Against A Dark Background by Iain M. Banks Page A

all here; the U.P., the Gnost, the Analysis of Major Journeys; all of them; every damn book Goltei s ever had and then lost in ten thousand years and more. They might all be here; a million Uniques, a million treasures, all buried here, lost, thrown away to rot on the dung-pile this place is.’ She directed a small, thin smile at Sharrow. ‘I haven’t found them, but they might be here. Even the Brothers themselves don’t know. The House has secrets even they haven’t guessed at’
    ‘I’m sure,’ Sharrow said, tapping her fingers on the granite table. ‘Now-’
    Breyguhn’s eyes narrowed. ‘We both know what the book’s supposed to lead to; what are you going to do with that?’
    ‘Give it to the Huhsz,’ Sharrow said. She gave a small laugh, glancing round the vast shadows around them. ‘We both have . . . eccentric cults to pay off.’ She settled her gaze on Breyguhn again. ‘So. What have you got? What is it you know that-?’
    ‘Blood fealty,’ Breyguhn said suddenly.
    Sharrow frowned. ‘What?’
    ‘Blood fealty,’ Breyguhn repeated. ‘Grandfather’s inner circle of aides and servants were under genetic thrall to him; he’d had behavioural patterns programmed into them.’
    ‘I know; it was one of the reasons the World Court fell on 1 him from the height it did.’
    ‘Huh,’ Breyguhn sighed, eyes bright for a moment. ‘Yes; if h he’d got to a couple of their judges, or Corp chief execs with that sort of power . . .’ She shook her head.
    Sharrow sighed. ‘So it’s outlawed.’
    ‘Indeed. Outlawed.’ Breyguhn nodded. ‘Complete embargo; even in a war they won’t release it.’ She talked quickly now, words spilling over each other. ‘But the old raptor hid information that way.’ Her eyes glittered. ‘When he knew those death-kites of the World Court were closing in on him, he had the most precious things hidden where only his descendants could find them! He did! He did it! I know; I’ve seen the records of the family laboratories; they’re here!’
    She sat forward in the great seat, resting her arms on the table surface. She lowered her voice to a whisper. ‘The Brothers scavenged much of what our grandfather built up, Sharrow; like filcher birds, on instinct. They don’t do anything with it, they don’t seem to care about the outside world; they just gather for gathering’s sake . . . but it’s been lying mouldering here for fifty years and only my researches have unearthed it!’
    Sharrow leaned forward. ‘What?’ she said, trying to remain calm.
    ‘The secret! All the secrets! All the things he’d found, all the Antiquities; ones he’d collected, ones he’d simply tracked down but not yet gathered to him! Locations programmed into his servants, to be played back by us!’
    Sharrow sat back. ‘You’re sure?’
    ‘Certain!’ Breyguhn’s sallow, grimacing face was lowered almost to the surface of the table. Her hands were fists, beating the polished granite for emphasis, making her iron chain rattle and clink. ‘”The female line” can access these secrets,’ she hissed. ‘That’s all I know, and I don’t know if it includes me; I was born after he was brought down, while he was awaiting trial, and he probably wasn’t able to issue the instructions to his clinicians, but you must have inherited the access genes from your mother… if they weren’t scrambled by all that radiation or your precious SNB.’
    Sharrow waved her hand, dismissing this. ‘Not a problem; but what do I have to do?’
    Breyguhn looked suddenly wary, sitting up and back and looking around quickly. ‘You promise you’ll turn the book over to the Brothers once you have what you want from it?’
    ‘Yes.’
    ‘You really promise? I’ll tell Cenuij you promised.’
    Sharrow raised one hand. ‘Look, I promise.’
    Breyguhn leant forward, her chin touching the granite table, her eyes wide. ‘For the UP.?’ she whispered. ‘Bencil Dornay.’
    ‘What?’ Sharrow said, hardly