' Claudia turned.'Where's Alys?''Upstairs, madam.She arrived yesterday, with your messages.Everything has been done.The Warden's levies have been raised.We have two hundred men billeted in the stable-block and more are arriving hourly.'Claudia nodded.She flung open the doors of a large, wood-panelled chamber.Finn smelt the sweetness of roses outside its open casements as he strode in after her.'Good.Weapons?''You'll need to consult with Captain Soames, my lady.I believe he's in the kitchens.''Find him.And Ralph.' She turned.'I want all the servants assembled in the lower hail in twenty minutes.'He nodded, his wig slightly askew.'I'll see to it.'At the door, just before he bowed himself out, he said, 'Welcome back, my lady.We've missed you.'She smiled, surprised.'Thank you.'When the doors were closed Finn went straight to the cold meats and fruit laid out on the table.'He won't be so pleased when the Queen's army comes over the horizon.' She nodded, and sat wearily in the chair.'Pass me some of that chicken.'For a while they ate silently.Finn gazed round at the room, its white plaster ceiling pargeted with scrolls and lozenges, the great fireplace with the emblems of the black swan.The house was calm, the stillness drowsy with bees and the sweetness of roses.'So this is the Wardenry.''Yes.' She poured out some wine.'Mine, and staying mine.''It's beautiful.' He put down his plate.'But there's no way we can defend it.'She scowled.'It has a moat and a drawbridge.It commands the land around.We have two hundred men.''The Queen has cannon.' He stood and walked to the window, pushing it open.'My grandfather chose the wrong Era for us.Something a bit more primitive would have kept us equal.' He turned, quickly.'They will use the weapons of the time, won't they? Do you think they might have things we don't know about.relics of the War?'The thought turned her cold.The Years of Rage had been a cataclysm that had destroyed a civilization; its energies had stilled the tides and hollowed the moon.'Let's hope we're too small a target.'For a moment she crumbled cheese on her plate.Then she said, 'Come on.'The servants' hall was a buzz of anxiety
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