“Why don’t we stay this side of the bridge?” Dug asked. “We can hold the bridge with a handful of soldiers, protect most of the land and you can still have your wee procession. If Zadar attacks and your long line of bakers and potters doesn’t hold, which it probably wouldn’t, then we’re trapped between him and the river and in all sorts of bother.”
Elliax grimaced as if someone had just urinated on a relative’s funeral bed. “Still you challenge the gods? They know, as you don’t, that there’s valuable property just the other side of the river.”
“This property wouldn’t happen to be yours, would it?”
“Why don’t you shut up and stop embarrassing yourself? We share property. It’s everyone’s land, you northern fool.” Elliax stared at him furiously, but then, as if recalling a pleasant memory, smiled. “Or maybe you’d like a stronger reading? Why don’t you come up here and we’ll see what your spilled entrails say about Zadar’s intentions? We’ll see the next ten winters in your fat gut! Bob, Hampcar, why don’t you find out just how much this know-it-all knows about fighting?”
Two of the four guards stood forward and slid swords a couple of fingers’ breadth from scabbards. They were both big men. One had a long face with a pronounced muzzle and drawn-back lips showing uncommonly white teeth. The other was beardless, with a scar soaring redly from each corner of his mouth into his shaggy hairline. That injury was caused by making a small cut at each corner of a person’s mouth, then hurting them; an iron auger screwed between wrist bones was one method Dug had seen. The victim would scream, ripping his or her flesh from mouth to ears. If the wounds healed and they didn’t die of infection, they were left with a smile-shaped scar. Way up north this was called a Scrabbie’s kiss, after a tribe keen on handing them out. Men generally grew beards to cover the scars, but this guy had shaved to show them off. It was, admittedly, quite effective, if you were going for the scary bastard look. His mate looked even tougher.
Dug decided not to take them on.
“Are you coming? Or are you a coward?” Elliax sneered.
Dug stared back in what he hoped was a cool, Bel-may-care manner. He didn’t need to take on four Warriors to prove a point. Or even two. Besides, if Dwyn, god of tricks, Makka, god of war and Danu, mother of all the gods, had all been involved in the planning, who was Dug to argue? He might as well negotiate a decent fee for standing in the line, then leave the following evening a richer man with his guts still in his belly.
“Are you coming, I said?”
“I’ll stay here.”
“Stupid, fat and cowardly too. Some Warrior!” Elliax looked around triumphantly and seemed to grow a little. “Ignore this oaf’s ignorant comments. I have been shown the way. The plan is made and King Mylor agrees.” Mylor looked up and smiled at hearing his name, then returned to plucking at his genitals. Elliax continued: “Have no fear. Zadar hasn’t got where he is today by attacking against impossible odds. We are completely safe.”
ALSO BY CHARLIE FLETCHER
The Oversight
The Paradox
THE STONEHEART TRILOGY
Stoneheart
Inkheart
Silvertongue
Thank you for buying this ebook, published by Orbit.
To get news about the latest Science Fiction and Fantasy titles from Orbit, along with special offers and exclusive content, sign up for the Orbit newsletter.
Sign Up
Or visit us at www.orbitbooks.net/booklink/
CONTENTS
COVER
TITLE PAGE
WELCOME
DEDICATION
DRAMATIS PERSONAE
“WILDFIRE RULES ALL”
PROLOGUE: A DOUBLE JEOPARDY: FIRST PART
FIRST PART: THE BLOODY BOY CHAPTER 1: THE FIRST STEP
CHAPTER 2: THE BLOODY BOY
CHAPTER 3: A NEW BEGINNING
CHAPTER 4: A DOUBLE JEOPARDY: SECOND PART
CHAPTER 5: THE NEXT STEP
CHAPTER 6: THE IMPOSSIBLE THING
CHAPTER 7: SHARP, BLUNTED
CHAPTER 8: TO THE ISLE OF DOGS BY GOLEM
CHAPTER 9: THE WHITE TOWER
CHAPTER 10: THE EMPTY CHAIR
BEHIND THE WAINSCOT OF THE WORLD
CHAPTER 11: THE BLOOD TOLL
CHAPTER 12: GHOST BY DAYLIGHT
CHAPTER 13: PLAYING WITH FIRE
CHAPTER 14: ABCHURCH’S APPLE
SECOND PART: THE DEATH OF AIR ON SOLITARY AGENTS
CHAPTER 15: THE CHANGE
CHAPTER 16: SHARP
CHAPTER 17: THE NIGHT VISITOR
CHAPTER 18: THE HARM
ON THE CHANGELING
CHAPTER 19: INTERROGATION
CHAPTER 20: A DISTINCT ABSENCE OF ALP
CHAPTER 21: THE MATTER OF BOOTS AND THE PASSAGE OF IRON
CHAPTER 22: THE HUNGRY WORLD
CHAPTER 23: A DENIABLE RUSE
THIRD PART: THE DEATH OF EARTH CHAPTER 24: CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGE
CHAPTER 25: SEA-CHANGE
CHAPTER 26: CALM BEFORE THE STORM
CHAPTER 28: EX TENEBRIS LUX
CHAPTER 29: THE WHITE TATTOO
CHAPTER 30: A FORTUITOUS CONVERGENCE
CHAPTER 31: NIGHTWALKERS ALL
CHAPTER 32: WHAT THE HAMMER SAW
CHAPTER 33: THE ROCK AND THE WHIRLPOOL
CHAPTER 34: THE BUNG
CHAPTER 35: THE DEWPOND
FOURTH PART: THE DEATH OF WATER CHAPTER 36: THE DROWNING GLASS
CHAPTER 37: THE STONE SEA BY MOONLIGHT
CHAPTER 38: THE LAST BREATH
FIFTH PART: THE DEATH OF FIRE CHAPTER 39: AMOS PASSES
CHAPTER 40: THE LAST ROOM
CHAPTER 41: THE DYING BOY
CHAPTER 42: THE NAME OF THE ENEMY
CHAPTER 43: COMINGS AND GOINGS
CHAPTER 44: AMERICAY
CHAPTER 45: ON THE RAILS
CHAPTER 46: SHIPS IN THE NIGHT
CHAPTER 47: RUDDY GLUE
CHAPTER 48: NO GOODBYES
CHAPTER 49: THE RAT KING
CHAPTER 50: DOWNFALL
CHAPTER 51: DEVASTATION
EPILOGUE
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
EXTRAS MEET THE AUTHOR
A PREVIEW OF SKYBORN
A PREVIEW OF AGE OF IRON
ALSO BY CHARLIE FLETCHER
ORBIT NEWSLETTER
COPYRIGHT
Copyright
The characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
Copyright © 2015 by Man Sunday Ltd.
Excerpt from Skyborn copyright © 2015 by David Dalglish
Excerpt from Age of Iron copyright © 2014 by Angus Watson
Cover design by Kirk DouPonce/DogEared Design
Cover © 2015 Hachette Book Group, Inc.
All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher constitute unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at permissions@hbgusa.com. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.
Orbit
Hachette Book Group
1290 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10104
orbitbooks.net
orbitshortfiction.com
First ebook edition: August 2015
Orbit is an imprint of Hachette Book Group.
The Orbit name and logo are trademarks of Little, Brown Book Group Limited.
The Hachette Speakers Bureau provides a wide range of authors for speaking events. To find out more, go to www.hachettespeakersbureau.com or call (866) 376-6591.
The publisher is not responsible for websites (or their content) that are not owned by the publisher.
; ISBN 978-0-316-27952-9
E3