The Ascendant Stars - Michael Cobley [161]
‘Well, what about the condemned man’s last request?’
‘I don’t do requests. Now hold still and it’ll be quick … ’
Except that Horne didn’t say that last word – instead there was a quick intake of breath as he lunged backwards, swinging the handgun round, firing off a stream of hot bright barbs. A cluster of tracerlike bolts passed through the space where he’d been standing, shutting off abruptly when Horne’s own gunfire found a target. Theo, sprawled on the mound of hides, stared as Horne sauntered over to where Captain Gideon lay on the dirt near the door, blood staining his right arm and left leg.
‘Ah, the great captain, brought to bay at last!’
Nathaniel Horne covered Gideon with his beam weapon as he approached. ‘The Marshal is here on the mountain, too, Franklyn – what a pity that he won’t see your last moments, your blood running out to mix with the mud … ’
Theo scrabbled around, desperately searching for his gun, relying on touch in the brazier-lit gloom. But he couldn’t find it – and Horne was bringing up that energy pistol …
Fingers touched cold metal under the flaps of a hide, found a wooden handle and dragged it out. Dull ember yellow gleamed on the polished blades of a double-bitted axe that must belong to one of the drinkers from before …
There was no time – he leaped to his feet and hurled it.
The axe flew true and smashed into the back of Horne’s head. The force of it slammed him forward to trip over Gideon, who was trying to rise. Horne plunged through the open door and measured his length on the puddled stone outside. Breathing heavily, Theo followed, retrieving his pistol from where the Tygran had flung it aside, then helped Gideon to his feet.
‘My fault,’ Gideon said, wincing. ‘Not in full armour … should have been … ’ His grip on Theo’s shoulder tightened as he looked at the fallen Horne and pointed. ‘How is that possible … ’
In the mud and the rain, Nathaniel Horne was stirring. Theo shivered, felt the hairs prickle on his arms, then growled and stepped out into the downpour, leaving Gideon propped against the door frame with the revolver in his hand.
Horne was reaching up one hand behind his neck, fumbling for the axe haft. Theo gritted his teeth, bent down and tore the axe free. And paused a second, staring. Horne made no sound, there was no blood on the blade, and in the gaping head wound something silver squirmed …
A kind of terror crawled in the pit of Theo’s stomach, giving him a new energy. He nimbly stepped to one side, turned and brought the axe down on the bared neck. Horne’s body spasmed, and it took another two blows to completely sever the head. Gasping, he kicked it off to the side, a sodden thing swathed in matted hair.
‘Was he telling the truth?’ Theo said, glancing at Gideon. ‘Will Becker be here too?’
Gideon was treating his own wounds with a field kit and there was a flush to his features and an alacrity in his movements that Theo guessed had a chemical origin. Battlefield stimulants, he thought. Well, even we had those kineshi leaves to chew.
‘Becker is here,’ Gideon said. ‘I saw him rappel in with a squad of Brolts on the other side of the crater. He has to be working with Kuros, which raises the question – where is the Hegemony ambassador and all of those flyers and gunships the Brolts supposedly had at their northern base?’
As if in reply, they heard a rumble of explosions in the distance, like far-off thunder.
‘Giant’s Shoulder,’ Theo said.
Gideon nodded. ‘It doesn’t change our overall objective, just makes it that much more complicated … ’
‘My God,’ Theo said, slapping a hand against his forehead. ‘Rory! – I have to find him, make sure he’s okay … ’
‘What would he do, Theo?’ Gideon said. ‘If he was cut off by this chaos, would he try to find a safe place to hide or go get the bomb then head towards … ’
‘The second,’ Theo said with a grim shake of the head. ‘Ja, he would try to complete his mission.’
Gideon bent and picked up Horne’s beam pistol from the ground, wiped away beads of rain and checked the charge indicator. Then he handed back Theo