Chaos erupted in the tavern, furniture crashing, startled shouts and terrified screams. Then something went thump ! And all at once white smoke was billowing out from the doorway. More splintering furniture, a heavy crash, and then a figure sprinted out from the smoke.
An elbow cracked hard on Koryk’s jaw and he toppled like a tree.
Gesler ducked a lashing fist, just in time to meet an upthrust knee, and the sound the impact made was of two coconuts in collision. The quarry’s leg spun round, taking the rest of the man with it in a wild pirouette, whilst Gesler rocked back to promptly sit down on the cobbles, his eyes glazed.
Shrieking, Balm back-stepped, reaching for his short sword-and Bottle leapt forward to pin the sergeant’s arm-as the target lunged past them all, running hard but unevenly for the bridge.
Stormy stumbled out from the tavern, his nose streaming blood. ‘You didn’t get him? You damned idiots-look at my face! I took this for nothing!’
Other customers pushed out round the huge Falari, eyes streaming and coughing.
Gesler was climbing upright, wobbly, shaking his head. ‘Come on,’ he mumbled, ‘let’s get after him, and hope Throatslitter and Smiles can slow him down some.’
Tarr and Corabb showed up and surveyed the scene. ‘Corabb,’ said Tarr, ‘stay with Koryk and try bringing him round.’ And then he joined Bottle, Gesler, Stormy and Balm as they set out after their target.
Balm glared across at Bottle. ‘I coulda had him!’
‘We need the fool alive, you idiot,’ snapped Bottle.
The sergeant gaped. ‘We do?’
‘Look at that,’ hissed Throatslitter. ‘Here he comes!’
‘Limping bad, too,’ observed Smiles, sheathing her dagger once more. ‘We come up both sides and go for his ankles.’
‘Good idea.’
Throatslitter went left, Smiles went right, and they crouched at either end of the landing on this side of the bridge. They listened to the step-scruff of the limping fugitive as he reached the span, drawing ever closer. From the edge of the market street on the opposite side, shouts rang through the air. The scuffling run on the bridge picked up pace.
At the proper moment, as the target reached the end and stepped out on to the street’s cobbles, the two Malazan marines leapt out from their hiding places, converging, each wrapping arms round one of the man’s legs.
The three went down in a heap.