Hello? The voice had come from the other side of the door. Venera motioned for the others to get out of sight, then summoned a laconic, sugary voice and said, Is this where I can find my little captain? She giggled.
Wha? Two eyes appeared at the door, blinking in surprise at her. Just in time, Venera had yanked off her black jacket and shirt, revealing the strategic strappery that maximized her figure. Who the hell are you? said
the man on the other side of the door.
Im your present, whispered Venera. That is, if youre Captain Sendriks Id like it if you were, she added petulantly. Im tired of tromping around these stupid corridors in nothing but my assets. I could catch a cold.
A moment later the latch clicked and seconds after that Venera was inside with a pistol under the chin of the surprised guard. Her men flowed around her like water filling a pipe; as she gestured for her new prisoner to kneel Thinblood said, Its clear on this end, but theres another man around the corner yonder.
Level a pistol at him and hell fall into line. She watched one of the soldiers from Liris tying up her man, then said, It is cold in here. Bryce, wheres my jacket?
Havent seen it, he said innocently. Venera glared at him, then went to collect it herself.
The new corridor held a faint undertone of coughing and quizzical voices, which came from behind the other doors. This was indeed a cell block. Venera raced from door to door. Up! Yes, you! Who are you? How long have you been here?
There were men and women here. There were children as well. They wore a wide mix of clothing, some familiar from her days in Spyre, some foreign, perhaps of the principalities. Their accents, when they answered her hesitantly, were similarly diverse. All seemed well fed, but they were haggard with fear and lack of sleep.
Garth Diamandis was not among them.
Venera didnt hide her disappointment. Tell me where the rest of the prisoners are or Ill blow your head off, she told the guard. She had him on his knees with his face pressed against the wall, her pistol at the back of his head. Bear in mind, she added, that well find them ourselves if we have to, itll just take longer. What do you say?
He proceeded to give a detailed account of the layout of the tower, including where the night watch was stationed and when their rounds were. So far Venera hadnt seen any sign of watchmen; for a nation gearing up for war, Sacrus seemed extremely lax. She said so and her prisoner laughed, a tad hysterically.
Nobodys ever gotten in or out of here, he mumbled against the plaster. Who would break in? And from where? He tried unsuccessfully to shake his head. You people are insane.
A common enough trait in Spyre, she sniffed. Your mistake, then.
You dont understand, he croaked. But you will.
She had already noted that he wore armor that was light and utilitarian, and his holstered weapons had been similarly simple. This functionalism, which contrasted dramatically with the outlandish costumes of most of her people, made her more uneasy about Sacruss abilities than anything hed said.
They spent some time trying to get more out of him and his companion. Neither they nor the prisoners they spoke to knew what Sacruss plan wasonly that a general mobilization was underway. The prisoners themselves were from all over the principalities; some had recently gone missing within Spyre itself.
Theyre enough evidence to haul Sacrus before the high court on crimes against the polity, crowed Bryce. If we can just get some of these people out of here.
Venera shook her head. They may be enough to get the rest of Spyre up in arms. But until we can come up with a decent plan for getting them out alive, theyre safer where they are. Let them loose now and theyll give us away, and probably try to run the gauntlet of machine guns and barbed wire on their way to the outer walls. At least lets find them some weapons and a direction to run in.
Bryce and Thinblood exchanged glances. Then Bryce quirked his irritating smile. I have an idea, he said. Lets strike a compromise
Thinblood was jubilant. Both floors are secure, he said. We left the watchmen in a closet we found. And my welder has sealed off the main doors and a side entrance. Hes a model of efficiency, that one.
Bryce put a hand on Veneras arm. Your man doesnt seem to be here. We have to look to our other objectives.
She shrugged him off, gritting her teeth so as not to snap some withering retort. All right, then, she said. Theres more to this tower upstairs. Lets find out what Sacrus is up to.
The next floor was different. Here the velvet-covered walls and darkness gave way to marble and bright, annoyingly uneven electric light. Venera heard the sound of voices and chatter of a mechanical typewriter
coming from an open door about thirty feet to the left. Crouching under the lee of the steps with the others, she scowled and said, The time for subtlety may be past.
Wait. Thinblood pointed the other way. Venera craned her neck and saw the heavy vault-style door even as Thinblood said, Sacrus is reputed to keep their most secret weapons in this place. Do you think?