Alchymist by Ian Irvine Page B

my life, then the sooner it's over the better,' Nish muttered.
    Flydd
shrugged and sat down, jerking at the harness in a futile attempt to find a
comfortable position. He ignored Nish, eating his slops slowly, as if savouring
every morsel, and carefully wiping the mug out with lumps of bread. 'If you're
not going to eat that, pass it over here.' Wordlessly Nish handed him the mug.
Had it been the finest food in the land, he could not have eaten a mouthful.
His stomach was throbbing with despair.
    'Better
get some rest,' said Flydd. 'They'll be calling us out again in a few hours.'
'But it's dark.' 'It'll be light enough when they start to burn the bodies.'
    A few
hours later it started again, but this time it was worse. The battlefield was
dotted with pyres, blazing piles of human and lyrinx dead. They provided enough
light for the overseer to pick his targets, though not enough for him to be
accurate. A blow aimed tor Xervish Flydd's back came coiling around Nish's bent
head, the hard tip of the lash catching him on the eyebrow with such force that
he screamed.
    'You
stinking mongrel —’ he raged, once the pain became bearable.
    A
dirty hand smacked him in the mouth, cutting off the abuse.
    'Don't!'
grated Flydd in his ear. 'Whatever thev do, don't react in any way. Just pull,
as hard as you can.'
    Nish
strained against the harness. 'The swine nearly took my eye out.'
    'If
you attack him, he'll take pleasure in removing the other eye, in a way you
will never forget.'
    'I
want to die!'
    'You
won't be so lucky. We're put here to suffer, and while we can stagger, that's
what we're going to do.'
    'It
doesn't seem to bother you.'
    Flydd
forced himself against the straps, grunting with the effort. 'I feel pain the
same as any man, Nish. I've just learned not to show it.'
    Nish
supposed that must be true. The former scrutator was brutally scarred and he
moved as though every bone in his body had been broken. There were rumours of
his torment at the hands of the Council when he was a young man, for some
unspecified crime.
    'I
can't take much more of this,' Nish groaned. 'It feels as if my leg bones are
splintering with each step.'
    'You'd
be surprised how much the human body can endure,' said Flydd. 'You've got
months of slavery ahead of you yet.'
    'Then
I'll kill myself.'
     Flydd's
fist came out of the dark, crashing into Nish's chin and knocking him backwards
into the slush. The next pair of slaves went over him, tripped and fell down,
pulling down the pair after that. The team ground to a halt.
    The
overseer came up the line, flogging indiscriminately. The slaves fell over
themselves to get away. It took a good ten minutes before the tangle was sorted
out and they were pulling in unison again. Nish took more lashes, though no
more than his share.

    'What
did you do that for?' he muttered, feeling a split lip. Two teeth felt loose
and one had a chip out of it.
    'Do
your duty like a man and don't whine about it!' snapped Flydd. '1 expected more
of you, Nish.'
    'But
we're slaves,' cried Nish.
    'Aye.
Even so, we're doing vital work. The fate of humanity may rest on us getting
these clankers to the field, and never forget it.'
    Nish
fell silent. Trust the scrutator (he could not stop thinking of Flydd that way)
to keep his eye on the greater goal. Nish could not, and he felt bad about it.
The survival of humanity hung by a thread and any little thing could make the
difference, but it meant nothing to him. His own troubles were too
overwhelming.
    He
tried to talk himself into it, telling himself what a selfish, contemptible
worm he was. Make something of your life, Nish! Do your very best, even if only
as a slave.
    It
was impossible. He had fallen too far. Once he'd been part of a wealthy,
powerful family. Now he'd lost everything, even his part in their Histories.
Once he'd had an honourable trade; now he was beneath contempt. Once he'd had a
father; now he had nothing. He was nothing.
    They
stopped just before dawn. Nish was so