Текст книги "Темное, кривое зеркало. Том 3 : След на песке.(ЛП)"

Автор книги: Гарэт Д. Уильямс

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Текущая страница: 17 (всего у книги 38 страниц)

He was not afraid of death, and he had already made his plans for dealing with the situation when it became necessary.

He had never been afraid of death, but he was afraid now. The instincts that had kept him alive for so long were screaming at him. Something was happening, or was going to happen, and he was not in control of it. That frightened him.

Not long ago he had received a message, short, but strange. It did not seem to make sense, and yet it was the kind of message he could not ignore.

Breathing in slowly, he rang the door chime, which was answered almost immediately with a "Yes?" The mere sound of that voice made him smile. He could have spent all day doing nothing but listen to it.

"It's me, Delenn. Can I come in?"

"Always," she replied. He knew she would be smiling and sure enough, when the door opened and he stepped inside, she was. She glided across the floor to meet him, her smile lighting up the room. "I thought you were running drills on the Parmeniontonight," she said. "Or did you finish early just to be with me?"

"No…. ah, not that I didn't want to…. it's just that…." He paused, catching his breath, and his thoughts. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

"No. I was just going over the proposals put forward by the Drazi Government. They seem to think they are entitled to a larger share in the Alliance than we are giving them. It is nothing, but even if it were important, I would put it aside for the moment." She looked at him closely. "John…. is something wrong?"

"Yes…. ah, no…. I don't know. Have you seen G'Kar recently?"

"No, not since…. this morning. Why?"

"I got a strange message from Bester just now. An order, more like. It sounds as if there's something major going on. He's…. recalling me to Sanctuary."

She frowned. "Did he give a reason?"

"No, none. That's why I wanted to see G'Kar. See if he knows anything. This is…. it just has a bad feel about it. Not to mention that with the Parmeniongone, and the Ozymandiasas well, there'll be only the Alliance ships left to defend this place if anything goes wrong."

"There is also the Great Machine, which is more than capable of defending the station. You remember the first time we saw it?" He nodded. "Still, this might be a cause for concern. Perhaps we should try to find G'Kar."

He nodded again. "Now?"

"No time like the present." Smiling, he took her arm and they left her quarters, his long stride consciously slowed to match her shorter one.

As they began to walk down the corridor however, they encountered two figures coming the other way. Sheridan started and stiffened, and he knew Delenn had noticed the tension in his arm.

He looked at the two men closely. Captain Ari Ben Zayn and his telepath, Harriman Gray. Bester's men through and through. Both men had noticed them and while Gray looked uneasy, Ben Zayn consciously straightened his bearing and stopped, waiting for Sheridan and Delenn to approach him.

"I thought I'd find you with her," Ben Zayn said, addressing Sheridan directly without a glance at Delenn. "Didn't you receive your orders, then?"

"I received them," came the careful reply. Sheridan was looking directly at Gray, who seemed…. fascinated by his gaze. That was still better than looking at Ben Zayn. The man was a career soldier, with years more experience than Sheridan himself. His scar seemed to bleed as Sheridan looked at it. "I was just looking for G'Kar to…."

"And have you started working for G'Kar now, Captain?" he snapped. "You work for Bester. The Parmenionis his ship, its crew are his men and you are his soldier. Have you forgotten that?"

"No, Captain, I haven't. But Bester did post me here to safeguard this project of G'Kar's, as well as to maintain general order in the League and Alliance worlds, as per G'Kar's wishes. My exact post was, if I remember the term correctly, Bester's liaison with G'Kar."

"Yes, I am completely aware of that, but now Bester has requested your presence on Sanctuary. This supersedes your posting here. You are to come along…. now, or your ship and your crew will have to go without you."

"You know as well as I do that at least half of that crew is mine."

"And they will obey the orders of Major Krantz just as well as they would yours. If they do not do so, then they can easily be replaced. You have your orders, Captain. So, unless your recent freedom has affected your ability to obey them, I expect to see the Parmenionleaving here within the hour. Do you understand me?"

"I understand you perfectly well! But I have my responsibilities here, to G'Kar, to this station, to…." He stopped as he felt Delenn tapping his arm gently.

"Go, John," she said. "We will be fine here." He started to speak, to protest, but his words were stifled by her kiss. "I love you," she said softly, so softly it was hardly audible. "Go."

She stepped back and, with a twirl, turned and went back towards her quarters. Sheridan focussed his gaze on Ben Zayn. "We will be gone within the hour," he snapped. "And if this is no emergency, we will be back here equally quickly. Good day, Captain."

He stormed down the corridor without saying another word.

* * *

Lord Jarno stood at his window looking out at the streets of his city, and shivered. It was night-time and yet the city was lit as if it were day. Not just by lights, but by the fires.

They had been burning for days, it seemed – in the warehouse sector, the peasant villages, the fields, even in the streets themselves. Where each inferno blazed, someone stood in the centre of it, screaming that the Shadow was coming.

Jarno did not need to be told about the Shadow, he saw it every night in his dreams. The sky was blacked out by the appearance of countless billions of ships, each one screaming inside his mind.

Shadow Criers they called themselves. Madness, but an enlightened madness. They preached that everything would burn, all would be destroyed when the Darkness came.

"Still looking outside? Why bother? The City Guard will put out the fires eventually, that's what they're there for, after all. And then they'll find out who did it and execute them. Come back to bed."

He did not turn from the window at the sound of her voice. Many times over the last year he had begun to wonder why he had ever listened to it in the first place. He had always been ambitious…. before, but for the greater glory of the Republic, not for his own advancement.

But then he had begun to listen to her and old dreams had begun to surface. At first they had sounded so reasonable. Of course the Republic needed strength, now more than ever. Good people had been ignored by the Court for too long and if it took something a little…. extreme to force them to recognise that, then so be it.

Somewhere along the way, however, it had all gone wrong. He didn't know where. From the moment she had first manoeuvred him into her bed, making a mockery of his marriage vows? From the death of Emperor Refa perhaps? Maybe from the emergence of the first Shadow Crier. Maybe it had always been wrong and he had simply never noticed until now.

"Jarno dear," continued the petulant voice, and he sighed. "Stop looking outside. You know it only upsets you. There's something much more interesting for you to look at over here…."

He sighed again and silently cursed his own weaknesses. Perhaps they were why he had never risen as far as he felt he should have risen.

"The city is burning," he muttered softly. "The city…. is burning."

"Only the parts of it that don't matter. The Guard will never let the fires get anywhere near the Noble Quarter."

"People are dying."

"People who don't matter. The peasants. There will always be more of them around."

He sighed again and nodded. He was considering returning to bed when his commscreen beeped. Turning towards it, he suppressed a surge of fear. Who could possibly be contacting him at this time of night? This could be nothing good.

"I'm sorry, my lord," spoke the voice of his aide over the commchannel. "I will tell the Lord Kiro that you are unable to take his call at the moment…."

Lord Kiro? Jarno swallowed harshly. "No. I'll take it now." He moved over to the screen, watching as his companion awkwardly pulled the sheets up to cover herself.

The image came into view on the screen, and Jarno looked at his fellow noble. Once, many years before, the two had been friends, fostered together at his uncle's estate. A million years ago now. Both of them had changed too much, and neither made any mention of that time in their childhood.

"What is the meaning of this, Jarno?" Kiro asked. He looked positively apoplectic.

"The meaning of what, Kiro? Do you know what time it is?"

"Of course I know the time, and you know full well what I am referring to! I have been at my estates all week, and when I return, not half an hour ago, I find guardsmen all around my house here. My servants tell me that no one has been allowed to enter or leave since they arrived, and the guards tell me they were ordered there by you! What is the meaning of this, Jarno?"

Jarno straightened automatically at Kiro's tone, even though he could not dispute the rightfulness of his anger. Jarno knew nothing of any such guardsmen, but he still maintained his composure. "It behoves us all to act as nobles, Kiro. Perhaps you have forgotten that."

"Forgotten! Jarno, I will ask you one last time. What is the meaning of this outrage? If I do not receive an answer then I will have to take this matter to the Centarum, and have you arrested."

"Your tone does not befit you, Lord Kiro. This conversation is at an end. I trust we will be able to speak later, when you are suitably calmed." Kiro made to reply, but Jarno cut the transmission. He then turned to his companion.

"Very masterful," she said, discarding the covers and rising from the bed. "I did not know you had it in you." She smiled. "I was very impressed."

"You did that, didn't you?"

"I took a few…. little liberties with your personal seal and your personal guards."

"Not to mention my person. The Emperor's Name, why?"

She began dressing herself, not in one of her usual fine gowns, but in the more utilitarian costume she wore when she was doing something surreptitious. Close, tight-fitting hunting clothes. "Officially…. reasons of security of course. In Lord Kiro's absence his house was vulnerable to attack from those insane Shadow Criers. Someone had to protect him."

Jarno folded his arms high on his chest. "And unofficially?"

"He has his own ambitions for the throne, of course."

"Well of course he does. So does half of the Court. And the other half, come to that."

"Yes, but Kiro is just open enough to make an attempt, and he has the lineage to succeed as well. Don't forget that his House once held the throne."

"I haven't forgotten, and nor have I forgotten how they lost it."

"In any case, Kiro has been away gathering support in his southern estates. He may even be contemplating an alliance with dear old Londo, anything that would further his chances of the throne. We have to deal with him before that can happen."

"That's what this is about, isn't it? Kiro was in talks with your husband."

"My ex-husband. Don't forget he is legally dead. And yes, there is that, but more importantly, you are going to take over Kiro's House and estates, which will be a great step towards the throne. And you are going to do it tonight."

"Tonight?"

"Yes. A little premature I'll admit, but my sources said that Kiro wasn't due to return for another few days. I'll have to have some of them shot." Mariel smiled and moved closer to Jarno, reaching up to touch his face. "Come on, dear. We have work to do."

"Work? Attacking another Lord's house? Such a thing has not been done for centuries."

"Great men are not bound by normal rules, Jarno. The first Emperor said that, remember. And behind every great man, there is a great woman showing him how to do it right. Get dressed, quickly. We had better get my dear sister-wife as well. We may need her testimony that we were provoked if matters do not go well."

"I can't do this. I…." He looked at her, and he could feel all his old weaknesses rising to the fore. She was right of course. Great men were not bound by normal rules. But was he a great man?

Would he ever be?

Pitifully, pathetically, hopelessly, he nodded, and went to get dressed.

* * *

There was power, but not as she had expected; knowledge, but not as she had anticipated; wisdom, but not as she had wished.

And there was something else, a nagging, burning sensation that the Machine was doing…. something. She did not know what, and she could not find out.

Furious, Donne shifted her consciousness to her holographic form and let it step out into view. As she looked at her companions she was struck by their weakness. The two mundanes were the worst. Number One and Number Two were seated in the far corner of the cavern, ostensibly on watch, but actually talking about their concerns in hushed voices they presumably believed she could not hear.

Ivanova was still comatose, curled up like a tiny baby. From time to time pathetic whimpers escaped from her mouth.

And Tu'Pari…. he was sitting cross-legged next to the equally comatose G'Kar. The Narn assassin was sharpening his long, wicked knife with a methodical air, gazing distantly at the walls.

"Wake him up," Donne ordered Tu'Pari. He smiled, set down the knife, and began to reach into one of his pockets. Whatever strange device he was planning to use however, he did not get the chance. G'Kar opened one eye and stirred.

"I am already awake," he said in a hoarse voice. "I was…. remembering…. the night the Centauri took over…. a farmhouse…. near Na'khamamah. It was a…. rebel base…. We waited until…. dusk and…." He coughed. "We…. killed…. them all…."

"An interesting story, Ha'Cormar'ah G'Kar," Tu'Pari said idly. "If you wished to trade stories of death you should have told me. I have a great many of them."

"No." G'Kar tried to shake his head. "Not death. The…. last Centauri…. looked at me…. knowing he was going to die…. The look…. in his…. eyes. I will…. never forget." He smiled, and then broke into another coughing fit. "I see it…. in…. yours…. now."

"Shut up," Donne snapped. "The Machine is doing something. Whatever it is, I can't get close enough to find out and stop it. What is it doing?"

"Many things."

"Something programmed into it. You did it, I'm certain of that, and it has something to do with that blasted station of yours. What is it doing?"

"Never…. find out…. Never…. make the Machine…. yours…."

"Reality check. It is mine."

G'Kar shook his head weakly.

"Tu'Pari. Hurt him."

"I am…. not…. afraid…. to die."

"I've heard that before," Tu'Pari said in a civilised tone. "Many many times. And they all took it back before the end. How permanent do you want this, my lady?"

"I want him capable of sharing everything he knows with me. Leave his head alone. And stay away from any major blood vessels and muscle concentrations. You know more about Narn biology than I do. I want something painful, but not too devastating."

"Happy to oblige, my lady. I was in the Resistance once. That was where I learned much of my skill. G'Kar was something of a legend for his capacity to absorb pain. This might take a while."

"Not too long. If he hasn't told us anything in…. half an hour or so…. take out his eye."

"Business and pleasure combined," the assassin said, smiling. "How fortunate."

Donne suddenly looked up. Someone was…. coming. She wasn't entirely sure how she knew, but some sense not her own alerted her that someone was approaching. A few moments later the sound of a voice was heard.

"Zathras do this, Zathras do that. Zathras go check on G'Kar. Zathras not doing anything important, oh no. Zathras just checking temporal units in place, yes. Not important at all. Zathras not mind if whole station slip back in time thousand years. No, wait. Yes, Zathras do mind. That would be not good.

"Ah, is bad life being Zathras. Zathras does not mind though. He…. Ah, you is not meant to be being here?"

The strangest alien Donne had ever seen came into view. He hesitated for a moment, looking around, seemingly taking in everything in one swift glance: Donne's body in the Machine, G'Kar on the floor.

"Ah. Zathras be leaving now."

He turned to flee, and ran straight into Number One. She pushed him roughly forward and he fell sprawling to the floor.

"This not good. No, not good at all."

"That, my friend," said Tu'Pari, "very much depends on your perspective."

* * *

I am not afraid.

I am a warrior; born of warriors, bred of warriors, lived as a warrior, trained as a warrior, called a warrior by the greatest warrior of all. I am not afraid.

The captain in charge of the Valentharepeated those words to himself as he tried to restore order to the ship he had been given control of by the Primarch. He remembered the surprise and horror as this holy ship had been given a captain who was not of the Satai for the first time in known history.

He also remembered his pride. The Primarch had told him that the Valenthawas to be used differently now. It was to be both a focus of faith for the people and a warship, the foremost in the fleet. The captain's heart had surged with pride.

And now, his first battle on his new ship, and he had been beaten, forced to retreat like the tiniest of goks.

There had only been three ships in the Tarolin system when the invaders arrived. The Yojirohad fallen within seconds, torn apart by blow after blow. The Seppunhad been at the far end of the system and had received the warning to pull back and regroup with the Valentha. These invaders, whoever they were, were too strong to deal with individually.

Mere seconds of combat had proved that.

"Are the communications back on line yet?"

The captain smiled when he received an affirmative. "Send a message to the Primarch. He must know about this, and now."

"Should we not counterattack now? Shai Alyt Kozorr and Lady Kats are still on the planet."

"Kozorr is a warrior, and if the worker wishes to play with warriors then she had better learn the strength of one. No, Hor Alyt, we need the Primarch. With him at our side not all the forces of Hell could stand against us."

"Will he be here in time?"

"He is the Primarch. Of course he will be."

* * *

The general sense of chaos that gripped the Babylon 4 station began to take hold less than an hour after G'Kar's forced removal from the Heart of the Great Machine. When the survivors looked back and histories and recordings were made, it was established that the problems had in fact begun much earlier. Perhaps even at the commencement of the project. Those whose views tended towards the short-sighted argued that the station should never have been constructed. Minister Vizhak had argued that at the first meeting of the United Alliance Council after the Battle that would be known as the Third Line. Far too many agreed with him.

Even before the…. incidents of the night in question, there had been numerous unexplained happenings on the station. Bad dreams, strange visions. Certain areas of the station were said to be haunted and few would go there.

Few people had been able to sleep well that night, many waking to a sense of unexplained urgency and fear. There were reports of people rousing only to find themselves looking at images of things that had already happened, or perhaps had yet to happen. Mysterious voices and sounds were heard.

Even the legendary Primarch Sinoval, whose nickname of the Cursed was not yet in public use, was said to be uneasy about the station. This was never confirmed by the man himself, and those who were aware of his bargain with the Soul Hunters found it unlikely that anything could unnerve him. Indeed, some laid the blame for the mysteries at the door of the Soul Hunters, claiming that allowing them on the station was a bad omen. No comment came from Cathedral.

If there was one instant that the inhabitants of the station came to regard as the turning point – being largely unaware of events on the planet below – it was the moment when they heard of the departure of Captain Sheridan. He had been renowned among the Narns and infamous among the Minbari for many years, but his recent actions in support of the League and Alliance worlds had won him many friends there as well. The news of his sudden departure did not go down well.

Delenn, who unlike Sinoval had not yet acquired the nickname that would later be synonymous with her real name, was acutely aware of the tensions on the station. She had been unable to rest or meditate following John's departure and so she had tried going for a walk. She was horrified by what she saw – people running around, crying out for peace, weeping in corners. She watched helplessly, in horror, as a young Brakiri child bit out her own tongue in a frenzy.

"Valen's Name, what is happening?" she breathed.

She had made her way at last to the command room, and was not surprised to find many of the dignitaries already there. Ta'Lon was fielding increasingly angry questions from Taan Churok and Lethke, while Mr. Garibaldi and Dr. Kirkish were talking quietly. There was no sign of Sinoval, or of G'Kar.

"Mr. Garibaldi?" she asked, curiously. "Have you not been recalled to Sanctuary?"

He looked up, surprised. "Why should I have been?"

"John and Captain Ben Zayn have been. I…. assumed there was a major problem there and Bester was recalling as many of his agents as possible."

"News to me. I haven't heard directly from the Boss in months."

Ta'Lon suddenly slammed his fist on the table. "This will get us nowhere! Minister Churok, Minister Lethke, there is only one person who can explain what is happening here and we have no idea where he is. The Machine has not been acknowledging any of my messages, and the person I sent down to try to find G'Kar has not reported back."

"Then something must have gone wrong," protested Taan Churok. "We should investigate."

"We should leave," said Lethke calmly.

"That will not be necessary," Ta'Lon protested. "I will go down to the surface myself and try to find G'Kar. I will also take as many of my Ranger security team as can be spared from maintaining order here. That may not be very many."

"We have some of our own Security…. on board our ships," Delenn said. "We will be happy to lend you whatever assistance we can." She glared at Taan Churok and Lethke, and they fell silent.

"Thank you," Ta'Lon said, nodding. "They would be better employed on the station. The Machine…. is a concern for G'Kar and the Rangers, and no one else."

"You forgot the Boss on that one," Garibaldi said. "He's got a stake in this too. Perhaps more than anyone except G'Kar. I'd better go down with you. Besides, you might need another pair of hands."

"Me too," spoke up Dr. Kirkish. "I was sent here to study the Machine for Mr. Bester, after all. I think I know more about it than most other people here. I might be able to help."

Delenn looked at the two of them, a sense of paranoia creeping over her. Ben Zayn had been very insistent that John leave this place. Coincidence? A genuine emergency at Sanctuary – but how genuine could it be if Garibaldi knew nothing about it? Or was there something deeper at work here? Just how much could Bester be trusted?

She was about to open her mouth and voice her opinions when she swayed and almost fell. A bright light burst in front of her eyes.

The light is killing me!

She was with John, holding him. He looked so….

"We've won!" he cried. "It's over, Delenn."

"Yes," she said, laughing. "It's over. It…."

Something rose up before them, swamping everything with its shadow. She could not see what it was. It was huge. A light burst out, burning and blazing. John threw her aside and turned to face it.

The light is killing me!

She felt strong hands catch her and turned to see Taan Churok, his stern face filled with compassion.

"You saw something?" asked Ta'Lon. She could only nod weakly. "Another one. This will only get worse as time goes on. We must leave for the surface immediately. Mr. Garibaldi, Dr. Kirkish, gather whatever you need and meet me at the docking bays. Minister Churok, Minister Lethke, can you bring over as much of your Security as you can spare from your ships?"

"What if what's afflicting this place starts affecting people on our ships?" asked Lethke.

Ta'Lon shook his head. "It won't."

"How do you know?" Taan Churok gently released Delenn and rounded on the Narn, who was almost as big as he was. "Do you know what is causing all this?"

"No," the Narn lied. "We must hurry. Go. Now!"

Angrily, the Drazi and the Brakiri left, both of them casting brief glances at Delenn. The two humans had already gone, leaving Delenn alone with the Ranger. "You do know," she said, not accusingly, just with a sure and certain conviction.

"Yes," he said. "You know about the destiny of this station?" She nodded, remembering with uncomfortable pain the time she and John had seen it, two years before, travelling backwards in time on a terrifying journey. "Ha'Cormar'ah G'Kar built the station in the hope that it could serve as a focus point in this struggle against the Shadow. He knew however that it had another destiny. It would go back in time a thousand years, and take Valen back with it. Ha'Cormar'ah G'Kar had no idea of what would happen to Valen, or from where he would come. He knew only that it was his task to build this place.

"The temporal rift to take the station back in time would have to come from the Great Machine. One of the first things the Ha'Cormar'ah did upon taking custody of the Machine was to establish how to open the rift.

"The station was built with the temporal machinery already within it, devices that came from the Machine, for the purpose of stabilising it on its trip back. The rift was already partially created when the station was finished. Like a door, held ever so slightly ajar. Ha'Cormar'ah G'Kar hoped that when the day came, opening the rift would be easy, and the journey effortless.

"I fear that the Machine has begun to open the temporal rift further in recent months. Why, I do not know, but something has happened on the planet, and it jeopardises not only the station, but all our futures."

Delenn nodded, feeling very burdened by the weight of these revelations. Some she already knew, but not all. "Why have you told me all this?"

"Only Ha'Cormar'ah G'Kar, myself and Zathras know all of this. If I do not return from the planet…." He reverently touched the hilt of the longsword fixed to his back. "If I do not return, then someone else must know, and carry forth the future.

"And you, Delenn, you were the beloved of Neroon, for whom I would have given my life."

She sighed. Neroon. She had all but forgotten him recently. How could she have done that? He had once meant everything to her.

"Walk with Valen, Ta'Lon," she said softly.

"G'Quan be with you. The Prophet G'Kar as well." He turned and left.

Delenn shook her head sadly, and looked around at the empty chamber. There was still much to be done. She contemplated sending a message to John, but then swiftly decided against it. She had no proof of any improprieties perpetrated by Bester, and there might well be a genuine emergency that needed John and the Parmenion. She would only call John when she was certain they all needed him, not just that she wanted him.

But Sinoval at least was here. Her heart heavy, she set off in search of him.

She did not have long to look.

He came up the corridor, not running, but striding at a considerable pace. Even the Soul Hunter leader beside him seemed to be having trouble keeping up. "Sinoval," she said, with a start. "There is a problem here. We need…."

He interrupted her, shaking his head. "Your need must wait, Delenn. Tarolin Two has been attacked by an unknown force. I heard about it only just now. I was coming to find either you or G'Kar, and tell you that I am leaving immediately."

"Leaving? But…."

"I know where my loyalties lie, Delenn. To my people. Tarolin Two swore itself to me, and I swore to defend them. You have criticised my loyalty often enough, Delenn."

"No, not your loyalty. That will be the last thing you will ever lose, Sinoval. I sometimes wonder if it is misplaced." She remembered a promise she herself had made, not many months ago. She had renounced her claim to power amongst the Minbari. She had been exiled from them and stripped of all position and authority. Her very appearance now set her apart from them. She chose to accept only those who accepted her, those who did not wish to ally themselves with any faction seeking war.

"Go then, Sinoval. Your loyalties are…. where they should be."

"I thank you, Delenn. As soon as Tarolin Two is safe, I will see what I can do about returning here."

"Go. And…. Valen be with you."

"I certainly hope not, Delenn, but I appreciate the sentiment. And you."

He left, hurrying down the corridor, three Soul Hunters following. Delenn felt a chill as she watched them pass.

No matter how much time passed, she would never get used to Sinoval's allies. Never.

She hurried back towards the command room. There was still work to do.

* * *

It is time. Things are moving faster than even I had expected. I am not sure if that is not the real tragedy of this, just how little I had to do to get matters to the situation I wanted. Were we always this close to disaster?

Malachi, First Minister of the Centauri Republic sat back, sighing. He had been looking at the viewscreen for almost an hour, thinking dark thoughts and considering making the call that could end this for good. The cold logic of his plan said that he shouldn't – there had already been enough interruptions from that quarter. But the warmth of idealistic friendship said that he should. Londo had a right to know, more than anyone else.

But would he understand?

Malachi could smell the smoke on the wind. He had left all the windows in his chamber open for that very purpose, even though it brought in the bitter cold. He needed the smoke. It was a reminder of what his plan had brought about.