‘Lane,’ said the other, his arm slashed and dripping blood.
‘Looks like we’re cut off,’ Suth explained.
‘Happens to me every night,’ Fish said morosely.
‘What’s the plan?’ Corbin asked.
‘The big guy, Manask, says he’ll lead us out.’
‘Sounds like a plan,’ Lane said.
Suth nodded to this tacit acceptance of his offer. ‘I want the saboteur, Squeaky, in the middle in case things get hot. I’ll back up Manask. You, Fish, back me up.’
‘I can’t even stand up in this friggin’ mouse house,’ Fish grumbled.
‘Lane, take the rear with Pyke.’
‘Oh sure!’ Pyke yelled. ‘Rear! Who put you in charge?’
‘Put a rag in it,’ Squeaky snarled.
Suth went to the Drenn elder. ‘You walk with Squeaky here.’
But the elder’s dark eyes narrowed to slits. ‘No. I am sorry, soldier. But the Korelri are here. This changes everything. I will go for help.’
Suth studied him, uncertain. ‘You mean your Warren? Here?’
The elder wiped the grime and sweat from his face, gave an apologetic shrug. ‘Well… we can hardly pretend to be hiding now, can we?’
‘True. Who — where will you go?’
The old man looked pained. ‘I can only think of one place… but I am sorry, I cannot make any promises.’
‘I understand. May the gods speed you.’
Pyke pushed his way to them. ‘He can take us all with him! We can escape!’
Suth restrained himself from striking the man. ‘We stay with the mission.’
‘I don’t like that Warren anyway,’ Fish said to Lane. ‘Looked dangerous.’
Lane nodded his profound agreement.
Pyke peered round at them. ‘What’s the matter with you all? We’re gonna get killed! You’re all crazy — I could do better on my own!’
‘Do your job or I’ll kill you myself,’ Suth said, matter-of-fact.
Pyke straightened, slowly nodding. ‘Fine. Okay. We’re fucked anyway.’ And he threw up his hands.
Suth turned to Faro, raised his chin. ‘You’re being real quiet.’
The little man raised and lowered his shoulders. ‘Just pretend I’m not here,’ he said, and gave his sharp-toothed smile.
That is bloody easier said than done. He looked to Gheven. ‘What do you need?’
The man peered round the rough cave, carved from the broken sedimentary rock. ‘This will do. I can go from here.’
The troopers backed away to give him room. He crossed to the rear of the cave and pressed his hands to the rock. He bowed his head in concentration, and stepped into the wall, disappearing.
Suth turned to Manask. ‘Looks like you’re up.’
The giant fellow threw everyone a huge grin. ‘Do not fear! I will winkle out the secrets of this maze in no time! Come!’ He lumbered in an ungainly duck-walk out into the tunnel. Suth followed, shield and longsword ready.
It was slow going. Manask’s great bulk completely blocked Suth’s forward vision. At every cave opening the man paused to poke in the broken haft of his spear and wave it around. Then he waved an arm. Finally, he hopped forward with a shout: ‘Ah-ha!’
The third time he did this he reeled backwards accompanied by the thumping of heavy objects striking something. The giant staggered on to Suth. Two spears stood out from his thick armour like proud quills. ‘You see!’ Manask puffed, winded, ‘one merely has to disarm them!’
Suth squeezed past and into the chamber. The Korelri Stormguard had already swung shields round and were prepared. Suth engaged one, Fish another. Suth fought extremely carefully: he probed the man’s defences, kept him busy. Openings came but he recognized them as traps meant to draw him out. Facing the Stormguard he quickly understood everyone’s dread — the man was fully the finest swordsman he’d ever faced: fearless, aggressive, and quick, a full-time professional fighter. But the Malazan infantry were trained for crowded shield and sword work. It was their lifeblood. These Korelri appeared to fight as individuals. Suth thought he and his squadmates might have the advantage in these circumstances.
A spear thrust over Suth’s shoulder. The Korelri blocked, but the point continued on, passing through his shield to impale him in the chest and push him back to the wall, where he hung from the haft like an insect. ‘Two can play with pointed sticks!’ Manask exulted, and he brushed his hands together.
Alone, facing outrageous odds, the second Stormguard gave no hint of asking for quarter. He backed against a dirt wall, shield ready. ‘Drop your weapons!’ Suth ordered. The full helm merely slid side to side. Eyes hot for battle glared out of the narrow vision slit.
Damned fanatic. They didn’t have time for this. He, Fish, Corbin and Pyke spread out in an arc before the man. Useless! To prove what? Suth tightened his grip on his longsword, steadied his breathing.
The Stormguard looked past them all, gaping. ‘No!’
A crossbow fired just behind Suth made him flinch. The bolt took the Stormguard in the throat and the man slid down the wall, gagging. Suth turned to see Faro calmly tuck the slim weapon back under his cloak.
‘Let’s get going, shall we?’ Faro said, raising his brows.
Suth nodded, swallowing. Ye gods! Forget this man is with them? Not damned likely.
Manask led them onward, but their pace did not increase. Distant yells, the clash of fighting, and, occasionally, a report of munitions would reach them. They came upon scenes of battle: fallen Stormguard and dead troopers; caves blasted by munitions; tunnels partially collapsed. Suth was shaken to find Len dead, run through by a spear. Len? You too? Somehow I’d imagined it couldn’t happen to you. I’m so sorry. You were a good friend. Looks like maybe Pyke’s finally got things right.
Squeaky knelt over the body for some time while everyone kept a nervous watch. Her final act was to close his eyes — the man’s shoulder bags had already been scavenged.
Soon after that the earth shook, sending them all to the beaten earth floor huddled for cover. Dirt came tumbling down in a wash of dust that blinded and choked. After the shaking passed Suth gingerly eased himself up, wiping his face and coughing. When they had all straightened, beating at their cloaks and clearing their throats, they glared at Squeaky. She glared back, raising her hands.
‘Hey! Don’t look at me. There’s no way we brought that many munitions.’
They continued through the half-collapsed tunnels. Suth couldn’t tell if they were making any headway, but he didn’t challenge Manask as he didn’t think he’d do any better choosing left from right, or which carved chamber to enter. It was a senseless jumbled warren of tunnels to him. Eventually, it seemed they’d been walking, hunched, on the adrenalin knife-edge of fear for far too long, and he called a halt. They chose the best defensible cave they could find, set a watch, and lay down to try to get some rest.
Suth stood his watch with Lane, then had his turn to lie down. Though he was exhausted beyond care, sleep would not come. He couldn’t shake Pyke’s words. How many left now? What of Goss, Wess and Keri? Still alive? These Stormguard are butchering us! This obviously isn’t what Rillish and that priest had in mind. It seemed to him that he’d just closed his eyes when a bellow wrenched him awake. A sword slammed into the dirt where he’d just been lying. A Stormguard stood over him, pulling back the blade for another thrust, and Suth swept a leg, bringing him down. He leapt upon the man, found a gauche scabbard at his side, drew the weapon offhanded, and thrust it home up into an armpit. The Stormguard shuddered, but threw him off and leapt to his feet. He and Suth faced off, crouched, circling. A shape fell upon the Stormguard, Faro leaping, two long daggers flashing, and they collapsed in a tangle. Suth cast a frenzied glare around the darkened cave. Jammed shoulder to shoulder, troopers grappled with Korelri. A Stormguard duelling Lane retreated towards Suth so he stabbed him low in the back then drew his own blade. He saw Fish go down, dragging a Korelri with him. Manask was holding the corpse of one in front of himself, using it as a shield with which to bash another back until Corbin took the Stormguard from the side.