the skaven troops, still labouring up the stairs that wound around the shaft one step at a time. Gotrek had been right. They were going to beat them to the first level – if they lived.
Only seconds later, the ride came to an end, and what Felix had earlier feared finally happened. As the boom of a huge impact echoed up from below, the cable jerked to a stop, snapping Felix’s teeth shut, then slapped back and forth like a pendulum in a wind storm. Felix was crushed against the side of the shaft, and only great good fortune let his heavily bound chest take the blow and not his head. Even so, all the air was knocked out of him and his ribs felt like they had been hit with a sledgehammer. His knees too cracked against the steel, and he hissed in agony.
‘All… alive?’ he asked as the swaying stopped.
Behind him and below, the s layers grunted in the affirmative, and he saw that they had taken some damage too. Agnar had blood streaming from his scalp where the front few inches of his s layer’s crest had been ripped away by some passing snag, and it looked like his nose had been broken. Gotrek had deep scrapes and bruises on his shoulders and forearms, and a great welt over one eye.
As he looked around, however, Felix feared that they had a greater problem than their wounds. They were dangling over a bottomless pit in the centre of the shaft, tied securely to the cable, and the door they had hoped to reach was more than thirty feet above their heads.
‘Are you certain you thought this through, Gotrek?’ Felix asked.
‘Swing, manling,’ said Gotrek. ‘With me. You too, Arvastsson.’
Gotrek began to swing his arms, legs and rune axe back and forth in a slow, strong rhythm. Felix and Agnar did the same, moving as he moved. At first the effect of their motion on the heavy cable was negligible, and Felix feared it was all for naught, but after a while their feeble wiggle became a slight sway, and then, as the movement of the cable added itself to their momentum, their swings got longer and longer, until, finally, Gotrek was able to reach out and grab the lattice of the shaft.
The first time, it ripped from his hand, but the second time he was able to catch a crossbar with the hook of his axe and they stopped in mid-swing. Gotrek pulled himself hand over hand up the haft of the axe, then grabbed onto the lattice and clung there as he untied the rope that bound his waist to the cable. One end of this he retied to the lattice, then unwound the other.
‘Gotrek!’ Felix cried. ‘You’ll–’
The last few coils whipped off Gotrek like a chain going through a pulley and the cable sprang free again.
‘All part of the plan, manling,’ said Gotrek, as Felix and Agnar swung again to a stop in the middle of the shaft.
‘I’m relieved to hear there is a plan,’ said Felix.
Gotrek coiled up the loose rope and made to throw it at him. ‘Catch it and pass it around you, then throw it back.’
Felix caught it with a wild grab, then passed it behind him to Agnar, who handed it back to him on the other side.
‘Now lift it so it is above your heads,’ said Gotrek as Felix heaved the remaining length back to him.
Agnar and Felix took the rope, which was at their waists, and edged it up over their shoulders and heads until it was wrapped around nothing but the cable.
Gotrek nodded approvingly, then threaded the loose end of the rope through the lattice and started hauling at it, winching them closer and closer to the side with every pull.
Finally, Felix was able to grab the lattice and pull himself closer. Gotrek swiftly tied off the rope, then used his rune axe to cut through Felix and Agnar’s bonds, and they were all clinging like flies to the side of the shaft.
‘To the door,’ said Gotrek.
Though Felix’s knees ached and his arms shook, and his head spun with vertigo, he climbed with the s layers to the folding gate. It was closed, and locked with a geared hook, but one swing of Gotrek’s axe and the
Only seconds later, the ride came to an end, and what Felix had earlier feared finally happened. As the boom of a huge impact echoed up from below, the cable jerked to a stop, snapping Felix’s teeth shut, then slapped back and forth like a pendulum in a wind storm. Felix was crushed against the side of the shaft, and only great good fortune let his heavily bound chest take the blow and not his head. Even so, all the air was knocked out of him and his ribs felt like they had been hit with a sledgehammer. His knees too cracked against the steel, and he hissed in agony.
‘All… alive?’ he asked as the swaying stopped.
Behind him and below, the s layers grunted in the affirmative, and he saw that they had taken some damage too. Agnar had blood streaming from his scalp where the front few inches of his s layer’s crest had been ripped away by some passing snag, and it looked like his nose had been broken. Gotrek had deep scrapes and bruises on his shoulders and forearms, and a great welt over one eye.
As he looked around, however, Felix feared that they had a greater problem than their wounds. They were dangling over a bottomless pit in the centre of the shaft, tied securely to the cable, and the door they had hoped to reach was more than thirty feet above their heads.
‘Are you certain you thought this through, Gotrek?’ Felix asked.
‘Swing, manling,’ said Gotrek. ‘With me. You too, Arvastsson.’
Gotrek began to swing his arms, legs and rune axe back and forth in a slow, strong rhythm. Felix and Agnar did the same, moving as he moved. At first the effect of their motion on the heavy cable was negligible, and Felix feared it was all for naught, but after a while their feeble wiggle became a slight sway, and then, as the movement of the cable added itself to their momentum, their swings got longer and longer, until, finally, Gotrek was able to reach out and grab the lattice of the shaft.
The first time, it ripped from his hand, but the second time he was able to catch a crossbar with the hook of his axe and they stopped in mid-swing. Gotrek pulled himself hand over hand up the haft of the axe, then grabbed onto the lattice and clung there as he untied the rope that bound his waist to the cable. One end of this he retied to the lattice, then unwound the other.
‘Gotrek!’ Felix cried. ‘You’ll–’
The last few coils whipped off Gotrek like a chain going through a pulley and the cable sprang free again.
‘All part of the plan, manling,’ said Gotrek, as Felix and Agnar swung again to a stop in the middle of the shaft.
‘I’m relieved to hear there is a plan,’ said Felix.
Gotrek coiled up the loose rope and made to throw it at him. ‘Catch it and pass it around you, then throw it back.’
Felix caught it with a wild grab, then passed it behind him to Agnar, who handed it back to him on the other side.
‘Now lift it so it is above your heads,’ said Gotrek as Felix heaved the remaining length back to him.
Agnar and Felix took the rope, which was at their waists, and edged it up over their shoulders and heads until it was wrapped around nothing but the cable.
Gotrek nodded approvingly, then threaded the loose end of the rope through the lattice and started hauling at it, winching them closer and closer to the side with every pull.
Finally, Felix was able to grab the lattice and pull himself closer. Gotrek swiftly tied off the rope, then used his rune axe to cut through Felix and Agnar’s bonds, and they were all clinging like flies to the side of the shaft.
‘To the door,’ said Gotrek.
Though Felix’s knees ached and his arms shook, and his head spun with vertigo, he climbed with the s layers to the folding gate. It was closed, and locked with a geared hook, but one swing of Gotrek’s axe and the
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