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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

Nelo said, ‘But you’re hoping to find scholars here, Uncle.’

‘To be expected,’ Pyxeas muttered again. ‘Expected.’

Avatak murmured, ‘Let’s just not get ourselves speared so close to home.’

The party from the Wall stopped perhaps twenty paces away, five men, anonymous in sealskin jackets and breeches, the clothing crudely cut, to Avatak’s eye at least. Now one of them stepped forward. ‘Are you those bastards from the Manufactory?’ He spoke in clear Northlander. ‘Because if you are you can clear off back there, and tell that clown Omim that if he thinks the hunters of Etxelur—’

‘No.’ Nelo walked forward on the hard-packed snow. He pulled off his mittens to show his hands were empty. ‘We’re not from the Manufactory. We’re from – well, from here. Etxelur. We’ve come home. I’m Nelo.’

The man stared. ‘Rina’s boy?’

‘Are you Crimm?’

The fisherman grinned. ‘Cousin. You’ve been a long time away. Things have changed.’

‘I can see that.’

‘And on that sled – is that you, Uncle Pyxeas? We thought you were long dead.’

Pyxeas grunted. ‘Well, you were mistaken.’

The hunters came closer now, lowering their weapons. One man stared at the dogs, wary, fascinated; one of them yapped at him. ‘We ate all our dogs. Any bitches?’

76

It was further than it looked to the Wall. Avatak realised that the hunters had spotted them from a distance and had come out to stop them. Once Etxelur had been the kernel of the oldest and greatest civilisation in the world. Now, after a handful of cold summers, strangers were met with suspicion and raised spears. Pyxeas’ dream of finding scholarship surviving here looked foolish indeed.

At last they came to the foot of the Wall. The wreckage of ruined superstructures stood in snow-covered heaps, reminding Avatak of the tide-cracked ice at the shore of a winter-frozen sea. A rope ladder led up to a shallow ledge in the exposed growstone face of the Wall, and then another ladder rose up past that, and then another, until you could make your way to the roof.

‘It’s ladders up and then ladders down the other side, I’m afraid,’ said Crimm. ‘Most of us live on the far side of the Wall now, facing the sea. We only come over this side to hunt.’

Pyxeas asked, ‘What of the interior?’

Crimm shrugged. ‘Abandoned. Oh, there may be a few souls left in there feeding off the old stores. We’ve blocked off a lot of the corridors and passageways.’

Ayto said, ‘To stop raids from those bastards in the Manufactory. Among other bastards.’

‘Even I did not think it could be as bad as this,’ Pyxeas said mournfully.

Crimm eyed Pyxeas, the sled. ‘This is going to take some time. We’ll have to get your goods over in relays. We can hide the sled somewhere – figure out what to do about your dogs.’