‘He’s not one of ours any more,’ Suth ground out.
‘Oh? Then you would not mind if I did this?’ The man raised a knife to Pyke’s throat. Pyke struggled furiously, but he was gagged and bound.
Suth frowned a negative. ‘Go ahead. Save us the trouble.’
The Stormguard nodded. ‘Yes. I do not blame you. Do you know that when we caught him he offered to sell you out?’
Suth studied the wriggling fellow. So much for your stupid lone wolf chances, fool. Didn’t come to much, did they? Peering beyond, though, Suth glimpsed the clean white light of day shining in from a side opening. Damn! Pyke did come across an exit, but the Korelri had it covered. Haven’t missed one trick yet, these bastards.
Manask, Suth noted, was edging back to the opening. Good idea. ‘Do as you like,’ he told the Korelri.
The man dragged the curved blade across Pyke’s throat, bringing forth a great gush of blood that splashed down his front into the dirt before him. His legs spasmed and the Korelri let him fall like a slaughtered animal carcass.
‘Run, my friends,’ Manask told them, and Suth and Corbin darted from the chamber, the giant following. Suth’s last sight was the Korelri waving forward his fellows.
They ran pell-mell through the dim tunnels. Suth’s poor vision caused him to run headlong into some corners. Picking himself up, he saw that Manask was far behind — the giant could hardly run squatting down as he must.
Bloody Hood! He waved Corbin back, pointed to a narrow cave opening, the cell of an ascetic. ‘Have to do.’ They waited for the giant then backed in. Manask’s great bulk utterly choked the portal.
Suth could not help but laugh, staring as he was at the man’s gigantic padded backside. ‘Manask, this must be your worst nightmare!’
‘Gentlemen,’ he rumbled, ‘I shall be the obstruction which cannot be dislodged!’
‘I’m all choked up,’ Corbin said, laughing.
But Suth lost his smile when he heard the big man grunting and his thick layered armour wrenched from impacts. Brithan Troop take it! There was nothing they could do but wait for the man to die then be hacked to pieces!
‘Manask! Back in!’
‘No, my friends,’ he gasped, struggling. ‘It would appear that I am truly stuck!’
If not back, then forward! Suth gestured to the man’s broad padded back. In the near-absolute gloom Corbin’s gleaming sweaty face showed understanding. The two pressed themselves against the tiny chamber’s far end. ‘One, two-’
An eruption punched the air from his chest and something enormous fell upon him, pinning him to the ground. Cave-in! Buried alive! Dust swirled, blinding him and filling his lungs. Groaning sounded from someone else trapped with him — Corbin perhaps.
The dust slowly thinned, and, blinking, Suth saw that the considerable bulk of Manask was lying on him. He struggled to move his arms to edge himself free. Then someone else was there, a skinny form, coughing in the dust as she heaved on the huge fellow. With her help Suth eventually managed to slide free and he stood, brushing dust from himself. The woman was Keri, her bag of munitions across her chest. ‘What are you guys doing?’ she demanded, glaring at him as if he’d been off on a drunken binge.
‘Sightseeing,’ Suth growled. He peered down at Manask: the man’s unique armour was ruined, shredded, revealing an unnaturally skinny chest. He knelt to press a hand to the throat — alive, at least. Just stunned. And Corbin? He pulled him out by a leg, slapped his face. The man came to, coughing and hacking. Suth helped him up.
‘What do we do with him?’ Corbin asked.
‘Leave him,’ Keri said. ‘No one’s around. C’mon. The Korelri are regrouping.’ She waved them into the tunnel. ‘Come on!’
Suth reluctantly agreed. He picked up a spear, secured his shield on his back, and cuffed Corbin’s shoulder. They followed Keri up the tunnel.
Corlo lay on the straw-covered ledge that was his bed in his cell deep within Ice Tower. The bars facing the walk rattled as someone set down a wooden platter — dinner.
‘Corlo,’ that someone whispered.
He cracked open an eye: it was Jemain. He sprang to the bars. ‘What are you doing here?’ He peered up and down the empty hall. ‘When did you get here?’
But the skinny Genabackan did not look pleased to see him. He gave a sad shrug. ‘Word is out on Ice Tower. No one wants to come here. Then I got a message, and they were happy to get a volunteer. How are you?’
‘I’m fine! What about you — what word? Who have you found?’
The man positively winced: he looked unhealthy. The cold had scoured a ruddy rash of chapped skin and cracked bleeding scars. Glancing up the walk, he took hold of the bars with both hands. ‘Corlo
… when I saw you in the infirmary you looked so bad… I thought you knew, then.’
Something urged Corlo to back away, to shut the man up. A clawing fear choked his throat. ‘What are you saying?’ he managed.
‘Then, when I found out you didn’t know… well, I’m sorry. I couldn’t bring myself to tell you.’
‘Tell me what? Tell me, damn you! Out with it!’
Jemain backed away, as if frightened. He held his hands to his chest, hugging himself. ‘I’m sorry, Corlo. But… there’s only us. Us two. We are the only ones left.’
‘No! You’re lying! There are others. There must be! I saw Halfpeck!’
Jemain was nodding. ‘Yes, he lasted for a time. But he too died on the wall.’
He too? All the gods damn these Stormguard! Damn them! Then what he’d promised Bars struck him and he almost fainted. Queen forgive him, he’d told Bars there were others!
‘I’m sorry,’ Jemain said. ‘I couldn’t bring myself to tell you.’
Corlo fell to his knees. He clasped the bars as if they were the only things keeping him alive. Then he laughed. Gods, have your laugh! Justice is served, Corlo. How does it taste? It tastes… just. Yes. It tastes just. He raised his head to regard Jemain, who was watching him with tears on his cheeks. ‘Thank you, Jemain. For telling me. It seems we have come to the end of our lies. We can go no further with them.’
‘You will see Bars?’
‘Yes. He’s on the wall now. I’ll see him later.’
‘What…’ The man wet his lips. ‘What will you tell him?’
‘The truth. What he deserved long ago. The truth.’
‘And then…?’
Corlo shrugged, unknowing. ‘Then we’ll leave the wall.’ One way, or another.
‘How will he take it?’
Very poorly, I expect. ‘Never mind, Jemain. Stay out of his way until I can speak to him, yes?’
The man nodded, rather relieved.
‘Good. And thank you. It’s good to finally know… anyway.’
‘I’m very sorry.’
Corlo urged him on. ‘Yes, I know. Better go.’
A wave goodbye and the man backed down the hall of cells. Corlo watched him go then rested his forehead against the frigid bars.
‘I say you don’t tell him,’ said someone from across the hall.
Corlo started up, a blistering curse on his lips, but something in the bearded, ragged-haired head at the grate opposite stopped him. And the man spoke Talian. ‘You’re Malazan?’
‘Yeah. Tollen’s the name. Listen, there’s some four or five Avowed here in this tower. Enough to take this entire section of wall. And I want to get my fellow veterans out. We need your boy Bars. So don’t say a damned thing.’
Four other Avowed? So Bars had it right! Shell hadn’t come alone. Corlo was quiet for a time, coming to terms with this proof. Then he snorted. ‘He deserves the truth anyway. And I don’t take directions from some bastard Malazan.’
