Just past six in the morning, all of
Klein, in his nightgown, sat upon the bed and looked at the messenger lady at his side, who held four heads in her hand; he rubbed his temples and asked, with no small resignation:
«Who sent the letter?»
Was he no longer to be allowed to sleep in peace?
Renette Tinkle's three blond-haired, red-eyed heads in her hand answered in turn:
«You…» «That one…» «No…»
«Brain…» «'s…» «servant…»
Daniz, eh… It used to be midnight prayers; now it is letters at first light… Klein drew a breath, let it out slowly, and took the letter from the messenger lady.
He unfolded it and read; his expression became, by degrees, a little graver, for the moment at which Daniz and Anderson had pinned down the whereabouts of the «Disease Vice-Admiral»
By Klein's reckoning, before long that Pirate Admiral and the «White Witch» Catalina would regain their «freedom», no longer have to hide so closely and become rather easier to find; to deal at present with the information broker Bath, and to obtain from him the article by which Tracy could be contacted, was most likely to startle the target and drive her into deeper hiding.
Of course, Klein could enlist the help of the «Mystery Queen» Bernadette and obtain a means of locating the «Disease Vice-Admiral» across a mirror; but the trouble was, he suspected that the target's hiding place was a key stronghold of the Witch Sect, perhaps even the headquarters housing the '0'-grade sealed artefact. Were that so, even were he sure of Tracy's whereabouts, he would not dare «Teleport» across to seize her; thus a contact attempt would only put that Pirate Admiral on her guard.
And if he did not seize this opportunity to make contact, regardless of whether Bath lived or died, once dawn came the situation would inevitably spread; Tracy would be put on her guard all the same.
Truly… still, this is also because Anderson and Daniz are not privy to the truth of the matter, and do not know how the situation in the Kingdom of Loen has shifted… Klein thought for a moment, then said to the messenger lady waiting beside him:
«Wait a moment; I shall write a reply.»
He had originally meant to «Teleport» straight there and settle what was to be done next, but, on consideration, he chose instead to write.
— Although he reckoned Tsalatu would not waste time on so obvious a «bait» as Daniz, he still felt it best to be cautious; what Tsalatu would not do, His Esoterists subordinates might well do. So large a hidden organisation must surely number a few demigods of saintly rank among its members, and were one of them to fasten upon him, the trouble would be considerable.
«Good.» The one of Renette Tinkle's heads that had not yet spoken cut in first.
Klein rolled out of bed, walked from the bedchamber to the outer room, drew out paper and pen, and wrote fluently:
«Find a way to leave Bath unconscious until first light.
«Then, at once, quit his room; go far from it. Great danger lurks there.
«When day breaks, resume your watch on Bath, but do not alert him.»
The «great danger» was both true and not so: Klein's principal aim was to have Anderson and Daniz withdraw from the scene, and to draw off any possible covert surveillance.
He set down the steel pen, ran his eyes once more over what he had written, folded the letter and handed it to Renette Tinkle, the messenger lady who had followed him out.
……
Ten past three in the morning, the Rampant Sea, Seloss Island, in Bath's room.
Daniz, having only just set the altar back in order and dealt with the traces, saw the dreadful messenger with the four heads return to the scene.
Gehrman Sparrow did not even come… Daniz, faintly surprised, reached out to take the reply, then drew a gold coin and offered it to the messenger.
Once the figure in the gloomy, elaborate long dress, carrying four heads, vanished from sight, he unfolded the letter and ran his eyes swiftly over it.
There is — there is danger! Daniz's pupils dilated abruptly, and, as though his backside had been singed, he sprinted to the door.
Out into the corridor, he turned to Anderson, who stood with his back to the wall, an unlit cigarette between his lips, and said:
«Quick, quick — go! There is great danger here!»
«…Gehrman Sparrow said so?» Anderson started slightly and asked, looking thoughtful.
«Yes; how did you know? Could it not have been that I discovered something?» Daniz responded by instinct.
«You? Heh.» Anderson gave a small laugh, and asked quite at his ease, «What else did he say?»
«Are you not even nervous? In matters of this kind Gehrman Sparrow is genuinely most reliable.» Daniz's focus was entirely on the wrong thing.
Anderson was silent a moment and said:
«His messenger is more reliable. At the very least, during the few minutes his messenger took to come and go, there will be no danger here.»
If any «danger» truly lurked, the moment that messenger lady appeared, it would have silently shrunk back.
«…» Daniz had been about to retort that, looking purely at appearances, that was indeed so; but, somehow, by instinct he abandoned the line.