Assail (Malazan Empire, #6)(64)

Hunched, dodging from tree to tree, he edged up next to Holden. ‘A bridge …’ he murmured.

‘Just because there’s some old relic bridge doesn’t mean …’

The scouts signalled from the forward right, and the skirmish line shifted that way. They came to the broken rock of the ridge. Mixed snow and rain swirled down. Fisher’s hands were freezing in the cloth he’d wrapped around them. He edged forward to peer over the lip. A steep slope of bare rock overlooked a dark defile. Blowing snow obscured the further distances.

Holden murmured from next to him, ‘Where in Togg’s name is the way down?’

Fisher peered around as well – where was it?

Down the ridge behind him, Jethiss pointed off to the south. Fisher nodded and touched Holden’s shoulder, and they pushed themselves back from the lip. Off to the south of their position Teal was conferring with his scouts and a few of Malle’s veterans. The pair jogged over to join them.

‘One at a time, I reckon,’ one scout was saying.

‘A night-time descent?’ Teal asked.

The scouts shook their heads. ‘Too dangerous.’ Teal looked even more sour.

‘So where’s this bridge?’ Holden asked.

‘Switchback trail leads down to it,’ a scout said.

‘See us coming five league away,’ one of the veterans grumbled.

‘No signa any guards so far,’ another scout pointed out.

‘Not yet,’ Teal breathed absently, peering away into the gusting snow. Then he scowled, muttering, ‘Dead take them …’

Fisher glanced over. Enguf and a handful of his crew were sauntering up.

‘What’s all this?’ the Genabackan called out.

The scouts all winced. The veterans hung their heads.

‘Quiet,’ Teal hissed.

‘What’s that?’ the man shouted back. ‘What?’

Fisher could swear veins were writhing in the Letherii commander’s temples. Through clenched teeth he grated, ‘Quiet.’

Enguf was now close enough to hear and he nodded. ‘Ah! Quiet. Very well. May I ask why?’

Teal was pressing his fingertips to his brow, his head lowered.

‘The scouts think they saw a bridge down the trail here,’ one of Malle’s old veterans said. ‘But the clouds closed in on us so we can’t be sure. Why don’t you take your boys down and have a look?’

Fisher glared at the man, but the rest of the veterans were grinning. One had a strip of dried meat held in his teeth. Sucking on it to soften it, Fisher knew.

‘No thank you,’ Enguf answered. ‘We’re happy where we are.’

It was good to know that the Genabackan wasn’t a complete fool. ‘You Malazans go down under cover of these clouds,’ Teal said, raising his head. ‘Reconnoitre.’

The four veterans exchanged slow looks. ‘Don’t think so,’ answered the one who’d spoken earlier.

Teal studied the man for a moment. ‘You don’t …’ He drew a breath. ‘Go down and reconnoitre … soldier.’

The Malazan’s stare was steady. Then he gave a small shrug of his rounded shoulders. ‘I don’t take orders from you.’

Teal appeared ready to bring the rocks down around them excoriating the man, so Fisher jumped in, saying, ‘What’s your name, solder?’

The man’s gaze swung to him. It was half-lidded, distant, the eyes a pale hazel. Fisher recognized the loose watchfulness of someone poised to kill at any moment. Not your usual veteran. A trained bodyguard, perhaps? But field experienced, obviously.

‘Stub,’ the man said. ‘Sergeant Stub.’

Teal nodded brusquely. ‘Thank you, Fisher.’ To the sergeant, he said: ‘I will have a word with your employer regarding your insubordination, soldier. You can be sure of that.’

The man actually gave Teal a wink, saying, ‘You do that.’

But irony appeared lost on Teal, who merely nodded, indicating that he most certainly would.

There seemed to be an impasse, as none of the three parties was willing to risk men on the steep twisting trail down to the hidden defile below. Fisher blew on his painful hands and clenched them to being warmth to the fingers. It struck him that one man might sneak down whereas a full party would make too much noise.

‘I will go,’ he said.

Teal’s quick nod of acceptance seemed to say it was about time he did something useful. The veteran, Stub, frowned, either displeased or uneasy, Fisher wasn’t certain which. He started down the trailhead. It was extraordinarily steep; to keep from falling he had to lean into the slope, running his hands along the rock as he descended. Gusting curtains of snow obscured the bottom. The sky was iron-grey, the rock slate-hued, or black with melt and ice, while the snow seemed to swallow everything down its swirling leaden throat.

After many switchbacks, he stepped out on to a relatively flat ledge. It was wide and deep. He thought he could make out a structure of sorts at its far end and was about to step towards it when movement in the corner of his eye snapped him round, sword out.

It was Jethiss. Fisher let out a breath, sheathed his sword. ‘You needn’t have come,’ he whispered.

‘I could not let you go alone.’

‘You are very quiet.’