Half crouching, the four of us sped and stumbled across the uneven flags, ducking down behind every convenient bush till we reached the inner gate and hunched down behind the gatepost. We were just peering through the gap between post and sagging gate when a sudden flicker made us whirl around. A pale light spattered the mounting cloudheads above, and a soft crackle echoed between the valley walls. We looked at each other uneasily, then turned back to the gate. Between it and the looming façade of the mansion – palace, almost – lay what must once have been an elegant courtyard, flagged with decorative stones and planted here and there with shady trees in stone tubs. Now they had burst their tubs and grown tall, fastening their roots through the flags with savage vigour. Some had fallen, blown over in a hurricane perhaps, and torn up great stretches of paving in their agonies. Piles of rubble and dirt littered the rest of the court, and the empty windows and gaping door of the great house grinned mockingly down over the wreckage. As far as we could see it was completely empty. But the wide double stairs leading up to it were noticeably clear of rubbish in the middle, as if people had used them lately – a lot of people. We risked putting our heads around the gate, then stepped out swiftly, with ready swords. Except for that one stick-figure the courtyard was empty; there was no sign of any watchers at window or rooftop. Jyp and I turned to wave the others forward – and were hurled off our feet.
Flat on my back, half-winded, I saw Jyp flung back against the gatepost;
little Taupo fell on top of him, his neck lolling brokenly. The
Featherman was on top of me and kicking furiously at my stomach. I
struggled to get out from under, but the kicking rose to a paroxysm and
he fell aside, gurgling. I heaved myself up – and faced the dark fingers
an instant before they clamped home on my throat. That gave me a split
second to do two things – tuck in my chin and thrust up my sword, hard.
I felt it sink home with a horrible meaty impact – but the spindly
ironhard hands about my neck didn’t so much as twitch, only closed home
their appalling grip. I stabbed again, again, twisting the blade as it
came out – and then a mighty flash of lightning ripped the air, and
showed me my attacker’s face. The exploding thunderclap drowned my
scream. It wasn’t monstrous, not in itself, that face. I’d seen its twin
in half the little villages, high-boned, leather-hard, dusty-skinned.
But not sagging, staring, a glaze-eyed skull under stretched skin. My
jawbone creaked as that chill grip tightened, my throat convulsed. It
was killing me, this
Then came a sudden swish like the wind, and the face flew up into the darkness. The grip convulsed, but held till blades thudded into the thin stick-insect arms. No blood spurted, but they relaxed, sagged. In a flare of lightning the headless body rolled aside. Mall jabbed it with her sword, stained tarry black. Flat raindrops pattered on the flagstones.
‘Jyp,’ I croaked as he helped me up, ‘Why’re the zombies in the movies
always
He grinned, fingering a scraped brow. ‘Ever see
‘Will you stand blethering while the heavens fall?’ demanded Mall, and a mighty thunderclap burst the air to punctuate her. ‘Surely we’ve woken the watchdog! Into the castle, and quick!’
Lightnings crossed above the rooftree, thunder battered at us and the rain came sleeting around us as we bolted up the steps. But there was no way we’d rush blindly between those yawning double doors. Those of us with pistols drew and cocked them; I hoped the rain hadn’t got into the priming. Then the lightning flashed again, and in its lurid glare we saw a great hall before us, high-roofed, nobly proportioned, with a dais at one end on which stood the dilapidated remains of high seats, richly carved and canopied – thrones, almost, crumbling and cobweb-shrouded now. It had been a palace, once, this place, for some wealthy noble; but it was horribly empty now. Cautiously we crowded into the doorway.
‘Lanterns!’ order Jyp, whispering despite the storm. ‘Light ’em up, and quick!’
But either the rain had got into them, or the wind was blowing out the tinder, or there was some other cause, because there was a tremendous bother over lighting them. Mall pushed through impatiently, and managed to coax one into feeble life. Then she held it up; and we all shrank together in the middle of the floor. For by its swinging light shadows moved across those wide white walls – but there was nothing to throw them.
