than ever.
‘Thank you for asking. Truly. Nobody ever does.’
There was an awkward silence. The Inquisitor stretched
his neck sideways and there was a loud click. ‘Ah!’ he said, ‘that’s got it.
It’s been a pleasure to see you again, both of you, but duty calls.’ He treated
them to another revolting smile then hobbled off, his left foot scraping in the
gravel.
Ardee frowned at his twisted back as he limped slowly
away. ‘It’s so sad,’ she said under her breath.
‘What?’ mumbled Jezal. He was thinking about that big
white bastard in the street, those narrow pink eyes. The prisoner with the bag
on his head. We all serve the King in our own way. Quite so. He gave an
involuntary shiver.
‘He and my brother used to be quite close. He came to
stay with us one summer. My family were so proud to have him it was
embarrassing. He used to fence with my brother every day, and he always won.
The way he moved, it was something to see. Sand dan Glokta. He was the
brightest star in the sky.’ She flashed her knowing half-smile again. ‘And now
I hear you are.’
‘Er . . .’ said Jezal, not sure whether she was
praising him or poking fun. He could not escape the feeling that he had been
out-fenced twice that day, once by each sibling.
He rather fancied that the sister had given him the
worse beating.
The
Morning Ritual
I t was a bright summer’s day, and
the park was filled to capacity with colourful revellers. Colonel Glokta strode
manfully toward some meeting of great importance, people bowing and scraping
respectfully away to give him room. He ignored most, favoured the more
important ones with his brilliant smile. The lucky few beamed back at him, delighted
to be noticed.
‘I suppose we all serve the King in our own way,’
whined Captain Luthar, reaching for his steel, but Glokta was far too quick for
him. His blade flashed with lightning speed, catching the sneering idiot
through the neck.
Blood splattered across Ardee West’s face. She clapped
her hands in delight, looking at Glokta with shining eyes.
Luthar seemed surprised to be killed. ‘Hah. Quite so,’
said Glokta with a smile. The Captain pitched over onto his face, blood pouring
from his punctured throat. The crowd roared their appreciation and Glokta
indulged them with a deep, graceful bow. The cheering was redoubled.
‘Oh, Colonel, you shouldn’t,’ murmured Ardee as Glokta
licked the blood from her cheek.
‘Shouldn’t what?’ he growled, tipping her back in his
arms and kissing her fiercely. The crowd were in a frenzy. She gasped as he
broke away, looking up at him adoringly with those big dark eyes of hers, lips
slightly parted.
‘The Arth Ector wanth you,’ she said with a comely
smile.
‘What?’ The crowd had fallen silent, damn them, and
his left side was turning numb.
Ardee touched him tenderly on the cheek. ‘The Arth
Ector!’ she shouted.
There was a heavy knock at the door. Glokta’s eyes
flicked open.
Where am I? Who am I?
Oh no.
Oh yes. He realised straight away he had been sleeping badly, his body was
twisted round under the blankets, his face pushed into the pillow. His whole
left side was dead.
The beating on the door came heavier than before. ‘The
Arth Ector!’ came Frost’s tongueless bellow from the other side.
Pain shot through Glokta’s neck as he tried to raise
his head from the pillow. Ah, there’s nothing like the
first spasm of the day to get the mind working. ‘Alright!’ he croaked,
‘give me a minute, damn it!’
The albino’s heavy footsteps thudded away down the corridor.
Glokta lay still for a moment, then cautiously moved his right arm, ever so
slowly, breath rasping with the effort, and tried to twist himself onto his
back. He clenched his fist as the needling started in his left leg. If only the damn thing would stay numb. But the pain was
coming on fast now. He was also becoming aware of an unpleasant smell. Damn it. I’ve shit myself again.
‘Barnam!’
‘Thank you for asking. Truly. Nobody ever does.’
There was an awkward silence. The Inquisitor stretched
his neck sideways and there was a loud click. ‘Ah!’ he said, ‘that’s got it.
It’s been a pleasure to see you again, both of you, but duty calls.’ He treated
them to another revolting smile then hobbled off, his left foot scraping in the
gravel.
Ardee frowned at his twisted back as he limped slowly
away. ‘It’s so sad,’ she said under her breath.
‘What?’ mumbled Jezal. He was thinking about that big
white bastard in the street, those narrow pink eyes. The prisoner with the bag
on his head. We all serve the King in our own way. Quite so. He gave an
involuntary shiver.
‘He and my brother used to be quite close. He came to
stay with us one summer. My family were so proud to have him it was
embarrassing. He used to fence with my brother every day, and he always won.
The way he moved, it was something to see. Sand dan Glokta. He was the
brightest star in the sky.’ She flashed her knowing half-smile again. ‘And now
I hear you are.’
‘Er . . .’ said Jezal, not sure whether she was
praising him or poking fun. He could not escape the feeling that he had been
out-fenced twice that day, once by each sibling.
He rather fancied that the sister had given him the
worse beating.
The
Morning Ritual
I t was a bright summer’s day, and
the park was filled to capacity with colourful revellers. Colonel Glokta strode
manfully toward some meeting of great importance, people bowing and scraping
respectfully away to give him room. He ignored most, favoured the more
important ones with his brilliant smile. The lucky few beamed back at him, delighted
to be noticed.
‘I suppose we all serve the King in our own way,’
whined Captain Luthar, reaching for his steel, but Glokta was far too quick for
him. His blade flashed with lightning speed, catching the sneering idiot
through the neck.
Blood splattered across Ardee West’s face. She clapped
her hands in delight, looking at Glokta with shining eyes.
Luthar seemed surprised to be killed. ‘Hah. Quite so,’
said Glokta with a smile. The Captain pitched over onto his face, blood pouring
from his punctured throat. The crowd roared their appreciation and Glokta
indulged them with a deep, graceful bow. The cheering was redoubled.
‘Oh, Colonel, you shouldn’t,’ murmured Ardee as Glokta
licked the blood from her cheek.
‘Shouldn’t what?’ he growled, tipping her back in his
arms and kissing her fiercely. The crowd were in a frenzy. She gasped as he
broke away, looking up at him adoringly with those big dark eyes of hers, lips
slightly parted.
‘The Arth Ector wanth you,’ she said with a comely
smile.
‘What?’ The crowd had fallen silent, damn them, and
his left side was turning numb.
Ardee touched him tenderly on the cheek. ‘The Arth
Ector!’ she shouted.
There was a heavy knock at the door. Glokta’s eyes
flicked open.
Where am I? Who am I?
Oh no.
Oh yes. He realised straight away he had been sleeping badly, his body was
twisted round under the blankets, his face pushed into the pillow. His whole
left side was dead.
The beating on the door came heavier than before. ‘The
Arth Ector!’ came Frost’s tongueless bellow from the other side.
Pain shot through Glokta’s neck as he tried to raise
his head from the pillow. Ah, there’s nothing like the
first spasm of the day to get the mind working. ‘Alright!’ he croaked,
‘give me a minute, damn it!’
The albino’s heavy footsteps thudded away down the corridor.
Glokta lay still for a moment, then cautiously moved his right arm, ever so
slowly, breath rasping with the effort, and tried to twist himself onto his
back. He clenched his fist as the needling started in his left leg. If only the damn thing would stay numb. But the pain was
coming on fast now. He was also becoming aware of an unpleasant smell. Damn it. I’ve shit myself again.
‘Barnam!’
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