BooksBarbecue
Back Iron Winter
Chapters (89)
  1. Title page
  2. Contents
  3. Map
  4. ONE
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 21
  26. TWO
  27. 22
  28. 23
  29. 24
  30. 25
  31. 26
  32. 27
  33. 28
  34. 29
  35. 30
  36. 31
  37. 32
  38. 33
  39. 34
  40. 35
  41. 36
  42. 37
  43. 38
  44. 39
  45. 40
  46. 41
  47. 42
  48. 43
  49. 44
  50. 45
  51. 46
  52. 47
  53. THREE
  54. 48
  55. 49
  56. 50
  57. 51
  58. 52
  59. 53
  60. 54
  61. 55
  62. 56
  63. 57
  64. 58
  65. 59
  66. 60
  67. 61
  68. 62
  69. 63
  70. 64
  71. 65
  72. 66
  73. 67
  74. 68
  75. 69
  76. FOUR
  77. 70
  78. 71
  79. 72
  80. 73
  81. 74
  82. 75
  83. 76
  84. 77
  85. 78
  86. 79
  87. Afterword
  88. By Stephen Baxter
  89. Copyright

The Wall had been closed to incomers for a month now, a dreadful truncation that had cut off Etxelur and the Annids from the population of Northland. There had been petty assaults on the Wall, easily repelled, but as the hunger mounted in the country everybody had expected a more substantial attack, and plans had been laid, strategies discussed. A central stretch of the Wall had been prepared. With much labour elaborate stone buildings built onto the Wall’s growstone face, themselves centuries old, had been smashed up and prised away to lie in rubble at the foot of the Wall, to make a defensive barrier against the invaders. With the superstructure gone the older growstone core lay exposed, pocked with holes and pits like eye sockets – and a bank of slogans had been revealed, in an archaic dialect, slogans written tall enough to be seen across the countryside:

THE WALL STANDS!

THE LOVE OF THE MOTHERS PROTECTS US ALL!

THE TROJANS CANNOT PREVAIL!

On seeing this, some historically minded folk had expressed nostalgia for the age of Milaqa and Qirum, when Northland had been able to unite against an easily recognised human enemy. Now the enemy was the world itself, and Northlanders turned on each other.

And, built into the fabric of the Wall, the searching scholars had uncovered weapons, a relic of a later generation than those who long ago had defied the Trojan Invasion.

When the scouts reported that a large force appeared to be massing to the south, the Annids ordered banners to be draped down the Wall’s face. The banners, meant for days of celebration, for the midsummer Giving, were incongruous splashes of colour in an ice-bound world, brilliant red and green and purple against the grey-white of the frozen growstone – and in this bleak winter they would surely attract the dispossessed and desperate. The banners, though, had a second concealed purpose, and as he glanced down now Crimm saw engineers and volunteers crawling behind the banners, making frantic final adjustments to the ancient, little-understood weaponry built into the face of the Wall and hidden by the banners. The whole District had become a trap.

‘It should work,’ Ywa murmured. ‘It has to work. I could not bear a war as the farmers wage, not Northlander against Northlander, hand to hand.’

Ayto, still leaning casually on the rail, glanced back at her. ‘Annid, I’d be a lot more sure of success if you’d let us use the fire-drug eruptors.’

‘I told you,’ Ywa said coldly. ‘That’s not acceptable.’

‘I know how you feel about this,’ Ayto said. ‘But – look at them all! If they break through today they will swarm through the Wall like maggots through a corpse and eat all there is to eat—’