“That’s right.” Avery removed his nosegay and stared beyond the docks at the “ground level” of the town, that being the first tier, whose platforms ranged along either side of the river underneath the rest, like shelves of fungus. The first tier seemed filled with strange machinery, noise and smoke, and there were no huts, as such, only large structures in which grimy mutants trickled in and out, some carrying gears or wrenches.
Off Avery’s expression, Jeffers said, “Those are the processing plants. Cleans the fish as much as they can. Beyond them’s the dam. You pro’lly wanna go on up to another level.”
Avery thanked him and climbed out of the boat, then made his way past the infected people coming and going from the docks, all seemingly about the business of fishing or, in some cases, apparently, scavenging; he saw two men unloading a boat filled with various cast-offs and debris: a sheet of metal, a wooden cabinet that had been broken apart and half rotted, and a great box overflowing with wiring. The locals spared Avery a glance or two, but most seemed intent on whatever they were doing, though three small children, all infected, did approach him begging for food or money. He passed out some coins and they scattered.
Beyond the docks stretched the machines and plants of the processors, and beyond them Avery could see, far in the distance, the lights and bulk of what might be a dam. I’ve tumbled into a dream, he thought.
He found a wooden ramp that led up to the next level and took it. This level was lined on the wall side by shops and eateries and other establishments of dubious quality and a broad walkway on the side facing the river. Bridges spanned the gap to a mirror of this tier on the other side.
One business had blacked-out mirrors and a doorway covered with a tattered velvet hanging. A half-naked woman, having thrown back the velvet partway, reclined against one side of the frame, displaying her body to any that walked by. She might have been attractive once, but she’d obviously led a hard life, and it had mapped her face and body with lines and wrinkles before her time. Her left leg ended in a flipper, and Avery could see the melding skin tones where flipper met flesh.
“Want some comp’ny?” she asked. She squeezed one of her breasts and moaned in an unconvincing way.
“Thank you, no,” Avery said. “I am, however, looking for the Hooded Monkey.”
“The Monkey, now is it? Well, let’s see, can I remember where it is …” She let the silence linger leadingly, and he sighed and handed her a few dollars, even though he was certain in a town this small the place wouldn’t be hard to find. “Next level up,” she said, “and across the bridge.” She pointed to a building whose façade was painted a garish green. “That’s the one.”
Avery nodded in thanks, found another ramp and ascended to the next level, then located the nearest, sturdiest plank bridge and crossed it. His stomach lurched as he felt the wood creak beneath him, and he glanced over the side to see dark, gurgling fluid rushing toward the dam. Something finned broke the surface, then vanished from sight. He moved on. As he reached the other side, four figures in robes bustled by, and he shrank back from them on reflex. They were priests of the Collossum. Shit, there must be a chapel here, too. Just how much of the Underneath had gone over to the R’loth?
He hastened to the Hooded Monkey, pushed his way inside and peered around the shadow-draped interior. He eyed the bar and felt a surge of relief to see the person he expected to see there. The two made a pretence of not recognizing each other. There was no sign of General Hastur, however.
A man approached him. The fellow was trim and fit, his hair short and his face business-like. Avery detected a military air about him.
“Are you Francis Avery?”
“I am.”
“I’m an associate of … our friend. I’m to conduct you to her.”
“We were supposed to meet here.”
The man smiled grimly. “It wouldn’t actually do to give out a location where she’s going to be, would it? What if the wrong eyes or ears found the message? No. I’m to take you to the real location.”
Avery’s gaze moved to the figure at the bar, who was frowning, probably unable to overhear their conversation.
“Fine,” he said. “Let’s go.”
“I’m Reynolds, by the way,” the fellow said as he led Avery out the door, down the platform and up another ramp. “Colonel Ashlan Reynolds, to be more precise.”
“Ah.” It didn’t surprise him that Hastur wasn’t entirely alone. She must have made her escape with several of her highest officers. That was good, he thought. That would help. He looked over his shoulder as they went, hoping to spot the shape that had been by the bar, but the walkway was too narrow and the press of people too thick.
Up here, this far from the river, the air smelled better, and the shops and eateries seemed much more appealing. The people who ran the establishments seemed to live on or near their businesses, he saw, noting several shacks sticking out of the commercial structures. Reynolds led him to the very edge of town to a tavern perched on the lip of the drop-off (or overlooking it, anyway), and a waiter seated them at a table abutting the railing that was all that separated them from the void. Below was the dam, roaring and spuming, and, just past it … nothing. The natural chasm the town bordered plunged down into a vast, deep well, though whether there was some body of water at the bottom of it Avery couldn’t tell. He could see no end to it, only blackness. When the waiter asked him if he would like a drink, he answered in the affirmative.
“I’ll leave you to get comfortable while I fetch our friend,” Reynolds said and departed. Some minutes later the tall, spare form of General Tavelina Hastur (Avery easily recognized her from that day on the docks of Hissig when she had saved them from the Navy troops) entered the tavern, only she wore no fatigues this time but was dressed in rags and had even gone to the trouble of wearing make-up that gave her face the appearance of being scaled. Her rigid military bearing gave her away, though, and Avery doubted any of Sheridan’s agents would be fooled should they spot her.
Avery stood to receive her, and the two took their seats and regarded each other in silence. A group of flails, flapping mucus, winged by the terrace in pursuit of some prey, and Avery sipped his drink. Neither of them seemed to know how to proceed, so he decided to be the first to open the dialogue:
“So, fancy meeting like this, General—”
“Please. Don’t use my name or rank. Call me Veronica.”
“Very well, Veronica.” He glanced about. No one was sitting nearby, although the terrace was far from unoccupied—this seemed a popular destination—and there was no sign of the man from the previous bar. Hopefully he had followed them here and was just out of sight. “What are we going to do about Haggarty?”
Hastur’s face, rawboned and freckled beneath her false scales, twisted into a scowl. “That bastard. I can’t believe one of our own betrayed us so villainously. He’d better hope I don’t get my hands on him.” She snorted. “As to what our next move is, I wish I knew. I have a few men and women with me, and they’re good people, but they’re not enough for me to launch any sort of attack.” She paused, and it was clear her next question was important: “How are you situated?”
Avery nodded, as if he’d expected this, which of course he had. “Better than you might think,” he said, hoping this was true.
“And you want to help me unseat Haggarty and restore Denaris?”
The waiter arrived, took her order, and she fell silent until he returned. When he was gone, she took a sip, as if to fortify herself, and said, “If she can be found, yes.”
“I think we should proceed under the assumption that Denaris—or should I say ‘our friend’—can be found,” he said. “Either way, Haggarty needs to be gotten rid of.”
“I agree.”
“I’ve heard that you still have many supporters in the Army. Is that true?”
“It is.”
“And that you could retake your old command under the right conditions.”
“I’d need some muscle,” she said, without dissembling. “A show of force to rally my loyal troops. With that, I could lock up the traitors and lead the Army against Haggarty.” Her eyes glittered. “You said you were well situated. Does that mean what I think it does?”
“What do you think it means?”
“Obviously, that you have people you can call on. Soldiers, of one stripe or another.” Her eyes sent to the striations on his face. “If you’ll forgive the choice of words.”
“As it happens, I just might.” He glanced about, and there, finally, was the figure he’d been looking for, and just at the proper time. He waved the man over.
