Re-l felt his hand close around hers and gripped as tight as she could, using the angle of the cliff as a counterweight to stop herself moving.

"An artificial womb," she said, her voice shaky with the exertion. "Everyone in Romdeau was. By the time we came along humanity had long since lost the ability to reproduce unaided. Daedalus was in charge of the wombs, and he was given special care of me because I was the Regent's granddaughter."

She was half pulling Gabriel now, to keep him moving.

"That sounds like the old stories. Can you do that here, do you think?"