well prepared. Bland, serious and practical. Like these people themselves. She longed to escape this encampment and return to her mission. The only amusement of the night came from the faces Jheval made when tasting the food.

An after dinner tea was served, a watery green infusion utterly without flavour, and Jayashul announced: 'We are now prepared to mount an assault upon the Devourer.'

Kiska thrust aside her tea, spilling it. 'An assault? Shouldn't we determine just... what it is, first?'

Jayashul was undeterred. 'We know it is a powerful magus, or what some would name an Ascendant. No doubt quite mad. Perhaps brought on by exposure to your otataral dust, or some form of mental attack or breakdown. Merely visiting Chaos can induce such a reaction – it is notto strangle him. Then hands yanked him up. He fought at first but the hands weren't at his throat so he clambered to his feet, staggering and running into things and people he could not see in the gloom. Roaring filled his hearing; he could just make out a trooper ahead and set a hand on the man's shoulder. Someone clasped his belt from behind. In this manner, as a troop of blind men and women, they felt their way through a tunnel, seeking clean air.

They collapsed into a cave, coughing and gasping. Two troopers guarded the entrance, shields at the ready. He peered round, wiping at his eyes. He saw Squeaky, Pyke, Faro, the elder Gheven, a few of Twofoot's troop, and the giant Manask, who was