Free The Laws of Magic 6: Hour of Need by Michael Pryor

with the way you look at the moment.’
    Aubrey straightened his jacket. ‘How’s that?’
    ‘Splendid. It’s made me overlook the dirt, the creases, the general tattiness. Now,’ said George, ‘we couldn’t help noticing, as we drove up, that most of this place has been blown up. I’m assuming you were responsible for that, old man?’
    ‘Sorry to disappoint you, George, but Dr Tremaine destroyed his own estate.’
    Madame Zelinka frowned. ‘Why would he do that?’
    Why indeed? ‘I’d say that he’s either finished all he came here to do, or something significant has happened to make him revise his plans.’
    ‘Rather drastic revision, that.’ George adopted a listening posture, with his elbow on the arm of the chair and his chin in his hand. ‘Now, why don’t you tell us what you’ve been up to?’
    Going back to the beginning, Aubrey couldn’t avoid mentioning von Stralick’s illness, for it explained their relative inactivity, but he tried to glide over the details. His efforts weren’t enough, however, to stop Madame Zelinka from pulling von Stralick’s face close so she could examine him.
    ‘You need a bath,’ she said.
    Von Stralick brushed off his filthy lapels. ‘An excellent idea. It would be a shame to waste the facilities here. And afterwards? A tour of the hunting trophies? I thought I saw a notably fierce iguana back there.’
    Before Madame Zelinka could reply, George stood up, suddenly alert. ‘What’s that?’
    Immediately, any slight semblance the group may have had to a polite drawing room gathering disappeared. Mostly, the indications were subtle – a sudden tension in postures, a cocking of the head, a half-rising to feet – but von Stralick’s hand went to his pistol before he shook his head and chuckled. ‘Some sort of night bird, Doyle. Do not alarm yourself.’
    ‘If that’s a night bird, I’ll eat this extremely grubby Holmland cap.’
    ‘He is correct.’ Madame Zelinka was rising from her chair. ‘It was Katya, signalling from the woods. Someone is coming.’
    ‘There,’ George said with some satisfaction. ‘Don’t let anyone tell you that George Doyle doesn’t know his way around the outdoors.’

 
    A S THEY DOUSED LANTERNS AND HURRIED ALONG the darkened hall, Madame Zelinka explained about her troop of Enlightened Ones. A neat two dozen, many of the members were drawn from those who had helped in the delicate work around Baron von Grolman’s factory in Stalsfrieden, but a few had been drawn from Albion and elsewhere after consultation with Commander Craddock – a point that Aubrey found almost unbearably intriguing.
    ‘Katya is my second in command now,’ Madame Zelinka said. ‘And some Gallians have joined us expressly because we’re helping you.’
    ‘Gallians?’
    ‘They said that they are friends of Maurice. Does the name mean anything to you?’
    ‘A friend,’ Aubrey said, remembering the caretaker of the dilapidated Faculty of Magic at the University of Lutetia – someone else who monitored Aubrey’s progress from afar.
    ‘Quickly now,’ von Stralick said as he led the way towards the terrace.
    George let out an oath. ‘What clod left a rake lying here? I nearly stepped on it.’
    ‘Never mind,’ Aubrey said. ‘Through these doors.’
    They burst onto the terrace to find a shadowy figure loping toward them, her blonde hair partly covered by a knitted cap. She had a rifle slung over her back. ‘Katya!’ called Madame Zelinka. ‘What is it?’
    ‘Nine lorries, full of troops.’
    Katya had been the most helpful of the supposedly neutral Enlightened Ones, most likely due to her unpleasant history with Holmlanders in Veltrania, her state of origin. Aubrey had no doubt that she would have been in favour of a more active role for the ancient order.
    ‘Where are they coming from?’ Von Stralick already had his pistol in his hand.
    ‘No idea. We have the four guards who fled this place bound and gagged.’
    ‘Four guards?’