their tender grip.
It was an ants’ nest of tunnels and caves that seemed to go on for ever — always deeper into the bowels of the mountains that bordered the inland lake, Fist Sea. They went side by side, the Adjunct and Rillish leading. The local Drenn elder, Gheven, who had brought them through Warren, walked in the middle of the column. All they had met so far were emaciated ascetics who gaped at them, or priests of the Lady who, unarmed, launched themselves upon them, gibbering and clawing with their naked hands. All these Rillish ordered bound and left behind.
His arm aching, Suth slung his shield on his back. He couldn’t tell if they were making any headway at all. Every cave and length of low-ceilinged tunnel looked like every other. It was dim, dusty, and so confined that many of them couldn’t straighten. His leg was almost numb. This was ridiculous; there was nothing here. Pyke was grumbling that very thing to Lard. Yet ahead, the bullet head of the bald priest, Ipshank, ran with sweat and his brow was deeply furrowed. Maybe there was something… but where was it?
Discipline held, however; the complaints were few, and sotto voce. Goss and Twofoot saw to that. They came to one length of tunnel boasting several cut openings. The column stopped — some obstruction ahead. ‘What’s the hold-up?’ Pyke snarled, hunched. ‘These guys don’t know anything!’
‘Stop it up,’ Lard growled, ‘or I’ll do it for you.’
‘You and who-’ Pyke was beginning when an armoured figure stepped out of the nearby opening and thrust a spear completely through Lard, the point bursting from his back. Blood splashed all over Pyke. ‘Hood’s balls!’ Pyke howled, falling backwards.
All up and down the line men in dark armour stepped out of openings to thrust into the column. Suth fumbled, trying to swing his shield forward. The enemy wore cuirasses and full helms enamelled a deep blue, with silver inlay.
‘Korelri Stormguard!’ Gheven yelled, amazed.
Suth abandoned the shield and parried for his life. The wide-bladed razor spear-tips thrust expertly; he couldn’t get past them to engage the wielders. Troopers fell up and down the line, run through like pigs.
‘Clear the deck!’ a woman yelled. Squeaky.
Suth threw himself flat, pulling Gheven with him.
The eruption — in this narrow confine — blasted away his hearing and his breath. He lay stunned in a darkness of swirling dust while earth fell on him. Had the ceiling collapsed? He was blinded and choking on the dirt. Terror threatened to strangle him. Then hands yanked him up. He fought at first but the hands weren’t at his throat so he clambered to his feet, staggering and running into things and people he could not see in the gloom. Roaring filled his hearing; he could just make out a trooper ahead and set a hand on the man’s shoulder. Someone clasped his belt from behind. In this manner, as a troop of blind men and women, they felt their way through a tunnel, seeking clean air.
They collapsed into a cave, coughing and gasping. Two troopers guarded the entrance, shields at the ready. He peered round, wiping at his eyes. He saw Squeaky, Pyke, Faro, the elder Gheven, a few of Twofoot’s troop, and the giant Manask, who was on his knees, the broken haft of a spear sticking from his wide stomach. He was struggling to wrench it free.
Suth went to Squeaky. ‘What happened?’
‘A partial collapse. We’re cut off.’
‘Shit! Now what?’
‘Let’s get outta here!’ Pyke yelled. ‘Those are Korelri!’
‘Shut the Hood up!’
Manask yanked the spear from his layered armour. He raised it up high. ‘I will lead us through this maze!’
‘You can find your way through?’ Suth asked him.
The man looked offended. ‘With my refined senses? Of course!’
Suth grunted his agreement then went to the 6th’s troopers. The clash of fighting from some other tunnel reached them and everyone stilled. Panicked yelling, then a muffled explosion shook everyone again. Dust and dirt sifted down from the rough uneven ceiling. Going to bring this entire complex down on them! He nodded to the three troopers, recognizing Fish. ‘Suth,’ he said.
‘Corbin,’ said the short stocky one.
‘Lane,’ said the other, his arm slashed and dripping blood.
‘Looks like we’re cut off,’ Suth explained.
‘Happens to me every night,’ Fish said morosely.
‘What’s the plan?’ Corbin asked.
‘The big guy, Manask, says he’ll lead us out.’
‘Sounds like a plan,’ Lane said.
Suth nodded to this tacit acceptance of his offer. ‘I want the saboteur, Squeaky, in the middle in case things get hot. I’ll back up Manask. You, Fish, back me up.’
‘I can’t even stand up in this friggin’ mouse house,’ Fish grumbled.
‘Lane, take the rear with Pyke.’
‘Oh sure!’ Pyke yelled. ‘Rear! Who put you in charge?’
‘Put a rag in it,’ Squeaky snarled.
Suth went to the Drenn elder. ‘You walk with Squeaky here.’
But the elder’s dark eyes narrowed to slits. ‘No. I am sorry, soldier. But the Korelri are here. This changes everything. I will go for help.’
Suth studied him, uncertain. ‘You mean your Warren? Here?’
The elder wiped the grime and sweat from his face, gave an apologetic shrug. ‘Well… we can hardly pretend to be hiding now, can we?’
‘True. Who — where will you go?’
The old man looked pained. ‘I can only think of one place… but I am sorry, I cannot make any promises.’
‘I understand. May the gods speed you.’
Pyke pushed his way to them. ‘He can take us all with him! We can escape!’
Suth restrained himself from striking the man. ‘We stay with the mission.’
‘I don’t like that Warren anyway,’ Fish said to Lane. ‘Looked dangerous.’
Lane nodded his profound agreement.
Pyke peered round at them. ‘What’s the matter with you all? We’re gonna get killed! You’re all crazy — I could do better on my own!’
‘Do your job or I’ll kill you myself,’ Suth said, matter-of-fact.
Pyke straightened, slowly nodding. ‘Fine. Okay. We’re fucked anyway.’ And he threw up his hands.
Suth turned to Faro, raised his chin. ‘You’re being real quiet.’
The little man raised and lowered his shoulders. ‘Just pretend I’m not here,’ he said, and gave his sharp- toothed smile.
That is bloody easier said than done. He looked to Gheven. ‘What do you need?’
The man peered round the rough cave, carved from the broken sedimentary rock. ‘This will do. I can go from here.’
The troopers backed away to give him room. He crossed to the rear of the cave and pressed his hands to the rock. He bowed his head in concentration, and stepped into the wall, disappearing.
Suth turned to Manask. ‘Looks like you’re up.’
The giant fellow threw everyone a huge grin. ‘Do not fear! I will winkle out the secrets of this maze in no time! Come!’ He lumbered in an ungainly duck-walk out into the tunnel. Suth followed, shield and longsword ready.
It was slow going. Manask’s great bulk completely blocked Suth’s forward vision. At every cave opening the man paused to poke in the broken haft of his spear and wave it around. Then he waved an arm. Finally, he hopped forward with a shout: ‘Ah-ha!’
The third time he did this he reeled backwards accompanied by the thumping of heavy objects striking something. The giant staggered on to Suth. Two spears stood out from his thick armour like proud quills. ‘You see!’ Manask puffed, winded, ‘one merely has to disarm them!’
