Joe Abercrombie 02 Before They Are Hanged (v1.0)

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.A firm hand is the best thing, you know.''Oh, I can be quite firm myself, when the situation demands it.I am noteasily shocked.''Good, good.' The key turned in the lock, the door swung open, and a foulsmell washed out into the corridor.A blocked latrine and a rotten rubbishheap rolled into one.The cell beyond was tiny, windowless, the ceiling almosttoo low to stand.The heat was crushing, the stench was appalling.It remindedGlokta of another cell.Further south, in Shaffa.Deep beneath the Emperor'spalace.A cell in which I gasped away two years, squealing in the blackness,scratching at the walls, crawling in my own filth.His eye had begun totwitch, and he wiped it carefully with his finger.One prisoner lay stretched out, his face to the wall, skin black with bruises,both legs broken.Another hung from the ceiling by his wrists, knees brushingthe floor, head hanging limp, back whipped raw.Vitari stooped and prodded atone of them with her finger.'Dead,' she said simply.She crossed to theother.'And this one.Dead a good while.'The flickering light fell across a third prisoner.This one was alive.Just.She was chained by hands and feet, face hollow with hunger, lips cracked withthirst, clutching filthy, bloodstained rags to her.Her heels scraped at thefloor as she tried to push herself further back into the corner, gibberingfaintly in Kantic, one hand across her face to ward off the light.I remember.The only thing worse than the darkness is when the light comes.The questionsalways come with it.Glokta frowned, his twitching eyes moving from the two broken corpses to thecowering girl, his head spinning from the effort, and the heat, and the stink.'Well this is very cosy.What have they told you?'Harker had his hand over his nose and mouth as he stepped reluctantly into thecell, Frost looming just over his shoulder.'Nothing yet, but I ''You'll get nothing from these two, now, that's sure.I hope they signedconfessions.''Well& not exactly.Superior Davoust was never that interested in confessionsfrom the browns, we just, you know& ''You couldn't even keep them alive long enough to confess?'Harker looked sullen.Like a child unfairly punished by his schoolmaster.'There's still the girl,' he snapped.Glokta looked down at her, licking at the space where his front teeth used toPage 21ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlbe.There is no method here.No purpose.Brutality, for it's own sake.I mightalmost be sickened, had I eaten anything today.'How old is she?''Fourteen, perhaps, Superior, but I fail to see the relevance.''The relevance, Inquisitor Harker, is that conspiracies are rarely led byfourteen-year-old girls.''I thought it best to be thorough.''Thorough? Did you even ask them any questions?''Well, I 'Glokta's cane cracked Harker cleanly across the face.The sudden movementcaused a stab of agony in Glokta's side, and he stumbled on his weak leg andhad to grab at Frost's arm for support.The Inquisitor gave a squeal of painand shock, tumbled against the wall and slid into the filth on the cell floor.'You're not an Inquisitor!' hissed Glokta, 'you're a fucking butcher! Look atthe state of this place! And you've killed two of our witnesses! What use arethey now, fool?' Glokta leaned forward.'Unless that was your intention, eh?Perhaps Davoust was killed by a jealous underling? An underling who wanted tosilence the witnesses, eh, Harker? Perhaps I should start my investigationswith the Inquisition itself!'Practical Frost loomed over Harker as he struggled to get up, and he shrankback down against the wall, blood starting to dribble from his nose.'No! No,please! It was an accident! I didn't mean to kill them! I just wanted to knowwhat happened!''An accident? You're a traitor or an utter incompetent, and I've no use foreither one!' He leaned down even lower, ignoring the pain shooting up hisback, his lips curling away to show his toothless smile.'I understand a firmhand is most effective when dealing with primitives, Inquisitor.You will findthere are no firmer hands than mine.Not anywhere.Get this worm out of mysight!'Frost seized hold of Harker by his coat and hauled him bodily through thefilth towards the door.'Wait!' he wailed, clutching at the door frame,'please! You can't do this!' His cries faded down the corridor.Vitari had a faint smile around her eyes, as though she had rather enjoyed thescene.'What about this mess?''Get it cleaned up.' Glokta leaned against the wall, his side still pulsingwith pain, wiped sweat from his face with a trembling hand.'Wash it down.Bury these bodies.'Vitari nodded towards the one survivor.'What about her?''Give her a bath.Clothes.Food.Let her go.''Hardly worth giving her a bath if she's going back to the Lower City.'She has a point there.'Alright! She was Davoust's servant, she can be mine.Put her back to work!' he shouted over his shoulder, already hobbling for thedoor.He had to get out.He could hardly breathe in there.'I am sorry to disappoint you all, but the walls are far from impregnable, notin their present poor condition& ' The speaker trailed off as Glokta shuffledthrough the door into the meeting chamber of Dagoska's ruling council.It was as unlike the cell below as it was possible for a room to be.It is, infact, the most beautiful room I ever saw.Every inch of wall and ceiling wascarved in the most minute detail: geometric patterns of frightening intricacywound round scenes from Kantic legends in life-size, all painted in glitteringgold and silver, vivid red and blue.The floor was a mosaic of wondrouscomplexity, the long table was inlaid with swirls of dark wood and chips ofbright ivory, polished to a high sheen.The tall windows offered a spectacularview over the dusty brown expanse of the city, and the sparkling bay beyond.The woman who rose to greet Glokta as he entered did not seem out of place inthe magnificent surroundings.Not in the slightest.'I am Carlot dan Eider,' she said, smiling easily and holding her hands out tohim as though to an old friend, 'Magister of the Guild of Spicers.'Glokta was impressed, he had to admit.If only by her stomach.Not even theslightest sign of horror.She greets me as though I were not a disfigured,Page 22ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmltwitching, twisted ruin.She greets me as though I looked as fine as she does.She wore a long gown in the style of the South: blue silk, trimmed withsilver, it shimmered around her in the cool breeze through the high windows.Jewels of daunting value flashed on her fingers, on her wrists, round herthroat.Glokta detected a strange scent as she came closer.Sweet.Like thespice that has made her so very rich, perhaps.The effect was far from wastedon him.I am still a man, after all.Just less so than I used to be.'I must apologise for my attire, but Kantic garments are so much morecomfortable in the heat.I have become quite accustomed to them during myyears here.'Her apologising for her appearance is like a genius apologising for hisstupidity.'Don't mention it.' Glokta bowed as low as he could, given theuselessness of his leg and the sharp pain in his back.'Superior Glokta, atyour service.''We are most glad to have you with us.We have all been greatly concernedsince the disappearance of your predecessor, Superior Davoust.' Some of you, Iexpect, have been less concerned than others.'I hope to shed some light on the matter.''We all hope that you will [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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