Page 13 of Deep Secret (Magids 1)

I did it all over again. By the early evening I was ready again, this time with a list of various other gods, heroes and histori

cal personages from the Empire, just in case. I had developed a hearty respect for the Emperor’s paranoia. But it seemed that the name of his goddess was his last resort. I typed ‘KNARROS’ followed by ‘AGLAIA-UALAIA’ and a list came up.

KNARROS CODEWORLD LIXOS

FEMALE B. 3390 CODENAME NATHALIA

FEMALE B. 3390 CODENAME PHYSILLA

FEMALE B. 3400 CODENAME ANANTE

MALE B. 3401 CODENAME EKLOS

MALE B. 3402 CODENAME MAGRAKES

PLUS TWO MALE CENTAURS B. 3394 AND 3396

CODEWORLD BABYLON

FEMALE B. 3393 CODENAME TIMOAEA

MALE B. 3399 CODENAME JELLIERO

Each of the names was followed by clumps of letters, numbers and signs, which meant nothing to me, but which I supposed were the Empire’s version of blood groups or genetic codes or some such. The two lists were followed by the statement:

KNARROS WILL SUPPLY IDENTIFICATION AND

AUTHENTICATION OF HEIR(S) ONLY TO ACCREDITED

MESSENGER ON PROOF OF THE DEATH OF TIMOS IX

“Gotcha!” I said. I opened a bottle of wine to celebrate before I endeavoured to get through to Dakros on his com number. After the fun and games of the last few days, it was a simple matter to splice him into my telephone. I got him after half an hour, sounding far-off, crackly and very tired. “Two sets of them,” I said, “on two codenamed worlds.” I read him what they were.

He was nothing like as jubilant. “Who is this Knarros?”

“Some kind of guardian, I imagine. He might come forward when he hears—”

“Well, he hasn’t,” he said. “And which bloody worlds are Lixos and Babylon meant to be?”

“You could get the Imperial Secret Service on to it,” I suggested.

“I could if they weren’t all mindless gangsters,” he retorted. “We executed most of them yesterday. Trying to stage a coup. And,” he returned to what was obviously the main difficulty, “I don’t like the way it all seems to hang on this Knarros. You have to go through him for the eldest boy, even if it is on another world. What if he’s untrustworthy or someone does him in?”

“Blame the stupidity of your late ruler,” I said.

“I don’t like it,” he said.

“Neither do I,” I said. The fact that the password was Babylon still made my back creep. “I’ve faxed the list to Jeffros. Let him put people to work on it and tell him to let me know if you need my help.”

“I’m bound to,” he said. “This is a stupid over-secretive mess!”

I rang off, sighing. “He’s going to want me to find Babylon for him. I can see it coming.”

“You can’t do that!” Stan said sharply.

“I think we’re talking about two different things, Stan,” I said. “Or at least I hope we are. Mind turning that music down? I’ve got a headache.”

I drove to Bristol the next day with a passenger. I had not meant to go so soon, in spite of Stan’s nagging. It seemed to me that I had earned a day with my feet up. But my neighbour rang my doorbell just at the point where I had drunk enough of the wine to quench my headache.

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