On their previous visit to Divodorum, they had laid out the antenna by stretching it in an array from parapet to parapet, criss-crossing the roof. It couldn’t be seen from the yard below, let alone the street, but it made the roof a difficult place to traverse.
‘All is in order,’ Caroline murmured as she walked along the first stretch of wire, trailing a delicate hand near, but not touching, the wire.
‘You do fine work,’ Aubrey said as he followed her. The tarred roof of the quondam factory was flat, at least in theory, and it provided a fine outlook over Divodorum, where the familiar sights of the university and the fortress were obvious, even in the gathering darkness.
He stopped and put a hand to his eyes, the better to see. That tower near the fortress was new. Higher than the guard towers, it looked spindly and makeshift – and was it actually within the walls of the fortress itself?
‘It’s important work.’ Caroline reached the end of the roof. She ducked under the next wire with one supple movement, then began to track back the other way. ‘We must get your information back to the Directorate.’
‘Of course.’ Aubrey took a last look at the mysterious tower and joined her. Caroline was a slim shadow in the darkness ahead of him, but unmistakable nonetheless. In fact, he was sure he could pick her form out in any ‘Spot the Silhouette’ competition. The thought made his collar hot and tight and he nearly missed Caroline reaching the end, ducking and making her way back to where he stood.
A roar came from the north-west, a heavy pounding that brought them up short and held them unmoving for a minute or two. When it stopped, he could make out Caroline’s eyes in the darkness. They were solemn. ‘Gallian or Holmlandish?’ she asked.
‘Holmlandish, I’d say. They’re the only ones with those twelve-inch guns.’
Caroline glanced back at the source of the barrage.
‘Nine-hundred-pound shells,’ Aubrey added. ‘Nasty.’
‘You can tell that from the sound?’
‘Not exactly. Hugo had some documents about what the Holmlanders are hauling up to break the lines. I think they’re sending the Gallians a few goodnight wishes.’
Caroline paused for a moment, then turned her head toward the north-west. ‘You’re sure they’ll come in this direction?’
‘If they do, they’ll punch right into the heart of Gallia.’
Caroline didn’t say anything for a while. A breeze stole through the night and ruffled the hair at the back of her neck. In a movement so artless and unconscious that Aubrey nearly wept, she caught an errant lock and twisted it to and fro for a moment.
‘We don’t want that,’ she said finally, briskly. ‘What are you going to do about it?’
‘Get some advice from those who should know best,’ he said. ‘Is the antenna in good shape?’
‘It’s acceptable.’ She sighed and stretched. ‘From the sounds of it, I may be in for a long night.’