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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

Uzzia sighed. ‘Gentlemen, gentlemen. Can’t we come to some compromise?’ She spoke softly, in Greek to Pyxeas, and Arabic to Jamil. It did not take long for her to bring about peace. Avatak marvelled at her skill.

Meanwhile Avatak cautiously approached the beasts. The Arab had four horses, two of which were being harnessed to his cart and two were loose, and a single mule, already laden with a towering load wrapped in bundles of cloth.

His dispute settled, Jamil walked up, gaze lively, curious. ‘You’re the ice boy, yes? I heard about you.’

‘Yes. I’m from—’

‘If you’re not busy give me a hand with this trunk. It needs to go in the cart.’

They soon formed up for the journey. Pyxeas was to ride on the cart, which was driven by Jamil. For now Uzzia would walk, leading the spare horses.

‘And me? What must I do?’

Jamil grinned. ‘You, boy, can bring the mule.’ And he cracked a short whip and drove the cart away.

The mule, though small in stature, was a slab of muscle, with a sour smell and a blank, contemptuous stare. Dwarfed by its load it simply looked back at Avatak when he tried to coax it forward, and was immovable as a rock when he tried to drag it. It was only when the cart and horses were almost out of sight that the animal deigned to follow, and even then at its own pace, stopping where it would, to piss or shit or nibble the sparse grass.

In the days that followed Jamil and Uzzia took turns with the mule. Uzzia bribed it with bits of fruit, while Jamil noisily beat it with his crop. Avatak was the worst at getting anything out of the beast, and they laughed at his efforts. But he developed a grudging respect for the mule’s unshakeable sense of independence, even as it plodded along under its unreasonable load. Maybe in this company, he and the mule had a lot in common.

And he buried his resentment of their laughter. After all, he came from a country where only dogs obeyed man, where every other beast of air, sea or land was utterly beyond human control, and was maybe the better for it. He dreamed of being able to handle a dog team on the ice, at some point in this expedition. Then they would see what the mastery of an animal, a unity of human will with beast strength, really meant.

26

From Akka they turned away from the coast and headed roughly east, crossing higher ground.