Glokta raised his arm to take it, but there was nothing there, only a bloody stump, chewed off at the wrist. 'I swear,' murmured the Colonel, 'it's my hand you're eating.'

Kahdia smiled. 'And it is entirely delicious. I do congratulate you.'

'Utterly delicious,' muttered General Vissbruck, taking the hand from Kahdia and sucking a strip of ragged flesh from it. 'Must be all that fencing you did as a young man.' There was blood smeared across his plump, smiling face.

'The fencing, of course,' said Glokta. 'I'm glad you like it,' though the whole business did seem somewhat strange.

'We do, we do!' cried Vurms. He was cupping the remains of Glokta's foot in his hands like a slice of melon, and nibbling at it daintily. 'All four of us are delighted! Tastes like roast pork!'

'Like good cheese!' shouted Vissbruck.

'Like sweet honey!' cooed Kahdia, sprinkling a little salt onto Glokta's midriff.

'Like sweet money,' purred Magister Eider's voice from somewhere down below.

Glokta propped himself up on his elbows. 'Why, what are you doing down there?'

She looked up and grinned at him. 'You took my rings. The least you can do is give me something in return.' Her teeth sank into his right thigh, deep in like tiny daggers, and scooped out a neat ball of flesh. She slurped blood hungrily from the wound, tongue darting out across his skin.

Colonel Glokta raised his eyebrows. 'You're right, of course. Quite right.' It really hurt a great deal less than one would have expected, but sitting upright was rather draining. He fell back onto the sand and lay there, looking up at the blue sky. 'All of you are quite right.'

She had made it up to his hip now. 'Ah,' giggled the Colonel, 'that tickles!' What a pleasure it was, he thought, to be eaten by such a beautiful woman. 'A little to the left,' he murmured, closing his eyes, 'just a little to the left…'

Glokta sat up in bed with an agonising jerk, back arched as tight as a full-drawn bow. His left leg trembled under the clammy sheet, wasted muscles knotted hard with searing cramps. He bit down on his lip with his remaining teeth to keep from screaming, snorted heaving gasps through his nose, face screwed up with his furious efforts to control the pain.