Brothers of the Snake

  She took off her signet ring, and fitted it into the seal reader. The double-headed snake motif locked in and turned like a key. A rectangular panel slid open in the front face of the plinth, allowing more warm air to escape, and revealed a small, finger-touch keypad and several other small controls.

  The codex contained a list of numeral sequences to type in, with their corresponding meanings. Antoni spent a moment deciding which was the most appropriate. She settled on a general request for assistance, and nervously tapped in the designated code. Then she carefully followed the rest of the instructions.

  The final touch. A simple, recessed button, edged in brass. Antoni hovered her index finger above it for a long time, and then pressed it.

  She wasn't sure what to expect, though she anticipated something impressive. There was a click, then a silence, then a low groan that gathered force until it became a lingering murmur that hung in the air. Heat radiated from the black plinth. The chapel lights dimmed for a second, ever so slightly. Then there came another sound, so deep she felt it rather than heard it. She backed away from the plinth, slightly alarmed.

  The sounds all died away and silence returned. The plinth went dead, except for one, slow, blinking blue light.

  Antoni picked up the codex and read on. There was nothing else. She was done.

  She walked out of the chapel, the lights fading in sequence behind her. The beadle was waiting by the door.

  'When do you start, dam?' the beadle asked.

  'I'm finished.’ said Antoni. 'Lock the door.’

  III

  Two months later, a star appeared in the western sky.

  For three hours, it glowed against the curdled, grey, dawn clouds, and those citizens of Fuce who had not by then fled for the south, leaving their properties boarded and locked, regarded it as an ill omen.

  A tardy ill omen, at that. All the bad things an omen like that might presage had surely come to pass already.

  The star grew brighter and larger. It divided into three points of bright light, then came closer still, and revealed itself to be a dark shape upon which three bright lights were mounted.

  It was a ship.

  One of the palace guards woke Perdet Suiton Antoni and the primary clerk hurried to the high windows along the west wing of the palace to look. Her feelings had changed a great deal in the previous two months. What had been puzzlement and suspicion had turned into dismal fear.

  And now, suddenly, to hope.

  Assemble a retinue!' she yelled. An honour guard, now! Quickly!'

  Her voice was drowned out as the ship passed over Fuce with a roar like rushing wind.

  Antoni left the palace grounds in a two-wheeled gig, goading the servitors. She'd barely had time to put on her formal robes. Her men-at-arms rushed out after her on foot, clattering shields and weapons. They left the marching band behind. It was taking the players too long to assemble their instruments.

  'Where did it go?' Antoni shouted to her troop master. 'Did anyone see it land?'

  'The lights came down on the water meadows,' the troop master replied. 'Down beyond the state park.'

  They hurried that way. The ground became too boggy for the gig, and Antoni dismounted, picking up the hem of her robes so she could run with the men-at-arms.

  She saw a shape through the trees ahead, a fog of water vapour slowly dissipating in the dawn. She smelled a curious perfume of heat and chemicals and mud.

  'Quickly now!' she called to the men strung out in the muddy grasses around her. And look smart! You there, straighten that tunic!'

  Yes, dam.'

  Antoni was brought up sharply by the steady hand of the troop master on her arm. 'What?'

  'This could be anything, dam. This could be... more of them. Let me lead the way'

  The thought hadn't occurred to primary clerk Antoni. It chilled her. She nodded, ashamed of her sudden cowardice. The troop master moved forward, calling orders to his men to spread out. Antoni followed them.

  The steam was clearing. A few old willows stood limp along the edge of the water meadow, and beyond them lay the ship. Fierce, sleek, its galvanised hull was scored and pitted, its landing stanchions half sunk in the soft earth.

  Antoni frowned. It seemed to be a very small ship.

  The advancing men-at-arms came to a halt well shy of the landed vessel. They aimed their weapons at it. The grey dawn was very close and still, except for the croaking and fluting of waterfowl in the meadows and the estuary beyond. Strands of mist unfurled themselves out through the air like gauze. wading close by broke and fled aloft in a panic of beating wings.

  A lone figure came down the ramp, just a silhouette in the misty air. It crouched down at the foot of the ramp, busy with some task. Antoni peered forward. What was it doing? Anointing itself? Drinking?

  The figure rose to its feet again. A voice suddenly rang out of nowhere and everywhere, amplified.

  'Unless you mean to be my enemy.’ it declared, 'stop aiming your weapons at me.’

  The men-at-arms slowly, nervously, lowered their firearms.

  Antoni pushed forward, past the troop master and approached the figure.

  'I am Perdet Suiton Antoni, primary clerk to...' she trailed off and came to a halt. The craft ahead of her was certainly small, but the figure at the foot of its ramp was not. He was a giant, cased in armour that was gunmetal grey, edged in red and white. His head was bare, a heavy skull on a broad neck, black hair pleated in coils around his crown. He seemed two or even three times the mass of an ordinary adult male, and even the tallest men-at-arms in Antoni's retinue would only have come up to the giant's chest.

  'Oh god...' Antoni murmured.

  The giant took a step off the end of the ramp towards her. With a gasp, Antoni sank to her knees, squelching in the mud.

  'There's no need for that.’ the giant said. His voice was so deep, so immense, Antoni felt it quiver her diaphragm.

  'Please, get up, primary clerk.'

  Antoni looked up, but did not rise. She stared into the giant's face. It was massive and angular like a mountain cliff, but the eyes were sharp and alive.

  'You sent for me.'

  'I... I mean, we... I mean the people of Baal Solock... we sent... I sent... a signal, just a signal... according to the old law of undertaking... a signal to the Iron Snakes of Ithaka. For... for help...'

  'I am Priad of Damocles, of the Iron Snakes. Your signal was heard, and I have answered it. Where is the enemy?'

  Antoni got up, her robe tails wet with mud. 'In the north. North of here.’

  'Number and disposition? Type?'

  'I don't know. All I know is that the primuls have attacked our world.'

  'Primuls? That's an old term. I haven't heard it used in years. Come with me, please.'

  The giant gestured for Antoni to follow him back into the ship. Antoni hesitated.

  The giant turned back. I'm sorry. I was getting ahead of myself. There's some ceremony, I suppose? Your local leader wishes to feast me? Something like that?'

  Antoni shook her head. 'Our High Legislator went into hiding six weeks ago when the primul attacks became more intense. We... we have no proper welcome for you, sir. I only hesitate because...'

  'What?'

  'I'm afraid of going into your ship. I've never-'

  'I see. That's all right. It's perfectly safe. It's just like a regular sea boat. Please come with me. I need to know what you know, if I'm going to help you.'

  Antoni nodded, and scrambled forward to join the giant. Near the foot of the ramp, she slipped in the mud, and the giant shot out a hand to grasp her arm and steady her.

  The grip was like a bear trap. The giant's huge gauntlet entirely enclosed Antoni's hand.

  'All right, primary clerk?'

  'Yes. I was wondering...'

  'What?'

  You are a Snake?' Yes.’

  You are alone?' Yes.’

  Antoni smiled and nodded. 'I understand. The ship seemed so small. When do the ot
her Snakes arrive?' What others?' replied the giant.

  IV

  Antoni followed the giant warrior up the ramp into the belly of the ship. Their footsteps pealed echoes off the metal decking.

  'I don't understand.’ Antoni said.

  The interior of the ship had a strange, musty smell of hot metal, scented oils, bleach and ozone. They were in a kind of hold space with a black grille floor and harsh, greenish lamps recessed into the verdigrised walls. All the surfaces were scuffed and worn, utilitarian. A steady, throbbing click and gurgle came from behind the wall plating as the ship's systems cooled and shut down.

  It neither looked nor smelled anything like Antoni's idea of a space vessel. The giant strode across the grille floor and attended to a row of machine units with glowing screens mounted along one side of the hold space.

  What don't you understand, primary clerk?'

  Antoni cleared her throat. You are... alone? You come to us alone?'

  Yes.’ said the giant. 'That is the standard way. If a client world solicits Ithaka for aid, the Chapter Master traditionally authorises one warrior to respond. And one warrior usually suffices.’

  'But if the problem is grave?' she began. 'Surely one man is not enough...?'

  'I can make that assessment. Others can be summoned. I don't think they will be needed on this occasion.’

  'With respect, the territories of the Legislature are under assault. There have been raids, quite barbaric raids, and many deaths. Towns and villages have been burned. We have sent in our best troops. None have returned. None have ever been seen again. The primuls-'

  'Are fiends.’ said the giant. 'I know. I am acquainted with their handiwork. You were lucky, in fact.'

  'Lucky?' she echoed.

  'In the last six months, my company has been engaged in a sporadic contest with the dark el- with primul factions in this stellar neighbourhood. A number of skirmishes on half a dozen worlds. We scattered them, and now my battle group is occupied hunting the remnants of them down and mopping them up. The Chapter House relayed your signal to my battle-barge. We were just a few systems away. It was deemed convenient to drop me off as we came by. Primary clerk, how do you suppose we answered your signal so quickly?'

  'Quickly?' she replied. 'It's been two months!' The giant looked at her with a faint, forgiving smile. What did you say your name was, primary clerk?'

  'Perdet Suiton Antoni.’ she said.

  'Well, Perdet Suiton Antoni... you are clearly an educated woman. How far away do you suppose Ithaka is?'

  'I don't know.’ she confessed.

  'To the nearest parsec, maybe?'

  'I don't know what a parsec is, sir.’

  The giant nodded. 'Ithaka is a long, long way away, primary clerk. It would take the Iron Snakes ten or twelve months at the minimum to get here from there. We were in the neighbourhood. Count yourself lucky.’

  'I didn't-' she began.

  'Didn't what?'

  'I didn't realise space was so big. Ithaka is in the Reef Stars, isn't it?'

  Yes, it is.’

  'And the Reef Stars alone are so vast that it would take a year to cross from Ithaka to Baal Solock?'

  'No time at all, where space is concerned. It would take three and a half years to cross the Reef Stars group, and that is just a small part of the whole Imperium. Galactically speaking, Ithaka is close by. A bright, yellow star, which you might see in summer time, close to the western horizon.’

  'You know where Ithaka is in our sky?'

  'It was the first thing I checked when I arrived. I like to know where I am in relation to it. A foible, you might say.’

  Antoni felt slightly light-headed. 'I'd like to sit down.’ she said.

  The giant clanked over to her and wrenched down a foldaway seat built into the corroded wall. She perched on it.

  'Thank you. Could I also trouble you for a cup of water?'

  He paused. 'I don't have... I mean, we don't need supplies... rations. We can operate for a long time without...'

  She nodded. 'I understand. It's all right.’

  'No.’ he said. 'It's not. A drink of water.’ He reached down and took out a flask from a sheath strapped to his armoured thigh plate. The flask was tubular, copper, banded with straps of dull zinc. He unstoppered it and handed it to her. 'It will be brackish, I'm afraid.’

  She sipped. It was brackish, but the water was welcome anyway.

  'Thank you.’ she said, handing it back.

  The giant just nodded again, re-stoppered the flask, and put it away. He stepped across the hold space and pressed a series of heavy, wall-mounted pressure switches.

  On the left side of the hold, a section of wall retracted, revealing equipment, armour and weapons hung from secure brackets. Antoni saw long, copper lances, a pair of shields, and an enormous firearm that she knew, just by looking at it, would be too heavy for her to lift.

  On the right side, a section hatch furled up to expose a secondary hold in which a craft of some kind hung in a supporting frame. To Antoni, it looked a little like a row-boat, but grey and armoured, with seats for two, and heavy weapons mounted on the prow. The giant threw some switches, and power began to pulse through to the small craft, charging its engines.

  The giant returned to his bank of monitor screens. 'They've milked out.’ he said.

  'What?'

  'My scanners. I'd hoped to get a decent topographic scan as I came in, and fix a position for the hostiles. But they've milked out, blind. Radiation, that's my guess.’ 'Radiation? What's that?'

  'I think the primuls might have crashed here, primary clerk. It's not an invasion, it's a forced landing. Their drive core has leaked, perhaps even exploded, polluting hundreds of square kilometres. The return is so harsh, I can't get a decent track.’

  'I can show you where they are.’ Antoni said. 'In the palace. I have maps.’

  'I'd appreciate that.’ the giant said.

  The men-at-arms fell back as she led the giant up through the water meadows from his ship. She chatted all the way, and the giant made little response. He simply trudged after her, towering like a high man from the old stories, occasionally steadying her when she slipped or stumbled.

  As they walked in through the arches of the palace, the giant said, 'It's unusual, isn't it? For a female to hold such status?'

  'Yes, it is.’ she replied. 'I am the first woman to achieve the rank of primary clerk. I earned it.’

  'I have no doubt of that.’

  'On Baal Solock, we are proud of the way we have recognised gender rights. This is a modern, enlightened age.’

  'Yes.’ said the giant, smiling again. 'I rather suppose it is.’

  'There,' she said.

  The giant studied the charts Antoni had rolled out.

  'High country, then?'

  'Up beyond Charycon. Hills and vales. Most of the villages there have been razed. The entirety of the Pythoan Cantons is considered a no go.’

  The giant considered the maps, blinking from time to time. Each blink was matched with a click.

  "What is that?' Antoni asked.

  'I'm simply storing data.’

  'Your eyes are like a camera?'

  Yes. I suppose you could think of it that way.’ His eyes clicked again. Now he was looking at her.

  You recorded my pict?' she asked.

  Yes, primary clerk. Target recognition. I'd hate to shoot you by accident.’

  Why would you?' Antoni asked.

  'Because I know what you're going to ask of me.’

  When?'

  'Tomorrow.’

  V

  It was, again, a cold, grey dawn. Mist, heavier than the previous day's, draped like swaddling around the precincts of Fuce, making all sounds strange and hollow.

  Antoni came out into the damp chill of the palace yard. Sentries stood around in attendance, and somewhere, a drill master was ordering a change of guard shifts. The bellowing voice was twisted and transmuted by the levelling mist.

&n
bsp; Antoni put down her small travelling case. She was dressed in a woollen winter roving suit of shirt and trousers, with waterproofed leathers worn over. She waited.

  Princeps, and three of the High Legislator's other attack dogs, roamed the yard. The High Legislator had insisted, before his departure, that his trusted hounds should remain behind 'to safeguard the palace'. Antoni stayed well out of their way.

  A new sound throbbed through the mists, an engine sound. Antoni looked up. So did the sentries in the yard, and the dogs too. The engine note came closer, then died away outside the palace yard gate. A moment later, heavy footfalls crunched in through the yard entry. The giant, in his hulking armour, appeared through the mist.

  The dogs immediately ran towards him, growling, hackles up. 'Stop them!' Antoni called to the nearest sentry, but he just shrugged, helpless.

  The giant came to a halt as the dogs came for him. He sank to one knee and let out a swift, sharp whistle, a sound that Antoni couldn't imagine a human mouth making.

  The dogs immediately dropped onto their bellies and put their chins flat on the wet cobbles. One of them let out a little whine. The giant, still kneeling, wiggled his metal-gloved fingers and Princeps got up, ran forward with his head low, and allowed the giant to pet him. Princeps gurgled and rolled over, legs splayed.

  The giant rose again, pointing a finger at Princeps. The attack dog settled down on its belly once again. The warrior stepped past the supine dogs and came over to Antoni.

  'Fine dogs. War dogs?'

  'Yes.'

  Very fine animals.'

  'How did you...' she began, then thought better of it.

  'You're dressed for travelling,' he remarked.

  'I intend to come with you. There are, I believe, two seats aboard your travelling machine.’ She looked up at him. 'This is the question you knew I would ask.’

  Yes.’ he said. 'I won't make an argument. You have summoned me to accomplish a task, and you wish to see it done. It is normal for client states to require a witness or inspector to oversee our actions.’

  'So you will take me with you?'