Engines & Demons - The Undestined

Chapter 42i

She turned the handle, the door opened silently on the high space of the supply-depot, and they crept through into the darkness beyond. The depot, however, was not unlit. The glow-lights on the curved roof above were all bright, and it was only the packing crates stacked in front of the doors that hid them in shadow. There were echoing noises in the unseen space beyond, and Grifford crept silently to a gap in the piles of crates and peered round the edge of one, before quickly pulling his head back.

"Soldiers?" asked Tahlia.

Grifford nodded his head.

"Going into the lift."

Tahlia went to his side, and as they crouched there listening, she heard doors clatter closed and a whir as the lift began to descend. Grifford peered around the crate again.

"They have gone," he said. "But there are more outside!"

"Let me see," said Tahlia, and pushed past him to peer around the side of the crate.

The supply-depot's gates had been fully raised, and the central-courtyard beyond was filled with soldiers. She looked for a while, then pulled her head back.

"What are they doing?" asked Dak, who was also crouching in the crates' shadow.

"Let us go and find out," said Tahlia, and she ran across the gap between their hiding place and another wall of crates, which were stacked near to the counter and doorway set in the depot's wall, where Jerrus' offices were.

The door was closed, and the shutter pulled down over the counter, but Tahlia could see a bright light shining from between its metal slats. She crouched at the edge of the crates, her ears straining for any sounds from the room, above the noise of the soldiers outside. She was leaning out from behind the crates when the office door was abruptly pulled open, and she tucked herself swiftly back into the shadows.

"This is unacceptable!" said an abrupt voice.

"I am sorry your search has been delayed," said another voice. "I do not know where Senior-clerk Jerrus is."

"He has doubtless stuffed himself senseless and is sleeping his gluttony off under a table somewhere."

Tahlia pressed her cheek against the rough wood of the crate, and carefully peered around its side.

The man standing in the doorway was familiar; he was one of Jerrus' junior clerks.

"I have opened the supply-depot to you, sir," said the clerk. "If there is anything else I can do for you..."

"What's in all these crates?" said the other man, who wore the uniform of an Executive-officer.

Tahlia ducked back out of the way.

"They are empty, sir. Awaiting distribution back to the farms."

"Open them," said the Executive-officer.

"But, sir!" protested the clerk. "Why are you searching here?"

"I have my orders, clerk. Do as I ask."

Their voices faded as the clerk began to protest again, and were quickly lost in the clamour of the courtyard beyond the depot's open doors.

"What was that about?" asked Grifford, who had appeared at her shoulder.

"Jerrus is not here," said Tahlia. "It seems he is missing."

She peered once more around the side of the crates, watching the activity in the courtyard. There were a great deal of soldiers out there, but they all seemed to be quite busy, most of them forming up in their Sections.