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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

He could feel the cold penetrating through his hand, up his arm. The wind picked up again and blew back his hood from his head, so his face and scalp were exposed to the driving snow. The flakes were heavier now, harder, and they stung as they slapped at his skin. He could feel ice on his face, below his eyes. He couldn’t tell if he was crying or not. He was going to die out here, he realised. It wasn’t just that he’d messed up the job. He would freeze to death, trapped like an idiot up on this Wall. He tried again to force open his fingers, but again he felt flesh rip, and what felt like a web of muscles beneath the skin tearing. The pain was astounding. He slumped back, exhausted, defeated, agonised. He yelled into the wind: ‘How could I be so stupid?’

‘Good question!’ It was his mother’s voice. Kia was lying face down by his right-hand side, bundled up in her own furs.

‘You shouldn’t be up here.’ His teeth were chattering.

‘No, I shouldn’t. And I shouldn’t have given birth to an idiot like you. But one thing follows the other, doesn’t it?’ She pulled his hood back over his head, and kissed him on an exposed bit of forehead. ‘Now hold still or you’ll pull that hand to bits.’ She dug her own bare fingers into a pot of oil and reached down and began to massage the fingers and palm of his locked hand.

‘What is that?’

‘Sperm-whale oil. Had it in the store for years. Old Coldlander trick, although they say seal oil is the best. It’ll take a little time but we’ll get you free. Leave it to Mother.’

Thux rested his face on the fur of his hood, with the cold growstone beneath. He seemed to be falling asleep, his thoughts receding into the warmth of his own skull. It was almost comforting to lie here, in the care of his mother as she worked at his damaged hand. He couldn’t even feel the cold any more.

But there was something missing.

He forced his head up. ‘Mother. Can you hear that?’

‘What?’

‘The engine.’

She lay there for a moment, silent and still as the wind howled around them.

The pumping heartbeat of the engine had stopped, and the growstone beneath them was as inert as a corpse.

17

It was Mago who spotted the first cracked pane in the roof.