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Back Iron Winter Save as PDF
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

‘Do you know the world? Perhaps you can explain it to your scholar friend. We are making for Carthage. To do that we must sail south and west and across three oceans, of Cathay, of Indh, of the Arabs. If we survive all that we will pass through the Gulf of Africa, and then through the Canal of Hasdrubal, if it is still open, if it hasn’t been clogged up by war or piracy, to the Middle Sea. And on the way I’ll do my very best to keep the noise down,’ he said drily.

‘I will explain it to the scholar. He has family in Carthage; he is eager to return to them.’

‘And I have paymasters, and I’m eager to return to them. You’re among the last to board. What of the city?’

‘The siege will be over soon, I think.’ Since the spring Quinsai had been assailed by rough armies of Mongol factions, Cathay dissidents and steppe nomads. ‘Every night it burns. Quinsai has always burned. Now they are failing to douse the fires before they spread.’

‘Then it will all be up soon.’

Avatak felt motivated to try to explain, to this evidently thoughtful, competent man, the man who now held Avatak’s own life in his hands, and Pyxeas’. ‘It is the longwinter. People fleeing the weather, on the move. My master says we must expect war this year. Across the whole world, wherever we go.’

‘That’s a cheerful thought. Let’s hope we have nothing but the sea to contend with.’ He nodded to Pyxeas and withdrew, closing the door.

Pyxeas was already picking at the clasps of his trunk. ‘Help me with this thing, would you? I must make a start, I must.’

59

The Third Year of the Longwinter: Midsummer Solstice

This time the Hatti raiding party tried to get into Carthage from the north-west, near the suburb of Megara. Gisco was given a corps of men and ordered to stop them.

The Hatti were probing at an acknowledged weak point in the ancient defences of the city, Gisco knew, where the land wall approached the shore and cut eastward to follow the line of the coast. The shore itself was protected by barricades of tremendous growstone blocks on the land, and nasty hull-ripping traps underwater – but there was no assistance from the Carthaginian navy, which had been bottled up since early in the siege, when the Hatti had blocked Carthage’s main harbour with their mole across its mouth. Even so it had cost the Hatti a lot of lives to land on that lethal shore. But land they had, according to the Carthaginian scouts, and had immediately begun burrowing under the city wall.