“Yeah, but there was nothing in there. Nothing in the personnel files on Smith, Jones, Kuranita, Jack the Ripper, and none of us either. I’d say we drew a total blank, Geraint. Useless.”

“Try to look on the bright side,” he insisted. “You didn’t get attacked by some homicidal maniac, and we got by their decker so sweet. He didn’t even realize we were outsiders. So much for the defenses of the most dangerous cybercorp in the UK. Not so much as an active alert triggered.”

“But where did it get us? We learned nothing.” Francesca poked at the limp croissants. After all their bright hopes and expectations for the run, it had been as bad as this breakfast.

“Well, apart from what I’ve mentioned, we did learn something. And we should have seen it before! Look, remember the cards I showed you yesterday? Five of Coins. We’re not getting the foundations right. But the outcome was the Six of Swords. Remember, we have to face some new element of the problem and deal with it.”

Okay, I buy that. It does fit. But how did we get the foundations wrong? Our plan worked. No one picked us up.

“But we didn’t get what we wanted. We didn’t find any sign that the database systems had any answers. That’s how the foundations of the enterprise were flawed. We were in the wrong system.”

She misunderstood him. “You mean we should have checked Fuchi instead because Transys is after them? But-”

“No, I don’t mean that at all. It was the wrong Transys system. Were going to have to hit the central system. That’s where the information will be. In the Edinburgh system, where their HQ is. If we’re onto something big, that’s the obvious place. We’ll have to deck into the Edinburgh system.”

Francesca was becoming frustrated. “But we don’t even know the number of the SAN!”

“You telling me you can’t hack that one? Fran, you’re the best decker! Know.”

“Yeah, well, I suppose I can find it.” Honest flattery usually worked for Geraint. “You sure about this?”

“Got a better idea?”

She looked deflated. The buzz, the thrill of yesterday was gone from her. Then she inhaled deeply, dumped the cold croissants into the trash, poured a third cup of coffee, and thumped her fist on the mahogany table.

“Okay, let’s do it,” she said. “If what I’ve heard about the TN system is true, it’s going to be damn tricky. We’ve just got to hope that its sculpture is configured like the one we saw last night.”

“Why would it be any different?” Geraint asked. “They’re bound to be the same. It would be too expensive any other way.” They smiled at each other, clinking their coffee cups together.

“Well. Master Bard, shall we sally forth and astound the varlets with our wizardry once more?” She was playful, her spirits improving.

“Viviane, my dear, I believe the hour of enchantments is finally upon us.” He spoke with mock grandeur. “And I believe we should disguise our sorcerous purpose by downloading a few tidbits elsewhere in the system, perchance from their research flies, should we happen by a helpless little SPU that reveals them to us. That way we can also make a few sovereigns into the bargain. Cover our tracks too. Verily, milady, let us sally forth anon.”

They got up and went toward the gleaming cyberdecks across the room.

“Ten minutes.” Geraint said, then reached for the cannula once more. Mustn't forget the shot.”

They stood outside the system access point, ready for the verdant scene that would greet them upon entry. Geraint-Taliesin stood with an almost fierce expression, a grimoire at his belt, a magical stave in his hand, and a harp at his back. Meanwhile Viviane of Avalon readied herself to pass through the mystic barrier and head for the SPU beyond. It worried Geraint only slightly that the Viviane icon was clad in a decollete dress today. At the very least it might distract any Black Knights who came their way.

Viviane’s mystic utterances dispelled the barrier program and then they were striding through into the green pastures, sending animals scurrying hither and thither across the sward. Data routing, obviously. Just what would be expected.

Geraint saw the quicksand or the tar baby trap immediately. but he didn’t need to alert Francesca-Viviane to it. She skirted the edges of the pitfall and he followed, treading in her steps exactly.

Heading through the peaceful woodland, the couple came to another clearing; the tint of the subprocessors. Hiding behind the trees was a small gnome who skipped out and asked them the simplest riddle imaginable. What pathetic access defense, Francesca thought. Kindly, she gave the gnome the answer, and the inquisitive pixies lurking behind the older oaks stayed put on their toad-stools as the gnome nodded his acceptance. A trace and report program, she guessed. It looked feeble, but that was part of the skill of it. It disarmed a decker’s defenses to he faced with something that looked so pathetic. She was all too aware that the system had imposed its reality upon her perceptions, making it harder for her to give the right responses swiftly enough. Well, then, she just might have to leave some of the answering to Geraint-Taliesin. As they strolled across the clearing, she muttered to alert him. He nodded his head sagely, and they strode out hand in hand.

At the far edge of the clearing the fuachan leaped out at them when they tried to open the gale to the path beyond. One-legged, one-eyed, and one-handed, the muscular protogiants hefted their heavy clubs and posed their riddle.

“How may I circle the world in but a second?” The demand for the key, the password, was instant and direct. Access with a heavy edge. The clubs were poised to fall on their necks.

Francesca-Viviane produced a simple blank vellum scroll from the folds of her robe, and a quill appeared in her hand. Swiftly she drew a globe held it up for the fuachan to see, then drew a line arcing from one side of the sphere to the other. “Like this!” She said and flourished the solution triumphantly.

The fuachan was about to make another challenge, but the playing of Geraint-Taliesin’s harp soothed it. With that, the other fuachan laid down their clubs and ignored the visitors, hovering by the gate as the cloaked pair went on their way. Francesca breathed a sigh of relief and moved beyond the gate into a summery meadow ringed with trees. It was like a crossroads offering many possible paths. Francesca-Viviane looked around with her witch-eyes to see where the paths might lead.

Her analyzing soon told her that there was only one datastore. an arcane library in the far distance, and a path to yet one more woodland. The rest of the paths led to simple villages with working artisans, a sure sign they were mere slave nodes in the system. The library needed checking. She pointed it out to Geraint-Taliesin. who followed her soft footfalls across the grass.

The librarian stood with the card index clutched to his chest, a mundane collection of works arrayed on the shelves behind him. She reassured him that she had no desire to steal or even borrow any of his tomes, analyzing the contents of the index as he concealed it. There was nothing here but records of system operations, and only minor-league stuff at that. The books weren’t even gilt-edged. The librarian was suitably deceived and didn’t ring his handbell to summon assistance.

Geraint-Taliesin stood and observed the scene in silence, magical stave readied in case a phantom or sorcerous beast should unexpectedly swoop down upon them. They left and made for the path to the woodlands once again.

“That would have been too easy,” she said to the old man beside her. Got to be further in than this.

The woodland path was a nasty decoy. Only at the last moment did she see the slough begin to open up beneath her feet, leaping back from the treacherous terrain just in time.