were supposed to seal the Grand Pass and make it a tomb for ten thousand Scithrowl. I told my brother they failed to function, and at the time I said it I believed it to be true, thanks to some clever thread-work. But sweet Safira, keeper of my secrets, showed me their hiding place and I brought them here.
‘I doubt they can open or destroy the Ark but they can certainly bury it deeply enough that it would take Adoma many years to dig her way back to it. So she needs me, just as she needs my shipheart and I need hers. I give you this information because if you tell me what I want to know there could be a place for you in my service, little unruly Ruli.’
Ruli shook her head. ‘If it was true, if you really thought they would still work, that they might explode, you wouldn’t be here. You would be on the other side of the city, or in the west, if there are any forts still holding there.’
‘Sadly it requires the ignition button to be close. It won’t even work through a wall. Once, perhaps, but not now. All these wonders are fading … Besides, I know what happens to losers. It isn’t pretty. If it must come to that then my end will be swift and glorious and my grave deep.’
‘So … the shipheart you stole. The two the battle-queen owns …’ Nona spoke using Ruli’s mouth. ‘That only makes three.’
Sherzal held out four fingers and started to count them down. ‘Well, there’s one—’ the guard marked the count with a kick to Ruli’s thigh, ‘here that Abbess Glass kindly donated. And numbers two—’ a kick to the ribs, ‘and three—’ and the head, ‘are with Adoma. The fourth—’ The guard stamped on Ruli’s ankle. ‘The fourth shipheart I need will be delivered to me by Lano Tacsis and the Singular of the Noi-Guin from the sack of the Convent of Sweet Mercy.’ Sherzal leaned over and waited for Ruli’s groaning to subside. ‘So you see, Adoma needs me. I have quite a bit to bargain with.’
The convent! Even as she shared Ruli’s pain Nona found it crushed to insignificance beneath the terror that Sherzal’s words brought crashing down on her. Lano Tacsis at the convent. The thought of Ara standing lone guard against the Tacsis forces and the Noi-Guin had her tumbling back towards her own body. Ara! She had forced Ara to stay. She’d thought she was saving her!
Nona clung to Ruli even as her fear for the convent tried to steal her away. Sherzal was still talking.
‘But it has come to my attention that even when we open the Ark actually controlling the moon may be an annoyingly complicated business. My little bird tells me that Abbess Glass set you children on the path to finding a book that should help on that front. Quite a wonder that woman. I’m so glad she’s dead. But her annoying cleverness is the reason I can’t afford not to take this book seriously. Owning that knowledge would really be the cherry on the cake. Which is why I had you two brought here. Disappointingly you don’t have the book on you, but you can tell me where it is. And if young Jula really is as studious as Joeli tells me she is then I think it’s worth investing the time to torture her on the assumption she has the information we need locked behind that plain little face of hers.’
Nona bit down on Ruli’s pain and spoke into her mind.
I can save you. I’m going to try the doors but if I can’t get through I’ll need to take control of your body. You really have to trust me for that to happen.
Ruli made no attempt to hide her relief. You can do the hurting and I’ll sit back and watch you kill this bitch. But even if you take over you’ll still be me … and I’m a bit tied up.
That’s why I want to try the doors first. Stay strong.
Hurry, Nona! He’s getting his knife out … and that’s supposed to be easy compared to what Safira is going to do to me! I’m not strong like you …
Nona returned to her flesh with a shuddering breath. She turned her stare towards the blank wall ending the corridor, reaching out with her rock-work. It didn’t require much skill to understand the nature of the barrier. Even from fifty