Synaptic Manhunt (27 page)

Reave had had no such reservations. He sat beside Billy arrayed exactly like any of the horsemen, except that he didn’t carry one of the long slender spears. Nancy had also changed to the native garb. A.A. Catto had given her second pick on the ex-queen’s wardrobe.

The three of them sat on their mounts facing a line of fifty or more horsemen. In the space between, A.A. Catto trotted her horse up and down, haranguing her army in what Billy supposed she thought was a suitably regal and inspiring manner.

The horsemen sat very still, gripping their spears, in a perfect line. Billy wondered what they thought about the changes that A.A. Catto had made in their lives. Billy looked down the line. Their impassive faces were almost totally hidden, as well hidden as their minds. Billy had had a number of theories about the horsemen. The first had been that they were chronically stupid. But their physical coordination and prowess with weapons and horses seemed to negate that idea. Billy had wondered, from the way they rarely spoke, and used gestures to convey quite complex ideas, if they might be low level telepaths. Currently Billy entertained the idea that they could be highly intelligent, but with that intelligence totally strait jacketed by conditioning and genetic tailoring. It was the best theory so far, but he was by no means certain about it.

A.A. Catto at long last completed her address to her loyal troops. Billy had managed to avoid hearing most of the monologue. As the horsemen formed themselves into a column of two, Billy wondered idly if she had managed to work in anything about her having the body of a frail and feeble woman, but the heart and stomach of a man. He knew it wasn’t beyond her.

The column started out of the village and down the mountainside. Four horsemen preceded it, then came A.A. Catto and Nancy riding side by side. Behind them rode Billy and Reave, followed by the remainder of the force. Billy had no clue how the horsemen found their way in the thick fog, but the column seemed to wind down the slope in such a positive manner that he didn’t doubt they were going in the right direction.

Despite the foul weather A.A. Catto and Nancy chattered together all through the ride. Billy and Reave, on the other hand, rode in damp sullen silence. The situation seemed to have escalated to such a point that there was nothing left for them to say.

They finally broke out of the mist into the sunshine at the base of the slope. The ziggurat was in front of them in the valley. The column halted. A.A. Catto raised her hand and the ranks divided, each horseman peeling off neatly in turn until they formed a single line abreast. They sat silently for a while. Billy gazed down at the ziggurat. He could see tiny figures moving backwards and forwards on the various levels of the building and working in the fields. It was hard to believe that within the next few minutes they were to be slaughtered.

A.A. Catto leaned across and muttered something to the horseman next to her. He made a series of signals with his left hand. Except for Nancy, Billy, Reave, A.A. Catto and three horsemen on either side of them, the whole line began to move forward at a slow even walk. After about a hundred metres, another signal was given, and the line of horsemen accelerated to a trot. When they’d covered the same distance again, they broke into a controlled canter. They lowered their spears.

When the line was a matter of some two hundred metres from the ziggurat, a wild cry went up and they broke into a gallop. They thundered towards the huge black structure. Some of the blue-robed priests saw them, and began to run for the safety of the building.

The line split in two. Half the force wheeled round and swept across the fields, riding down the workers as they went. The remainder raced towards the ziggurat. When they were only a few metres from the walls, they abruptly lowered their spears and dug the tips into the ground. Their forward momentum jerked the horsemen from their saddles. Almost as one they soared into the air, holding their spears like pole vaulters. They landed lightly on the first tier of the ziggurat, dropped their spears and pulled out their knives. They moved forward in a rush and fell on Joachim’s followers, hacking and slaying like machines. Billy glanced round at Reave.

‘Did you see that manoeuvre?’

Reave nodded.

‘I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it myself.’

A.A. Catto turned to the others.

‘It’s time we moved down there.’

Billy scowled.

‘Don’t want to miss being in for the kill?’

A.A. Catto ignored him, kicked her horse and went down the slope at a swift canter. Nancy and the horsemen kept pace with her, while Billy and Reave trailed behind.

By the time they reached the ziggurat, the workers in the fields had either been killed or chased inside the building. The majority of horsemen had also moved inside, although a few still stalked Joachim’s men on the outside upper levels. A.A. Catto halted in front of the building and looked round, surveying the carnage. She dismounted and walked towards the nearest set of steps. Billy quickly rode up beside her.

‘Are you really going to kill everyone?

She looked up at him in surprise.

‘Of course. That was the point of the whole operation.’

‘Couldn’t you call it off and let the survivors go? They can’t cause you any trouble. They aren’t even offering your horsemen any resistance.’

A.A. Catto stared at Billy with contempt.

‘Don’t be ridiculous. They have to be exterminated.’

‘Why?’

A.A. Catto didn’t bother to answer him. She began to climb the steps to the first level. Billy yelled after her.

‘You’re insane! You hear me? You’re crazy!’

A.A. Catto continued to walk up the stairs. She pretended not to hear him. Reave reined in beside Billy.

‘You won’t achieve anything by yelling at her.’

‘There’s got to be some way to get her to stop this whole thing.’

Reave shook his head with an air of finality.

‘There’s no way.’

‘What makes you so sure?’

‘I lived with her for all that time, didn’t I? She sees herself as some kind of female Attila and nothing we can do will change it. It’ll probably get worse before she finds a new game.’

‘How can you be so calm about it?’

‘It ain’t me that she wants to exterminate.’

‘So what do we do?’

Reave started to dismount.

‘Just keep out of sight and hope she doesn’t turn against us.’

Billy sighed and swung himself to the ground.

‘I suppose you’re right.’

They began to climb the steps up to the upper levels. They had to pick their way between the sprawled, lifeless bodies of Joachim’s followers. The sound of screaming drifted down from above them. It seemed as though the survivors were retreating to the top of the ziggurat.

Billy and Reave continued to climb slowly. Occasionally they’d see a few of the blue-robed priests pursued by knife-wielding horsemen across one of the ornamental terraces.

Bodies floated in the pools formed by the artificial stream that cascaded down the ziggurat from level to level. They went on cautiously climbing, doing their best to avoid the killing.

They were about two thirds of the way up the building, and standing at the foot of a long ramp that traversed two levels. The screams had died down a little. Suddenly two figures appeared at the top of the ramp, and started desperately running down it. They weren’t like the other followers of Joachim. One was an old man in a kind of white smock. The other was a thin figure in a black frock coat and wide brimmed hut.

Four horsemen appeared at the top of the ramp. They had knives in their hands and were obviously chasing the two figures. One of the horsemen took one of a set of weighted thongs from his belt. Without breaking step he swung it, and let go. The device curled round the old man’s legs. He fell, and rolled helplessly down the ramp. His companion stopped and turned. His hand flashed to his belt, whipped something out, and threw it. One of the horsemen clutched at his throat and fell. He too rolled down the ramp. Recognition dawned on Billy. He spun round and grabbed Reave by the arm.

‘It’s the Minstrel Boy!’

The Minstrel Boy was bending over the older man, tugging at the thongs that were wound round his legs. The horsemen were racing down the ramp towards him. Billy started running up to head them off. Reave reluctantly followed him. Billy had gone only a couple of paces when he realized that the horsemen would reach the Minstrel Boy before him. He threw the fur cape off his shoulders and pulled out his gun. One of the horsemen was in the act of swinging his knife at the Minstrel Boy. Billy fired. The horseman tottered backwards, and plunged over the side of the ramp.

Billy fired twice more and the other two fell to the ground. One rolled almost the length of the ramp before coming to rest at Reave’s feet. Billy hurried across to where the Minstrel Boy was helping the old man to his feet.

‘Are you all right?’

The Minstrel Boy dusted himself down.

‘Yeah, but we gotta get the fuck out of here. These crazy barbarians are killing everyone.’

Billy scratched his ear.

‘I think you’ll be all right with us.’

The Minstrel Boy was on his knees pulling his throwing knife out of the horseman’s throat. He looked up incredulously at Billy.

‘You mean you’re with these people?’

‘Kind of.’

The Minstrel Boy stuck the knife back in his belt.

‘Why, for chrissakes?’

‘It’s A.A. Catto. She’s taken over this whole tribe. She’s gone a little mad.’

The Minstrel Boy pushed back his hat.

‘Godzilla motherfucker!’

Before Billy could explain any further, A.A. Catto herself appeared at the top of the ramp.

‘What’s going on here? I heard shots.’

She saw the dead horsemen and hurried down the ramp, followed by Nancy and an escort of horsemen. Her face was dark with anger.

‘Who killed my men?’

She jabbed her finger at Billy.

‘Did you do this?’

‘I had to.’

‘What do you mean, you had to?’

Billy pointed to the Minstrel Boy and the Wanderer.

‘These people are my friends. Your men were going to kill them. I had to stop them.’

‘So you shot them.’

‘There was no alternative.’

A.A. Catto swung round to face the Minstrel Boy.

‘Don’t I know you?’

The Minstrel Boy scowled.

‘You ought to. You had me tied up in your hotel room for long enough.’

A.A. Catto’s eyes narrowed.

‘Of course. You’re the one. You were with him. The one that was trying to murder me.’

She turned to her escort.

‘Kill him.’

The guards moved towards the Minstrel Boy. He backed away holding up his hands.

‘Wait a goddamn minute, will you! You’ll find out you’re making a big mistake if you kill me.’

A.A. Catto looked dubious, but motioned to the horsemen to stop.

‘What mistake?’

‘I’m here, so doesn’t it occur to you that Jeb Stuart Ho might be here as well?’

A.A. Catto looked a little alarmed.

‘The assassin? He’s here? Where is he?’

‘Guarantee you’ll let me and my buddy here live, and I’ll tell you.’

A.A. Catto almost spat at him.

‘Guarantee nothing. Tell me, or I’ll have it tortured out of you.’

The Minstrel Boy glanced at the Wanderer and then gave in.

‘He’s here all right. He’s gone up the mountain, looking for you.’

A.A. Catto nodded.

‘That’s all I need to know. Now I can have you killed.’

The Minstrel Boy talked very fast.

‘It’d still be a mistake.’

‘You think so?’

‘Sure, after all, we know Ho. We could help you get him.’

A.A. Catto wasn’t impressed.

‘I’ll send a squad of my horsemen after him. They’ll be quite able to deal with him. Your help won’t be needed.’

‘We’ve got a lot of other talents. I mean, you’ll probably want to switch off the globes and get the stuff receiver working. The Wanderer here, him and me can handle them kind of things.’

A.A. Catto turned to the Wanderer.

‘Is this true?’

‘What we don’t know about stuff receivers ain’t worth knowing.’

The Minstrel Boy smiled ingratiatingly.

‘I can be pretty useful in my own way. Didn’t I get you that airship back in Litz?’

A.A. Catto still looked doubtful. Then she made up her mind.

‘I’ll let you live until my men come back with the assassin’s body. Then I’ll decide what to do with you.’

The Minstrel Boy let out a sigh of relief.

‘We’re right grateful to you, ma’am.’

A.A. Catto started to walk away, giving instructions for the hunting of Jeb Stuart Ho. Abruptly she stopped and looked back at Billy.

‘I’m holding you responsible for these friends of yours. Whatever their fate is, you’ll share it.’

She turned and walked away with her men.

The blue-robed priest made his way carefully up the mist-shrouded mountainside with Jeb Stuart Ho close behind him. They threaded their way between the outcrops of rocks and stunted bushes. A primitive hunter’s instinct was getting a grip on Jeb Stuart Ho. Now he was so close to his quarry he could feel a dangerous excitement building up inside him. He was impatient to complete his task. His hand went to the hilt of his sword and caressed it briefly. He found himself imagining the swift blow that would dispatch A.A. Catto. He was surprised at the vividness of the vision.

The priest halted and peered into the mist. Jeb Stuart Ho moved up and crouched beside him.

‘Are we near the village?’

‘We are very close. I am surprised we do not hear any sounds of life.’

They moved cautiously forward, halting every few metres. There was absolute silence under the blanket of fog. The priest started to become uneasy.

‘I pray I haven’t made some error. We should be right at the village, and yet we hear nothing.’

They went on creeping across the damp landscape. The dark shape of some kind of building loomed out of the mist. Jeb Stuart Ho touched the young priest’s arm.

‘This surely must be part of the village.’

The priest nodded.