Though there was joy in the faces of the Caucusers, Cutter swore he saw something ambivalent in all of them.

"There ain’t a Collective."

"You shut your damn mouth, " said others instantly, rounding on Curdin, and, "The fuck you say." Even the other Runagaters looked shocked, but Curdin raised himself up on four tiptoes and shouted.

"We know it. We’ve weeks, at the most. We’ve nothing left. They’ve cut us off, they’re killing Smog Bend, Howl Barrow’s probably gone. We’re less than a fifth of the committee-half the others don’t know what they want, or want to make peace, for gods’ sake, with the Mayor, as if Parliament wants that now. We’re over. We’re just living out days. And now you want to drag the godsdamned Iron Council into this? You want to bring it down?"

"Chaver." It was a young woman who spoke, a Runagater. Her voice shook. "You won’t like what I’m going to say."

"No this ain’t because of what’s done to me…"

"Yes, it is. You been Remade, chaver, and it’s a sick thing, and it’s made you despair, and I ain’t saying I’d do it any differently, and I ain’t saying we’ll win for sure, but I am damn well saying that you don’t decide now that we’re done. You better godsdamned fight with us, Curdin."

"Wait." Judah’s mouth moved with a panic of collapsing plans. "Listen listen. Whatever the, whatever it is, whatever’s happening, you have to know that ain’t the reason we’re here. We have a job to do. Listen.

"Listen.

"New Crobuzon will fall.

"We heard-listen, please-we heard about the manifestations, your haints. They haven’t stopped, have they?"

"No but they grow smaller…"

"Yeah. For the same reason there aren’t droplets just around a splash. Because something’s getting close. Tesh ain’t suing for peace. Whether they’re talking to you, or Parliament, or both or whatever… they ain’t making peace, they’re preparing for the end. The haints ain’t the weapon. Something else is. It’s in the spirals."

When at last they understood, they thought him mad. But not in fact for long.

"You think this is a whim?" Cutter raged at them. "You got any idea what we went through to get here? Any idea at all? What we’re trying to do here? The spirals are calling down fucking fire on you. On Parliament, Collective, all."

They believed him, but Curdin laughed when Judah asked for help.