The Complete Malazan Book of the Fallen (1246 page)

The name's Shorthand—

Something hard as stone smashed into the side of his head.

 

Rackle lowered the mace, watched as Stull and Bester dragged the body off to one side. A score or so regulars had looked up at the scuffle, and now watched with dull eyes as they went, their legs dragging them along as if those legs were the last parts of them still working.

Rackle wasn't ready to be like that. Hood take 'em all, he wasn't. ‘So much for the bodyguard,' he said.

‘Quiet!' hissed Bester, nodding ahead to the lines of haulers. ‘Get up on the wagon, Rack, but go slow and careful – they're going to feel the extra weight no matter what.'

Rackle grunted. ‘Oafs are past feeling anything, Best.' But he edged up close to the wagon, reached up one hand and set a foot on the helper, and as the wagon rolled ahead he let it lift him from the ground, nice and slow the way Best wanted it.

Rackle watched as Stull re-joined Bester, and the two melted away into the gloom.

So far so good. Somewhere in this wagon, probably packed dead centre, were Blistig's special casks. Time had come for a drink. He drew himself higher up, leaning against the bales as he did so, reaching for more handholds. That water – he could smell it. Close.

 

Pores crawled out from under the wagon. ‘Cracked right through,' he said, climbing to his feet. ‘What's in this one?' he asked the man beside him.

The once-company cook scratched at his beard. ‘Some lantern oil. Horseshoes. Wax, grease—'

‘
Grease?
And it didn't occur to you to maybe
use
some of it on this damned axle?'

‘We was saving it for when it got real bad, sir. Aye, maybe that was a mistake.'

‘All right,' Pores sighed. ‘Cut the haulers loose and send them on. I'll take a closer look at what else is up there.'

‘Aye, sir, but I don't think anybody's going to come back for whatever you think we still need.'

Pores looked round. They'd been left behind by the train.
Shit.
‘Even so – there might be a child hiding under the blankets, the way they come crawling out of the unlikeliest of places. Or too sick to move.'

‘I'll be on with it then, sir.'

‘Spread the haulers out with the rest.'

‘Aye sir.'

Pores watched him go, and then heaved himself up on to the bed of the wagon. Trying to ignore the fire someone had lit in the back of his throat, and his growing sense of helplessness, he set to exploring.

The kegs of grease were pretty much empty – with only a few handfuls of the rancid gunk left – so it probably wouldn't have been enough to save the axle anyway. He tried pushing clear a cask filled with horseshoes, but he no longer had the strength left to do that. Clambering over it, he thumped the nearest bale. ‘Anyone down there? Wake up or get left behind!'

Silence.

Pores drew his dagger and slit open the bale.
Spare uniforms? Gods below! If the haulers find out they'll skin me alive.
He cut open a few more. Tick for mattresses. Lead shot packed in wool for slingers –
we don't have any slingers. Who's quartermaster of this mess? Oh, me. Right.
‘That's it, then,' he muttered, ‘Master-Sergeant Pores, fire Quartermaster Pores. Can I do that, Lieutenant? You can, because I'm telling you so, or do I need to take this to Fist Kindly? Please, sir, no, don't do that. He hates me! Odd, he doesn't hate
me
, Master-Sergeant. Really, sir? I'm certain of it, Master-Sergeant. Reasonably. I hope. All right, no more excuses for the old man – he hates us all. This is what happens to a bald man who starts collecting combs—'

‘Quartermaster Pores.'

He looked up. Saw Fist Blistig standing at the back of the wagon. ‘Fist?'

‘I need to speak to you.'

‘Aye, sir. What can I do for you?'

‘You can give me my casks.'

‘Casks? Oh, those casks.'

‘Get over here, Pores, I ain't in the mood to be looking up at you.'

He clambered his way to the back of the wagon, dropped down on to the ground – at the impact his knees folded under him and he swore as he sank lower.

And the knife meant for his heart went into his upper chest instead.

Pores fell back, sliding from the blade. Blood sprayed, pattering the dusty ground like raindrops. He found himself staring up at the Jade Strangers.

‘Bleeder,' Blistig said, moving into his line of sight and looking down at him. ‘That'll do.'

He listened to the Fist walking away, and he wanted to laugh.
Saves me a night's march.

Things were quiet for a time, as he felt himself fading away. And then he heard the crunch of a foot stepping close to the side of his head. He blinked open his eyes.
Look. It's the Grey Man, the Harrower, come for me. I knew I rated special attention.
The rotted skeleton crouched down to stare at him with black, empty sockets.

Pores smiled. ‘Just leave it by the door.'

 

Balm looked round, scowling. ‘So where is he?'

Throatslitter hacked out a dry cough that left him doubled over. On one knee, he gasped for a time and then said in a voice like sifting sand, ‘Probably running an errand for Pores, Sergeant.'

Deadsmell snorted. ‘Errand? You lost your mind, Throat? Nobody's running errands any more. He should be here. No, I don't like this.'

Balm drew off his helm and scratched at his scalp. ‘Throat, climb up and give it a look over, will you?'

‘There ain't nothing worth stealing up there, Sergeant.'

‘I know that and you know that, but that don't mean anybody else knows it. Go on.'

Groaning, Throatslitter slowly straightened. Made his way over to the side of the wagon.

‘Widdershins,' said Balm, ‘go up and talk to the haulers, see what they know.'

‘What they know is the sight of their own feet, Sergeant.'

‘I don't care.'

The mage made his way to the front of the wagon.

‘Down to a crawl,' Balm observed, eyeing the wagon's wobbly wheels rocking past. ‘We'll be lucky making two leagues tonight.'

Throatslitter pulled himself on to the sideboard.

The crossbow quarrel coming out of the darkness caught him in the right buttock. He howled.

Balm spun round, bringing up his shield. A quarrel slammed into it, skittered up past his face, slicing cheek and ear. ‘Ambush!'

The wagon trundled to a halt.

Throatslitter had dropped back down, only to fall on to his side, a stream of curses hissing from him. Deadsmell threw himself down beside him. ‘Lie still, damn you – got to cut it out or you're useless t'us!'

But Throatslitter had managed to get one hand around the quarrel's shaft. He tore it loose, flung it to one side.

Deadsmell stared at the man – he hadn't made a sound.

With bloodied hands, Throatslitter signalled:
Someone in wagon.

The healer nodded, looked round – Balm had squatted down behind his shield, short sword readied. Widdershins was nowhere to be seen. The last of the regulars on this flank had simply melted away, and though the glow from the Strangers was now painting the desert pan a luminous green their attackers were nowhere to be seen.

Deadsmell collected a pebble and flung it at Balm. It struck his hip and the sergeant's head snapped around.

More hand signals.

Balm backed until he was pressed against the wagon's front wheel. With his tongue he was trying to lap up the blood trickling down his cheek. He flung a series of gestures off to his right, and then glanced back at Deadsmell and, tongue snaking out yet again, he nodded.

Thank Hood.
Deadsmell met Throatslitter's eyes, jerked his head upward.
Make a show.

Drawing his knives, Throatslitter gathered into a crouch.

 

Rackle held himself perfectly still. Not quite the way they'd planned this. One wounded to show so far. The Fist wouldn't be happy, but maybe he could salvage this mess.

He heard the wounded one hiss, ‘Get up on top, Deadsmell, and take a look around.'

‘You lost your mind, Throat?'

‘Just do it,' growled the sergeant.

The weight of the wagon shifted.
Here he comes. Hey, Deadsmell, I got me a nice surprise waiting for you.
He tightened his grip on the mace in his right hand.

A sound from the back of the wagon. He twisted round to see the wounded one sliding up into view.
Shit!

Another shudder of the wagon, as Deadsmell began pulling himself up the side.

Rackle looked across at Throatslitter, saw the man grin.

Time to leave. He rose, spun round—

 

Widdershins gave the bastard a smile as he drove his short sword into the man's gut, and then up under his heart.

‘Stay low, Wid!' Throatslitter hissed.

He let the body's weight pull him down behind some bales. ‘Where's the other one?' he asked.

‘More than one,' Deadsmell replied, sliding in from the side. ‘Two, I'd guess. Snipers with crossbows, probably lying in shallow pits somewhere out there.'

The wagon rocked violently from the opposite side and a moment later Sergeant Hellian was staring down at them. ‘You lads in trouble?'

‘Head low, Sergeant!' Throatslitter hissed, ‘Snipers!'

‘Oh yeah? Where?'

‘Out in the desert.'

She squinted in the direction he pointed, and then twisted round. ‘Spread out, squad – we're going to advance on some dug-in positions. Gopher hunting time. Oh, and shields up – they got crossbows.'

Deadsmell stared across at Throatslitter, who simply shook his head.

‘Listen, Sergeant—'

‘You got a wounded man here, healer,' Hellian pointed out, and then she clambered across, followed by two soldiers from her squad. Others had gone round the wagon, advancing slowly on the flank. Hellian dropped down. ‘Sergeant Balm, hold fast will ya? We got this.'

‘You won't find 'em,' Balm replied. ‘Saw a couple of shadows running off.'

‘Really? Which way?'

‘Into the regulars. We lost 'em, Hellian.'

The woman sagged. ‘What were they after?'

‘Hood knows.'

Having observed all this from atop the wagon, Deadsmell turned back. ‘Nice work, Wid, though it would've been good to have taken him alive.'

‘Wasn't interested in talking,' Widdershins replied. ‘They probably killed Shorthand.'

Deadsmell was silent. He should've thought of that. ‘We need to look for him.'

‘And leave the wagon?' Throatslitter demanded.

‘
There ain't nothing on this wagon!
'

‘Right, sorry. Got caught up, somehow. Anyway, I doubt I can walk, so I can stay behind and, er, guard.'

‘Where'd you get it, Throat?' Widdershins asked.

‘Where it means I can't walk, Wid.'

‘In the butt,' Deadsmell explained. ‘It ain't bleeding – did that quarrel hit bone?'

‘Don't think so.'

‘Miracle, with your skinny—'

‘Just go find Shorthand, will you?'

Deadsmell nodded over at Widdershins, and the two of them climbed down from the wagon.

As all of this had been going on, the rest of the column had simply gone round them. On this flank, Sergeant Urb's squad had arrived, and after a few words with Balm and Hellian Urb led his marines onward. Balm faced his two soldiers.

‘We was targeted specifically,' he said.

‘The marked casks,' said Widdershins. ‘Don't matter that we used it all up on the children. They still think we're holding back.'

‘Blistig,' said Deadsmell.

Balm's face twisted in distaste and he reached up to wipe more blood from his cheek. Then he licked his fingers. ‘Killing officers is one thing…but a Fist? I don't know.'

‘Who'd complain?' Deadsmell demanded.

‘It's mutiny.'

‘We ain't going against the Adjunct's command in this—'

‘Wrong. In a way that's exactly what we're doing. She made him Fist.'

‘But now he's trying to kill his own soldiers!'

‘Aye, Deadsmell.'

Widdershins hissed to get their attention. ‘T'lan Imass coming, Sergeant.'

‘Now what?'

The figure halted before Deadsmell. ‘Healer, there is need for you.'

‘You're way past helping—'

‘The one named Pores is dying from a knife wound. Will you come?'

Deadsmell turned to Balm.

‘All right,' the sergeant said. ‘I'll go find Kindly.'

 

Shortnose had been cut loose. The rest agreed it should be him, and he went and found Flashwit and Mayfly, and a little while later Saltlick joined them. None of them said much, but it was clear that Shortnose was in charge. He didn't know why but he wasn't in the mood to argue anyway so it was him whether he wanted it to be or not.

He led them into the press of the regulars, where soldiers melted from their path and with eyes all hollow and haunted tracked them as they went past.

Maybe they'd been harnessed like oxen, but that didn't mean they weren't paying attention to whatever was going on around them. Most of it wasn't worth chewing on, but sometimes some unguarded comment hung around and then, when something else arrived, it came back, and things started making sense.

They weren't oxen. They were heavies. And word had reached them that Shorthand had a broken skull and probably wasn't going to last the night, and that a squad of marines had been ambushed, with one of them down but luckily not dead. Looked like the one who busted Shorthand's head got himself gutted by a marine, but at least two more attackers had gotten away.

There weren't just two of them, Shortnose knew. Two with crossbows, aye, stolen from a wagon. At least seven others with them, though. Fist Blistig's gang of thugs.