ã€ŠDeadhouse Gates (The Malazan Book of the Fallen #2)ã€‹


 Page 1

    PROLOGUE

    What see you in the horizon''s bruised smear

    That cannot be blotted out

    By your raised hand?

    The Bridgeburners

    Toe the Younger

    1163rd Year of Burn''s Sleep

    Ninth Year of the Rule of Empress Laseen

    Year of the Cull

    He came shambling into Judgement''s Round from the Avenue of Souls, a misshapen mass of flies. Seething lumps crawled on his body in mindless migration, black and glittering and occasionally falling away in frenzied clumps that exploded into fragmented flight as they struck the cobbles. The Thirsting Hour was coming to a close and the priest staggered in its wake, blind, deaf and silent. Honouring his god on this day, the servant of Hood, Lord of Death, had joined his companions in stripping naked and smearing himself in the blood of executed murderers, blood that was stored in giant amphorae lining the walls of the temple''s nave. The brothers had then moved in procession out onto the streets of Unta to greet the god''s sprites, enjoining the mortal dance that marked the Season of Rot''s last day.

    The guards lining the Round parted to let the priest pass, then parted further for the spinning, buzzing cloud that trailed him. The sky over Unta was still more grey than blue, as the flies that had swept at dawn into the capital of the Malazan Empire now rose, slowly winging out over the bay towards the salt marshes and sunken islands beyond the reef. Pestilence came with the Season of Rot, and the Season had come an unprecedented three times in the past ten years.

    The air of the Round still buzzed, was still speckled as if filled with flying grit. Somewhere in the streets beyond a dog yelped like a thing near death but not near enough, and close to the Round''s central fountain the abandoned mule that had collapsed earlier still kicked feebly in the air. Flies had crawled into the beast through every orifice and it was now bloated with gases. The animal, stubborn by its breed, was now over an hour in dying. As the priest staggered sightlessly past, flies rose from the mule in a swift curtain to join those already enshrouding him.

    It was clear to Felisin from where she and the others waited that the priest of Hood was striding directly towards her. His eyes were ten thousand eyes, but she was certain they were all fixed on her. Yet even this growing horror did little to stir the numbness that lay like a smothering blanket over her mind; she was aware of it rising inside but the awareness seemed more a memory of fear than fear now alive within her.

    She barely recalled the first Season of Rot she''d lived through, but had clear memories of the second one. Just under three years ago, she had witnessed this day secure in the family estate, in a solid house with its windows shuttered and cloth-sealed, with the braziers set outside the doors and on the courtyard''s high, broken-glass-rimmed walls billowing the acrid smoke of istaarl leaves. The last day of the Season and its Thirsting Hour had been a time of remote revulsion for her, irritating and inconvenient but nothing more. Then she''d given little thought to the city''s countless beggars and the stray animals bereft of shelter, or even to the poorer residents who were subsequently press-ganged into cleanup crews for days afterwards.

    The same city, but a different world.

    Felisin wondered if the guards would make any move towards the priest as he came closer to the Cull''s victims. She and the others in the line were the charges of the Empress now ¨C Laseen''s responsibility ¨C and the priest''s path could be seen as blind and random, the imminent collision one of chance rather than design, although in her bones Felisin knew differently. Would the helmed guards step forward, seek to guide the priest to one side, lead him safely through the Round?

    ''I think not,'' said the man squatting on her right. His half-closed eyes, buried deep in their sockets, flashed with something that might have been amusement. ''Seen you flicking your gaze, guards to priest, priest to guards.''

    The big, silent man on her left slowly rose to his feet, pulling the chain with him. Felisin winced as the shackle yanked at her when the man folded his arms across his bare, scarred chest. He glared at the approaching priest but said nothing.

    ''What does he want with me?'' Felisin asked in a whisper. ''What have I done to earn a priest of Hood''s attention?''

    The squatting man rocked back on his heels, tilting his face into the late afternoon sun. ''Queen of Dreams, is this self-centred youth I hear from those full, sweet lips? Or just the usual stance of noble blood around which the universe revolves? Answer me, I pray, fickle Queen!''

    Felisin scowled. ''I felt better when I thought you asleep ¨C or dead.''

    ''Dead men do not squat, lass, they sprawl. Hood''s priest comes not for you but for me.''

 Page 2

    She faced him then, the chain rattling between them. He looked more of a sunken-eyed toad than a man. He was bald, his face webbed in tattooing, minute, black, square-etched symbols hidden within an overall pattern covering skin like a wrinkled scroll. He was naked but for a ragged loincloth, its dye a faded red. Flies crawled all over him; reluctant to leave they danced on ¨C but not, Felisin realized, to Hood''s bleak orchestration. The tattooed pattern covered the man ¨C the boar''s face overlying his own, the intricate maze of script-threaded, curled fur winding down his arms, covering his exposed thighs and shins, and the detailed hooves etched into the skin of his feet. Felisin had until now been too self-absorbed, too numb with shock to pay any attention to her companions in the chain line: this man was a priest of Fener, the Boar of Summer, and the flies seemed to know it, understand it enough to alter their frenzied motion. She watched with morbid fascination as they gathered at the stumps at the ends of the man''s wrists, the old scar tissue the only place on him unclaimed by Fener, but the paths the sprites took to those stumps touched not a single tattooed line. The flies danced a dance of avoidance ¨C but for all that, they were eager to dance.

    The priest of Fener had been ankle-shackled last in the line. Everyone else had the narrow iron bands fastened around their wrists. His feet were wet with blood and the flies hovered there but did not land. She saw his eyes flick open as the sun''s light was suddenly blocked.

    Hood''s priest had arrived. Chain stirred as the man on Felisin''s left drew back as far as the links allowed. The wall at her back felt hot, the tiles ¨C painted with scenes of imperial pageantry ¨C now slick through the thin weave of her slave tunic. Felisin stared at the fly-shrouded creature standing wordless before the squatting priest of Fener. She could see no exposed flesh, nothing of the man himself ¨C the flies had claimed all of him and beneath them he lived in darkness where even the sun''s heat could not touch him. The cloud around him spread out now and Felisin shrank back as countless cold insect legs touched her legs, crawling swiftly up her thighs ¨C she pulled her tunic''s hem close around her, clamping her legs tight.

    The priest of Fener spoke, his wide face split into a humourless grin. ''The Thirsting Hour''s well past, Acolyte. Go back to your temple.''

    Hood''s servant made no reply but it seemed the buzzing changed pitch, until the music of the wings vibrated in Felisin''s bones.

    The priest''s deep eyes narrowed and his tone shifted. ''Ah, well now. Indeed I was once a servant of Fener but no longer, not for years ¨C Fener''s touch cannot be scrubbed from my skin. Yet it seems that while the Boar of Summer has no love for me, he has even less for you.''

    Felisin felt something shiver in her soul as the buzzing rapidly shifted, forming words that she could understand. ''Secret. . . to show . . . now . . .''

    ''Go on then,'' the one-time servant of Fener growled, ''show me.''

    Perhaps Fener acted then, the swatting hand of a furious god ¨C Felisin would remember the moment and think on it often ¨C or the secret was the mocking of immortals, a joke far beyond her understanding, but at that moment the rising tide of horror within her broke free, the numbness of her soul seared away as the flies exploded outward, dispersing in all directions to reveal ... no-one.

    The former priest of Fener flinched as if struck, his eyes wide. From across the Round half a dozen guards cried out, wordless sounds punched from their throats. Chains snapped as others in the line jolted as if to flee. The iron loops set in the wall snatched taut, but the loops held as did the chains. The guards rushed forward and the line shrank back into submission.

    ''Now that,'' the tattooed man shakily muttered, ''was uncalled for.''

    An hour passed, an hour in which the mystery, shock and horror of Hood''s priest sank down within Felisin to become but one more layer, the latest but not the last in what had become an unending nightmare. An acolyte of Hood ... who was not there. The buzzing of wings that formed words. Was that Hood himself? Had the Lord of Death come to walk among mortals? And why stand before a once-priest of Fener ¨C what was the message behind the revelation?

    But slowly the questions faded in her mind, the numbness seeping back, the return of cold despair. The Empress had culled the nobility, stripped the Houses and families of their wealth followed by a summary accusation and conviction of treason that had ended in chains. As for the ex-priest on her right and the huge, bestial man with all the makings of a common criminal on her left, clearly neither one could claim noble blood.

    She laughed softly, startling both men.

 Page 3

    ''Has Hood''s secret revealed itself to you, then, lass?'' the ex-priest asked.

    ''No.''

    ''What do you find so amusing?''

    She shook her head. I had expected to find myself in good company, how''s that for an upturned thought? There you have it, the very attitude the peasants hungered to tear down, the very same fuel the Empress has touched to flame¡ª

    ''Child!''

    The voice was that of an aged woman, still haughty but with an air of desperate yearning. Felisin closed her eyes briefly, then straightened and looked along the line to the gaunt old woman beyond the thug. The woman was wearing her night-clothes, torn and smeared. With noble blood, no less. ''Lady Gaesen.''

    The old woman reached out a shaking hand. ''Yes! Wife to Lord Hilrac! I am Lady Gaesen ...'' The words came as if she''d forgotten who she was, and now she frowned through the cracked make-up covering her wrinkles and her red-shot eyes fixed on Felisin. ''I know you,'' she hissed. ''House of Paran. Youngest daughter. Felisin!''

    Felisin went cold. She turned away and stared straight ahead, out into the compound where the guards stood leaning on pikes passing flasks of ale between them and waving away the last of the flies. A cart had arrived for the mule, four ash-smeared men clambering down from its bed with ropes and gaffs. Beyond the walls encircling the Round rose Unta''s painted spires and domes. She longed for the shadowed streets between them, longed for the pampered life of a week ago, Sebry barking harsh commands at her as she led her favourite mare through her paces. And she would look up as she guided the mare in a delicate, precise turn, to see the row of green-leafed leadwoods separating the riding ground from the family vineyards.

    Beside her the thug grunted. ''Hood''s feet, the bitch has some sense of humour.''

    Which bitch? Felisin wondered, but she managed to hold her expression even as she lost the comfort of her memories.

    The ex-priest stirred. ''Sisterly spat, is it?'' He paused, then dryly added, ''Seems a bit extreme.''

    The thug grunted again and leaned forward, his shadow draping Felisin. ''Defrocked priest, are you? Not like the Empress to do any temples a favour.''

    ''She didn''t. My loss of piety was long ago. I''m sure the Empress would rather I''d stayed in the cloister.''

    ''As if she''d care,'' the thug said derisively as he settled back into his pose.

    Lady Gaesen rattled, ''You must speak with her, Felisin! An appeal! I have rich friends¡ª''

    The thug''s grunt turned into a bark. ''Farther up the line, hag, that''s where you''ll find your rich friends!''

    Felisin just shook her head. Speak with her, it''s been months. Not even when Father died.

    A silence followed, dragging on, approaching the silence that had existed before this spate of babble, but then the ex-priest cleared his throat, spat and muttered, ''Not worth looking for salvation in a woman who''s just following orders, Lady, never mind that one being this girl''s sister¡ª''

    Felisin winced, then glared at the ex-priest. ''You presume¡ª''

    ''He ain''t presuming nothing,'' growled the thug. ''Forget what''s in the blood, what''s supposed to be in it by your slant on things. This is the work of the Empress. Maybe you think it''s personal, maybe you have to think that, being what you are ...''

    ''What I am?'' Felisin laughed harshly. ''What House claims you as kin?''

    The thug grinned. ''The House of Shame. What of it? Yours ain''t looking any less shabby.''

    ''As I thought,'' Felisin said, ignoring the truth of his last observation with difficulty. She glowered at the guards. ''What''s happening? Why are we just sitting here?''

    The ex-priest spat again. ''The Thirsting Hour''s past. The mob outside needs organizing.'' He glanced up at her from under the shelf of his brows. ''The peasants need to be roused. We''re the first, girl, and the example''s got to be established. What happens here in Unta is going to rattle every noble-born in the Empire.''

    ''Nonsense!'' Lady Gaesen snapped. ''We shall be well treated. The Empress shall have to treat us well¡ª''

    The thug grunted a third time ¨C what passed for laughter, Felisin realized ¨C and said, ''If stupidity was a crime, lady, you would''ve been arrested years ago. The ogre''s right. Not many of us are going to make it to the slave ships. This parade down Colonnade Avenue is going to be one long bloodbath. Mind you,'' he added, eyes narrowing on the guards, ''old Baudin ain''t going to be torn apart by any mob of peasants ...''

    Felisin felt real fear stirring in her stomach. She fought off a shiver. ''Mind if I stay in your shadow, Baudin?''

 Page 4

    The man looked down at her. ''You''re a bit plump for my tastes.'' He turned away, then added, ''But you do what you like.''

    The ex-priest leaned close. ''Thinking on it, girl, this rivalry of yours ain''t in the league of tattle-tails and scratch-fights. Likely your sister wants to be sure you¡ª''

    ''She''s Adjunct Tavore,'' Felisin cut in. ''She''s not my sister any more. She renounced our House at the call of the Empress.''

    ''Even so, I''ve an inkling it''s still personal.''

    Felisin scowled. ''How would you know anything about it?''

    The man made a slight, ironic bow. ''Thief once, then priest, now historian. I well know the tense position the nobility finds itself in.''

    Felisin''s eyes slowly widened and she cursed herself for her stupidity. Even Baudin ¨C who could not have helped overhearing ¨C leaned forward for a searching stare. ''Heboric,'' he said. ''Heboric Light Touch.''

    Heboric raised his arms. ''As light as ever.''

    ''You wrote that revised history,'' Felisin said. ''Committed treason¡ª''

    Heboric''s wiry brows rose in mock alarm. ''Gods forbid! A philosophic divergence of opinions, nothing more! Duiker''s own words at the trial ¨C in my defence, Fener bless him.''

    ''But the Empress wasn''t listening,'' Baudin said, grinning. ''After all, you called her a murderer, and then had the gall to say she bungled the job!''

    ''Found an illicit copy, did you?''

    Baudin blinked.

    ''In any case,'' Heboric continued to Felisin, ''it''s my guess your sister the Adjunct plans on your getting to the slave ships in one piece. Your brother disappearing on Genabackis took the life out of your father... so I''ve heard,'' he added, grinning. ''But it was the rumours of treason that put spurs to your sister, wasn''t it? Clearing the family name and all that¡ª''

    ''You make it sound reasonable, Heboric,'' Felisin said, hearing the bitterness in her voice but not caring any more. ''We differed in our opinions, Tavore and I, and now you see the result.''

    ''Your opinions of what, precisely?''

    She did not reply.

    There was a sudden stirring in the line. The guards straightened and swung to face the Round''s West Gate. Felisin paled as she saw her sister ¨C Adjunct Tavore now, heir to Lorn who''d died in Darujhistan ¨C ride up on her stallion, a beast bred out of Paran stables, no less. Beside her was the ever-present T''amber, a beautiful young woman whose long, tawny mane gave substance to her name. Where she''d come from was anyone''s guess, but she was now Tavore''s personal aide. Behind these two rode a score of officers and a company of heavy cavalry, the soldiers looking exotic, foreign.

    ''Touch of irony,'' Heboric muttered, eyeing the horsesoldiers.

    Baudin jutted his head forward and spat. ''Red Swords, the bloodless bastards.''

    The historian threw the man an amused glance. ''Travelled well in your profession, Baudin? Seen the sea walls of Aren, have you?''

    The man shifted uneasily, then shrugged. ''Stood a deck or two in my time, ogre. Besides,'' he added, ''the rumour of them''s been in the city a week or more.''

    There was a stirring from the Red Sword troop, and Felisin saw mailed hands close on weapon grips, peaked helms turning as one towards the Adjunct. Sister Tavore, did our brother''s disappearance cut you so deep? How great his footing you must imagine, to seek this recompense . . . and then, to make your loyalty absolute, you chose between me and Mother for the symbolic sacrifice. Didn''t you realize that Hood stood on the side of both choices? At least Mother is with her beloved husband now . . . She watched as Tavore scanned her guard briefly, then said something to T''amber, who edged her own mount towards the East Gate.

    Baudin grunted one more time. ''Look lively. The endless hour''s about to begin.''

    It was one thing to accuse the Empress of murder, it was quite another to predict her next move. If only they''d heeded my warning. Heboric winced as they shuffled forward, the shackles cutting hard against his ankles.

    People of civilized countenance made much of exposing the soft underbellies of their psyche ¨C effete and sensitive were the brands of finer breeding. It was easy for them, safe, and that was the whole point, after all: a statement of coddled opulence that burned the throats of the poor more than any ostentatious show of wealth.

    Heboric had said as much in his treatise, and could now admit a bitter admiration for the Empress and for Adjunct Tavore, Laseen''s instrument in this. The excessive brutality of the midnight arrests ¨C doors battered down, families dragged from their beds amidst wailing servants ¨C provided the first layer of shock. Dazed by sleep deprivation, the nobles were trussed up and shackled, forced to stand before a drunken magistrate and a jury of beggars dragged in from the streets. It was a sour and obvious mockery of justice that stripped away the few remaining expectations of civil behaviour ¨C stripped away civilization itself, leaving nothing but the chaos of savagery.

 Page 5

    Shock layered on shock, a rending of those fine underbellies. Tavore knew her own kind, knew their weaknesses and was ruthless in exploiting them. What could drive a person to such viciousness?

    The poor folk mobbed the streets when they heard the details, screaming adoration for their Empress. Carefully triggered riots, looting and slaughter followed, raging through the Noble District, hunting down those few selected highborns who hadn''t been arrested ¨C enough of them to whet the mob''s bloodlust, give them faces to focus on with rage and hate. Then followed the reimposition of order, lest the city take flame.

    The Empress made few mistakes. She''d used the opportunity to round up malcontents and unaligned academics, to close the fist of military presence on the capital, drumming the need for more troops, more recruits, more protection against the treasonous scheming of the noble class. The seized assets paid for this martial expansion. An exquisite move even if forewarned, rippling out with the force of Imperial Decree through the Empire, the cruel rage now sweeping through each city.

    Bitter admiration. Heboric kept finding the need to spit, something he hadn''t done since his cut-purse days in the Mouse Quarter of Malaz City. He could see the shock written on most of the faces in the chain line. Faces above nightclothes mostly, grimy and filthy from the pits, leaving their wearers bereft of even the social armour of regular clothing. Dishevelled hair, stunned expressions, broken poses ¨C everything the mob beyond the Round lusted to see, hungered to flail¡ª

    Welcome to the streets, Heboric thought to himself as the guards prodded the line into motion, the Adjunct looking on, straight in her high saddle, her thin face drawn in until nothing but lines remained ¨C the slit of her eyes, the brackets around her uncurved, almost lipless mouth ¨C damn, but she wasn''t born with much, was she? The looks went to her young sister, to the lass stumbling a step ahead of him.

    Heboric''s eyes fixed on Adjunct Tavore, curious, seeking something ¨C a flicker of malicious pleasure, maybe ¨C as her icy gaze swept the line and lingered for the briefest of moments on her sister. But the pause was all she revealed, a recognition acknowledged, nothing more. The gaze swept on.

    The guards opened the East Gate two hundred paces ahead, near the front of the chained line. A roar poured through that ancient arched passageway, a wave of sound that buffeted soldier and prisoner alike, bouncing off the high walls and rising up amidst an explosion of terrified pigeons from the upper eaves. The sound of flapping wings drifted down like polite applause, although to Heboric it seemed that he alone appreciated that ironic touch of the gods. Not to be denied a gesture, he managed a slight bow.

    Hood keep his damned secrets. Here, Fener you old sow, it''s that itch I could never scratch. Look on, now, closely, see what becomes of your wayward son.

    Some part of Felisin''s mind held on to sanity, held with a brutal grip in the face of a maelstrom. Soldiers lined Colonnade Avenue in ranks three deep, but again and again the mob seemed to find weak spots in that bristling line. She found herself observing, clinically, even as hands tore at her, fists pummelled her, blurred faces lunged at her with gobs of spit. And even as sanity held within her, so too a pair of steady arms encircled her ¨C arms without hands, the ends scarred and suppurating, arms that pushed her forward, ever forward. No-one touched the priest. No-one dared. While ahead was Baudin ¨C more horrifying than the mob itself.

    He killed effortlessly. He tossed bodies aside with contempt, roaring, gesturing, beckoning. Even the soldiers stared beneath their ridged helmets, heads turning at his taunts, hands tightening on pike or sword hilt.

    Baudin, laughing Baudin, his nose smashed by a well-flung brick, stones bouncing from him, his slave tunic in rags and soaked with blood and spit. Every body that darted within his reach he grasped, twisted, bent and broke. The only pause in his stride came when something happened ahead, some breach in the soldiery ¨C or when Lady Gaesen faltered. He''d grasp her arms under the shoulders, none too gently, then propel her forward, swearing all the while.

    A wave of fear swept ahead of him, a touch of the terror inflicted turning back on the mob. The number of attackers diminished, although the bricks flew in a constant barrage, some hitting, most missing.

    The march through the city continued. Felisin''s ears rang painfully. She heard everything through a daze of sound, but her eyes saw clearly, seeking and finding ¨C all too often ¨C images she would never forget.

    The gates were in sight when the most savage breach occurred. The soldiers seemed to melt away, and the tide of fierce hunger swept into the street, engulfing the prisoners.

 Page 6

    Felisin caught Heboric''s grunting words close behind her as he shoved hard: ''This is the one, then.''

    Baudin roared. Bodies crowded in, hands tearing, nails clawing. Felisin''s last shreds of clothing were torn away. A hand closed on a fistful of her hair, yanked savagely, twisting her head around, seeking the crack of vertebrae. She heard screaming and realized it came from her own throat. A bestial snarl sounded behind her and she felt the hand clench spasmodically, then it was gone. More screaming filled her ears.

    A strong momentum caught them, pulling or pushing ¨C she couldn''t tell ¨C and Heboric''s face came into view, spitting bloody skin from his mouth. All at once a space cleared around Baudin. He crouched, a torrent of dock curses bellowing from his mashed lips. His right ear had been torn off, taking with it hair, skin and flesh. The bone of his temple glistened wetly. Broken bodies lay around him, few moving. At his feet was Lady Gaesen. Baudin held her by the hair, pulling her face into view. The moment seemed to freeze, the world closing in to this single place.

    Baudin bared his teeth and laughed. ''I''m no whimpering noble,'' he growled, facing the crowd. ''What do want? You want the blood of a noblewoman?''

    The mob screamed, reaching out eager hands. Baudin laughed again. ''We pass through, you hear me?'' He straightened, dragging Lady Gaesen''s head upward.

    Felisin couldn''t tell if the old woman was conscious. Her eyes were closed, the expression peaceful ¨C almost youthful ¨C beneath the smeared dirt and bruises. Perhaps she was dead. Felisin prayed that it was so. Something was about to happen, something to condense this nightmare into a single image. Tension held the air.

    ''She''s yours!'' Baudin screamed. With his other hand grasping the Lady''s chin, he twisted her head around. The neck snapped and the body sagged, twitching. Baudin wrapped a length of chain around her neck. He pulled it taut, then began sawing. Blood showed, making the chain look like a mangled scarf.

    Felisin stared in horror.

    ''Fener have mercy,'' Heboric breathed.

    The crowd was stunned silent, withdrawing even in their bloodlust, shrinking back. A soldier appeared, helmetless, his young face white, his eyes fixed on Baudin, his steps ceasing. Beyond him the glistening peaked helms and broad blades of the Red Swords flashed above the crowd as the horsemen slowly pushed their way towards the scene.

    No movement save the sawing chain. No breath save Baudin''s grunting snorts. Whatever riot continued to rage beyond this place, it seemed a thousand leagues away.

    Felisin watched the woman''s head jerk back and forth, a mockery of life''s animation. She remembered Lady Gaesen, haughty, imperious, beyond her years of beauty and seeking stature in its stead. What other choice? Many, but it didn''t matter now. Had she been a gentle, kindly grandmother, it would not have mattered, would not have changed the mind-numbing horror of this moment.

    The head came away with a sobbing sound. Baudin''s teeth glimmered as he stared at the crowd. ''We had a deal,'' he grated. ''Here''s what you want, something to remember this day by.'' He flung Lady Gaesen''s head into the mob, a whirl of hair and threads of blood. Screams answered its unseen landing.

    More soldiers appeared ¨C backed by the Red Swords ¨C moving slowly, pushing at the still-silent onlookers. Peace was being restored, all along the line ¨C in all places but this one violently, without quarter. As people began to die under sword strokes, the rest fled.

    The prisoners who had filed out of the arena had numbered around three hundred. Felisin, looking up the line, had her first sight of what remained. Some shackles held only forearms, others were completely empty. Under a hundred prisoners remained on their feet. Many on the paving stones writhed, screaming in pain; the rest did not move at all.

    Baudin glared at the nearest knot of soldiers. ''Likely timing, tin-heads.''

    Heboric spat heavily, his face twisting as he glared at the thug. ''Imagined you''d buy your way out, did you, Baudin? Give them what they want. But it was wasted, wasn''t it? The soldiers were coming. She could have lived¡ª''

    Baudin slowly turned, his face a sheet of blood. ''To what end, priest?''

    ''Was that your line of reasoning? She would''ve died in the hold anyway?''

    Baudin showed his teeth and said slowly, ''I just hate making deals with bastards.''

    Felisin stared at the three-foot length of chain between herself and Baudin. A thousand thoughts could have followed, link by link ¨C what she had been, what she was now; the prison she''d discovered, inside and out, merged as vivid memory ¨C but all she thought, all she said, was this: ''Don''t make any more deals, Baudin.''

 Page 7

    His eyes narrowed on her, her words and tone reaching him, somehow, some way.

    Heboric straightened, a hard look in his eyes as he studied her. Felisin turned away, half in defiance, half in shame.

    A moment later the soldiers ¨C having cleared the line of the dead ¨C pushed them along, out through the gate, onto the East Road towards the pier town called Luckless. Where Adjunct Tavore and her retinue waited, as did the slave ships of Aren.

    Farmers and peasants lined the road, displaying nothing of the frenzy that had gripped their cousins in the city. Felisin saw in their faces a dull sorrow, a passion born of different scars. She could not understand where it came from, and she knew that her ignorance was the difference between her and them. She also knew, in her bruises, scratches and helpless nakedness, that her lessons had begun.

    BOOK ONE - RARAKU

    He swam at my feet,

    Powerful arms in broad strokes

    Sweeping the sand.

    So I asked this man,

    What seas do you swim?

    And to this he answered,

    ''I have seen shells and the like

    On this desert floor,

    So I swim this land''s memory

    Thus honouring its past,''

    Is the journey far, queried I.

    ''I cannot say,'' he replied,

    ''For I shall drown long before

    I am done.''

    Sayings of the Fool

    Thenys Bule

    CHAPTER ONE

    And all came to imprint

    Their passage

    On the path,

    To scent the dry winds

    Their cloying claim

    To ascendancy

    The Path of Hands

    Messremb

    1164th Year of Burn''s Sleep

    Tenth Year of the Rule of Empress Laseen

    The Sixth in the Seven Years of Dryjhna, the Apocalyptic

    A corkscrew plume of dust raced across the basin, heading deeper into the trackless desert of the Pan''potsun Odhan. Though less than two thousand paces away, it seemed a plume born of nothing.

    From his perch on the mesa''s wind-scarred edge, Mappo Runt followed it with relentless eyes the colour of sand, eyes set deep in a robustly boned, pallid face. He held a wedge of emrag cactus in his bristle-backed hand, unmindful of the envenomed spikes as he bit into it. Juices dribbled down his chin, staining it blue. He chewed slowly, thoughtfully.

    Beside him Icarium flicked a pebble over the cliff edge. It clicked and clattered on its way down to the boulder-strewn base. Under the ragged Spiritwalker robe ¨C its orange faded to dusty rust beneath the endless sun ¨C his grey skin had darkened into olive green, as if his father''s blood had answered this wasteland''s ancient call. His long, braided black hair dripped black sweat onto the bleached rock.

    Mappo pulled a mangled thorn from between his front teeth. ''Your dye''s running,'' he observed, eyeing the cactus blade a moment before taking another bite.

    Icarium shrugged. ''Doesn''t matter any more. Not out here.''

    ''My blind grandmother wouldn''t have swallowed your disguise. There were narrow eyes on us in Ehrlitan. I felt them crawling on my back day and night. Tannos are mostly short and bow-legged, after all.'' Mappo pulled his gaze away from the dust cloud and studied his friend. ''Next time,'' he grunted, ''try belonging to a tribe where everyone''s seven foot tall.''

    Icarium''s lined, weather-worn face twitched into something like a smile, just a hint, before resuming its placid expression. ''Those who would know of us in Seven Cities, surely know of us now. Those who would not might wonder at us, but that is all they will do.'' Squinting against the glare, he nodded at the plume. ''What do you see, Mappo?''

    ''Rat head, long neck, black and hairy all over. If just that, I might be describing one of my uncles.''

    ''But there''s more.''

    ''One leg up front and two in back.''

    Icarium tapped the bridge of his nose, thinking. ''So, not one of your uncles. An aptorian?''

    Mappo slowly nodded. ''The convergence is months away. I''d guess Shadowthrone caught a whiff of what''s coming, sent out a few scouts ...''

    ''And this one?''

    Mappo grinned, exposing massive canines. ''A tad too far afield. Sha''ik''s pet now.'' He finished off the cactus, wiped his spatulate hands, then rose from his crouch. Arching his back, he winced. There had been, unaccountably, a mass of roots beneath the sand under his bedroll the night just past, and now the muscles to either side of his spine matched every knot and twist of those treeless bones. He rubbed at his eyes. A quick scan down the length of his body displayed for him the tattered, dirt-crusted state of his clothes. He sighed. ''It''s said there''s a waterhole out there, somewhere¡ª''

 Page 8

    ''With Sha''ik''s army camped around it.''

    Mappo grunted.

    Icarium also straightened, noting once again the sheer mass of his companion ¨C big even for a Trell ¨C the shoulders broad and maned in black hair, the sinewy muscles of his long arms, and the thousand years that capered like a gleeful goat behind Mappo''s eyes. ''Can you track it?''

    ''If you like.''

    Icarium grimaced. ''How long have we known each other, friend?''

    Mappo''s glance was sharp, then he shrugged. ''Long. Why do you ask?''

    ''I know reluctance when I hear it. The prospect disturbs you?''

    ''Any potential brush with demons disturbs me, Icarium. Shy as a hare is Mappo Trell.''

    ''I am driven by curiosity.''

    ''I know.''

    The unlikely pair turned back to their small campsite, tucked between two towering spires of wind-sculpted rock. There was no hurry. Icarium sat down on a flat rock and proceeded to oil his longbow, striving to keep the hornwood from drying out. Once satisfied with the weapon''s condition, he turned to his single-edged long sword, sliding the ancient weapon from its bronze-banded boiled-leather scabbard, then setting an oiled whetstone to its notched edge.

    Mappo struck the hide tent, folding it haphazardly before stuffing it into his large leather bag. Cooking utensils followed, as did the bedding. He tied the drawstrings and hefted the bag over one shoulder, then glanced to where Icarium waited ¨C bow rewrapped and slung across his back.

    Icarium nodded, and the two of them, half-blood Jaghut and full-blooded Trell, began on the path leading down into the basin.

    Overhead the stars hung radiant, casting enough light down onto the basin to tinge its cracked pan silver. The bloodflies had passed with the vanishing of the day''s heat, leaving the night to the occasional swarm of capemoths and the batlike rhizan lizards that fed on them.

    Mappo and Icarium paused for a rest in the courtyard of some ruins. The mudbrick walls had all but eroded away, leaving nothing but shin-high ridges laid out in a geometric pattern around an old, dried-up well. The sand covering the courtyard''s tiles was fine and windblown and seemed to glow faintly to Mappo''s eyes. Twisted brush clung with fisted roots along its edges.

    The Pan''potsun Odhan and the Holy Desert Raraku that flanked it to the west were both home to countless such remnants from long-dead civilizations. In their travels Mappo and Icarium had found high tels ¨C flat-topped hills built up of layer upon layer of city ¨C situated in a rough procession over a distance of fifty leagues between the hills and the desert, clear evidence that a rich and thriving people had once lived in what was now dry, wind-blasted wasteland. From the Holy Desert had emerged the legend of Dryjhna the Apocalyptic. Mappo wondered if the calamity that had befallen the city-dwellers in this region had in some way contributed to the myth of a time of devastation and death. Apart from the occasional abandoned estate such as the one they now rested in, many ruins showed signs of a violent end.

    His thoughts finding familiar ruts, Mappo grimaced. Not all pasts can be laid at our feet, and we are no closer here and now than we''ve ever been. Nor have I any reason to disbelieve my own words. He turned away from those thoughts as well.

    Near the courtyard''s centre stood a single column of pink marble, pitted and grooved on one side where the winds born out in Raraku blew unceasingly towards the Pan''potsun Hills. The pillar''s opposite side still retained the spiral patterning carved there by long-dead artisans.

    Upon entering the courtyard Icarium had walked directly to the six-foot-high column, examining its sides. His grunt told Mappo he''d found what he had been looking for.

    ''And this one?'' the Trell asked, setting his leather sack down.

    Icarium came over, wiping dust from his hands. ''Down near the base, a scattering of tiny clawed hands ¨C the seekers are on the Trail.''

    ''Rats? More than one set?''

    ''D''ivers,'' Icarium agreed, nodding.

    ''Now who might that be, I wonder?''

    ''Probably Gryllen.''

    ''Mhm, unpleasant.''

    Icarium studied the flat plain stretching into the west. ''There will be others. Soletaken and D''ivers both. Those who feel near to Ascendancy, and those who are not, yet seek the Path nonetheless.''

    Mappo sighed, studying his old friend. Faint dread stirred within him. D''ivers and Soletaken, the twin curses of shapeshifting, the fever for which there is no cure. Gathering. . .here, in this place. ''Is this wise, Icarium?'' he asked softly. ''In seeking your eternal goal, we find ourselves walking into a most disagreeable convergence. Should the gates open, we shall find our passage contested by a host of blood-thirsty individuals all eager in their belief that the gates offer Ascendancy.''

 Page 9

    ''If such a pathway exists,'' Icarium said, his eyes still on the horizon, ''then perhaps I shall find my answers there as well.''

    Answers are no benediction, friend. Trust me in this. Please. ''You have still not explained to me what you will do once you have found them.''

    Icarium turned to him with a faint smile. ''I am my own curse, Mappo. I have lived centuries, yet what do I know of my own past? Where are my memories? How can I judge my own life without such knowledge?''

    ''Some would consider your curse a gift,'' Mappo said, a flicker of sadness passing across his features.

    ''I do not. I view this convergence as an opportunity. It might well provide me with answers. To achieve them, I hope to avoid drawing my weapons, but I shall if I must.''

    The Trell sighed a second time and rose from his crouch. ''You may be tested in that resolve soon, friend.'' He faced southwest. ''There are six desert wolves on our trail.''

    Icarium unwrapped his antlered bow and strung it in a swift, fluid motion. ''Desert wolves never hunt people.''

    ''No,'' Mappo agreed. It was another hour before the moon would rise. He watched Icarium lay out six long, stone-tipped arrows, then squinted out into the darkness. Cold fear crept along the nape of his neck. The wolves were not yet visible, but he felt them all the same. ''They are six, but they are one. D''ivers.'' Better it would have been a Soletaken. Veering into a single beast is unpleasant enough, but into many . . .

    Icarium frowned. ''One of power, then, to achieve the shape of six wolves. Do you know who it might be?''

    ''I have a suspicion,'' Mappo said quietly.

    They fell silent, waiting.

    Half a dozen tawny shapes appeared out of a gloom that seemed of its own making, less than thirty strides away. At twenty paces the wolves spread out into an open half-circle facing Mappo and Icarium. The spicy scent of D''ivers filled the still night air. One of the lithe beasts edged forward, then stopped as Icarium raised his bow.

    ''Not six,'' Icarium muttered, ''but one.''

    ''I know him,'' Mappo said. ''A shame he can''t say the same of us. He is uncertain, but he''s taken a blood-spilling form. Tonight, Ryllandaras hunts in the desert. Does he hunt us or something else, I wonder?''

    Icarium shrugged. ''Who shall speak first, Mappo?''

    ''Me,'' the Trell replied, taking a step forward. This would require guile and cunning. A mistake would prove deadly. He pitched his voice low and wry. ''Long way from home, aren''t we. Your brother Treach had it in mind that he killed you. Where was that chasm? Dal Hon? Or was it Li Heng? You were D''ivers jackals then, I seem to recall.''

    Ryllandaras spoke inside their minds, a voice cracking and halting with disuse. I am tempted to match wits with you, N''Trell, before killing you.

    ''Might not be worth it,'' Mappo replied easily. ''With the company I''ve been keeping, I''m as out of practice as you, Ryllandaras.''

    The lead wolf''s bright blue eyes flicked to Icarium.

    ''I have little wits to match,'' the Jaghut half-blood said softly, his voice barely carrying. ''And I am losing patience.''

    Foolish. Charm is all that can save you. Tell me, bowman, do you surrender your life to your companion''s wiles?

    Icarium shook his head. ''Of course not. I share his opinion of himself.''

    Ryllandaras seemed confused. A matter of expedience then, the two of you travelling together. Companions without trust, without confidence in each other. The stakes must be high.

    ''I am getting bored, Mappo,'' Icarium said.

    The six wolves stiffened as one, half flinching. Mappo Runt and Icarium. Ah, we see. Know that we''ve no quarrel with you.

    ''Wits matched,'' Mappo said, his grin broadening a moment before disappearing entirely. ''Hunt elsewhere, Ryllandaras, before Icarium does Treach a favour.'' Before you unleash all that I am sworn to prevent. ''Am I understood?''

    Our trail . . . converges, the D''ivers said, upon the spoor of a demon of Shadow.

    ''Not Shadow any longer,'' Mappo replied. ''Sha''ik''s. The Holy Desert no longer sleeps.''

    So it seems. Do you forbid us our hunt?

    Mappo glanced at Icarium, who lowered his bow and shrugged. ''If you wish to lock jaws with an aptorian, that is your choice. Our interest was only passing.''

    Then indeed shall our jaws close upon the throat of the demon.

    ''You would make Sha''ik your enemy?'' Mappo asked.

    The lead wolf cocked its head. The name means nothing to me.

    The two travellers watched as the wolves padded off, vanishing once again into a gloom of sorcery. Mappo showed his teeth, then sighed, and Icarium nodded, giving voice to their shared thought. ''It will, soon.''

 Page 10

    The Wickan horsesoldiers loosed fierce cries of exultation as they led their broad-backed horses down the transport''s gangplanks. The scene at the quayside of Hissar''s Imperial Harbour was chaotic, a mass of unruly tribesmen and women, the flash of iron-headed lances rippling over black braided hair and spiked skullcaps. From his position on the harbour-entrance tower parapet, Duiker looked down on the wild outland company with more than a little scepticism, and with growing trepidation.

    Beside the Imperial Historian stood the High Fist''s representative, Mallick Rel, his fat, soft hands folded together and resting on his paunch, his skin the colour of oiled leather and smelling of Aren perfumes. Mallick Rel looked nothing like the chief adviser to the Seven Cities'' commander of the Malazan armies. A Jhistal priest of the Elder god of the seas, Mael, his presence here to officially convey the High Fist''s welcome to the new Fist of the 7th Army was precisely what it appeared to be: a calculated insult. Although, Duiker amended silently, the man at his side had, in a very short time, risen to a position of power among the Imperial players on this continent. A thousand rumours rode the tongues of the soldiers about the smooth, soft-spoken priest and whatever weapon he held over High Fist Pormqual ¨C each and every rumour no louder than a whisper, for Mallick Rel''s path to Pormqual''s side was a tale of mysterious misfortune befalling everyone who stood in his way, and fatal misfortune at that.

    The political mire among the Malazan occupiers in Seven Cities was as obscure as it was potentially deadly. Duiker suspected that the new Fist would understand little of veiled gestures of contempt, lacking as he did the more civilized nuances of the Empire''s tamed citizens. The question that remained for the historian, then, was how long Coltaine of the Crow Clan would survive his new appointment.

    Mallick Rel pursed his full lips and slowly exhaled. ''Historian,'' he said softly, his Gedorian Falari accent faint in its sibilant roll. ''Pleased by your presence. Curious as well. Long from Aren court, now ...'' He smiled, not showing his greendyed teeth. ''Caution bred of distant culling?''

    Words like the lap of waves, the god Mael''s formless affectation and insidious patience. This, my fourth conversation with Rel. Oh, how I dislike this creature! Duiker cleared his throat. ''The Empress takes little heed of me, Jhistal...''

    Mallick Rel''s soft laugh was like the rattle of a snake''s tail. ''Unheeded historian or unheeding of history? Hint of bitterness at advice rejected or worse, ignored. Be calmed, no crimes winging back from Unta''s towers.''

    ''Pleased to hear it,'' Duiker muttered, wondering at the priest''s source. ''I remain in Hissar as a matter of research,'' he explained after a moment. ''The precedent of shipping prisoners to the Otataral mines on the island reaches back to the Emperor''s time, although he generally reserved that fate for mages.''

    ''Mages? Ah, ah.''

    Duiker nodded. ''Effective, yes, although unpredictable. The specific properties of Otataral as a magic-deadening ore remain largely mysterious. Even so, madness claimed most of those sorcerers, although it is not known if that was the result of exposure to the ore dust, or the deprivation from their Warrens.''

    ''Some mages among the next slave shipment?''

    ''Some.''

    ''Question soon answered, then.''

    ''Soon,'' Duiker agreed.

    The T-shaped quay was now a maelstrom of belligerent Wickans, frightened dock porters and short-tempered warhorses. A cordon of Hissar Guard provided the stopper to the bottleneck at the dock''s end where it opened out onto the cobbled half-round. Of Seven Cities blood, the Guards had hitched their round shields and unsheathed their tulwars, waving the broad, curving blades threateningly at the Wickans, who answered with barking challenges.

    Two men arrived on the parapet. Duiker nodded greetings. Mallick Rel did not deign to acknowledge either of them ¨C a rough captain and the 7th''s lone surviving cadre mage, both men clearly ranked too low for any worthwhile cultivation by the priest.

    ''Well, Kulp,'' Duiker said to the squat, white-haired wizard, ''your arrival may prove timely.''

    Kulp''s narrow, sunburned face twisted into a sour scowl. ''Came up here to keep my bones and flesh intact, Duiker. I''m not interested in becoming Coltaine''s lumpy carpet in his step up to the post. They''re his people, after all. That he hasn''t done a damned thing to quell this brewing riot doesn''t bode well, I''d say.''

    The captain at his side grunted agreement. ''Sticks in the throat,'' he growled. ''Half the officers here saw their first blood facing that bastard Coltaine, and now here he is, about to take command. Hood''s knuckles,'' he spat, ''won''t be any tears spilled if the Hissar Guard cuts down Coltaine and every one of his Wickan savages right here at the Quay. The Seventh don''t need them.''

 Page 11

    ''Truth,'' Mallick Rel said to Duiker with veiled eyes, ''behind the threat of uprisings. Continent here a viper nest. Coltaine an odd choice¡ª''

    ''Not so odd,'' Duiker said, shrugging. He returned his attention to the scene below. The Wickans closest to the Hissar Guard had begun strutting back and forth in front of the armoured line. The situation was but moments away from a full-scale battle ¨C the bottleneck was about to become a killing ground. The historian felt something cold clutch his stomach at seeing horn bows now strung among the Wickan soldiers. Another company of guards appeared from the avenue to the right of the main colonnade, bristling with pikes.

    ''Can you explain that?'' Kulp asked.

    Duiker turned and was surprised to see all three men staring at him. He thought back to his last comment, then shrugged again. ''Coltaine united the Wickan clans in an uprising against the Empire. The Emperor had a hard time bringing him to heel ¨C as some of you know first-hand. True to the Emperor''s style, he acquired Coltaine''s loyalty¡ª''

    ''How?'' Kulp barked.

    ''No one knows.'' Duiker smiled. ''The Emperor rarely explained his successes. In any case, since Empress Laseen held no affection for her predecessor''s chosen commanders, Coltaine was left to rot in some backwater on Quon Tali. Then the situation changed. Adjunct Lorn is killed in Darujhistan, High Fist Dujek and his army turn renegade, effectively surrendering the entire Genabackan Campaign, and the Year of Dryjhna approaches here in Seven Cities, prophesied as the year of rebellion. Laseen needs able commanders before it all slips from her grasp. The new Adjunct Tavore is untested. So.. .''

    ''Coltaine,'' the captain nodded, his scowl deepening. ''Sent here to take command of the Seventh and put down the rebellion¡ª''

    ''After all,'' Duiker said dryly, ''who better to deal with insurrection than a warrior who led one himself?''

    ''If mutiny occurs, scant his chances,'' Mallick Rel said, his eyes on the scene below.

    Duiker saw half a dozen tulwars flash, watched the Wickans recoil and then unsheathe their own long-knives. They seemed to have found a leader, a tall, fierce-looking warrior with fetishes in his long braids, who now bellowed encouragement, waving his own weapon over his head. ''Hood!'' the historian swore. ''Where on earth is Coltaine?''

    The captain laughed. ''The tall one with the lone long-knife.''

    Duiker''s eyes widened. That madman is Coltaine? The Seventh''s new Fist?

    ''Ain''t changed at all, I see,'' the captain continued. ''If you''re going to keep your head as leader of all the clans, you''d better be nastier than all the rest put together. Why''d you think the old Emperor liked him so much?''

    ''Beru fend,'' Duiker whispered, appalled.

    In the next breath an ululating scream from Coltaine brought sudden silence from the Wickan company. Weapons slid back into their sheaths, bows were lowered, arrows returned to their quivers. Even the bucking, snapping horses fell still, heads raised and ears pricked. A space cleared around Coltaine, who had turned his back on the guards. The tall warrior gestured and the four men on the parapet watched in silence as with absolute precision every horse was saddled. Less than a minute later the horsesoldiers were mounted, guiding their horses into a close parade formation that would rival the Imperial elites.

    ''That,'' Duiker said, ''was superbly done.''

    A soft sigh escaped Mallick Rel. ''Savage timing, a beast''s sense of challenge, then contempt. Statement for the guards. For us as well?''

    ''Coltaine''s a snake,'' the captain said, ''if that''s what you''re asking. If the High Command at Aren thinks they can dance around him, they''re in for a nasty surprise.''

    ''Generous advice,'' Rel acknowledged.

    The captain looked as if he''d just swallowed something sharp, and Duiker realized that the man had spoken without thought as to the priest''s place in the High Command.

    Kulp cleared his throat. ''He''s got them in troop formation ¨C guess the ride to the barracks will be peaceful after all.''

    ''I admit,'' Duiker said wryly, ''that I look forward to meeting the Seventh''s new Fist.''

    His heavy-lidded eyes on the scene below, Rel nodded. ''Agreed.''

    Leaving behind the Skara Isles on a heading due south, the fisherboat set out into the Kansu Sea, its triangular sail creaking and straining. If the gale held, they would reach the Ehrlitan coast in four hours. Fiddler''s scowl deepened. The Ehrlitan coast, Seven Cities. I hate this damned continent. Hated it the first time, hate it even more now. He leaned over the gunnel and spat acrid bile into the warm, green waves.

 Page 12

    ''Feeling any better?'' Crokus asked from the prow, his tanned young face creased with genuine concern.

    The old saboteur wanted to punch that face; instead he just growled and hunched down deeper against the barque''s hull.

    Kalam''s laugh rumbled from where he sat at the tiller. ''Fiddler and water don''t mix, lad. Look at him, he''s greener than that damned winged monkey of yours.''

    A sympathetic snuffling sound breathed against Fiddler''s cheek. He pried open one bloodshot eye to find a tiny, wizened face staring at him. ''Go away, Moby,'' Fiddler croaked. The familiar, once servant to Crokus''s uncle Mammot, seemed to have adopted the sapper, the way stray dogs and cats often did. Kalam would say it was the other way around, of course. ''A lie,'' Fiddler whispered. ''Kalam''s good at those¡ª'' like lounging around in Rutu Jelba for a whole damn week on the off-chance that a Skrae trader would come in. ''Book passage in comfort, eh, Fid?'' Not like the damned ocean crossing, oh no ¨C and that one was supposed to have been in comfort, too. A whole week in Rutu Jelba, a lizard'' infested, orange-bricked cesspool of a city, then what? Eight jakatas for this rag-stoppered sawed-in-half ale casket.

    The steady rise and fall lulled Fiddler as the hours passed. His mind drifted back to the appallingly long journey that had brought them thus far, then to the appallingly long journey that lay ahead. We never do things the easy way, do we?

    He would rather that every sea dried up. Men got feet, not flippers. Even so, we''re about to cross overland ¨C over a fly- infested, waterless waste, where people smile only to announce they''re about to kill you.

    The day dragged on, green-tinged and shaky.

    He thought back to the companions he''d left behind on Genabackis, wishing he could be marching alongside them. Into a religious war. Don''t forget that, Fid. Religious wars are no fun. The faculty of reasoning that permitted surrender did not apply in such instances. Still, the squad was all he''d known for years. He felt bereft out of its shadows. Just Kalam for old company, and he calk that land ahead home. And he smiles before he kills. And what''s he and Quick Ben got planned they ain''t told me about yet?

    ''There''s more of those flying fish,'' Apsalar said, her voice identifying the soft hand that had found its way to his shoulder. ''Hundreds of them!''

    ''Something big from the deep is chasing them,'' Kalam said.

    Groaning, Fiddler pushed himself upright. Moby took the opportunity to reveal its motivation behind the day''s cooing and crawled into the sapper''s lap, curling up and closing its yellow eyes. Fiddler gripped the gunnel and joined his three companions in studying the school of flying fish a hundred yards off the starboard side. The length of a man''s arm, the milky white fish were clearing the waves, sailing thirty feet or so, then slipping back under the surface. In the Kansu Sea flying fish hunted like sharks, the schools capable of shredding a bull whale down to bones in minutes. They used their ability to fly to launch themselves onto the back of a whale when it broke for air. ''What in Mael''s name is hunting them?''

    Kalam was frowning. ''Shouldn''t be anything here in the Kansu. Out in Seeker''s Deep there''s dhenrabi, of course.''

    ''Dhenrabi! Oh, that comforts me, Kalam. Oh yes indeed!''

    ''Some kind of sea serpent?'' Crokus asked.

    ''Think of a centipede eighty paces long,'' Fiddler answered. ''Wraps up whales and ships alike, blows out all the air under its armoured skin and sinks like a stone, taking its prey with it.''

    ''They''re rare,'' Kalam said, ''and never seen in shallow water.''

    ''Until now,'' Crokus said, his voice rising in alarm.

    The dhenrabi broke the surface in the midst of the flying fish, thrashing its head side to side, a wide razorlike mouth flensing prey by the score. The width of the creature''s head was immense, as many as ten arm-spans. Its segmented armour was deep green under the encrusted barnacles, each segment revealing long chitinous limbs.

    ''Eighty paces long?'' Fiddler hissed. ''Not unless it''s been cut in half!''

    Kalam rose at the tiller. ''Ready with the sail, Crokus. We''re going to run. Westerly.''

    Fiddler pushed a squawking Moby from his lap and opened his backpack, fumbling to unwrap his crossbow. ''If it decides we look tasty, Kalam ...''

    ''I know,'' the assassin rumbled.

    Quickly assembling the huge iron weapon, Fiddler glanced up and met Apsalar''s wide eyes. Her face was white. The sapper winked. ''Got a surprise if it comes for us, girl.''

    She nodded. ''I remember...''

    The dhenrabi had seen them. Veering from the school of flying fish, it was now cutting sinuously through the waves towards them.

 Page 13

    ''That''s no ordinary beast,'' Kalam muttered. ''You smelling what I''m smelling, Fiddler?''

    Spicy, bitter. ''Hood''s breath, that''s a Soletaken!''

    ''A what?'' Crokus asked.

    ''Shapeshifter,'' Kalam said.

    A rasping voice filled Fiddler''s mind ¨C and the expressions on his companions'' faces told him they heard as well ¨C Mortals, unfortunate for you to witness my passage.

    The sapper grunted. The creature did not sound at all regretful.

    It continued, For this you must all die, though I shall not dishonour your flesh by eating you.

    ''Kind of you,'' Fiddler muttered, setting a solid quarrel in the crossbow''s slot. The iron head had been replaced with a grapefruit-sized clay ball.

    Another fisherboat mysteriously lost, the Soletaken mused ironically. Alas.

    Fiddler scrambled to the stern, crouching down beside Kalam. The assassin straightened to face the dhenrabi, one hand on the tiller. ''Soletaken! Be on your way ¨C we care nothing for your passage!''

    I shall be merciful when killing you. The creature rushed the barque from directly astern, cutting through the water like a sharp-hulled ship. Its jaws opened wide.

    ''You were warned,'' Fiddler said as he raised the crossbow, aimed and fired. The quarrel sped for the beast''s open mouth. Lightning fast, the dhenrabi snapped at the shaft, its thin, sawedged teeth slicing through the quarrel and shattering the clay ball, releasing to the air the powdery mixture within the ball. The contact resulted in an instantaneous explosion that blew the Soletaken''s head apart.

    Fragments of skull and grey flesh raked the water on all sides. The incendiary powder continued to burn fiercely all it clung to, sending up hissing steam. Momentum carried the headless body to within four spans of the barque''s stern before it dipped down and slid smoothly out of sight even as the last echoes of the detonation faded. Smoke drifted sideways over the waves.

    ''You picked the wrong fishermen,'' Fiddler said, lowering his weapon.

    Kalam settled back at the tiller, returning the craft to a southerly course. A strange stillness hung in the air. Fiddler disassembled his crossbow and repacked it in oilcloth. As he resumed his seat amidships, Moby crawled back into his lap. Sighing, he scratched it behind an ear. ''Well, Kalam?''

    ''I''m not sure,'' the assassin admitted. ''What brought a Soletaken into the Kansu Sea? Why did it want its passage secret?''

    ''If Quick Ben was here ...''

    ''But he isn''t, Fid. It''s a mystery we''ll have to live with, and hopefully we won''t run into any more.''

    ''Do you think it''s related to ... ?''

    Kalam scowled. ''No.''

    ''Related to what?'' Crokus demanded. ''What are you two going on about?''

    ''Just musing,'' Fiddler said. ''The Soletaken was heading south. Like us.''

    ''So?''

    Fiddler shrugged. ''So ... nothing. Just that.'' He spat again over the side and slumped down. ''The excitement made me forget my seasickness. Now the excitement''s faded, dammit.''

    Everyone fell silent, though the frown on the face of Crokus told the sapper that the boy wasn''t about to let the issue rest for long.

    The gale remained steady, pushing them hard southward. Less than three hours after that Apsalar announced that she could see land ahead, and forty minutes later Kalam directed the craft parallel to the Ehrlitan coastline half a league offshore. They tacked west, following the cedar-lined ridge as the day slowly died.

    ''I think I see horsemen,'' Apsalar said.

    Fiddler raised his head, joining the others in studying the line of riders following a coastal track along the ridge.

    ''I make them six in all,'' Kalam said. ''Second rider''s¡ª''

    ''Got an Imperial pennon,'' Fiddler finished, his face twisting at the taste in his mouth. ''Messenger and Lancer guard¡ª''

    ''Heading for Ehrlitan,'' Kalam added.

    Fiddler turned in his seat and met his corporal''s dark eyes. Trouble?

    Maybe.

    The exchange was silent, a product of years fighting side by side.

    Crokus asked, ''Something wrong? Kalam? Fiddler?''

    The boy''s sharp. ''Hard to say,'' Fiddler muttered. ''They''ve seen us but what have they seen? Four fisherfolk in a barque, some Skrae family headed into the port for a taste of civilization.''

    ''There''s a village just south of the tree-line,'' Kalam said. ''Keep an eye out for a creek mouth, Crokus, and a beach with no driftwood ¨C the houses will be tucked leeward of the ridge, meaning inland. How''s my memory, Fid?''

 Page 14

    ''Good enough for a native, which is what you are. How long out of the city?''

    ''Ten hours on foot.''

    ''That close?''

    ''That close.''

    Fiddler fell silent. The Imperial messenger and his horse guard had moved out of sight, leaving the ridge as they swung south towards Ehrlitan. The plan had been to sail right into the Holy City''s ancient, crowded harbour, arriving anonymously. It was likely that the messenger was delivering information that had nothing to do with them ¨C they''d given nothing away since reaching the Imperial port of Karakarang from Genabackis, arriving on a Moranth Blue trader having paid passage as crew. The overland journey from Karakarang across the Talgai Mountains and down to Rutu Jelba had been on the Tano pilgrim route ¨C a common enough journey. And the week in Rutu Jelba had been spent inconspicuously lying low, with only Kalam making nightly excursions to the wharf district, seeking passage across the Otataral Sea to the mainland.

    At worst, a report might have reached someone official, somewhere, that two possible deserters, accompanied by a Genabackan and a woman, had arrived on Malazan territory ¨C hardly news to shake the Imperial wasp nest all the way to Ehrlitan. So, likely Kalam was being his usual paranoid self.

    ''I see the stream mouth,'' Crokus said, pointing to a place on the shore.

    Fiddler glanced back at Kalam. Hostile land, how low do we crawl?

    Looking up at grasshoppers, Fid.

    Hood''s breath. He looked back to the shore. ''I hate Seven Cities,'' he whispered. In his lap, Moby yawned, revealing a mouth bristling with needlelike fangs. Fiddler blanched. ''Cuddle up whenever you want, pup,'' he said, shivering.

    Kalam angled the tiller. Crokus worked the sail, deft enough after a two-month voyage across Seeker''s Deep to let the barque slip easily into the wind, the tattered sail barely raising a luff. Apsalar shifted on the seat, stretched her arms and flashed Fiddler a smile. The sapper scowled and looked away. Bum shake me, I''ve got to keep my jaw from dropping every time she does that. She was another woman, once. A killer, the knife of a god. She did things . . . Besides, she''s with Crokus, ain''t she. The boy''s got all the luck and the whores in Karakarang looked like poxed sisters from some gigantic poxed family and all those poxed babies on their hips ... He shook himself. Oh, Fiddler, too long at sea, way too long!

    ''I don''t see any boats,'' Crokus said.

    ''Up the creek,'' Fiddler mumbled, dragging a nail through his beard in pursuit of a nit. After a moment he plucked it out and flicked it over the side. Ten hours on foot, then Ehrlitan, and a bath and a shave and a Kansuan girl with a saw-comb and the whole night free afterward.

    Crokus nudged him. ''Getting excited, Fiddler?''

    ''You don''t know the half of it.''

    ''You were here during the conquest, weren''t you? Back when Kalam was fighting for the other side ¨C for the Seven Holy Falah''dan ¨C and the T''lan Imass marched for the Emperor and¡ª''

    ''Enough,'' Fiddler waved a hand. ''I don''t need reminding, and neither does Kalam. All wars are ugly, but that one was uglier than most.''

    ''Is it true that you were in the company that chased Quick Ben across the Holy Desert Raraku, and that Kalam was your guide, only he and Quick were planning on betraying you all, but Whiskeyjack had already worked that out¡ª''

    Fiddler turned a glare on Kalam. ''One night in Rutu Jelba with a jug of Falari rum, and this boy knows more than any Imperial historian still breathing.'' He swung back to Crokus. ''Listen, son, best you forget everything that drunken lout told you that night. The past is already hunting our tails ¨C no point in making it any easier.''

    Crokus ran a hand through his long black hair. ''Well,'' he said softly, ''if Seven Cities is so dangerous, why didn''t we just head straight down to Quon Tali, to where Apsalar lived, so we can find her father? Why all this sneaking around ¨C and on the wrong continent at that?''

    ''It''s not that simple,'' Kalam growled.

    ''Why? I thought that was the reason for this whole journey.'' Crokus reached for Apsalar''s hand and clasped it in both of his, but saved his hard expression for Kalam and Fiddler. ''You both said you owed it to her. It wasn''t right and you wanted to put it right. But now I''m thinking it''s only part of the reason, I''m thinking that you two have something else planned ¨C that taking Apsalar back home was just an excuse to come back to your Empire, even though you''re officially outlawed. And whatever it is you''re planning, it''s meant coming here, to Seven Cities, and it''s also meant we have to sneak around, terrified of everything, jumping at shadows, as if the whole Malazan army was after us.'' He paused, drew a deep breath, then continued. ''We have a right to know the truth, because you''re putting us in danger and we don''t even know what kind, or why, or anything. So out with it. Now.''

 Page 15

    Fiddler leaned back on the gunnel. He looked over at Kalam and raised an eyebrow. ''Well, Corporal? It''s your call.''

    ''Give me a list, Fiddler,'' Kalam said.

    ''The Empress wants Darujhistan,'' The sapper met Crokus''s steady gaze. ''Agreed?''

    The boy hesitated, then nodded.

    Fiddler continued. ''What she wants she usually gets sooner or later. Call it precedent. Now, she''s tried to take your city once, right, Crokus? And it cost her Adjunct Lorn, two Imperial demons, and High Fist Dujek''s loyalty, not to mention the loss of the Bridgeburners. Enough to make anyone sting.''

    ''Fine. But what''s that got to do¡ª''

    ''Don''t interrupt. Corporal said make a list. I''m making it. You''ve followed me so far? Good. Darujhistan eluded her once ¨C but she''ll make certain next time. Assuming there is a next time.''

    ''Well,'' Crokus was scowling, ''why wouldn''t there be? You said she gets what she wants.''

    ''And you''re loyal to your city, Crokus?''

    ''Of course¡ª''

    ''So you''d do anything you could to prevent the Empress from conquering it?''

    ''Well, yes but¡ª''

    ''Sir?'' Fiddler turned back to Kalam.

    The burly black-skinned man looked out over the waves, sighed, then nodded to himself. He faced Crokus. ''It''s this, lad. Time''s come. I''m going after her.''

    The Daru boy''s expression was blank, but Fiddler saw Apsalar''s eyes widen, her face losing its colour. She sat back suddenly, then half-smiled ¨C and Fiddler went cold upon seeing it.

    ''I don''t know what you mean,'' Crokus said. ''After who? The Empress? How?''

    ''He means,'' Apsalar said, still smiling a smile that had belonged to her once, long ago, when she''d been ... someone else, ''that he''s going to try and kill her.''

    ''What?'' Crokus stood, almost pitching himself over the side. ''You? You and a seasick sapper with a broken fiddle strapped to his back? Do you think we''re going to help you in this insane, suicidal¡ª''

    ''I remember,'' Apsalar said suddenly, her eyes narrowing on Kalam.

    Crokus turned to her. ''Remember what?''

    ''Kalam. He was a Falah''dan''s Dagger, and the Claw gave him command of a Hand. Kalam''s a master assassin, Crokus. And Quick Ben¡ª''

    ''Is three thousand leagues away!'' Crokus shouted. ''He''s a squad mage, for Hood''s sake! That''s it, a squalid little squad mage!''

    ''Not quite,'' Fiddler said. ''And being so far away doesn''t mean a thing, son. Quick Ben''s our shaved knuckle in the hole.''

    ''Your what in the where?''

    ''Shaved knuckle, as in the game of knuckles ¨C a good gambler''s usually using a shaved knuckle, as in cheating in the casts, if you know what I mean. As for ¡°hole¡±, that''d be Quick Ben''s Warren ¨C the one that can put him at Kalam''s side in the space of a heartbeat, no matter how far away he happens to be. So, Crokus, there you have it: Kalam''s going to give it a try, but it''s going to take some planning, preparation. And that starts here, in Seven Cities. You want Darujhistan free for ever more? The Empress Laseen must die.''

    Crokus slowly sat back down. ''But why Seven Cities? Isn''t the Empress in Quon Tali?''

    ''Because,'' Kalam said as he angled the fisherboat into the creek mouth and the oppressive heat of the land rose around them, ''because, lad, Seven Cities is about to rise.''

    ''What do you mean?''

    The assassin bared his teeth. ''Rebellion.''

    Fiddler swung around and scanned the fetid undergrowth lining the banks. And that, he said to himself with a chill clutching his stomach, is the part of this plan that I hate the most. Chasing one of Quick Ben''s wild ideas with the whole countryside going up in flames.

    A minute later they rounded a bend and the village appeared, a scattering of wattle-and-daub huts in a broken half-circle facing a line of skiffs pulled onto a sandy beach. Kalam nudged the tiller and the fisherboat drifted towards the strand. As the keel scraped bottom, Fiddler clambered over the gunnel and stepped onto dry land, Moby now awake and clinging with all fours to the front of his tunic. Ignoring the squawking creature, Fiddler slowly straightened. ''Well,'' he sighed as the first of the village''s mongrel dogs announced their arrival, ''it''s begun.''

    CHAPTER TWO

    To this day it remains easy to ignore the fact that the Aren High Command was rife with treachery, dissension, rivalry and malice ... The assertion that [the Aren High Command] was ignorant of the undercurrents in the countryside is, at best naive, at worst cynical in the extreme .. .

 Page 16

    The Sha''ik Rebellion

    Cullaran

    The red ochre handprint on the wall was dissolving in the rain, trickling roots down along the mortar between the fired mudbricks. Hunched against the unseasonal downpour, Duiker watched as the print slowly disappeared, wishing that the day had broken dry, that he could have come upon the sign before the rain obscured it, that he could then have gained a sense of the hand that had made its mark here, on the outer wall of the old Falah''d Palace in the heart of Hissar.

    The many cultures of Seven Cities seethed with symbols, a secret pictographic language of oblique references that carried portentous weight among the natives. Such symbols formed a complex dialogue that no Malazan could understand. Slowly, during his many months resident here, Duiker had come to realize the danger behind their ignorance. As the Year of Dryjhna approached, such symbols blossomed in chaotic profusion, every wall in every city a scroll of secret code. Wind, sun and rain assured impermanence, wiping clean the slate in readiness for the next exchange.

    And it seems they have a lot to say these days.

    Duiker shook himself, trying to loosen the tension in his neck and shoulders. His warnings to the High Command seemed to be falling on deaf ears. There were patterns in these symbols, and it seemed that he alone among all the Malazans had any interest in breaking the code, or even in recognizing the risks of maintaining an outsider''s indifference.

    He pulled his cowl further over his head in an effort to keep his face dry, feeling water trickle on his forearms as the wide cuffs of his telaba cloak briefly opened to the rain. The last of the print had washed away. Duiker pushed himself into motion, resuming his journey.

    Water ran in ankle-deep torrents down the cobbled slopes beneath the palace walls, gushing down into the gutters bisecting each alley and causeway in the city. Opposite the immense palace wall, awnings sagged precariously above closet-sized shops. In the chill shadows of the holes that passed for storefronts, dour-faced merchants watched Duiker as he passed by.

    Apart from miserable donkeys and the occasional swaybacked horse, the streets were mostly empty of pedestrian traffic. Even with the rare wayward current from the Sahul Sea, Hissar was a city born of inland drylands and deserts. Though a port and now a central landing for the Empire, the city and its people lived with a spiritual back to the sea.

    Duiker left behind the close ring of ancient buildings and narrow alleys surrounding the palace wall, coming to the Dryjhna Colonnade that ran straight as a spear through Hissar''s heart. The guldindha trees lining the colonnade''s carriage track swam with blurred motion as the rain pelted down on their ochre leaves. Estate gardens, most of them unwalled and open to public admiration, stretched green on either side. The downpour had stripped flowers from their shrubs and dwarf trees, turning the cobbled walkways white, red and pink.

    The historian ducked as a gusting wind pressed his cloak tight against his right side. The water on his lips tasted of salt, the only indication of the angry sea a thousand paces to his right. Where the street named after the Storm of the Apocalypse narrowed suddenly, the carriage path became a muddy track of broken cobbles and shattered pottery, the tall, once royal nut trees giving way to desert scrub. The change was so abrupt that Duiker found himself up to his shins in dung-stained water before he realized he''d come to the city''s edge. Squinting against the rain, he looked up.

    Off to his left, hazy behind the sheets of water, ran the stone wall of the Imperial Compound. Smoke struggled upward from beyond the wall''s fortified height. On his right and much closer was a chaotic knot of hide tents, horses and camels and carts ¨C a trader camp, newly arrived from the Sialk Odhan.

    Drawing his cloak tighter against the wind, Duiker swung to the right and made for the encampment. The rain was heavy enough to mask the sound of his approach from the tribe''s dogs as he entered the narrow, mud-choked pathway between the sprawling tents. Duiker paused at an intersection. Opposite was a large copper-stained tent, its walls profusely cluttered with painted symbols. Smoke drifted from the entrance flap. He crossed the intersection, hesitating only a moment before drawing the flap to one side and entering.

    A roar of sound, carried on waves of hot, steam-laden air buffeted the historian as he paused to shake the water from his cloak. Voices shouting, cursing, laughing on ail sides, the air filled with durhang smoke and incense, roasting meats, sour wine and sweet ale, closed in around Duiker as he took in the scene. Coins rattled and spun in pots where a score of gamblers had gathered off to his left; in front of him a tapu weaved swiftly through the crowd, a four-foot-long iron skewer of roasted meats and fruit in each hand. Duiker shouted the tapu over, raising a hand to catch the man''s eye. The hawker quickly approached.

 Page 17

    ''Goat, I swear!'' the tapu exclaimed in the coastal Debrahl language. ''Goat, not dog, Dosii! Smell for yourself, and only a clipping to pay for such delicious fare! Would you pay so little in Dosin Pali?''

    Born on the plains of Dal Hon, Duiker''s dark skin matched that of the local Debrahl; he was wearing the telaba sea cloak of a merchant trader from the island city of Dosin Pali, and spoke the language without hint of an accent. To the tapu''s claim Duiker grinned. ''For dog I would, Tapuharal.'' He fished out two local crescents ¨C the equivalent of a base ''clipping'' of the Imperial silver jakata. ''And if you imagine the Mezla are freer with their silver on the island, you are a fool and worse!''

    Looking nervous, the tapu slid a chunk of dripping meat and two soft amber globes of fruit from one of the skewers, wrapping them in leaves. ''Beware Mezla spies, Dosii,'' he muttered. ''Words can be twisted.''

    ''Words are their only language,'' Duiker replied with contempt as he accepted the food. ''Is it true then that a scarred barbarian now commands the Mezla army?''

    ''A man with a demon''s face, Dosii.'' The tapu wagged his head. ''Even the Mezla fear him.'' Pocketing the crescents he moved off, raising the skewers once more over his head. ''Goat, not dog!''

    Duiker found a tent wall to put his back against and watched the crowd as he ate his meal in local fashion, swiftly, messily. Every meal is your last encompassed an entire Seven Cities philosophy. Grease smeared on his face and dripping from his fingers, the historian dropped the leaves to the muddy floor at his feet, then ritually touched his forehead in a now outlawed gesture of gratitude to a Falah''d whose bones were rotting in the silty mud of Hissar Bay. The historian''s eyes focused on a ring of old men beyond the gamblers and he walked over to it, wiping his hands on his thighs.

    The gathering marked a Circle of Seasons, wherein two seers faced one another and spoke a symbolic language of divination in a complicated dance of gestures. As he pushed into a place among the ring of onlookers, Duiker saw the seers within the circle, an ancient shaman whose silver-barbed, skin-threaded face marked him as from the Semk tribe, far inland, and opposite him a boy of about fifteen. Where the boy''s eyes should have been were two gouged pits of badly healed scar tissue. His thin limbs and bloated belly revealed an advanced stage of malnutrition. Duiker d instinctively that the boy had lost his family during the Malazan conquest and now lived in the alleys and streets of Hissar. He had been found by the Circle''s organizers, for it was well known that the gods spoke through such suffering souls.

    The tense silence among the onlookers told the historian that there was power in this divination. Though blind, the boy moved to keep himself face to face with the Semk seer, who himself slowly danced across a floor of white sand in absolute silence. They held out their hands towards each other, inscribing patterns in the air between them.

    Duiker nudged the man beside him. ''What has been foreseen?'' he whispered.

    The man, a squat local with the scars of an old Hissar regiment poorly obscured by mutilating burns on his cheeks, hissed warningly through his stained teeth. ''Nothing less than the spirit of Dryjhna, whose outline was mapped by their hands ¨C a spirit seen by all here, a ghostly promise of fire.''

    Duiker sighed. ''Would that I had witnessed that...''

    ''You shall ¨C see? It comes again!''

    The historian watched as the weaving hands seemed to contact an invisible figure, leaving a smear of reddish light that flickered in their wake. The glow suggested a human shape, and that shape slowly grew more defined. A woman whose flesh was fire. She raised her arms and something like iron flashed at her wrists and the dancers became three as she spun and writhed between the seers.

    The boy suddenly threw back his head, words coming from his throat like the grinding of stones. ''Two fountains of raging blood! Face to face. The blood is the same, the two are the same and salty waves shall wash the shores of Raraku. The Holy Desert remembers its past!''

    The female apparition vanished. The boy toppled forward, thumping stiff as a board onto the sand. The Semk seer crouched down, resting a hand on the boy''s head. ''He is returned to his family,'' the old shaman said in the silence of the circle. ''The mercy of Dryjhna, the rarest of gifts, granted to this child.''

    Hardened tribesmen began weeping, others falling to their knees. Shaken, Duiker pulled back as the ring slowly contracted. He blinked sweat from his eyes, sensing that someone was watching him. He looked around. Across from him stood a figure shrouded in black hides, a goat''s-head hood pulled up, leaving the face in shadow. A moment later the figure looked away. Duiker quickly moved from the stranger''s line of sight.

 Page 18

    He made for the tent flap.

    Seven Cities was an ancient civilization, steeped in the power of antiquity, where Ascendants once walked on every trader track, every footpath, every lost road between forgotten places. It was said the sands hoarded power within their susurrating currents, that every stone had soaked up sorcery like blood, and that beneath every city lay the ruins of countless other cities, older cities, cities that went back to the First Empire itself. It was said each city rose on the backs of ghosts, the substance of spirits thick like layers of crushed bone; that each city forever wept beneath the streets, forever laughed, shouted, hawked wares and bartered and prayed and drew first breaths that brought life and the last breaths that announced death. Beneath the streets there were dreams, wisdom, foolishness, fears, rage, grief, lust and love and bitter hatred.

    The historian stepped outside into the rain, drawing in lungfuls of clean, cool air as he once more wrapped cloak about him.

    Conquerors could overrun a city''s walls, could kill every living soul within it, fill every estate and every house and every store with its own people, yet rule nothing but the city''s thin surface, the skin of the present, and would one day be brought down by the spirits below, until they themselves were but one momentary layer among many. This is an enemy we can never defeat, Duiker believed. Yet history tells the stories of those who would challenge that enemy, again and again. Perhaps victory is not achieved by overcoming that enemy, but by joining it, becoming one with it.

    The Empress has sent a new Fist to batter down the restless centuries of this land. Had she abandoned Coltaine as I''d suggested to Mallick Rel? Or had she just held him back in readiness, like a weapon forged and honed for one specific task?

    Duiker left the encampment, once more hunched beneath the driving rain. Ahead loomed the gates of the Imperial Compound. He might well find some answers to his questions within the next hour, as he came face to face with Coltaine of the Crow Clan.

    He crossed the rutted track, sloshing through the murky puddles filling the horse and wagon ruts, then ascended the muddy slope towards the gatehouse.

    Two cowled guards stepped into view as he reached the gate''s narrow side passage.

    ''No petitions today, Dosii,'' one of the Malazan soldiers said. ''Try tomorrow.''

    Duiker unclasped the cloak, opened it to reveal the Imperial diadem pinned to his tunic. ''The Fist has called a council, has he not?''

    Both soldiers saluted and stepped back. The one who''d spoken earlier smiled apologetically. ''Didn''t know you were with the other one,'' he said.

    ''What other one?''

    ''He came in just a few minutes ago, historian.''

    ''Yes, of course.'' Duiker nodded to the two men, then passed within. The stone floor of the passage bore the muddy tracks of a pair of moccasins. Frowning, he continued on, coming to the inside compound. A roofed causeway followed the wall to his left, leading eventually to the side postern of the squat, unimaginative headquarters building. Already wet, Duiker ignored it, electing to cross the compound directly towards the building''s main entrance. In passing he noticed that the man who had preceded him had done the same. The pooled prints of his steps betrayed a bowlegged gait. The historian''s frown deepened.

    He came to the entrance, where another guard appeared, who directed Duiker to the council room. As he approached the room''s double doors, he checked for his predecessor''s footprints, but there were none. Evidently he''d gone to some other chamber within the building. Shrugging, Duiker opened the doors.

    The council room was low-ceilinged, its stone walls unplastered but washed in white paint. A long marble table dominated, looking strangely incomplete in the absence of chairs. Already present were Mallick Rel, Kulp, Coltaine and another Wickan officer. They all turned at the historian''s entrance, Rel''s brows lifting in mild surprise. Clearly, he''d been unaware that Coltaine had extended to Duiker an invitation. Had it been the new Fist''s intention to unbalance the priest, a deliberate exclusion? After a moment the historian dismissed the thought. More likely the result of a disorganized new command.

    The chairs had been specifically removed for this council, as was evident in the tracks their legs had left through the white dust on the floor. The discomfort of not knowing where to stand or how to position oneself was evident in both Mallick Rel and Kulp. The Jhistal priest of Mael was shifting weight from one foot to the other, sweat on his brow reflecting the harsh glare of the lanterns set on the tabletop, his hands folded into his sleeves. Kulp looked in need of a wall to lean against, but was clearly uncertain how the Wickans would view such a casual posture.

 Page 19

    Inwardly smiling, Duiker removed his dripping cloak, hanging it from an old torch bracket beside the doors. He then turned about and presented himself before the new Fist, who stood at the nearest end of the table, his officer on his left ¨C a scowling veteran whose wide, flat face seemed to fold in on itself diagonally in a scar from right jawline to left brow.

    ''I am Duiker,'' the historian said. ''Imperial Historian of the Empire.'' He half bowed. ''Welcome to Hissar, Fist.'' Up close, he could see that the warleader of the Crow Clan showed the weathering of forty years on the north Wickan Plains of Quon Tali. His lean, expressionless face was lined, deep brackets around the thin, wide mouth, and squint tracks at the corners of his dark, deep-set eyes. Oiled braids hung down past his shoulders, knotted with crow-feather fetishes. He was tall, wearing a battered vest of chain over a hide shirt, a crow-feather cloak hanging from his broad shoulders down to the backs of his knees. He wore a rider''s leggings, laced with gut up the outer sides to his hips. A single horn-handled long-knife jutted out from under his left arm.

    In answer to Duiker''s words he cocked his head. ''When I last saw you,'' he said in his harsh Wickan accent, ''you lay in fever on the Emperor''s own cot, about to rise and walk through the Hooded One''s Gates.'' He paused. ''Bult was the young warrior whose lance ripped you open and for his effort a soldier named Dujek kissed Bult''s face with his sword.'' Coltaine slowly turned to smile at the scarred Wickan at his side.

    The grizzled horseman''s scowl remained unchanged as he glared at Duiker. After a moment he shook his head and swelled his chest. ''I remember an unarmed man. The lack of weapons in his hands turned my lance at the last moment. I remember Dujek''s sword that stole my beauty even as my horse bit his arm crushing bone. I remember that Dujek lost that arm to the surgeons, fouled as it was with my horse''s breath. Between us, I lost the exchange, for the loss of an arm did nothing to damage Dujek''s glorious career, while the loss of my beauty left me with but the one wife that I already had.''

    ''And was she not your sister, Bult?''

    ''She was, Coltaine. And blind.''

    Both Wickans fell silent, the one frowning and the other scowling.

    Off to one side Kulp voiced something like a strangled grunt. Duiker slowly raised an eyebrow. ''I am sorry, Bult,'' he said. ''Although I was at the battle, I never saw Coltaine, nor you. In any case, I had not noticed any particular loss of your beauty.''

    The veteran nodded. ''One must look carefully, it''s true.''

    ''Perhaps,'' Mallick Rel said, ''time to dispense with the pleasantries, entertaining as they are, and begin this council.''

    ''When I''m ready,'' Coltaine said casually, still studying Duiker.

    Bult grunted. ''Tell me, Historian, what inspired you to enter battle without weapons?''

    ''Perhaps I lost them in the melee.''

    ''But you did not. You wore no belt, no scabbard, you carried no shield.''

    Duiker shrugged. ''If I am to record the events of this Empire, I must be in their midst, sir.''

    ''Shall you display such reckless zeal in recording the events of Coltaine''s command?''

    ''Zeal? Oh yes, sir. As for reckless,'' he sighed, ''alas, my courage is not as it once was. These days I wear armour when attending battle, and a short sword and shield. And helm. Surrounded by bodyguards, and at least a league away from the heart of the fighting.''

    ''The years have brought you wisdom,'' Bult said.

    ''In some things, I am afraid,'' Duiker said slowly, ''not enough.'' He faced Coltaine. ''I would be bold enough to advise you, Fist, at this council.''

    Coltaine''s gaze slid to Mallick Rel as he spoke, ''And you fear the presumption, for you will say things I will not appreciate. Perhaps, in hearing such things, I shall command Bult to complete the task of killing you. This tells me much,'' he continued, ''of the situation at Aren.''

    ''I know little of that,'' Duiker said, feeling sweat trickle beneath his tunic. ''But even less of you, Fist.''

    Coltaine''s expression did not change. Duiker was reminded of a cobra slowly rising before him, unblinking, cold.

    ''Question,'' Mallick Rel said. ''Has the council begun?''

    ''Not yet,'' Coltaine said slowly. ''We await my warlock.''

    The priest of Mael drew a sharp breath at that. Off to one side, Kulp took a step forward.

    Duiker found his throat suddenly dry. Clearing it, he said, ''Was it not at the command of the Empress ¨C in her first year on the throne ¨C that all Wickan warlocks be, uh, rooted out? Was there not a subsequent mass execution? I have a memory of seeing Unta''s outer walls...''

 Page 20

    ''They took many days to die,'' Bult said. ''Hung from spikes of iron until the crows came to collect their souls. We brought our children to the city walls, to look upon the tribal elders whose lives were taken from us by the short-haired woman''s command. We gave them memory scars, to keep the truth alive.''

    ''An Empress,'' Duiker said, watching Coltaine''s face, ''whom you now serve.''

    ''The short-haired woman knows nothing of Wickan ways,'' Bult said. ''The crows that carried within them the greatest of the warlock souls returned to our people to await each new birth, and so the power of our elders returned to us.''

    A side entrance Duiker had not noticed before slid open. A tall, bow-legged figure stepped into the room, face hidden in the shadow of a goat''s-head cowl, which he now pulled back, revealing the smooth visage of a boy no more than ten years old. The youth''s dark eyes met the historian''s.

    ''This is Sormo E''nath,'' Coltaine said.

    ''Sormo E''nath ¨C an old man ¨C was executed at Unta,'' Kulp snapped. ''He was the most powerful of the warlocks ¨C the Empress made sure of him. It''s said he took eleven days on the wall to die. This one is not Sormo E''nath. This is a boy.''

    ''Eleven days,'' Bult grunted. ''No single crow could hold all of his soul. Each day there came another, until he was all gone. Eleven days, eleven crows. Such was Sormo''s power, his life will, and such was the honour accorded him by the black-winged spirits. Eleven came to him. Eleven.''

    ''Elder sorcery,'' Mallick Rel whispered. ''Most ancient scrolls hint at such things. This boy is named Sormo E''nath. Truly the warlock reborn?''

    ''The Rhivi of Genabackis have similar beliefs,'' Duiker said. ''A newborn child can become the vessel of a soul that has not passed through Hood''s Gates.''

    The boy spoke, his voice reedy but breaking, on the edge of manhood. ''I am Sormo E''nath, who carries in his breastbone the memory of an iron spike. Eleven crows attended my birth.'' He hitched his cloak behind his shoulders. ''This day I came upon a ritual of divination and saw there among the crowd the historian Duiker. Together we witnessed a vision sent by a spirit of great power, a spirit whose face is one among many. This spirit promised armageddon.''

    ''I saw as he did,'' Duiker said. ''A trader caravan has camped outside the city.''

    ''You were not discovered as a Malazan?'' Mallick asked.

    ''He speaks the tribal language well,'' Sormo said. ''And makes gestures announcing his hatred of the Empire. Well enough of countenance and in action to deceive the natives. Tell me, Historian, have you seen such divinations before?''

    ''None so ... obvious,'' Duiker admitted. ''But I have seen enough signs to sense the growing momentum. The new year will bring rebellion.''

    ''Bold assertion,'' Mallick Rel said. He sighed, clearly uncomfortable with standing. ''The new Fist would do well to regard with caution such claims. Many are the prophecies of this land, as many as there are people, it seems. Such multitudes diminish the veracity of each. Rebellion has been promised in Seven Cities each year since the Malazan conquest. What has come of them? Naught.''

    ''The priest has hidden motives,'' Sormo said.

    Duiker found himself holding his breath.

    Mallick Rel''s round, sweat-sheened face went white.

    ''All men have hidden motives,'' Coltaine said, as if dismissing his warlock''s claim. ''I hear counsel of warning and counsel of caution. A good balance. These are my words. The mage who yearns to lean against walls of stone views me as an adder in his bedroll. His fear of me speaks for every soldier in the Seventh Army.'' The Fist spat on the floor, his face twisting. ''I care nothing for their sentiments. If they obey my commands I in turn will serve them. If they do not, I will tear their hearts from their chests. Do you hear my words, Cadre Mage?''

    Kulp was scowling. ''I hear them.''

    ''I am here,'' Rel''s voice was almost shrill, ''to convey the commands of High Fist Pormqual¡ª''

    ''Before or after the High Fist''s official welcome?'' Even as he spoke Duiker regretted his words, despite Bult''s bark of laughter.

    In response, Mallick Rel straightened. ''High Fist Pormqual welcomes Fist Coltaine to Seven Cities, and wishes him well in his new command. The Seventh Army remains as one of the three original armies of the Malazan Empire, and the High Fist is confident that Fist Coltaine will honour their commendable history.''

    ''I care nothing for reputations,'' Coltaine said. ''They shall be judged by their actions. Go on.''

 Page 21

    Trembling, Rel continued, ''The High Fist Pormqual has asked me to convey his orders to High Fist Coltaine. Admiral Nok is to leave Hissar Harbour and proceed to Aren as soon as his ships are resupplied. High Fist Coltaine is to begin preparations for marching the Seventh overland ... to Aren. It is the High Fist''s desire to review the Seventh prior to its final stationing.'' The priest produced a sealed scroll from his robes and set it on the tabletop. ''Such are the High Fist''s commands.''

    A look of disgust darkened Coltaine''s features. He crossed his arms and deliberately turned his back on Mallick Rel.

    Bult laughed without humour. ''The High Fist wishes to review the army. Presumably the High Fist has an attendant High Mage, perhaps a Hand of the Claw as well? If he wishes to review Coltaine''s troops he can come here by Warren. The Fist has no intention of outfitting this army to march four hundred leagues so that Pormqual can frown at the dust on their boots. Such a move will leave the eastern provinces of Seven Cities without an occupying army. At this time of unrest it would be viewed as a retreat, especially when accompanied by the withdrawal of the Sahul Fleet. This land cannot be governed from behind the walls of Aren.''

    ''Defying the High Fist''s command?'' Rel asked in a whisper, eyes glittering like blooded diamonds on Coltaine''s broad back.

    The Fist whirled. ''I am counselling a change of those commands,'' he said, ''and now await a reply.''

    ''Reply I shall give you,'' the priest rasped.

    Coltaine sneered.

    Bult said, ''You? You are a priest, not a soldier, not a governor. You are not even recognized as a member of the High Command.''

    Rel''s glare flicked from Fist to veteran. ''I am not? Indeed¡ª''

    ''Not by Empress Laseen,'' Bult cut in. ''She knows nothing of you, priest, apart from the High Fist''s reports. Understand that the Empress does not convey power upon people whom she does not know. High Fist Pormqual employed you as his messenger boy and that is how the Fist shall treat you. You command nothing. Not Coltaine, not me, not even a lowly mess cook of the Seventh.''

    ''I shall convey these words and sentiments to the High Fist.''

    ''No doubt. You may go now.''

    Rel''s jaw dropped. ''Go?''

    ''We are done with you. Leave.''

    In silence they watched the priest depart. As soon as the doors closed Duiker turned to Coltaine. ''That may not have been wise, Fist.''

    Coltaine''s eyes looked sleepy. ''Bult spoke, not I.''

    Duiker glanced at the veteran. The scarred Wickan was grinning.

    ''Tell me of Pormqual,'' Coltaine said. ''You have met him?''

    The historian swung back to the Fist. ''I have.''

    ''Does he govern well?''

    ''As far as I have been able to determine,'' Duiker said, ''he does not govern at all. Most edicts are issued by the man you ¨C Bult ¨C just expelled from this council. There are a host of others behind the curtain, mostly noble-born wealthy merchants. They are the ones primarily responsible for the cuts in duty taxation on imported goods, and the corresponding increases in local taxes on production and exports ¨C with exemptions, of course, in whatever export they themselves are engaged in. The Imperial occupation is managed by Malazan merchants, a situation unchanged since Pormqual assumed the title of High Fist four years ago.''

    Bult asked, ''Who was High Fist before him?''

    ''Cartheron Crust, who drowned one night in Aren Harbour.''

    Kulp snorted. ''Crust could swim drunk through a hurricane, but then he went and drowned just like his brother Urko. Neither body was ever found, of course.''

    ''Meaning?''

    Kulp grinned at Bult, but said nothing.

    ''Both Crust and Urko were the Emperor''s men,'' Duiker explained. ''It seems they shared the same fate as most of Kellanved''s companions, including Toe the Elder and Ameron. None of their bodies were ever found, either.'' The historian shrugged. ''Old history now. Forbidden history, in fact.''

    ''You assume they were murdered at Laseen''s command,'' Bult said, baring his jagged teeth. ''But imagine a circumstance where the Empress''s most able commanders simply ... disappeared. Leaving her isolated, desperate for able people. You forget, Historian, that before Laseen became Empress, she was close companions with Crust, Urko, Ameron, Dassem and the others. Imagine her now alone, still feeling the wounds of abandonment.''

    ''And her murder of the other close companions ¨C Kellanved and Dancer ¨C was not something she imagined would affect her friendship with those commanders?'' Duiker shook his head, aware of the bitterness in his voice. They were my companions, too.

 Page 22

    ''Some errors in judgement can never be undone,'' Bult said. ''The Emperor and Dancer were able conquerors, but were they able rulers?''

    ''We''ll never know,'' Duiker snapped.

    The Wickan''s sigh was almost a snort. ''No, but if there was one person close to the throne capable of seeing what was to come, it was Laseen.''

    Coltaine spat on the floor once again. ''That is all to say on the matter, Historian. Record the words that have been uttered here, if you do not find them too sour a taste.'' He glanced over at a silent Sormo E''nath, frowning as he studied his warlock.

    ''Even if I choked on them,'' Duiker replied, ''I would recount them nonetheless. I could not call myself a historian if it were otherwise.''

    ''Very well, then.'' The Fist''s gaze remained on Sormo E''nath. ''Tell me, Historian, what hold does Mallick Rel have over Pormqual?''

    ''I wish I knew, Fist.''

    ''Find out.''

    ''You are asking me to become a spy.''

    Coltaine turned to him with a faint smile. ''And what were you in the trader''s tent, Duiker?''

    Duiker grimaced. ''I would have to go to Aren. I do not think Mallick Rel would welcome me to inner councils any more. Not after witnessing his humiliation here. In fact, I warrant he has marked me as an enemy now, and his enemies have a habit of disappearing.''

    ''I shall not disappear,'' Coltaine said. He stepped closer, reached out and gripped the historian''s shoulder. ''We shall disregard Mallick Rel, then. You will be attached to my staff.''

    ''As you command, Fist,'' Duiker said.

    ''This council is ended.'' Coltaine spun to his warlock. ''Sormo, you shall recount for me this morning''s adventure ... later.''

    The warlock bowed.

    Duiker retrieved his cloak and, followed by Kulp, left the chamber. As the doors closed behind them, the historian plucked at the cadre mage''s sleeve. ''A word with you. In private.''

    ''My thoughts exactly,'' Kulp replied.

    They found a room further down the hallway, cluttered with broken furniture but otherwise unoccupied. Kulp shut and locked the door, then faced Duiker, his eyes savage. ''He''s not a man at all ¨C he''s an animal and he sees things like an animal. And Bult ¨C Bult reads his master''s snarling and raised hackles and puts it all into words ¨C I''ve never heard such a talkative Wickan as that mangled old man.''

    ''Evidently,'' Duiker said dryly, ''Coltaine had a lot to say.''

    ''I suspect even now the priest of Mael is planning his revenge.''

    ''Aye. But it was Bult''s defence of the Empress that shook me.''

    ''Do you countenance his argument?''

    Duiker sighed. ''That she regrets her actions and now feels, in full, the solitude of power? Possibly. Interesting, but its relevance is long past.''

    ''Has Laseen confided in these Wickan savages, do you think?''

    ''Coltaine was summoned to an audience with the Empress, and I''d guess that Bult is as much as sewn to his master''s side ¨C but what occurred between them in Laseen''s private chambers remains unknown.'' The historian shrugged. ''They were prepared for Mallick Rel, that much seems clear. And you, Kulp, what of this young warlock?''

    ''Young?'' The cadre mage scowled. ''That boy has the aura of an ancient man. I could smell on him the ritual drinking of mare''s blood, and that ritual marks a warlock''s Time of Iron ¨C his last few years of life, the greatest flowering of his power. Did you see him? He fired a dart at the priest, then stood silent, watching its effect.''

    ''Yet you claimed it was all a lie.''

    ''No need to let Sormo know how sensitive my nose is, and I''ll continue treating him as if he was a boy, an impostor. If I''m lucky he''ll ignore me.''

    Duiker hesitated. The air in the room was stale, tasting of dust when he drew breath. ''Kulp,'' he finally said.

    ''Aye, Historian, what do you ask of me?''

    ''It has nothing to do with Coltaine, or Mallick Rel or Sormo E''nath. I require your assistance.''

    ''In what?''

    ''I wish to free a prisoner.''

    The cadre mage''s brows rose. ''In Hissar''s gaol? Historian, I have no clout with the Hissar Guard¡ª''

    ''No, not in the city gaol. This is a prisoner of the Empire.''

    ''Where is this prisoner kept?''

    ''He was sold into slavery, Kulp. He''s in the Otataral mines.''

    The cadre mage stared. ''Hood''s breath, Duiker, you''re asking the help of a mage? You imagine I would willingly go anywhere near those mines? Otataral destroys sorcery, drives mages insane¡ª''

 Page 23

    ''No closer than a dory off the island''s coast,'' Duiker cut in. ''I promise that, Kulp.''

    ''To collect the prisoner, and then what, rowing like a fiend with a Dosii war galley in hot pursuit?''

    Duiker grinned. ''Something like that.''

    Kulp glanced at the closed door, then studied the wreckage in the room as if he had not noticed it before. ''What chamber was this?''

    ''Fist Torlom''s office,'' Duiker answered. ''Where the Dryjhnii assassin found her that night.''

    Kulp slowly nodded. ''And was our choosing it an accident?''

    ''I certainly hope so.''

    ''So do I, Historian.''

    ''Will you help me?''

    ''This prisoner ... who?''

    ''Heboric Light Touch.''

    Kulp slowly nodded a second time. ''Let me think on it, Duiker.''

    ''May I ask what gives you pause?''

    Kulp scowled. ''The thought of another traitorous historian loose in the world, what else?''

    The Holy City of Ehrlitan was a city of white stone, rising from the harbour to surround and engulf a vast, flat-topped hill known as Jen''rahb. It was believed that one of the world''s first cities was buried within Jen''rahb, and that in the compacted rubble waited the Throne of the Seven Protectors which legend held was not a throne at all, but a chamber housing a ring of seven raised daises, each sanctified by one of the Ascendants who set out to found Seven Cities. Ehrlitan was a thousand years old, but Jen''rahb the ancient city, now a hill of crushed stone, was believed to be nine times that.

    An early Falah''d of Ehrlitan had begun extensive and ambitious building on the flat top of Jen''rahb, to honour the city buried beneath the streets. The quarries along the north coast were gutted, whole hillsides carved out, the ten-tonne white blocks of marble dressed and transported by ship to Ehrlitan''s harbour, then pulled through the lower districts to the ramps leading to the hill''s summit. Temples, estates, gardens, domes, towers and the Falah''d palace rose like the gems of a virgin crown on Jen''rahb.

    Three years after the last block had been nudged into place, the ancient buried city ... shrugged. Subterranean archways collapsed beneath the immense strains of the Falah''d Crown, walls folded, foundation stones slid sideways into streets packed solid with dust. Beneath the surface the dust behaved like water, racing down streets and alleys, into gaping doorways, beneath floors ¨C all unseen in the unrelieved darkness of Jen''rahb. On the surface, on a bright dawn marking an anniversary of the Falah''d rule, the Crown sagged, towers toppled, domes split in clouds of white marble dust, and the palace dropped unevenly, in some places no more than a few feet, in others over twenty arm-spans down into flowing rivers of dust.

    Observers in the Lower City described the event. It was as if a giant invisible hand had reached down to the Crown, closing to gather in every building, crushing them all while pushing down into the hill. The cloud of dust that rose turned the sun into a copper disc for days afterwards.

    Over thirty thousand people died that day, including the Falah''d himself, and of the three thousand who dwelt and worked within the Palace, but one survived: a young cook''s helper who was convinced that the beaker he had dropped on the floor a moment before the earthquake was to blame for the entire catastrophe. Driven mad with guilt, he stabbed himself in the heart while standing in the Lower City''s Merykra Round, his blood flowing down to drench the paving stones where Fiddler now stood.

    His blue eyes narrowed, the sapper watched a troop of Red Swords ride hard through a scattering crowd on the other side of the Round.

    Swathed in thin bleached linen robes, the hood pulled up and over his head in the manner of a Gral tribesman, he stood motionless on the sacred paving stone with its faded commemorative script, wondering if the rapid thumping of his heart was loud enough to be heard by the crowds moving nervously around him. He cursed himself for risking a wander through the ancient city, then he cursed Kalam for delaying their departure until he''d managed to make contact with one of his old agents in the city.

    ''Mezla''ebdin!'' a voice near him hissed.

    Malazan lapdogs was an accurate enough translation. The Red Swords were born of Seven Cities, yet avowed absolute loyalty to the Empress. Rare ¨C if at the moment unwelcome ¨C pragmatists in a land of fanatical dreamers, the Red Swords had just begun an independent crackdown on the followers of Dryjhna in their typical fashion: with sword edge and lance.

    Half a dozen victims lay unmoving on the bleached stones of the Round, amidst scattered baskets, bundles of cloth, and food. Two small girls crouched beside a woman''s body near the dried-up fountain. Sprays of blood decorated nearby walls. From a few streets away the alarms of the Ehrlitan Guard were ringing, the city''s Fist having just been informed that the Red Swords were once again defying his inept rule.

 Page 24

    The savage riders continued their impromptu, indiscriminate slaughter up a main avenue leading off from the Round, and were soon out of sight. Beggars and thieves swooped in on the felled bodies, even as the air filled with wailing voices. A hunchbacked pimp gathered up the two girls and hobbled out of sight up an alleyway.

    A few minutes earlier Fiddler had come near to having his skull split wide open upon entering the Round and finding himself in the path of a charging Red Sword. His soldier''s experience launched him across the horse''s path, forcing the warrior to swing his blade to his shield side, and a final duck beneath the swishing sword took the sapper past and out of reach. The Red Sword had not bothered pursuing him, turning instead to behead the next hapless citizen, a woman desperately dragging two children from the horse''s path.

    Fiddler shook himself, breathing a silent curse. Pushing through the jostling crowd, he made for the alley the pimp had used. The tall, leaning buildings to either side shrouded the narrow passage in shadow. Rotting food and something dead filled the air with a thick stench. There was no-one in sight as Fiddler cautiously padded along. He came to a side track between two high walls, barely wide enough for a mule and shin-deep in dry palm leaves. Behind each high wall was a garden, the tall palm trees entwining their fronds like a roof twenty feet overhead. Thirty paces on the passage came to a dead end, and there crouched the pimp, one knee holding down the youngest girl while he pressed the other girl against the wall, fumbling at her leggings.

    The pimp''s head turned at the sound of Fiddler striding through the dried leaves. He had the white skin of a Skrae and showed blackened teeth in a knowing grin. ''Gral, she''s yours for a half jakata, once I''ve broken her skin. The other will cost you more, being younger.''

    Fiddler stepped up to the man. ''I buy,'' he said. ''Make wives. Two jakatas.''

    The pimp snorted. ''I''ll make twice that in a week. Sixteen jakatas.''

    Fiddler drew the Gral long-knife he''d purchased an hour earlier and pressed the edge against the pimp''s throat. ''Two jakatas and my mercy, simharal.''

    ''Done, Gral,'' the pimp grated, eyes wide. ''Done, by the Hooded One!''

    Fiddler drew two coins from his belt and tossed them into the leaves. Then he stepped back. ''I take them now.''

    The simharal fell to his knees, scrabbling through the dried fronds. ''Take them, Gral, take them.''

    Fiddler grunted, sheathing the knife and gathering one girl under each arm. Turning his back on the pimp, he walked out of the alley. The likelihood that the man would attempt any treachery was virtually nonexistent. Gral tribesmen often begged for insults to give cause for their favourite activity: pursuing vendettas. And it was reputedly impossible to sneak up on one from behind, so none dared try. For all that, Fiddler was thankful for the thick carpet of leaves between him and the pimp.

    He exited the alleyway. The girls hung like oversized dolls in his arms, still numbed with shock. He glanced down at the face of the older one. Nine, maybe ten years of age, she stared up at him with wide, dark eyes. ''Safe now,'' he said. ''If I set you down, can you walk? Can you show me where you live?''

    After a long moment, she nodded.

    They had reached one of the tortuous tracks that passed for a street in the Lower City. Fiddler set the girl down, cradling the other in the crook of his arm ¨C she seemed to have fallen asleep. The older child immediately grasped his robes to keep from being pushed away by the jostling crowd, then began tugging him along.

    ''Home?'' Fiddler asked.

    ''Home,'' she replied.

    Ten minutes later they passed beyond the market district and entered a quieter residential area, the dwellings modest but clean. The girl guided Fiddler towards a side street. As soon as they reached it, children appeared, shouting and rushing to gather around them. A moment later three armed men burst from a garden gate. They confronted Fiddler with tulwars raised as the crowd of children dispersed on all sides, suddenly silent and watchful.

    ''Nahal Gral,'' Fiddler growled. ''The woman fell to a Red Sword. A simharal took these two. I bought them. Unbroken. Three jakatas.''

    ''Two,'' corrected one of the men, spitting on the cobbles at Fiddler''s feet. ''We found the simharal.''

    ''Two to buy. One more to deliver. Unbroken. Three.'' Fiddler gave them a hard grin. ''Fair price, cheap for Gral honour. Cheap for Gral protection.''

    A fourth man spoke from behind Fiddler. ''Pay the Gral, you fools. A hundred gold jakatas would not be too much. The nurse and the children were under your protection, yet you fled when the Red Swords came. If this Gral had not come upon the children and purchased them, they would now be broken. Pay the coin, and bless this Gral with the Queen of Dreams'' favour, bless him and his family for all time.'' The man slowly stepped around. He wore the armour of a private guard, with a captain''s insignia. His lean face was scarred with the hatched symbol of a veteran of Y''ghatan and on the backs of his hands were the pitted tracks of incendiary scars. His hard eyes held Fiddler''s. ''I ask for your trader name, Gral, so that we may honour you in our prayers.''

 Page 25

    Fiddler hesitated, then gave the captain his true name, the name he had been born with, long ago.

    The man frowned upon hearing it, but made no comment.

    One of the guards approached with coins in hand. Fiddler offered the sleeping child to the captain. ''It is wrong that she sleeps,'' he said.

    The grizzled veteran received the child with gentle care. ''We shall have the House Healer attend to her.''

    Fiddler glanced around. Clearly the children belonged to a rich, powerful family, yet the abodes within sight were all relatively small, the homes of minor merchants and craftworkers.

    ''Will you share a meal with us, Gral?'' the captain asked. ''The children''s grandfather will wish to see you.''

    Curious, Fiddler nodded. The captain led him to a low postern gate in a garden wall. The three guardsmen moved ahead to open it. The young girl was the first through.

    The gate opened into a surprisingly spacious garden, the air cool and damp with the breath of an unseen stream trickling through the lush undergrowth. Old fruit and nut trees canopied the stone-lined path. On the other side rose a high wall constructed entirely of murky glass. Rainbow patterns glistened on the panes, beaded with moisture and mottled with mineral stains. Fiddler had never before seen so much glass in one place. A lone door was set in the wall, made of bleached linen stretched over a thin iron frame. Before it stood an old man dressed in a wrinkled orange robe. The deep, rich ochre of his skin was set off by a shock of white hair. The girl ran up to embrace the man. His amber eyes held steadily on Fiddler.

    The sapper dropped to one knee. ''I beg your blessing, Spiritwalker,'' he said in his harshest Gral accent.

    The Tano priest''s laughter was like blowing sand. ''I cannot bless what you are not, sir,'' he said quietly. ''But please, join me and Captain Turqa in a private repast. I trust these guardians will prove eager to regain their courage in taking care of the children, here within the garden''s confines.'' He laid a weathered hand on the sleeping child''s forehead. ''Selal protects herself in her own way. Captain, tell the Healer she must be drawn back to this world, gently.''

    The captain handed the child over to one of the guards. ''You heard the Master. Quickly now.''

    Both children were taken through the linen door. Gesturing, the Tano Spiritwalker led Fiddler and Turqa to the same door at a more sedate pace.

    Inside the glass-walled room squatted a low iron table with shin-high hide-bound chairs around it. On the table were bowls holding fruit and chilled meats stained red with spices. A crystal carafe of pale yellow wine had been unstoppered and left to air. At the carafe''s base the wine''s sediment was two fingers thick: desert flower buds and the carcasses of white honey bees. The wine''s cool sweet scent permeated the chamber.

    The inner door was solid wood, set in a marble wall. Small alcoves set within that wall held lit candles displaying flames of assorted colours. Their flickering reflections danced hypnotically on the facing glass.

    The priest sat down and indicated the other chairs. ''Please be seated. I am surprised that a Malazan spy would so jeopardize his disguise by saving the lives of two Ehrlii children. Do you now seek to glean valuable information from a family overwhelmed by gratitude?''

    Fiddler drew his hood back, sighing. ''I am Malazan,'' he acknowledged. ''But not a spy. I am disguised to avoid discovery ... by Malazans.''

    The old priest poured the wine and handed the sapper a goblet. ''You are a soldier.''

    ''I am.''

    ''A deserter?''

    Fiddler winced. ''Not by choice. The Empress saw fit to outlaw my regiment.'' He sipped the flowery sweet wine.

    Captain Turqa hissed. ''A Bridgeburner. A soldier of Onearm''s Host.''

    ''You are well informed, sir.''

    The Tano Spiritwalker gestured towards the bowls. ''Please. If, after so many years of war, you are seeking a place of peace, you have made a grave error in coming to Seven Cities.''

    ''So I gathered,'' Fiddler said, helping himself to some fruit. ''Which is why I am hoping to book passage to Quon Tali as soon as possible.''

    ''The Kansu Fleet has left Ehrlitan,'' the captain said. ''Few are the trader ships setting forth on oceanic voyages these days. High taxes¡ª''

    ''And the prospect of riches that will come with a civil war,'' Fiddler said, nodding. ''Thus, it must be overland, at least down to Aren.''

    ''Unwise,'' the old priest said.

    ''I know.''

    But the Tano Spiritwalker was shaking his head. ''Not simply the coming war. To travel to Aren, you must cross the Pan''potsun Odhan, skirting the Holy Desert Raraku. From Raraku the whirlwind of the Apocalypse will come forth. And more, there will be a convergence.''

 Page 26

    Fiddler''s eyes narrowed. The Soletaken dhenrabi. ''As in a drawing-together of Ascendant powers?''

    ''Just so.''

    ''What will draw them?''

    ''A gate. The Prophecy of the Path of Hands. Soletaken and D''ivers. A gate promising . . . something. They are drawn as moths to a flame.''

    ''Why would shapeshifters have any interest in a warren''s gate? They are hardly a brotherhood, nor are they users of sorcery, at least not in any sophisticated sense.''

    ''Surprising depth of knowledge for a soldier.''

    Fiddler scowled. ''Soldiers are always underestimated,'' he said. ''I''ve not spent fifteen years fighting Imperial wars with my eyes closed. The Emperor clashed with both Treach and Ryllandaras outside Li Heng. I was there.''

    The Tano Spiritwalker bowed his head in apology. ''I have no answers to your questions,'' he said quietly. ''Indeed, I do not think even the Soletaken and D''ivers are fully aware of what they seek. Like salmon returning to the waters where they were born, they act on instinct, a visceral yearning and a promise only sensed.'' He folded his hands together. ''There is no unification among shapeshifters. Each stands alone. This Path of Hands ¨C'' he hesitated, then continued ¨C ''is perhaps a means to Ascendancy ¨C for the victor.''

    Fiddler drew a slow, unsteady breath. ''Ascendancy means power. Power means control.'' He met the Spiritwalker''s tawny eyes. ''Should one shapeshifter attain Ascendancy¡ª''

    ''Domination of its own kind, yes. Such an event would have ... repercussions. In any case, friend, the wastelands could never be called safe, but the months to come shall turn the Odhan into a place of savage horror, this much I know with certainty.''

    ''Thank you for the warning.''

    ''Yet it shall not deter you.''

    ''I am afraid not.''

    ''Then it befalls me to offer you some protection for your journey. Captain, if you would be so kind?''

    The veteran rose and departed.

    ''An outlawed soldier,'' the old priest said after a moment, ''who will risk his life to return to the heart of the Empire that has sentenced him to death. The need must be great.''

    Fiddler shrugged.

    ''The Bridgeburners are remembered here in Seven Cities. A name that is cursed, yet admired all the same. You were honourable soldiers fighting in a dishonourable war. It is said the regiment was honed in the heat and scorched rock of the Holy Desert Raraku, in pursuit of a Falah''d company of wizards. That is a story I would like to hear some time, so that it may be shaped into song.''

    Fiddler''s eyes widened. A Spiritwalker''s sorcery was sung, no other rituals were required. Although devoted to peace, the power in a Tano song was said to be immense. The sapper wondered what such a creation would do to the Bridgeburners.

    The Tano Spiritwalker seemed to understand the question, for he smiled. ''Such a song has never before been attempted. There is in a Tano song the potential for Ascendancy, but can an entire regiment ascend? Truly a question deserving an answer.''

    Fiddler sighed. ''Had I the time, I would give you that story.''

    ''It would take but a moment.''

    ''What do you mean?''

    The old priest raised a long-fingered, wrinkled hand. ''If you were to let me touch you, I would know your history.''

    The sapper recoiled.

    ''Ah,'' the Tano Spiritwalker sighed, ''you fear I would be careless with your secrets.''

    ''I fear that your possessing them would endanger your life. Nor are all of my memories honourable.''

    The old man tilted his head back and laughed. ''If they were all honourable, friend, you would be more deserving of this robe than I. Forgive me my bold request, then.''

    Captain Turqa returned, carrying a small chest of weathered wood the colour of sand. He set it down on the table before his master, who raised the lid and reached inside. ''Raraku was once a sea,'' the Tano said. He withdrew a bleached white conch shell. ''Such remnants can be found in the Holy Desert, provided you know the location of the ancient shores. In addition to the memory song contained within it, of that inland sea, other songs have been invested.'' He glanced up, meeting Fiddler''s eyes. ''My own songs of power. Please accept this gift, in gratitude for saving the lives and honour of my granddaughters.''

    Fiddler bowed as the old priest set the conch shell into his hands. ''Thank you, Tano Spiritwalker. Your gift offers protection, then?''

    ''Of a sort,'' the priest said, smiling. After a moment he rose from his seat. ''We shall not keep you any longer, Bridgeburner.''

    Fiddler quickly stood.

 Page 27

    ''Captain Turqa will see you out.'' He stepped close and laid a hand on Fiddler''s shoulder. ''Kimloc Spiritwalker thanks you.''

    The conch shell in his hands, the sapper was ushered from the priest''s presence. Outside in the garden the water-cooled air plucked at the sweat on Fiddler''s brow. ''Kimloc,'' he muttered under his breath.

    Turqa grunted beside him as they walked the path to the back gate. ''His first guest in eleven years. Do you comprehend the honour bestowed upon you, Bridgeburner?''

    ''Clearly,'' Fiddler said dryly, ''he values his granddaughters. Eleven years, you say? Then his last guest would have been ...''

    ''High Fist Dujek Onearm, of the Malazan Empire.''

    ''Negotiating the peaceful surrender of Karakarang, the Holy City of the Tano cult. Kimloc claimed he could destroy the Malazan armies. Utterly. Yet he capitulated and his name is now legendary for empty threats.''

    Turqa snorted. ''He opened the gates of his city because he values life above all things. He took the measure of your Empire and realized that the death of thousands meant nothing to it. Malaz would have what it desired, and what it desired was Karakarang.''

    Fiddler grimaced. With heavy sarcasm he said, ''And if that meant bringing the T''lan Imass to the Holy City ¨C to do to it what they did to Aren ¨C then we would have done just that. I doubt even Kimloc''s sorcery could hold back the T''lan Imass.''

    They stood at the gate. Turqa swung it open, old pain in his dark eyes. ''As did Kimloc,'' he said. ''The slaughter at Aren revealed the Empire''s madness¡ª''

    ''What happened during the Aren Rebellion was a mistake,'' Fiddler snapped. ''No command was ever given to the Logros T''lan Imass.''

    Turqa''s only reply was a sour, bitter grin as he gestured to the street beyond. ''Go in peace, Bridgeburner.''

    Irritated, Fiddler left.

    Moby squealed in delight, launching itself across the narrow room to collide with Fiddler''s chest in a frenzied flap of wings and clutching limbs. Swearing and pushing the familiar away as it attempted a throat-crushing embrace, the sapper crossed the threshold, closing the door behind him.

    ''I was starting to get worried,'' Kalam rumbled from the shadows filling the room''s far end.

    ''Got distracted,'' Fiddler said.

    ''Trouble?''

    He shrugged, stripping off his outer cloak to reveal the leather-bound chain surcoat beneath. ''Where are the others?''

    ''In the garden,'' Kalam replied wryly.

    On his way over Fiddler stopped by his backpack. He crouched and set the Tano shell inside, pushing it into the bundle of a spare shirt.

    Kalam poured him a jug of watered wine as the sapper joined him at the small table, then refilled his own. ''Well?''

    ''A cusser in an eggshell,'' Fiddler said, drinking deep before continuing. ''The walls are crowded with symbols. I''d guess no more than a week, then the streets run red.''

    ''We''ve horses, mules and supplies. We should be nearing the Odhan by then. Safer out there.''

    Fiddler eyed his companion. Kalam''s dark, bearish face glistened in the faint daylight from the cloth-covered window. A brace of knives rested on the pitted tabletop in front of the assassin, a whetstone beside them. ''Maybe. Maybe not.''

    ''The hands on the walls?''

    Fiddler grunted. ''You noticed them.''

    ''Symbols of insurrection aplenty, meeting places announced, rituals to Dryjhna advertised ¨C I can read all of that as well as any other native. But those unhuman handprints are something else entirely.'' Kalam leaned forward, picking up a knife in each hand. He idly crossed the blued blades. ''They seem to indicate a direction. South.''

    ''Pan''potsun Odhan,'' Fiddler said. ''It''s a convergence.''

    The assassin went still, his dark eyes on the blades crossed before him. ''That''s not a rumour I''ve heard yet.''

    ''It''s Kimloc''s belief.''

    ''Kimloc!'' Kalam cursed. ''He''s in the city?''

    ''So it''s said.'' Fiddler took another mouthful of wine. Telling the assassin of his adventures ¨C and his meeting with the Spiritwalker ¨C would send Kalam out through the door. And Kimloc to Hood''s Gates. Kimloc, his family, his guards. Everyone. The man sitting across from him would take no chances. Another gift to you, Kimloc . . . my silence.

    Footsteps sounded in the back hallway and a moment later Crokus appeared. ''It''s as dark as a cave in here,'' he complained.

    ''Where''s Apsalar?'' Fiddler demanded.

    ''In the garden ¨C where else?'' the Daru thief snapped back.

 Page 28

    The sapper subsided. Remnants of his old unease still clung to him. When she was out of sight, trouble would come from it. When she was out of sight you watched your back. It was still hard to accept that the girl was no longer what she''d been. Besides, if the Patron of Assassins chose once more to possess her, the first warning we''d get would be a knife blade across the throat. He kneaded the taut muscles of his neck, sighing.

    Crokus dragged a chair to the table, dropped into it and reached for the wine. ''We''re tired of waiting,'' he pronounced. ''If we have to cross this damned land, then let''s do it. There''s a steaming pile of rubbish behind the garden wall, clogging up the sewage gutter. Crawling with rats. The air''s hot and so thick with flies you can barely breathe. We''ll catch a plague if we stay here much longer.''

    ''Let''s hope it''s the bluetongue, then,'' Kalam said.

    ''What''s that?''

    ''Your tongue swells up and turns blue,'' Fiddler explained.

    ''What''s so good about that?''

    ''You can''t talk.''

    The stars bristled overhead, the moon yet to rise as Kalam made his way towards Jen''rahb. The old ramps climbed to the hill''s summit like a giant''s stairs, gap-toothed where the chiselled blocks of stone had been removed for use in other parts of Ehrlitan. Tangled scrub filled the gaps, long, wiry roots anchored deep in the slope''s fill.

    The assassin scrambled lithely over the rubble, staying low so that he would make little outline against the sky, should anyone glance up from the streets below. The city was quiet, its silence unnatural. The few patrols of Malazan soldiery found themselves virtually alone, as if assigned to guard a necropolis, the haunt of ghosts and scant else. Their unease had made them loud as they walked the alleys and Kalam had been able to avoid them with little effort.

    He reached the crest, slipping in between two large limestone blocks that had once formed part of the summit''s outer wall. He paused, breathing deep the dusty night air, and looked down on the streets of Ehrlitan. The Fist''s Keep, once the home of the city''s Holy Falah''d, rose dark and misshapen above a well-lit compound, like a clenched hand rising from a bed of coals. Yet within that stone edifice the military governor of the Malazan Empire cowered, shutting his ears to the heated warnings of the Red Blades and whatever Malazan spies and sympathizers had not yet been driven out or murdered. The entire occupying regiment was holed up in the Keep''s own barracks, having been called in from the outlying garrison forts strategically placed around Ehrlitan''s circumference. The Keep could not accommodate such numbers ¨C the well was already foul, and soldiers slept on the bailey''s flagstones under the stars. In the harbour two ancient Falari triremes were moored-off the Malazan mole and a lone undermanned company of marines held the Imperial Docks. The Malazans were under siege with not a hand yet raised against them.

    Kalam found within himself conflicting loyalties. By birth he was among the occupied, but he had by choice fought under the standards of the Empire. He''d fought for Emperor Kellanved. And Dassem Ultor, and Whiskeyjack, and Dujek Onearm. But not Laseen. Betrayal cut those bonds long ago. The Emperor would have cut the heart out of this rebellion with its first beat. A short but unremitting bloodbath, followed by a long peace. But Laseen had left the old wounds to fester, and what was coming would silence Hood himself.

    Kalam swung back from the hill''s crest. The landscape before him was a tumbled maze of shattered limestone and bricks, sinkholes and knotted shrubs. Clouds of insects hovered over black pools. Bats and rhizan darted among them.

    Near the centre rose the first three levels of a tower, tilted with roots snaking down from a drought-twisted tree on its top. The maw of a doorway was visible at its base.

    Kalam studied it for a time, then finally approached. He was ten paces from the opening when he saw a flicker of light within. The assassin withdrew a knife, tapped the pommel twice against a block, then crossed to the doorway. A voice from its darkness stopped him.

    ''No closer, Kalam Mekhar.''

    Kalam spat loudly. ''Mebra, you think I don''t recognize your voice? Vile rhizan like you never wander far from their nest, which is what made you so easy to find, and following you here was even easier.''

    ''I have important business to attend to,'' Mebra growled. ''Why have you returned? What do you want of me? My debt was with the Bridgeburners, but they are no more.''

    ''Your debt was with me,'' Kalam said.

    ''And when the next Malazan dog with the sigil of a burning bridge finds me, he can claim the debt as well? And the next, and the next after that? Oh no, Kal¡ª''

 Page 29

    The assassin was at the doorway before Mebra realized it, lunging into the darkness, a hand flashing out unerringly to grip the spy by the throat. The man squawked, dragged from his feet as Kalam lifted him and threw him against a wall. The assassin held him there, a knife point pricking the hollow above his breastbone. Something the spy had been clutching to his chest fell, slipping between them to thud heavily at their feet. Kalam did not spare it a glance; his eyes fixed on Mebra''s own.

    ''The debt,'' he said.

    ''Mebra is an honourable man,'' the spy gasped. ''Pays every debt! Pays yours!''

    Kalam grinned. ''The hand you''ve just closed on that dagger at your belt had best remain where it is, Mebra. I see all that you plan. There in your eyes. Now look into mine. What do you see?''

    Mebra''s breath quickened. Sweat trickled down his brow. ''Mercy,'' he said.

    Kalam''s brows rose. ''A fatal misreading¡ª''

    ''No, no! I ask for mercy, Kalam! In your eyes I see only death! Mebra''s death! I shall repay the debt, my old friend. I know much, all that the Fist needs to know! I can deliver Ehrlitan into his hands¡ª''

    ''No doubt,'' Kalam said, releasing his grip on the man''s throat and stepping back. Mebra slid down the wall into a feeble crouch. ''But leave the Fist to his fate.''

    The spy looked up, in his eyes a sudden cunning. ''You are outlawed. With no wish to return to the Malazan fold. You are Seven Cities once again! Kalam, may the Seven bless you!''

    ''I need the signs, Mebra. Safe passage through the Odhan.''

    ''You know them¡ª''

    ''The symbols have bred. I know the old ones, and those will get me killed by the first tribe that finds me.''

    ''Passage is yours with but one symbol, Kalam. Across the breadth of Seven Cities, I swear it.''

    The assassin stepped back. ''What is it?''

    ''You are Dryjhna''s child, a soldier of the Apocalypse. Make the whirlwind gesture ¨C do you recall it?''

    Suspicious, Kalam slowly nodded. ''Yet I have seen so many more, so many new symbols. What of them?''

    ''Amidst the cloud of locusts there is but one,'' Mebra said. ''How best to keep the Red Blades blind? Please, Kalam, you must go. I have repaid the debt.. .''

    ''If you have betrayed me, Adaephon Ben Delat shall know of it. Tell me, could you escape Quick Ben with his warrens unveiled?''

    Mute, his face pale as the moonlight, Mebra shook his head.

    ''The whirlwind.''

    ''Yes, I swear by the Seven.''

    ''Do not move,'' Kalam commanded. One hand on the long-knife at his belt, the assassin stepped forward, crouched and collected the object that Mebra had dropped earlier. He heard the spy''s breath catch and smiled. ''Perhaps I will take this with me, as guarantee.''

    ''Please, Kalam¡ª''

    ''Silence.'' The assassin found himself holding a muslin-wrapped book. He pulled the dirt-stained cloth away. ''Hood''s breath!'' he whispered. ''From the High Fist''s vaults at Aren ... into the hands of an Ehrlii spy.'' He looked up and met Mebra''s eyes. ''Does Pormqual know of the theft of that which is to unleash the Apocalypse?''

    The little man grinned, displaying a row of sharp silver-capped teeth. ''The fool could have his silk pillow stolen from under him and would not know it. You see, Kalam, if you take this as guarantee, every warrior of the Apocalypse will be hunting you. The Holy Book of Dryjhna has been freed and must return to Raraku, where the Seeress¡ª''

    ''Will raise the Whirlwind,'' Kalam finished. The ancient tome felt heavy as a slab of granite in his hands. Its bhederin-hide binding was stained and scarred, the lambskin pages within smelling of lanolin and bloodberry ink. And on those pages ... words of madness, and in the Holy Desert waits Sha''ik, the Seeress, the rebellion''s promised leader . . .''You shall tell me the final secret, Mebra, the one the carrier of this Book must know.''

    The spy''s eyes widened with alarm. ''This cannot be your hostage, Kalam! Take me in its stead, I beg you!''

    ''I shall deliver it into the Holy Desert Raraku,'' Kalam said. ''Into Sha''ik''s own hands, and this shall purchase my passage, Mebra. And should I detect any treachery, should I see any single soldier of the Apocalypse on my trail, the Book is destroyed. Do you understand me?''

    Mebra blinked sweat from his eyes, then jerked a nod. ''You must ride a stallion the colour of sand, your bloods blended. You must wear a telaba of red. Each night you must face your trail, on your knees, and unwrap the Book and call upon Dryjhna ¨C that, and no more, not another word, for the Whirlwind goddess shall hear and obey ¨C and all signs of your trail shall be obliterated. You must wait an hour in silence, then wrap the Book once again. It must never be exposed to sunlight, for the time of the Book''s awakening belongs to Sha''ik. I shall now repeat those instructions¡ª''

 Page 30

    ''No need,'' Kalam growled.

    ''Are you truly an outlaw?''

    ''Is this not proof enough?''

    ''Deliver into Sha''ik''s hands the Book of Dryjhna, and your name shall be sung to the heavens for all time, Kalam. Betray the cause, and your name shall ride spit into the dust.''

    The assassin shrouded the Book once more in its muslin wrap, then tucked it into the folds of his tunic. ''Our words are done.''

    ''Blessings of the Seven, Kalam Mekhar.''

    With a grunt his only reply, Kalam moved to the doorway, pausing to scan outside. Seeing no-one under the moonlight, he slipped through the opening.

    Still crouched against the wall, Mebra watched the assassin leave. He strained to hear telltale sounds of Kalam crossing the rocks, bricks and rubble, but heard nothing. The spy wiped sweat from his brow, tilted his head back against the cool stone and closed his eyes.

    A few minutes later he heard the rustle of armour at the tower''s entrance. ''You saw him?'' Mebra asked, eyes still shut.

    A low voice rumbled in reply. ''Lostara follows him. He has the Book?''

    Mebra''s thin mouth widened in a smile. ''Not the visitor I anticipated. Oh no, I could never have imagined such a fortuitous guest. That was Kalam Mekhar.''

    ''The Bridgeburner? Kiss of Hood, Mebra, had I known, we would have cut him down before he''d taken a step from this tower.''

    ''Had you tried,'' Mebra said, ''you and Aralt and Lostara would now be feeding your blood to Jen''rahb''s thirsty roots.''

    The large warrior barked a laugh, stepping inside. Behind him, as the spy had guessed, loomed Aralt Arpat, guarding the entrance, tall and wide enough to block most of the moonlight.

    Tene Baralta rested his gauntleted hands on the sword pommels on either side of his hips. ''What of the man you first approached?''

    Mebra sighed. ''As I told you, we would likely have needed a dozen nights such as this one. The man took fright and is probably halfway to G''danisban by now. He ... reconsidered, as any reasonable man would.'' The spy rose to his feet, brushing the dust from his telaba. ''I cannot believe our luck, Baralta¡ª''

    Tene Baralta''s mailed hand was a blur as it flashed out and struck Mebra, the spurred links raking deep gashes across the man''s face. Blood spattered the wall. The spy reeled back, hands to his torn face.

    ''You are too familiar,'' Baralta said calmly. ''You have prepared Kalam, I take it? The proper ... instructions?''

    Mebra spat blood, then nodded. ''You shall be able to trail him unerringly, Commander.''

    ''All the way to Sha''ik''s camp?''

    ''Yes. But I beg you, be careful, sir. If Kalam senses you, he will destroy the Book. Stay a day behind him, even more.''

    Tene Baralta removed a fragment of bhederin hide from a pouch at his belt. ''The calf yearns for its mother,'' he said.

    ''And seeks her without fail,'' Mebra finished. ''To kill Sha''ik, you shall need an army, Commander.''

    The Red Blade smiled. ''That is our concern, Mebra.''

    Mebra drew a deep breath, hesitating, then said, ''I ask only one thing, sir.''

    ''You ask?''

    ''I beg, Commander.''

    ''What is it?''

    ''Kalam lives.''

    ''Your wounds are uneven, Mebra. Allow me to caress the other side of your face.''

    ''Hear me out, Commander! The Bridgeburner has returned to Seven Cities. He claims himself a soldier of the Apocalypse. Yet is Kalam one to join Sha''ik''s camp? Can a man born to lead content himself to follow?''

    ''What is your point?''

    ''Kalam is here for another reason, Commander. He sought only safe passage across the Pan''potsun Odhan. He takes the Book because to do so will ensure that passage. The assassin is heading south. Why? I think that is something the Red Blades ¨C and the Empire ¨C would know. And such knowledge can only be gained while he yet breathes.''

    ''You have suspicions.''

    ''Aren.''

    Tene Baralta snorted. ''To slip a blade between Pormqual''s ribs? We would all bless that, Mebra.''

    ''Kalam cares nothing for the High Fist.''

    ''Then what does he seek at Aren?''

    ''I can think of only one thing, Commander. A ship bound for Malaz.'' Hunched, his face pulsing with pain, Mebra watched with hooded eyes as his words sank roots into the Red Blade commander''s mind.

    After a long moment, Tene Baralta asked in a low voice, ''What do you plan?''

    Although it cost him, Mebra smiled.

    Like massive limestone slabs each resting against the other, the cliffs rose from the desert floor the height of four hundred arm-spans. Gouged across the weathered face were deep fissures, and tucked inside the largest of these, a hundred and fifty arm-spans above the sands, was a tower. A single arched window showed black against the bricks.

 Page 31

    Mappo sighed shakily. ''I see no obvious approach, but there must be one.'' He shot a glance back at his companion. ''You believe it is occupied.''

    Icarium rubbed the crusted blood from his brow, then nodded. He half slid the sword from its sheath, frowning at the fragments of flesh still snagged on the notched edge.

    The D''ivers had caught them unawares, a dozen leopards the colour of sand, streaming from a gully bed less than ten paces to their right as the two travellers prepared to make camp. One of the beasts had leapt onto Mappo''s back, jaws closing on the nape of his neck, the fangs punching through the Trell''s tough hide. It had attacked him as if he was an antelope, seeking to bite down on his windpipe as it dragged him down, but Mappo was no antelope. Though the canines sank deep, they found only muscle. Enraged, the Trell had reached over his head and torn the animal from his shoulders. Gripping the snarling leopard by its skin at neck and hips, he had slammed it hard against a boulder, shattering its skull.

    The other eleven had closed in on Icarium. Even as Mappo flung his attacker''s body aside and whirled, he saw four of the beasts lying motionless around the half-blood Jaghut. Fear gripped the Trell suddenly as his gaze fell on Icarium. How far? How far has the Jhag gone? Beru bless us, phase.

    One of the other beasts had wrapped its jaws around Icarium''s left thigh and Mappo watched the warrior''s ancient sword chop downward, decapitating the leopard. In a macabre detail, the head held on briefly, a blood-gushing lump protruding from the warrior''s leg.

    The surviving cats circled.

    Mappo lunged forward, hands closing on a lashing tail. He bellowed as he swung the squalling creature through the air. Writhing, the leopard sailed seven or eight paces until it struck a rock wall, snapping its spine.

    It was already too late for the D''ivers. Realizing its error, it tried to pull away, but Icarium was unrelenting. Giving voice to a keening hum, the Jhag plunged among the five remaining leopards. They scattered but not quickly enough. Blood fountained, sheared flesh thudded into the sand. Within moments five more bodies lay still on the ground.

    Icarium whirled, seeking more victims, and the Trell took half a step forward. After a moment Icarium''s high-pitched keening fell away and he slowly straightened from his crouch. His stony gaze found the Trell, and he frowned.

    Mappo saw the beads of blood on Icarium''s brow. The eerie sound was gone. Not too far. Safe. Gods below, this path ... I am a fool to follow. Close, all too close.

    The scent of D''ivers blood so copiously spilled would draw others. The two had quickly repacked their camp gear and set off at a swift pace. Before leaving, Icarium withdrew a single arrow from his quiver, which he stabbed into the sand in full view.

    They travelled at a dogtrot through the night. Neither was driven by fear of dying; for both of them, it was killing that brought a greater dread. Mappo prayed that Icarium''s arrow would prove sufficient warning.

    Dawn brought them to the eastern escarpment. Beyond the cliffs rose the range of weathered mountains that divided Raraku from the Pan''potsun Odhan.

    Something had ignored the arrow and was trailing them, perhaps a league behind. The Trell had sensed it an hour earlier, a Soletaken, and the form it had taken was huge.

    ''Find us the ascent,'' Icarium said, stringing his bow. He set out his remaining arrows, squinting back along their trail. After a hundred paces the shimmering heat that rose like a curtain obscured everything beyond. If the Soletaken came into view and charged, the Jhag had time to loose half a dozen arrows. The warrens carved into their shafts could bring down a dragon, but Icarium''s expression made it clear he was sickened by the thought.

    Mappo probed at the puncture wounds on the back of his neck. The torn flesh was hot, septic and crawling with flies. The muscles ached with a deep throb. He pulled a blade of jegura cactus from his pack and squeezed its juices onto the wounds. Numbness spread, allowing him to move his arms without the stabbing agony that had had him bathed in sweat over the last few hours. The Trell shivered with sudden chill. The cactus juice was so powerful it could be used only once a day, lest the numbing effect spread to the heart and lungs. And if anything, it would make the flies thirstier.

    He approached the cleft in the rockface. Trell were plains dwellers. Mappo had no special skill in climbing, and he was not looking forward to the task ahead. The fissure was deep enough to swallow the sun''s morning light, and narrow at the base, barely the width of his shoulders. Ducking, he slipped inside, the cool, musty air triggering another wave of shivering. His eyes quickly adjusting, he made out the fissure''s back wall six paces away. There were no stairs, no handholds. Tilting his head, he looked up. The cleft widened higher up but was unrelieved until it reached what he took to be the base of the tower. Nothing so simple as a dangling knotted rope. Growling in frustration, Mappo stepped back into the sunlight.

 Page 32

    Icarium stood facing their trail with arrow nocked and bow raised. Thirty paces from him was a massive brown bear, down on all fours, swaying, nose lifted and testing the wind. The Soletaken had arrived.

    Mappo joined his companion. ''This one is known to me,'' he said quietly.

    The Jhag lowered his weapon, releasing the bowstring''s tension. ''He is sembling,'' he said.

    The bear lurched forward.

    Mappo blinked against the sudden blurring of his vision. He tasted grit, nostrils twitching at the strong spicy smell that came with the change. He felt an instinctive wave of fear, a dusty dryness making swallowing difficult. A moment later the sembling was complete, and a man now strode towards them, naked and pale under the harsh sunlight.

    Mappo slowly shook his head. When masked, the Soletaken was huge, powerful, a mass of muscle ¨C yet now, in his human form, Messremb stood no more than five feet in height, was almost hairless and thin to the point of emaciation, narrow-faced and shovel-toothed. His small eyes, the colour of garnet, shone within wrinkled nests of humour that drew his mouth into a grin.

    ''Mappo Trell, my nose told me it was you!''

    ''It''s been a long time, Messremb.''

    The Soletaken was eyeing the Jhag. ''Aye, north of Nemil it was.''

    ''Those unbroken pine forests better suited you, I think,'' Mappo said, his memories drawn back to that time for a moment, those freer days of massive Trellish caravans and the great journeys undertaken.

    The man''s grin fell away. ''That it did. And you, sir, must be Icarium, maker of mechanisms and now the bane of D''ivers and Soletaken. Know that I am greatly relieved you have lowered your bow ¨C there was racing thunder in my chest when I watched you take aim.''

    Icarium was frowning. ''I would be bane to no-one, were the choice mine,'' he said. ''We were attacked without warning,'' he added, the words sounding strangely uncertain.

    ''Meaning you had no chance to warn the hapless creature. Pity the pieces of his soul. I, however, am anything but precipitous. Cursed only with a curious nose. What scent is joined with the Trell''s, I wondered, so close to Jaghut blood, yet different? Now that my eyes have given me answer I can resume the Path.''

    ''Do you know where it takes you?'' Mappo asked.

    Messremb stiffened. ''You have seen the gates?''

    ''No. What do you expect to find there?''

    ''Answers, old friend. Now I shall spare you the taste of my veering by putting some distance between us. Do you wish me well, Mappo?''

    ''I do, Messremb. And add a warning: we crossed paths with Ryllandaras four nights ago. Be careful.''

    Something of the savage bear glittered in the Soletaken''s eyes. ''I shall look out for him.''

    Mappo and Icarium watched the man walk away, disappearing behind an outcrop of rock. ''Madness lurked within him,'' Icarium said.

    The Trell flinched at those words. ''Within them all,'' he sighed. ''I''ve yet to find an ascent, by the way. The cave reveals nothing.''

    The sound of shod hooves reached them, slow and plodding. From a trail paralleling the cliff face, a man on a black mule appeared. He sat cross-legged on a high wood saddle, shrouded in a ragged, dirt-stained telaba. His hands, which rested on the ornate saddlehorn, were the colour of rust. A hood hid his features. The mule was a strange-looking beast, its muzzle black, the skin of its ears black, as were its eyes. No lightening of its ebon hue was anywhere visible with the exception of dust and spatters of what might have been dried blood.

    The man swayed on the saddle as they approached. ''No way in,'' he hissed, ''but the way out. It''s not yet the hour. A life given for a life taken, remember those words, remember them. You are wounded. You are bright with infection. My servant will tend to you. A caring man with salty hands, one wrinkled, one pink ¨C do you grasp the significance of that? Not yet. Not yet. So few ... guests. But I have been expecting you.''

    The mule stopped opposite the cleft, swinging a mournful gaze on the two travellers as its rider struggled to pull his legs from their crossed position. Whimpers of pain accompanied the effort, until his frantic attempts overwhelmed his balance and, with a squeal of dismay, the man toppled, thumping into the dust.

    Seeing crimson red bloom through the telaba''s weave, Mappo stepped forward. ''You bear your own wounds, sir!''

    The man writhed on the ground like an upended tortoise, his legs still trapped in their crossed position. His hood fell back, revealing a large hawk nose, tufts of wiry grey beard, a tattooed bald pate and skin like dark honey. A row of perfect white teeth showed in his grimace.

    Mappo knelt beside him, squinting to see signs of the wound that had spilled so much blood. A smell of iron was pungent in the Trell''s nose. After a moment he reached under the man''s cloak and withdrew an unstoppered bladder. Grunting, he glanced over at Icarium. ''Not blood. Paint. Red ochre paint.''

 Page 33

    ''Help me, you oaf!'' the man snapped. ''My legs!''

    Bemused, Mappo helped the man unlock his legs, every move eliciting moans. As soon as they were free the man sat up and started beating his own thighs. ''Servant! Wine! Wine, damn your wood-rotted brain!''

    ''I am not your servant,'' Mappo said coolly, stepping back. ''Nor do I carry wine when crossing a desert.''

    ''Not you, barbarian!'' The man glared about. ''Where is he?''

    ''Who?''

    ''Servant, of course. He thinks carrying me about is his only task ¨C ah, there!''

    Following the man''s gaze, the Trell frowned. ''That is a mule, sir. I doubt he could manage a wineskin well enough to fill a cup.'' Mappo grinned at Icarium, but the Jhag was paying no attention to the proceedings: he had unstrung his bow and now sat on a boulder, cleaning his sword.

    Still sitting on the ground, the man collected a handful of sand and flung it at the mule. Startled, the beast brayed and bolted towards the cleft, disappearing into the cave. With a grunt the man clambered to his feet and stood wobbling, hands held before him plucking at each other in some kind of nervous tic. ''Mostly rude greeting of guests,'' he said, attempting a smile. ''Most. Most rude greeting, was meant. Meaningless apologies and kindly gestures very important. I am so sorry for temporary collapse of hospitality. Oh yes, I am. I would have more practice if I wasn''t the master of this temple. An acolyte is obliged to fawn and scrape. Later to mutter and gripe with his comrades in misery. Ah, here comes Servant.''

    A wide-shouldered, bow-legged man in black robes had emerged from the cave, carrying a tray bearing a jug and clay cups. He wore a servant''s veil over his features, with only a thin slit for his eyes, which were deep brown.

    ''Lazy fool! Did you see any cobwebs?''

    Servant''s accent caught Mappo by surprise. It was Malazan. ''None, Iskaral.''

    ''Call me by my title!''

    ''High Priest¡ª''

    ''Wrong!''

    ''High Priest Iskaral Pust of the Tesem Temple of Shadow¡ª''

    ''Idiot! You are Servant! Which makes me .. .''

    ''Master.''

    ''Indeed.'' Iskaral turned to Mappo. ''We rarely talk,'' he explained.

    Icarium joined them. ''This is Tesem, then. I was led to believe it was a monastery, sanctified to the Queen of Dreams¡ª''

    ''They left,'' Iskaral snapped. ''Took their lanterns with them, leaving only ...''

    ''Shadows.''

    ''Clever Jhag, but I was warned of that, oh yes. You two are sick as undercooked pigs. Servant has prepared your chambers. And broths of healing herbs, roots, potions and elixirs. White Paralt, emulor, tralb¡ª''

    ''Those are poisons,'' Mappo pointed out.

    ''Are they? No wonder the pig died. It''s almost time, shall we prepare to ascend?''

    ''Lead the way,'' Icarium invited.

    ''A life given for a life taken. Follow me. None can outwit Iskaral Pust.'' The High Priest faced the cleft with a fierce squint.

    They waited, for what Mappo had no idea. After a few minutes the Trell cleared his throat. ''Will your acolytes send down a ladder?''

    ''Acolytes? I have no acolytes. No opportunity for tyranny. Very sad, no muttering and grumbling behind my back, few satisfying rewards for this High Priest. If not for my god''s whispering, I wouldn''t bother, be assured of that, and I trust you will take that into account with all I have done and am about to do.''

    ''I see movement in the fissure,'' Icarium said.

    Iskaral grunted. ''Bhok''arala, they nest on this cliffside. Foul mewling beasts, always interfering, sniffing at this and that, pissing on the altar, defecating on my pillow. They are my plague, they have singled me out, and why? I''ve not skinned a single one, nor cooked their brains to scoop out of their skulls in civilized repast. No snares, no traps, no poison, yet still they pursue me. There is no answer to this. I despair.''

    As the sun sank further the bhok''arala grew bolder, flapping from perch to perch high on the cliff wall, scampering with their hands and feet along cracks in the stone, seeking the rhizan as the small flying lizards emerged for their night-feeding. Small and simian, the bhok''arala were winged like bats, tailless with hides mottled tan and brown. Apart from long canines, their faces were remarkably human.

    From the tower''s lone window a knotted rope tumbled down. A tiny round head poked out to peer down at them.

    ''Of course,'' Iskaral added, ''a few of them have proved useful.''

    Mappo sighed. He''d been hoping for some sorcerous means of ascent to appear, something worthy of a High Priest of Shadow. ''So now we climb.''

 Page 34

    ''Most certainly not,'' Iskaral replied with indignation. ''Servant climbs, then pulls us up.''

    ''He would be a man of formidable strength to manage me,'' the Trell said. ''And Icarium, too.''

    Servant set down the tray he had been holding, spat on his hands and walked over to the rope. He launched himself upward with surprising agility. Iskaral crouched by the tray and poured wine into the three cups.

    ''Servant''s half bhokar''al. Long arms. Muscles like iron. Makes friends with them, probable source of all my ills.'' Iskaral collected a cup for himself and gestured down at the tray as he straightened. ''Fortunate for Servant I am such a gentle and patient master.'' He swung to check on the man''s climb. ''Hurry, you snub-tailed dog!''

    Servant had already reached the window and was now clambering through it and out of sight.

    ''Ammanas''s gift, is Servant. A life given for a life taken. One hand old, one hand new. This is true remorse. You''ll see.''

    The rope twitched. The High Priest quaffed down the last of his wine, flung the cup away and scrambled towards the rope. ''Too long exposed! Vulnerable. Quickly now!'' He wrapped his hands around a knot, set his feet atop another. ''Pull! Are you deaf? Pull!''

    Iskaral shot upward.

    ''Pulleys,'' Icarium said. ''Too fast to be otherwise.''

    The pain returning to his shoulders, Mappo winced, then said, ''Not what you were expecting, I take it.''

    ''Tesem,'' Icarium said, watching the priest vanish through the window. ''A place of healing. Solitary reflection, repository of scrolls and tomes, and insatiable nuns...''

    ''Insatiable?''

    The Jhag glanced at his friend, an eyebrow rising. ''Indeed.''

    ''Oh, sad demise.''

    ''Very.''

    ''In this instance,'' Mappo said as the rope tumbled back down, ''I think solitary reflection has addled a brain. Battling wits with bhok''arala and the whisperings of a god most hold as himself insane...''

    ''Yet there is power here, Mappo,'' Icarium said in a low voice.

    ''Aye,'' the Trell agreed as he approached the rope. ''A warren opened in the cave when the mule entered.''

    ''Then why does the High Priest not use it?''

    ''I doubt we''ll find easy answers to Iskaral Pust, friend.''

    ''Best hold tight, Mappo.''

    ''Aye.''

    Icarium reached out suddenly, rested a hand on Mappo''s shoulder. ''Friend.''

    ''Aye?''

    The Jhag was frowning. ''I am missing an arrow, Mappo. More, there is blood on my sword, and I see upon you dreadful wounds. Tell me, did we fight? I recall... nothing.''

    The Trell was silent a long moment, then he said, ''I was beset by a leopard while you slept, Icarium. Made some use of your weapons. I did not think it worthy of mention.''

    Icarium''s frown deepened. ''Once again,'' he slowly whispered, ''I have lost time.''

    ''Nothing of worth, friend.''

    ''You would tell me otherwise?'' There was a look of desperate pleading in the Jhag''s grey eyes.

    ''Why would I not, Icarium?''

    CHAPTER THREE

    The Red Blades were, at this time, pre-eminent among those pro-Malazan organizations that arose in occupied territories. Viewing themselves as progressive in their embrace of the values of imperial unification, this quasi-military cult became infamous with their brutal pragmatism when dealing with dissenting kin ...

    Lives of the Conquered

    Hem Trauth

    Felisin lay unmoving beneath Beneth until, with a final shudder, he was done. He pushed himself off and grabbed a handful of her hair. His face was flushed under the grime and his eyes gleamed in the lamp glow. ''You''ll learn to like it, girl,'' he said.

    The edge of something savage always rose closer to the surface immediately after he''d lain with her. She knew it would pass. ''I will,'' she said. ''Does he get a day of rest?''

    Beneth''s grip tightened momentarily, then relaxed. ''Aye, he does.'' He moved away, began tying up his breeches. ''Though I don''t much see the point. The old man won''t last another month.'' He paused, his breath harsh as he studied her. ''Hood''s breath, girl, but you''re beautiful. Show me some life next time. I''ll treat you right. Get you soap, a new comb, lousebane. You''ll work here in Twistings, that''s a promise. Show pleasure, girl, that''s all I ask.''

    ''Soon,'' she said. ''Once it stops hurting.''

    The day''s eleventh bell had sounded. They were in the third reach off Twistings Far shaft. The reach had been gouged out by the Rotlegs and was barely high enough to crawl for most of its quarter-mile length. The air was close and stank of Otataral dust and sweating rock.

 Page 35

    Virtually everyone else would have reached Nearlight by now, but Beneth moved in Captain Sawark''s shadow and could do as he pleased. He had claimed the abandoned reach as his own. It was Felisin''s third visit. The first time had been the hardest. Beneth had picked her within hours of her arrival at Skullcup, the mining camp in the Dosin Pit. He was a big man, bigger than Baudin and though a slave himself he was master of every other slave, the guards'' inside man, cruel and dangerous. He was also astonishingly handsome.

    Felisin had learned fast on the slave ship. She had nothing but her body to sell, but it had proved a valuable currency. Giving herself to the ship guards had been repaid with more food for herself, Heboric and Baudin. By opening her legs to the right men she had managed to get herself and her two companions chained on the keel ramp rather than in the sewage-filled water that sloshed shin-deep beneath the hold''s walkway. Others had rotted in that water. Some had drowned when starvation and sickness so weakened them that they could not stay above it.

    Heboric''s grief and anger at the price she paid had at first been difficult to ignore, filling her with shame. But it had paid for their lives, and that was a truth that could not be questioned. Baudin''s only reaction had been ¨C and continued to be ¨C a regard without expression. He watched her as would a stranger unable to decide who or what she was. Yet he had held to her side, and now stood close to Beneth as well. Some kind of arrangement had been made between them. When Beneth was not there to protect her, Baudin was.

    On the ship she had learned well the tastes of men, as well as those of the few women guards who''d taken her to their bunks. She''d thought she''d be prepared for Beneth, and in most ways she was. Everything but his size.

    Wincing, Felisin pulled on her slave tunic.

    Beneth watched her, his high cheekbones harsh ridges beneath his eyes, his long, curly black hair glistening with whale oil. ''I''ll give the old man Deepsoil if you like,'' he said.

    ''You''d do that?''

    He nodded. ''For you I''ll change things. I won''t take any other woman. I''m king of Skullcup, you''ll be my queen. Baudin will be your personal guard ¨C I trust him.''

    ''And Heboric?''

    Beneth shrugged. ''Him I don''t trust. And he''s not much use. Pulling the carts is about all he can do. The carts, or a plough at Deepsoil.'' His gaze flickered at her. ''But he''s your friend, so I''ll find something for him.''

    Felisin dragged her fingers through her hair. ''It''s the carts that are killing him. If you''ve sent him to Deepsoil just to pull a plough, it''s not much of a favour¡ª''

    Beneth''s scowl made her wonder if she''d pushed too far. ''You''ve never pulled a cart full of stone, girl. Pulled one of those up through half a league of tunnels, then going back down and pulling another one, three, four times a day. Compare that to dragging a plough through soft, broken soil? Dammit, girl, if I''m to move the man off the carts, I''ve got to justify it. Everyone works in Skullcup.''

    ''That''s not the whole story, is it?''

    He turned his back on her in answer, and began crawling up the reach. ''I''ve Kanese wine awaiting us, and fresh bread and cheese. Bula''s made a stew for the guards and we''ve got a bowl each.''

    Felisin followed. The thought of food made her mouth water. If there was enough cheese and bread she could save some for Heboric, though he insisted that it was fruit and meat that was needed. But both were worth their weight in gold, and just as rare in Skullcup. He''d be grateful enough for what she brought him, she knew.

    It was clear that Sawark had received orders to see the historian dead. Nothing so overt as murder ¨C the political risks were too great for that ¨C rather, the slow, wasting death of poor diet and overwork. That he had no hands gave the Pit Captain sufficient reason to assign Heboric to the carts. Daily he struggled at his harness, hauling hundreds of pounds of broken rock up the Deep Mine to the shaft''s Nearlight. In every other harness was an ox. The beasts each hauled three carts, while Heboric pulled but one: the only acknowledgement the guards made to his humanity.

    Beneth was aware of Sawark''s instructions, Felisin was certain of that. The ''king'' of Skullcup had limits to his power, for all his claims otherwise.

    Once they reached the main shaft, it was four hundred paces to Twistings'' Nearlight. Unlike Deep Mine, with its thick, rich and straight vein of Otataral running far under the hills, Twistings followed a folded vein, rising and diving, buckling and turning through the limestone.

    Unlike the iron mines on the mainland, Otataral never ran down into true bedrock. Found only in limestone, the veins ran shallow and long, like rivers of rust between compacted beds filled with fossil plants and shellfish.

 Page 36

    Limestone is just the bones of things once living, Heboric had said their second night in the hovel they''d claimed off Spit Row ¨C before Beneth had moved them to the more privileged neighbourhood behind Bula''s Inn. I''d read that theory before and am now myself convinced. So now I''m led to believe that Otataral is not a natural ore.

    That''s important? Baudin had asked.

    If not natural, then what? Heboric grinned. Otataral, the bane of magic, was born of magic. If I was less scrupulous a scholar, I''d write a treatise on that.

    What do you mean? Felisin asked.

    He means, Baudin said, he''d be inviting alchemists and mages to experiment in making their own Otataral.

    Is that a problem?

    Those veins we dig, Heboric explained, they''re like a layer of once melted fat, a deep river of it sandwiched between layers of limestone. This whole island had to melt to make those veins. Whatever sorcery created Otataral proved beyond controlling. I would not want to be responsible for unleashing such an event all over again.

    A single Malazan guard waited at Nearlight''s gate. Beyond him stretched the raised road that led into the pit town. At the far end, the sun was just setting beyond the pit''s ridge line, leaving Skullcup in its early shadow, a pocket of gloom that brought blessed relief from the day''s heat.

    The guard was young, resting his vambraced forearms on the cross blades of his pike.

    Beneth grunted. ''Where''s your mate, Pella?''

    ''The Dosii pig wandered off, Beneth. Maybe you can tune Sawark''s ear ¨C Hood knows he''s not hearing us. The Dosii regulars have lost all discipline. They ignore the duty rosters, spend all their time tossing coins at Bula''s. There''s seventy-five of us and over two hundred of them, Beneth, and all this talk of rebellion ... explain it to Sawark¡ª''

    ''You don''t know your history,'' Beneth said. ''The Dosii have been on their knees for three hundred years. They don''t know any other way to live. First it was mainlanders, then Falari colonists, now you Malazans. Calm yourself, boy, before you lose face.''

    ''¡°History comforts the dull-witted,¡±'' the young Malazan said.

    Beneth barked a laugh as he reached the gate. ''And whose words are those, Pella? Not yours.''

    The guard''s brows rose, then he shrugged. ''I forget you''re Korelri sometimes, Beneth. Those words? Emperor Kellanved.'' Pella''s gaze slid to Felisin with a hint of sharpness. ''Duiker''s Imperial Campaigns, Volume One. You''re Malazan, Felisin, do you recall what comes next?''

    She shook her head, bemused by the young man''s veiled intensity. I''ve learned to read faces ¨C Beneth senses nothing. ''I''m not that familiar with Duiker''s works, Pella.''

    ''Worth learning,'' the guard said with a smile.

    Sensing Beneth''s growing impatience at the gate, Felisin stepped past Pella. ''I doubt there''s a single scroll in Skullcup,'' she said.

    ''Maybe you''ll find someone''s memory worth dragging a net through, eh?''

    Felisin glanced back with a frown.

    ''The boy flirting with you?'' Beneth asked from the ramp. ''Be gentle, girl.''

    ''I''ll think on that,'' Felisin told Pella in a low voice before resuming her walk through the Twistings Gate. Joining Beneth on the raised road, she smiled up at him. ''I don''t like nervous types.''

    He laughed. ''That puts me at ease.''

    Blessed Queen of Dreams, make that true.

    Rubble-filled pits lined the raised road until it joined the other two roads at the Three Fates crossing, a broad fork that was flanked by two squat Dosii guardhouses. North of Twistings Road, and on their right as they approached the forks, was Deep Mine Road; to the south and on their left ran Shaft Road, leading to a worked-out mine where the dead were disposed of each dusk.

    The body wagon was nowhere to be seen, meaning it had been held up on its route through the pit town, with more than the usual number of bodies being brought out and tossed onto its bed.

    They crossed the fork and continued on to Work Road. Past the north Dosii guardhouse was Sinker Lake, a deep pool of turquoise-coloured water stretching all the way to the north pit wall. It was said the water was cursed and to dive into it was to disappear. Some believed a demon lived in its depths. Heboric asserted that the lack of buoyancy was a quality of the lime-saturated water itself. In any case, few slaves were foolish enough to try an escape in that direction, for the pit wall was as sheer on the north side as it was on the others, forever weeping water over a skin of deposits that glimmered like wet, polished bone.

    Heboric had asked Felisin to keep an eye on Sinker Lake''s water level in any case, now that the dry season had come, and as they walked Work Road, she studied the far side as best she could in the dim light. A line of crust was visible a hand''s span above the surface. The news would please him, though she had no idea why. The notion of escape was absurd. Beyond the pit was lifeless desert and withered rock, with no drinkable water in any direction for days. Those slaves who somehow made it up to the pit edge, and then eluded the patrols on Beetle Road, the track that surrounded the pit, had left their bones in the desert''s red sands. Few got that far, and the spikes named Salvation Row on the sheer wall of the Tower at Rust Ramp displayed their failure for all to see. Not a week went past without a new victim appearing on the Tower wall. Most died before the first day was through, but some lingered longer.

 Page 37

    Work Road ran its worn cobbles past Bula''s Inn on the right and the row of brothels on the left before opening out into Rathole Round. In the round''s centre rose Sawark''s Keep, a hexagonal tower of cut limestone three storeys high. Only Beneth among all the slaves had ever been inside.

    Twelve thousand slaves lived in Skullcup, the vast mining pit thirty leagues north of the island''s lone city on the south coast, Dosin Pali. In addition to them and the three hundred guards there were locals: prostitutes for the brothels, serving staff for Bula''s Inn and the gambling halls, a caste of servants who had bound their lives and the lives of their families to the Malazan soldiery, hawkers for the struggling market that filled Rathole Round on Rest Day, and a scattering of the banished, the destitute and the lost who''d chosen a pit town over the rotting alleyways of Dosin Pali.

    ''The stew will be cold,'' Beneth muttered as they approached Bula''s Inn.

    Felisin wiped sweat from her brow. ''That will be a relief.''

    ''You''re not yet used to the heat. In a month or two you''ll feel the chill of night just like everyone else.''

    ''These early hours still hold the day''s memory. I feel the cold of midnight and the hours beyond, Beneth.''

    ''Move in with me, girl. I''ll keep you warm enough.''

    He was already on the edge of one of his sudden dark moods. She said nothing, hoping he would let it go for the moment.

    ''Be careful of what you refuse,'' Beneth rumbled.

    ''Bula would take me to her bed,'' she said. ''You could watch, perhaps join in. She''d be sure to warm the bowls for us. Even second helpings.''

    ''She''s old enough to be your mother,'' Beneth growled.

    And you my father. But she heard his breathing change. ''She''s round and soft and warm, Beneth. Think on that.''

    She knew he would, and the subject of moving in with him would drift away. For this night, at least. Heboric''s wrong. There''s no point in thinking about tomorrow. ]ust the next hour, each hour. Stay alive, Felisin, and live well if you can. One day you''ll find yourself face to face with your sister, and an ocean of blood pouring from Tavore''s veins won''t be enough, though all they hold will suffice. Stay alive, girl, that''s all you must do. Survive each hour, the next hour . . .

    She slipped her hand into Beneth''s as they reached the inn''s door, and felt in it the sweat born of the visions she had given him.

    One day, face to face, sister.

    Heboric was still awake, bundled in blankets and crouched beside the hearthfire. He glanced up as Felisin climbed into the room and locked the floor hatch. She collected a sheepskin wrap from a chest and pulled it around her shoulders.

    ''Would you have me believe you''ve come to enjoy the life you''ve chosen, girl? Nights like these and I wonder.''

    ''I thought you''d be tired of judgements by now, Heboric,'' Felisin said as she collected a wineskin from a peg and picked through a pile of gourd shells seeking a clean one. ''I take it Baudin''s not back yet. Seems even the minor chore of cleaning our cups is beyond him.'' She found one that would pass without too close an inspection and squeezed wine into it.

    ''That will dry you out,'' Heboric observed. ''Not your first of the night either, I''d wager.''

    ''Don''t father me, old man.''

    The tattooed man sighed. ''Hood take your sister anyway,'' he muttered. ''She wasn''t satisfied with seeing you dead. She''d rather turn her fourteen-year-old sister into a whore. If Fener has heard my prayers, Tavore''s fate will exceed her crimes.''

    Felisin drained half the cup, her eyes veiled as she studied Heboric. ''I entered my sixteenth year last month,'' she said.

    His eyes looked suddenly very old as he met her gaze for a moment before returning his attention to the hearth.

    Felisin refilled the cup, then joined Heboric at the square, raised fireplace. The burning dung in the groundstone basin was almost smokeless. The pedestal the basin sat on was glazed and filled with water. Kept hot by the fire, the water was used for washing and bathing, while the pedestal radiated enough heat to keep the night''s chill from the single room. Fragments of Dosii spun rug and reed mats cushioned the floorboards. The entire dwelling was raised on stilts five feet above the sands.

    Sitting down on a low wooden stool, Felisin pushed her chilled feet close to the pedestal. ''I saw you at the carts today,'' she said, her words slightly slurred. ''Gunnip walked beside you with a switch.''

    Heboric grunted. ''That amused them all day, Gunnip telling his guards he was swatting flies.''

    ''Did he break skin?''

 Page 38

    ''Aye, but Fener''s tracks heal me well, you know that.''

    ''The wounds, yes, but not the pain ¨C I can see, Heboric''

    His glance was wry. ''Surprised you can see anything, lass. Is that durhang I smell, too? Careful with that, the smoke will pull you into a deeper and darker shaft than Deep Mine could ever reach.''

    Felisin held out a pebble-sized black button. ''I deal with my pain, you deal with yours.''

    He shook his head. ''I appreciate the offer, but not this time. You hold there in your hand a month''s pay for a Dosii guard. I''d advise you to use it in trade.''

    She shrugged, returning the durhang to the pouch at her belt. ''I''ve nothing I need that Beneth won''t give me already. All I need do is ask.''

    ''And you imagine he gives it to you freely.''

    She drank. ''As good as. You''re being moved, Heboric. To Deepsoil. Starting tomorrow. No more Gunnip and his switch.''

    He closed his eyes. ''Why does thanking you leave such a bitter taste in my mouth?''

    ''My wine-soaked brain whispers hypocrisy.''

    She watched the colour leave his face. Oh, Felisin, too much durhang, too much wine! Do I only do good for Heboric to give me salt for his wounds? I''ve no wish to be so cruel. She withdrew from beneath her tunic the food she had saved for him, leaned forward and placed the small wrapped bundle in his lap. ''Sinker Lake has dropped another hand''s width.''

    He said nothing, eyes on the stumps at the ends of his wrists.

    Felisin frowned. There was something else she wanted to tell him, but her memory failed her. She finished the wine and straightened, running both hands back through her hair. Her scalp felt numb. She paused, seeing Heboric surreptitiously glance at her breasts, round and full under the stretched tunic. She held the pose a moment longer than was necessary, then slowly lowered her arms. ''Bula has fantasies of you,'' she said slowly. ''It''s the .. . possibilities ... that intrigue her. It would do you some good, Heboric''

    He spun away off the stool, the untouched food bundle falling to the floor. ''Hood''s breath, girl!''

    She laughed, watching him sweep aside the hanging that separated his cot from the rest of the room, then clumsily yank it back behind him. After a moment her laughter fell away, and she listened to the old man climb onto his cot. I''d hoped to make you smile, Heboric, she wanted to explain. And I didn''t want my laughter to sound so . . . hard. I''m not what you think I am.

    Am I?

    She retrieved the wrapped food and placed it on the shelf above the basin.

    An hour later, with Felisin lying awake on her cot and Heboric on his, Baudin returned. He stoked up the hearth, moving about quietly. Not drunk. She wondered where he''d been. She wondered where he went every night. It would not be worth asking him. Baudin had few words for anyone, and even fewer for her.

    After a moment she was forced to reconsider, as she heard the man flick a finger against Heboric''s divider. He responded promptly with low words she could not make out, and Baudin whispered something back. The conversation continued a minute longer, then Baudin softly grunted his laugh-grunt and moved off to his own bed.

    The two were planning something, but it was not this that shook her. It was that she was being excluded. A flash of anger followed this realization. I''ve kept them alive! I''ve made their lives easier ¨C since the transport ship! Bula''s right, every man''s a bastard, good enough only to be used. Very well, see for yourselves what Skullcup is for everyone else, I''m done with favours. I''ll see you back on the carts, old man, I swear it. She found herself fighting tears, and knew she would do nothing of the sort. She needed Beneth, that was true enough, and she''d pay to keep him. But she needed Heboric and Baudin as well, and a part of her clung to them as a child to parents, denying the hardness that everywhere else filled her world. To lose that ¨C to lose them ¨C would be to lose ... everything.

    Clearly, they thought that she''d sell their trust as readily as she did her own body, but it wasn''t true. I swear it''s not true.

    Felisin stared up into the darkness, tears streaming from her eyes. I''m alone. There''s just Beneth now. Beneth and his wine and his durhang and his body. She still ached between her legs from when Beneth had finally joined her and Bula on the innkeeper''s huge bed.

    It was, she told herself, simply a matter of will to turn pain into pleasure.

    Survive each hour.

    The quayside market had begun drawing the morning crowds, reinforcing the illusion that this day was no different from any other. Chilled with a fear that even the rising sun could not master, Duiker sat cross-legged on the sea wall, his gaze travelling out over the bay into Sahul Sea, willing the return of Admiral Nok and the fleet.

 Page 39

    But those were orders even Coltaine could not countermand. The Wickan had no authority over the Malazan warships, and Pormqual''s recall had seen the Sahul Fleet depart Hissar''s harbour this very morning for the month-long journey to Aren.

    For all the pretence of normality, the departure had not gone unnoticed by Hissar''s citizens, and the morning market was increasingly shrill with laughter and excited voices. The oppressed had won their first victory, and all that would distinguish it from those to follow was its bloodlessness. Or so ran the sentiment.

    The only consolation Duiker could consider was that the Jhistal High Priest Mallick Rel had departed with the fleet. It was not a difficult thing, however, to imagine the report the man would prepare for Pormqual.

    A Malazan sail in the strait caught his eye, a small transport coming in from the northeast. Dosin Pali on the island, perhaps, or from farther up the coast. It would be an unscheduled arrival, making Duiker curious.

    He felt a presence at his side and glanced over to see Kulp clambering up onto the wide, low wall, dangling his legs down to the cloudy water ten paces below. ''It''s done,'' he said, as if the admission amounted to a confession of foul murder. ''Word has been sent in. Assuming your friend is still alive, he''ll receive his instructions.''

    ''Thank you, Kulp.''

    The mage shifted uneasily. He rubbed at his face, squinting at the transport ship as it entered the harbour. A patrol dory approached the craft as the crew struck the lone sail. Two men in glinting armour stood on deck, watching as the dory came alongside.

    One of the armoured men leaned over the gunwale and addressed the harbour official. A moment later the dory''s oarsmen were swinging the craft around with obvious haste.

    Duiker grunted. ''Did you see that?''

    ''Aye,'' Kulp growled.

    The transport glided towards the Imperial Pier, pushed along by a low bank of oars that had appeared close to the hull''s waterline. A moment later the pier-side oars withdrew back into the ship. Dockmen scrambled to receive the cast lines. A broad gangplank was being readied and horses were now visible on the deck.

    ''Red Blades,'' Duiker said as more armoured men appeared on the transport, standing alongside their mounts.

    ''From Dosin Pali,'' Kulp said. ''I recognize the first two: Baria Setral and his brother Mesker. They have another brother, Orto. He commands the Aren Company.''

    ''The Red Blades,'' the historian mused. ''They''ve no illusions about the state of affairs. Word''s come they are attempting to assert control in other cities, and here we are to witness a doubling of their presence in Hissar.''

    ''I wonder if Coltaine knows.''

    A new tension filled the market; heads had turned and eyes now observed as Baria and Mesker led their troops onto the pier. The Red Blades were equipped and presented for war. They bristled with weapons, with full chain leggings and the slitted visors on their helms lowered. Bows were strung, arrows loosened in their quivers. The horse-blades were unsheathed and jutting from their mounts'' forelegs.

    Kulp spat nervously. ''Don''t like the look of this,'' he muttered.

    ''It looks as if¡ª''

    ''They intend to attack the market,'' Kulp said. ''This isn''t just for show, Duiker. Fener''s hoof!''

    The historian glanced at Kulp, his mouth dry. ''You''ve opened your warren.''

    Not replying, the mage slid off the sea wall, eyes on the Red Blades who were now mounted and lining up at pier''s end, facing five hundred citizens who had fallen silent and were now backing away, filling the aisles between the carts and awnings. The contraction of the crowd would trigger panic, which was precisely what the Red Blades intended.

    Lances dangling from loops of rawhide around their wrists, the Red Blades nocked arrows, the horses quivering under them but otherwise motionless.

    The crowd seemed to shiver in places, as if the ground was shifting beneath it. Duiker saw figures moving, not away, but towards the facing line.

    Kulp took half a dozen steps towards the Red Blades.

    The figures pushed through the last of the crowd, pulling away their telaba cloaks and hoods, revealing leather armour with stitched black iron scales. Long-knives flashed in gloved hands. Dark eyes in tanned, tattooed Wickan faces held cold and firm on Baria and Mesker Setral and their warriors.

    Ten Wickans now faced the forty-odd Red Blades, the crowd behind them as silent and as motionless as statues.

    ''Stand aside!'' Baria bellowed, his face dark with fury. ''Or die!''

    The Wickans laughed with fearless derision.

    Pushing himself forward, Duiker followed Kulp as the mage strode hurriedly towards the Red Blades.

 Page 40

    Mesker snapped out a curse upon seeing Kulp approach. His brother glanced over, scowling.

    ''Don''t be a fool, Baria!'' the mage hissed.

    The commander''s eyes narrowed. ''Fling magic at me and I''ll cut you down,'' he said.

    Now at closer range, Duiker saw the Otataral links interwoven in Baria''s chain armour.

    ''We shall cut this handful of barbarians down,'' Mesker growled, ''then properly announce our arrival in Hissar ... with the blood of traitors.''

    ''And five thousand Wickans will avenge the deaths of their kin,'' Kulp said. ''And not with quick sword strokes. No, you''ll be hung still alive from the sea-wall spikes. For the seagulls to play with. Coltaine''s not yet your enemy, Baria. Sheathe your weapons and report to the new Fist, Commander. To do otherwise will be to sacrifice your life and the lives of your soldiers.''

    ''You ignore me,'' Mesker said. ''Baria is not my keeper, Mage.''

    Kulp sneered. ''Be silent, pup. Where Baria leads, Mesker follows, or will you now cross blades with your brother?''

    ''Enough, Mesker,'' Baria rumbled.

    His brother''s tulwar rasped from its scabbard. ''You dare command me!''

    The Wickans shouted encouragement. A few brave souls in the crowd behind them laughed.

    Mesker''s face was sickly with rage.

    Baria sighed. ''Brother, this is not the time.''

    A mounted troop of Hissar Guard appeared above the heads of the crowd, pushing along the aisles between the market stalls. A chorus of hoots sounded to their left and Duiker and the others turned to see three score Wickan bowmen with arrows nocked and bows drawn on the Red Blades.

    Baria slowly raised his left hand, making a twisting gesture. His warriors lowered their own weapons.

    Snarling with disgust, Mesker slammed his tulwar back into its wooden scabbard.

    ''Your escort has arrived,'' Kulp said dryly. ''It seems the Fist has been expecting you.''

    Duiker stood at the mage''s side and watched as Baria led the Red Blades forward to meet the Hissari troop. The historian shook himself. ''Hood''s breath, Kulp, that was a chancy cast of the knuckles!''

    The man grunted. ''You can always count on Mesker Setral,'' he said. ''As brainless as a cat and just as easy to distract. For a moment there I was hoping Baria would accept the challenge ¨C whatever the outcome, there''d be one less Setral, and that''s an opportunity missed.''

    ''Those disguised Wickans,'' Duiker said, ''were not part of any official welcome. Coltaine had infiltrated the market.''

    ''A cunning dog, is Coltaine.''

    Duiker shook his head. ''They''ve shown themselves now.''

    ''Aye, and showed as well they were ready to lay down their lives to protect the citizens of Hissar.''

    ''Had Coltaine been here, I doubt he would have ordered those warriors forward, Kulp. Those Wickans were eager for a fight. Defending the market mob had nothing to do with it.''

    The mage rubbed his face. ''Best hope the Hissari believe otherwise.''

    ''Come,'' Duiker said, ''let us take wine ¨C I know a place in Imperial Square, and on the way you can tell me how the Seventh has warmed to their new Fist.''

    Kulp barked a laugh as they began walking. ''Respect maybe, but no warmth. He''s completely changed the drills. We''ve done one battlefield formation since he arrived, and that was the day he took command.''

    Duiker frowned. ''I''d heard that he was working the soldiers to exhaustion, that he didn''t even need to enforce the curfew since everyone was so eager for sleep and the barracks were silent as tombs by the eighth bell. If not practising wheels and turtles and shield-walls, then what?''

    ''The ruined monastery on the hill south of the city ¨C you know the one? Just foundations left except for the central temple, but the chest-high walls cover the entire hilltop like a small city. The sappers have built them up, roofed some of them over. It was a maze of alleys and cul-de-sacs to begin with, but Coltaine had the sappers turn it into a nightmare. I''d wager there''s soldiers still wandering around lost in there. The Wickan has us there every afternoon, mock battles, street control, assaulting buildings, break-out tactics, retrieving wounded. Coltaine''s warriors act the part of rioting mobs and looters, and I tell you, historian, they were born to it.'' He paused for breath. ''Every day... we bake under the sun on that bone-bleached hill, broken down to squad level, each squad assigned impossible objectives.'' He grimaced. ''Under this new Fist, each soldier of the Seventh has died a dozen times or more in mock battle. Corporal List has been killed in every exercise so far, the poor boy''s Hood-addled, and through it all those Wickan savages hoot and howl.''

 Page 41

    Duiker said nothing as they continued on their way to Imperial Square. When they entered the Malazan Quarter, the historian finally spoke. ''Something of a rivalry, then, between the Seventh and the Wickan Regiment.''

    ''Oh, aye, that tactic''s obvious enough, but it''s going too far, I think. We''ll see in a few days'' time, when we start getting Wickan Lancer support. There''ll be double-crossing, mark my words.''

    They strode into the square. ''And you?'' Duiker asked. ''What task has Coltaine given the Seventh''s last cadre mage?''

    ''Folly. I conjure illusions all day until my skull''s ready to burst.''

    ''Illusions? In the mock battles?''

    ''Aye, and it''s what makes the objectives so impossible. Believe me, there''s been more than one curse thrown my way, Duiker. More than one.''

    ''What do you conjure, dragons?''

    ''I wish. I create Malazan refugees, historian. By the hundred. A thousand weighted scarecrows for the soldiers to drag around aren''t sufficient for Coltaine, the ones he has me create flee the wrong way, or refuse to leave their homes, or drag furniture and other possessions. Coltaine''s orders ¨C my refugees create chaos, and so far cost more lives than any other element in the exercises. I''m not a popular man, Duiker.''

    ''What of Sormo E''nath?'' the historian asked, his mouth suddenly dry.

    ''The warlock? Nowhere to be seen.''

    Duiker nodded to himself. He''d already guessed Kulp''s answer to that question. You''re busy reading the stones in the sand, Sormo. Aren''t you? While Coltaine hammers the Seventh into shape as guardians to Malazan refugees. ''Mage,'' he said.

    ''Aye?''

    ''Dying a dozen times in mock battle is nothing. When it''s for real you die but once. Push the Seventh, Kulp. Any way you can. Show Coltaine what the Seventh''s capable of ¨C talk it over with the squad leaders. Tonight. Come tomorrow, win your objectives, and I''ll talk to Coltaine about a day of rest. Show him, and he''ll give it.''

    ''What makes you so certain?''

    Because time''s running out and he needs you. He needs you sharp. ''Win your objectives. Leave the Fist to me.''

    ''Very well, I''ll see what I can do.''

    Corporal List died within the first few minutes of the mock engagement. Bult, commanding a howling mob of Wickans rampaging down the ruin''s main avenue, had personally clouted the hapless Malazan on the side of his head, hard enough to leave the boy sprawled unconscious in the dust. The veteran warrior had then thrown List over one shoulder and carried him from the battle.

    Grinning, Bult jogged up the dusty track to the rise from which the new Fist and a few of his officers observed the engagement, and dropped the corporal into the dust at Coltaine''s feet. Duiker sighed.

    Coltaine glanced around. ''Healer! Attend the boy!''

    One of the Seventh''s cutters appeared, crouching at the corporal''s side.

    Coltaine''s slitted eyes found Duiker. ''I see no change in this day''s proceedings, Historian.''

    ''It is early yet, Fist.''

    The Wickan grunted, returning his attention to the dust-filled ruins. Soldiers were emerging from the chaos, fighters from the Seventh and Wickans, staggering with minor wounds and broken limbs.

    Readying his cudgel, Bult scowled. ''You spoke too soon, Coltaine,'' he said. ''This one''s different.''

    There were, Duiker saw, more Wickans among the victims than soldiers of the Seventh, and the ratio was widening with every passing moment. Somewhere in the chaotic clouds of dust, the tide had turned.

    Coltaine called for his horse. He swung himself into the saddle and shot Bult a glare. ''Stay here, Uncle. Where are my Lancers?'' He waited impatiently as forty horsemen rode onto the rise. Their lances were blunted with bundled strips of leather. For all that, Duiker knew, anything more than a glancing blow from them was likely to break bones.

    Coltaine led them at a canter towards the ruins.

    Bult spat dust. ''It''s about time,'' he said.

    ''What is?'' Duiker asked.

    ''The Seventh''s finally earned Lancer support. It''s been a week overdue, Historian. Coltaine had expected a toughening, but all we got was a wilting. Who''s given them new spines, then? You? Careful or Coltaine''ll make you a captain.''

    ''As much as I''d like to take credit,'' Duiker said, ''this is the work of Kulp and the squad sergeants.''

    ''Kulp''s making things easier, then? No wonder they''ve turned the battle.''

    The historian shook his head. ''Kulp follows Coltaine''s orders, Bult. If you''re looking for a reason to explain your Wickans'' defeat, you''ll have to look elsewhere. You might start with the Seventh showing their true mettle.''

 Page 42

    ''Perhaps I shall,'' the veteran mused, a glint in his small dark eyes.

    ''The Fist called you Uncle.''

    ''Aye.''

    ''Well? Are you?''

    ''Am I what?''

    Duiker gave up. He was coming to understand the Wickan sense of humour. No doubt there would be another half a dozen or so brisk exchanges before Bult finally relented with an answer. I could play it through. Or I could let the bastard wait. . . wait for ever, in fact.

    From the dust clouds a score of refugees appeared, wavering strangely as they walked, each of them burdened with impossible possessions ¨C massive dressers, chests, larder-packed cupboards, candlesticks and antique armour. Flanking the mob in a protective cordon were soldiers of the Seventh, laughing and shouting and beating swords on shields as they made good their withdrawal.

    Bult barked a laugh. ''My compliments to Kulp when you see him, Historian.''

    ''The Seventh''s earned a day of rest,'' Duiker said.

    The Wickan raised his hairless brows. ''For one victory?''

    ''They need to savour it, Commander. Besides, the healers will be busy enough mending bones ¨C you don''t want them with exhausted warrens at the wrong time.''

    ''And the wrong time is soon, is it?''

    ''I am sure,'' Duiker said slowly, ''Sormo E''nath would agree with me.''

    Bult spat again. ''My nephew approaches.''

    Coltaine and his Lancers had appeared, providing cover for the soldiers, many of whom dragged or carried the scarecrow refugees. The sheer numbers made it clear that victory for the Seventh had been absolute.

    ''Is that a smile on Coltaine''s face?'' Duiker asked. ''Just for a moment, I thought I saw ...''

    ''Mistaken, no doubt,'' Bult growled, but Duiker was coming to know these Wickans, and he detected a hint of humour in the veteran''s voice. After a moment Bult continued, ''Take word to the Seventh, Historian. They''ve earned their day.''

    Fiddler sat in darkness. The overgrown garden had closed in around the well and its crescent-shaped stone bench. Above the sapper only a small patch of starlit sky was visible. There was no moon. After a moment he cocked his head. ''You move quietly, lad, I''ll give you that.''

    Crokus hesitated behind Fiddler, then joined him on the bench. ''Guess you never expected him to pull rank on you like that,'' the young man said.

    ''Is that what it was?''

    ''That''s what it seemed like.''

    Fiddler made no reply. The occasional rhizan flitted through the clearing in pursuit of the capemoths hovering above the well-mouth. The cool night air was rank with rotting refuse from beyond the back wall.

    ''She''s upset,'' Crokus said.

    The sapper shook his head. Upset. ''It was an argument, we weren''t torturing prisoners.''

    ''Apsalar doesn''t remember any of that.''

    ''I do, lad, and those are hard memories to shake.''

    ''She''s just a fishergirl.''

    ''Most of the time,'' Fiddler said. ''But sometimes...'' He shook his head.

    Crokus sighed, then changed the subject. ''So it wasn''t part of the plan, then, Kalam going off on his own?''

    ''Old blood calls, lad. Kalam''s Seven Cities born and raised. Besides, he wants to meet this Sha''ik, this desert witch, the Hand of Dryjhna.''

    ''Now you''re taking his side,'' Crokus said in quiet exasperation. ''A tenth of a bell ago you nearly accused him of being a traitor...''

    Fiddler grimaced. ''Confusing times for us all. We''ve been outlawed by Laseen, but does that make us any less soldiers of the Empire? Malaz isn''t the Empress and the Empress isn''t Malaz¡ª''

    ''A moot distinction, I''d say.''

    The sapper glanced over. ''Would you now? Ask the girl, maybe she''ll explain it.''

    ''But you''re expecting the rebellion. In fact, you''re counting on it¡ª''

    ''Don''t mean we have to be the ones who trigger the Whirlwind, though, does it? Kalam wants to be at the heart of things. It''s always been his way. This time, the chance literally fell into his lap. The Book of Dryjhna holds the heart of the Whirlwind Goddess ¨C to begin the Apocalypse it needs to be opened, by the Seeress and no-one else. Kalam knows it might well be suicidal, but he''ll deliver that Hood-cursed book into Sha''ik''s hands, and so add another crack in Laseen''s crumbling control. Give him credit for insisting on keeping the rest of us out of it.''

    ''There you go again, defending him. The plan was to assassinate Laseen, not get caught up in this uprising. It still doesn''t make any sense coming to this continent¡ª''

 Page 43

    Fiddler straightened, eyes on the stars glittering overhead. Desert stars, sharp diamonds that ever seemed eager to draw blood. ''There''s more than one road to Unta, lad. We''re here to find one that''s probably never been used before and may not even work, but we''ll look for it anyway, with Kalam or without him. Hood knows, it might be Kalam''s taking the wiser path, overland, down to Aren, by mundane ship back to Quon Tali. Maybe dividing our paths will prove the wisest decision of all, increasing our chances that one of us at least will make it through.''

    ''Right,'' Crokus snapped, ''and if Kalam doesn''t make it? You''ll go after Laseen yourself? A glorified ditch-digger, and long in the tooth at that. You hardly inspire confidence, Fiddler. We''re still supposed to be taking Apsalar home.''

    Fiddler''s voice was cold. ''Don''t push me, lad. A few years pilfering purses on Darujhistan''s streets don''t qualify you to cast judgement on me.''

    Branches thrashed in the tree opposite the two men, and Moby appeared, hanging one-armed, a rhizan struggling its jaws. The familiar''s eyes glittered as bones crunched. Fiddler grunted. ''Back in Quon Tali,'' he said slowly, ''we''ll find more supporters than you might imagine. No-one''s indispensable, nor should anyone be dismissed as useless. Like it or not, lad, you''ve some growing up to do.''

    ''You think me stupid but you''re wrong. You think I''m blind to the fact that you''re thinking you''ve got another shaved knuckle in the hole and I don''t mean Quick Ben. Kalam''s an assassin who just might be good enough to get to Laseen. But if he doesn''t, there''s another one who just might still have in her the skills of a god ¨C but not any old god, no, the Patron of Assassins, the one you call the Rope. So you keep prodding her ¨C you''re taking her home because she isn''t what she once was, but the truth is, you want the old one back.''

    Fiddler was silent for a long time, watching Moby eating the rhizan. When it finally swallowed down the last of the winged lizard, the sapper cleared his throat. ''I don''t think that deep,'' he said. ''I run on instinct.''

    ''Are you telling me that using Apsalar didn''t occur to you?''

    ''Not to me, no ...''

    ''But Kalam ...''

    Fiddler resisted, then shrugged. ''If he didn''t think of it, Quick Ben would have.''

    Crokus''s hiss was triumphant. ''I knew it. I''m no fool¡ª''

    ''Oh, Hood''s breath, lad, that you''re not.''

    ''I won''t let it happen, Fiddler.''

    ''This bhok''aral of your uncle''s,'' the sapper said, nodding at Moby, ''it''s truly a familiar, a servant to a sorcerer? But if Mammot is dead, why is it still here? I''m no mage, but I thought such familiars were magically ... fused to their masters.''

    ''I don''t know,'' Crokus admitted, his tone retaining an edge that told Fiddler the lad was entirely aware of the sapper''s line of thinking. ''Maybe he''s just a pet. You''d better pray it''s so. I said I wouldn''t let you use Apsalar. If Moby''s a true familiar, it won''t just be me you''ll have to get past.''

    ''I won''t be trying anything, Crokus,'' Fiddler said. ''But I still say you''ve some growing up to do. Sooner or later it will occur to you that you can''t speak for Apsalar. She''ll do what she decides, like it or not. The possession may be over, but the god''s skills remain in her bones.'' He slowly turned and faced the boy. ''What if she decides to put those skills to use?''

    ''She won''t,'' Crokus said, but the assurance was gone from his voice. He gestured and Moby flapped sloppily into his arms. ''What did you call him ¨C a bhoka ... ?''

    ''Bhok''aral. They''re native to this land.''

    ''Oh.''

    ''Get some sleep, lad, we''re leaving tomorrow.''

    ''So is Kalam.''

    ''Aye, but we won''t be in each other''s company. Parallel paths southward, at least to start with.''

    He watched Crokus head back inside, Moby clinging to the lad like a child. Hood''s breath, I''m not looking forward-to this journey.

    A hundred paces inside the Caravan Gate was a square in which the land traders assembled before leaving Ehrlitan. Most would strike south along the raised coastal road, following the line of the bay. Villages and outposts were numerous on this route, and the Malazan-built cobble road itself was well patrolled, or, rather, would have been had not the city''s Fist recalled the garrisons.

    As far as Fiddler could learn in speaking with various merchants and caravan guards, few bandits had yet to take advantage of the troop withdrawal, but from the swollen ranks among the mercenary guards accompanying each caravan, it was clear to the sapper that the merchants were taking no chances.

 Page 44

    It would have been fruitless for the three Malazans to disguise themselves as merchants on their journey south; they had neither the coin nor the equipment to carry out such a masquerade. With travel between cities as risky as it now was, they had chosen to travel in the guise of pilgrims. To the most devout, the Path of the Seven ¨C pilgrimage to each of the seven Holy Cities ¨C was a respected display of faith. Pilgrimage was at the heart of this land''s tradition, impervious to the threat of bandits, or war.

    Fiddler retained his Gral disguise, playing the role of guardian and guide to Crokus and Apsalar ¨C two young, newly married believers embarking on a journey that would bless their union under the Seven Heavens. Each would be mounted, Fiddler on a Gral-bred horse disdainful of the sapper''s imposture and viciously tempered, Crokus and Apsalar on well-bred mounts purchased from one of the better stables outside Ehrlitan. Three spare horses and four mules completed the train.

    Kalam had left with the dawn, offering Fiddler and the others only a terse farewell. The words that had been exchanged the night before sullied the moment of departure. The sapper understood Kalam''s hunger to wound Laseen through the blood spilled by rebellion, but the potential damage to the Empire ¨C and to whoever assumed the throne following Laseen''s fall ¨C was, to Fiddler''s mind, too great a risk. They''d clashed hard, then, and Fiddler was left feeling nicked and blunted by the exchange.

    There was pathos in that parting, Fiddler belatedly realized, for it seemed that the duty that once bound him and Kalam together, to a single cause which was as much friendship as anything else, had been sundered. And for the moment, at least, there was nothing to take its place within Fiddler. He was left feeling lost, more alone than he had been in years.

    They would be among the last of the trains to leave through Caravan Gate. As Fiddler checked the girth straps on the mules one final time, the sound of galloping horses drew his attention.

    A troop of six Red Blades had arrived, slowing their mounts as they entered the square. Fiddler glanced over to where Crokus and Apsalar stood beside their horses. Catching the lad''s eye, he shook his head, resumed adjusting the mule''s girth strap.

    The soldiers were looking for someone. The troop split, a rider each heading for one of the remaining trains. Fiddler heard hoofs clumping on cobbles behind him, forced himself to remain calm.

    ''Gral!''

    Pausing to spit as a tribesman would at the accosting of a Malazan lapdog, he slowly turned.

    Beneath the helm''s rim, the Red Blade''s dark face had tightened in response to the gesture. ''One day the Red Blades will cleanse the hills of Gral,'' he promised, his smile revealing dull grey teeth.

    Fiddler''s only reply was a snort. ''If you have something worthy of being said, Red Blade, speak. Our shadows are already too short for the leagues we travel this day.''

    ''A measure of your incompetence, Gral. I have but one question to ask. Answer truthfully, for I shall know if you lie. We would know if a man on a roan stallion rode out alone this morning, through Caravan Gate.''

    ''I saw no such man,'' Fiddler replied, ''but I now wish him well. May the Seven Spirits guard him for all his days.''

    The Red Blade snarled. ''I warn you, your blood is no armour against me, Gral. You were here with the dawn?''

    Fiddler returned to the mules. ''One question,'' he grated. ''You pay for more with coin, Red Blade.''

    The soldier spat at Fiddler''s feet, jerked his mount''s head around and rode to rejoin the troop.

    Beneath his desert veil, Fiddler allowed himself a thin smile. Crokus appeared beside him.

    ''What was that about?'' he demanded in a hiss.

    The sapper shrugged. ''The Red Blades are hunting someone. Not anything to do with us. Get back to your horse, lad. We''re leaving.''

    ''Kalam?''

    His forearms resting on the mule''s back, Fiddler hesitated, squinting against the glare bouncing from the bleached cobbles. ''It may have reached them that the holy tome''s no longer in Aren. And someone''s delivering it to Sha''ik. No-one knows Kalam is here.''

    Crokus looked unconvinced. ''He met someone last night, Fiddler.''

    ''An old contact who owes him.''

    ''Giving him reason to betray Kalam. No-one likes being reminded of debts.''

    Fiddler said nothing. After a moment he patted the mule''s back, raising a faint puff of dust, then went to his horse. The Gral gelding showed its teeth as he reached for the reins. He gripped the bridle under the animal''s chin. It tried tossing its head but he held firm, leaned close. ''Show some manners, you ugly bastard, or you''ll live to regret it.'' Gathering the reins, he pulled himself up into the high-backed saddle.

 Page 45

    Beyond Caravan Gate the coastal road stretched southward, level despite the gentle rise and fall of the sandstone cliffs that overlooked the bay on the west side. On their left and a league inland ran the Arifal Hills. The jagged serrations of Arifal would follow them all the way to the Eb River, thirty-six leagues to the south. Barely tamed tribes dwelt in those hills, pre-eminent among them the Gral. Fiddler''s greatest worry was running into a real Gral tribesman. The chance of that was diminished somewhat given the season, for the Gral would be driving their goats deep into the range, where both shade and water could be found.

    They nudged their mounts into a canter and rode past a merchant''s train to avoid the trailing dust clouds, then Fiddler settled them back into a slow trot. The day''s heat was already building. Their destination was a small village called Salik, a little over eight leagues distant, where they would stop to eat the midday meal and wait out the hottest hours before continuing on to the Trob River.

    If all went well, they would reach G''danisban in a week''s time. Fiddler expected Kalam to be two, maybe even three days ahead of them by then. Beyond G''danisban was the Pan''potsun Odhan, a sparsely populated wasteland of desiccated hills, the skeletal ruins of long-dead cities, poisonous snakes, biting flies and ¨C he recalled the Spiritwalker Kimloc''s words ¨C the potential of something far deadlier. A convergence. Togg''s feet, I don''t like that thought at all. He thought about the conch shell in his leather pack. Carrying an item of power was never a wise thing. Probably more trouble than it''s worth. What if some Soletaken sniffs it out, decides it wants it for its collection? He scowled. A collection easily built on with one conch shell and three shiny skulls.

    The more he thought on it, the more uneasy he became. Better to sell it to some merchant in G''danisban. The extra coin could prove useful. The thought settled him. He would sell the conch, be rid of it. While no-one would deny a Spiritwalker''s power, it was likely dangerous to lean too heavily on it. The Tano priests gave up their lives in the name of peace. Or worse. Kimloc surrendered his honour. Better to rely on the Moranth incendiaries in my pack than on any mysterious shell. A Flamer will bum a Soletaken as easily as anyone else.

    Crokus rode up alongside the sapper. ''What are you thinking, Fiddler?''

    ''Nothing. Where''s that bhok''aral of yours?''

    The young man frowned. ''I don''t know. I guess he was just a pet after all. Went off last night and never came back.'' He wiped the back of his hand across his face and Fiddler saw smeared tears on his cheeks. ''I sort of felt Mammot was with me, with Moby.''

    ''Was your uncle a good man, before the Jaghut Tyrant took him?''

    Crokus nodded.

    Fiddler grunted. ''Then he''s with you still. Moby probably sniffed kin in the air. More than a few highborn keep bhok''arala as pets in the city. Just a pet after all.''

    ''I suppose you''re right. For most of my life I thought of Mammot as just a scholar, an old man always scribbling on scrolls. My uncle. But then I found out he was a High Priest. Important, with powerful friends like Baruk. But before I could even come to terms with that, he was dead. Destroyed by your squad¡ª''

    ''Hold on there, lad! What we killed wasn''t your uncle. Not any more.''

    ''I know. In killing him you saved Darujhistan. I know, Fiddler...''

    ''It''s done, Crokus. And you should realize, an uncle who took care of you and loved you is more important than his being a High Priest. And he would have told you the same, I imagine, if he''d had the chance.''

    ''But don''t you see? He had power, Fiddler, but he didn''t do a damn thing with it! Just hid in his tiny room in a crumbling tenement! He could have owned an estate, sat on the Council, made a difference ...''

    Fiddler wasn''t ready to take on that argument. He''d never had any skill with counsel. Got no advice worth giving anyway. ''Did she kick you up here for being so moody, lad?''

    Crokus''s face darkened, then he spurred forward, taking point position.

    Sighing, Fiddler twisted in the saddle and eyed Apsalar, riding a few paces behind. ''Lovers'' spat, is it?''

    She blinked owlishly.

    Fiddler swung back, settling in the saddle. ''Hood''s balls,'' he muttered under his breath.

    Iskaral Pust poked the broom farther up the chimney and frantically scrubbed. Black clouds descended onto the hearthstone and settled on the High Priest''s grey robes.

    ''You have wood?'' Mappo asked from the raised stone platform he had been using as a bed and was now sitting on.

    Iskaral paused. ''Wood? Wood''s better than a broom?''

 Page 46

    ''For a fire,'' the Trell said. ''To take out the chill of this chamber.''

    ''Wood! No, of course not. But dung, oh yes, plenty of dung. A fire! Excellent. Burn them into a crisp! Are Trell known for cunning? No recollection of that, none among the rare mention of Trell this, Trell that. Finding writings on an illiterate people very difficult. Hmm.''

    ''Trell are quite literate,'' Mappo said. ''Have been for some time. Seven, eight centuries, in fact.''

    ''Must update my library, an expensive proposition. Raising shadows to pillage great libraries of the world.'' He squatted down at the fireplace, frowning through the soot covering his face.

    Mappo cleared his throat. ''Burn what into a crisp, High Priest?''

    ''Spiders, of course. This temple is rotten with spiders. Kill them on sight, Trell. Use those thick-soled feet, those leathery hands. Kill them all, do you understand?''

    Nodding, Mappo pulled the fur blanket closer around him, wincing only slightly as the hide brushed the puckered wounds on the back of his neck. The fever had broken, as much due to his own reserves as, he suspected, the dubious medicines applied by Iskaral''s silent servant. The fangs and claws of D''ivers and Soletaken bred a singularly virulent sickness, often culminating in hallucinations, bestial madness, then death. For many who survived, the madness remained, reappearing on a regular basis for one or two nights nine or ten times each year. It was a madness often characterized by murder.

    Iskaral Pust believed Mappo had escaped that fate, but the Trell would not himself be confident of that until at least two cycles of the moon had passed without sign of any symptoms. He did not like to think what he would be capable of when gripped in a murderous rage. Many years ago among the warband ravaging the Jhag Odhan, Mappo had willed himself into such a state, as warriors often did, and his memories of the deaths he delivered remained with him and always would.

    If the Soletaken''s poison was alive within him, Mappo would take his own life rather than unleash its will.

    Iskaral Pust stabbed the broom into each corner of the small mendicant''s chamber that was the Trell''s quarters, then reached up to the ceiling corners to do the same. ''Kill what bites, kill what stings, this sacred precinct of Shadow must be pristine! Kill all that slithers, all that scuttles. You were examined for vermin, the both of you, oh yes. No unwelcome visitors permitted. Lye baths were prepared, but nothing on either of you. I remain suspicious, of course.''

    ''Have you resided here long, High Priest?''

    ''No idea. Irrelevant. Importance lies solely in the deeds done, the goals achieved. Time is preparation, nothing more. One prepares for as long as is required. To do this is to accept that planning begins at birth. You are born and before all else you are plunged into shadow, wrapped inside the holy ambivalence, there to suckle sweet sustenance. I live to prepare, Trell, and the preparations are nearly complete.''

    ''Where is Icarium?''

    ''A life given for a life taken, tell him that. In the library. The nuns left but a handful of books. Tomes devoted to pleasuring themselves. Best read in bed, I find. The rest of the material is mine, a scant collection, dreadful paucity, I am embarrassed. Hungry?''

    Mappo shook himself. The High Priest''s rambles had a hypnotic quality. Each question the Trell voiced was answered with a bizarre rambling monologue that seemed to drain him of will beyond the utterance of yet another question. True to his assertions, Iskaral Pust could make the passing of time meaningless. ''Hungry? Aye.''

    ''Servant prepares food.''

    ''Can he bring it to the library?''

    The High Priest scowled. ''Collapse of etiquette. But if you insist.''

    The Trell pushed himself upright. ''Where is the library?''

    ''Turn right, proceed thirty-four paces, turn right again, twelve paces, then through door on the right, thirty-five paces, through archway on right another eleven paces, turn right one last time, fifteen paces, enter the door on the right.''

    Mappo stared at Iskaral Pust.

    The High Priest shifted nervously.

    ''Or,'' the Trell said, eyes narrowed, ''turn left, nineteen paces.''

    ''Aye,'' Iskaral muttered.

    Mappo strode to the door. ''I shall take the short route, then.''

    ''If you must,'' the High Priest growled as he bent to close examination of the broom''s ragged end.

    The breach of etiquette was explained when, upon entering the library, Mappo saw that the squat chamber also served as kitchen. Icarium sat at a robust black-stained table a few paces to the Trell''s right, while Servant hunched over a cauldron suspended by chain over a hearth a pace to Mappo''s left. Servant''s head was almost invisible inside a cloud of steam, drenched in condensation and dripping into the cauldron as he worked a wooden ladle in slow, turgid circles.

 Page 47

    ''I shall pass on the soup, I think,'' Mappo said to the man.

    ''These books are rotting,'' Icarium said, leaning back and eyeing Mappo. ''You are recovered?''

    ''So it seems.''

    Still studying the Trell, Icarium frowned. ''Soup? Ah,'' his expression cleared, ''not soup. Laundry. You''ll find more palatable fare on the carving table.'' He gestured to the wall behind Servant, then returned to the mouldering pages of an ancient book opened before him. ''This is astonishing, Mappo...''

    ''Given how isolated those nuns were,'' Mappo said as he approached the carving table, ''I''m surprised you''re astonished.''

    ''Not those books, friend. Iskaral''s own. There are works here whose existence was but the faintest rumour. And some ¨C like this one ¨C that I have never heard of before. A Treatise on Irrigation Planning in the Fifth Millennium of Ararkal, by no fewer than four authors.''

    Returning to the library table with a pewter plate piled high with bread and cheese, Mappo leant over his friend''s shoulder to examine the detailed drawings on the book''s vellum pages, then the strange, braided script. The Trell grunted. Mouth suddenly dry, he managed to mutter, ''What is so astonishing about that?''

    Icarium leaned back. ''The sheer ... frivolity, Mappo. The materials alone for this tome are a craftsman''s annual wage. No scholar in their right mind would waste such resources ¨C never mind their time ¨C on such a pointless, trite subject. And this is not the only example. Look, Seed Dispersal Patterns of the Purille Flower on the Skar Archipelago, and here, Diseases of White'' Rimmed Clams of Lekoor Bay. And I am convinced that these works are thousands of years old. Thousands.''

    And in a language I never knew you would recognize, much less understand. He recalled when he''d last seen such a script, beneath a hide canopy on a hill that marked his tribe''s northernmost border. He''d been among a handful of guards escorting the tribe''s elders to what would prove a fateful summons.

    Autumn rains drumming overhead, they had squatted in a half-circle, facing north, and watched as seven robed and hooded figures approached. Each held a staff, and as they strode beneath the canopy and stood in silence before the elders, Mappo saw, with a shiver, how those staves seemed to writhe before his eyes, the wood like serpentine roots, or perhaps those parasitic trees that entwined the boles of others, choking the life from them. Then he realized that the twisted madness of the shafts was in fact runic etching, ever changing, as if unseen hands continually carved words anew with every breath''s span.

    Then one among them withdrew its hood, and so began the moment that would change Mappo''s future path. His thoughts jerked away from the memory.

    Trembling, the Trell sat down, clearing a space for his plate. ''Is all this important, Icarium?''

    ''Significant, Mappo. The civilization that brought forth these works must have been appallingly rich. The language is clearly related to modern Seven Cities dialects, although in some ways more sophisticated. And see this symbol, here in the spine of each such tome? A twisted staff. I have seen that symbol before, friend. I am certain of it.''

    ''Rich, you said?'' The Trell struggled to drag the conversation away from what he knew to be a looming precipice. ''More like mired in minutiae. Probably explains why it''s dust and ashes. Arguing over seeds in the wind while barbarians batter down the gates. Indolence takes many forms, but it comes to every civilization that has outlived its will. You know that as well as I. In this case it was an indolence characterized by a pursuit of knowledge, a frenzied search for answers to everything, no matter the value of such answers. A civilization can as easily drown in what it knows as in what it doesn''t know. Consider,'' he continued, ''Gothos''s Folly. Gothos''s curse was in being too aware ¨C of everything. Every permutation, every potential. Enough to poison every scan he cast on the world. It availed him naught, and worse, he was aware of even that.''

    ''You must be feeling better,'' Icarium said wryly. ''Your pessimism has revived. In any case, these works support my belief that the many ruins in Raraku and the Pan''potsun Odhan are evidence that a thriving civilization once existed here. Indeed, perhaps the first true human civilization, from which all others were born.''

    Leave this path of thought, Icarium. Leave it now. ''And how does this knowledge avail us in our present situation?''

    Icarium''s expression soured slightly. ''My obsession with time, of course. Writing replaces memory, you see, and the language itself changes because of it. Think of my mechanisms, in which I seek to measure the passage of hours, days, years. Such measurings are by nature cyclic, repetitive. Words and sentences once possessed the same rhythms, and could thus be locked into one''s mind and later recalled with absolute precision. Perhaps,'' he mused after a moment, ''if I was illiterate I would not be so forgetful.'' He sighed, forced a smile. ''Besides, I was but passing time, Mappo.''

 Page 48

    The Trell tapped one blunt, wrinkled finger on the open book. ''I imagine the authors of this would have defended their efforts with the same words, friend. I have a more pressing concern.''

    The Jhag''s expression was cool, not completely masking amusement. ''And that is?''

    Mappo gestured. ''This place. Shadow does not list among my favourite cults. Nest of assassins and worse. Illusion and deceit and betrayal. Iskaral Pust affects a harmless fa?ade, but I am not fooled. He was clearly expecting us, and anticipates our involvement in whatever schemes he plans. We risk much in lingering here.''

    ''But Mappo,'' Icarium said slowly, ''it is precisely here, in this place, that my goal shall be achieved.''

    The Trell winced. ''I feared you would say that. Now you shall have to explain it to me.''

    ''I cannot, friend. Not yet. What I hold are suspicions, nothing more. When I am certain, I shall feel confident enough to explain. Can you be patient with me?''

    In his mind''s eye he saw another face, this one human, thin and pale, raindrops tracking runnels down the withered cheeks. Flat, grey eyes reaching up, finding Mappo''s own beyond the rim of elders. ''Do you know us?'' The voice was a rasp of rough leather.

    An elder had nodded. ''We know you as the Nameless Ones.''

    ''It is well,'' the man replied, eyes still fixed on Mappo''s own. ''The Nameless Ones, who think not in years, but in centuries. Chosen warrior,'' he continued, addressing Mappo, ''what can you learn of patience?''

    Like rooks bursting from a copse, the memories fled. Staring at Icarium, Mappo managed a smile, revealing his gleaming canines. ''Patient? I can be nothing else with you. Nonetheless, I do not trust Iskaral Pust.''

    Servant began removing sopping clothes and bedding from the cauldron, using his bare hands as he squeezed steaming water from the bundles. Watching him, the Trell frowned. One of Servant''s arms was strangely pink, unweathered, almost youthful. The other more befitted the man''s evident age, thickly muscled, hairy and tanned.

    ''Servant?''

    The man did not look up.

    ''Can you speak?'' Mappo continued.

    ''It seems,'' Icarium said when Servant made no response, ''that he''s turned a deaf ear to us, by his Master''s command, I''d warrant. Shall we explore this temple, Mappo? Bearing in mind that every shadow is likely to echo our words as a whisper in the High Priest''s ears.''

    ''Well,'' the Trell growled as he rose, ''it is of little concern to me that Iskaral knows of my distrust.''

    ''He surely knows more of us than we do of him,'' Icarium said, also rising.

    As they left, Servant was still twisting water from the cloth with something like savage joy, the veins thick on his massive forearms.

    CHAPTER FOUR

    In a land where

    Seven cities rose in gold,

    Even the dust has eyes

    Debrahl Saying

    A crowd of dusty, sweat-smeared men gathered around as the last of the bodies were removed. The dust cloud hung unmoving over the mine entrance as it had for most of the morning, since the collapse of the reach at the far end of Deep Mine. Under Beneth''s command the slaves had worked frantically to retrieve the thirty-odd companions buried in the fall.

    None had survived. Expressionless, Felisin watched with a dozen other slaves from the rest ramp at Twistings Mouth while they awaited the arrival of refilled water casks. The heat had turned even the deepest reaches of the mines into sweltering, dripping ovens. Slaves were collapsing by the score every hour below ground.

    On the other side of the pit, Heboric tilled the parched earth of Deepsoil. It was his second week there and the cleaner air and the relief from pulling stone carts had improved his health. A shipment of limes delivered at Beneth''s command had helped as well.

    Had she not seen to his transfer, Heboric would now be dead, his body crushed under tons of rock. He owed her his life.

    The realization brought Felisin little satisfaction. They rarely spoke to each other any more. Head clouded with durhang smoke, it was all Felisin could do to drag herself home from Bula''s each night. She slept long hours but gained no rest. The days working in Twistings passed in a long, numb haze. Even Beneth had complained that her lovemaking had become ... torpid.

    The thuds and grunts of the water carts on the pitted work road grew louder, but Felisin could not pull her gaze from the rescuers as they laid out the mangled corpses to await the body wagon. A faint residue of pity clung to what she could see of the scene, but even that seemed too much of an effort, never mind pulling away her eyes.

    For all her dulled responses, she went to Beneth, wanting to be used, more and more often. She sought him out when he was drunk, weaving and generous, when he offered her to his friends, to Bula and to other women.

 Page 49

    You''re numb, girl, Heboric had said one of the few times he''d addressed her. Yet your thirst for feeling grows, until even pain will do. But you''re looking in the wrong places.

    Wrong places. What did he know of wrong places? The far reach of Deep Mine was a wrong place. The Shaft, where the bodies would be dumped, that was a wrong place. Everywhere else is just a shade of good enough.

    She was ready to move in with Beneth, punctuating the choices she''d made. In a few days, perhaps. Next week. Soon. She''d made such an issue of her own independence, but it was proving not so great a task to surrender it after all.

    ''Lass.''

    Blinking, Felisin looked up. It was the young Malazan guard, the one who''d warned Beneth once ... long ago.

    The soldier grinned. ''Find the quote yet?''

    ''What?''

    ''From Kellanved''s writings, girl.'' The boy was frowning now. ''I suggested you find someone who knew the rest of the passage I quoted.''

    ''I don''t know what you''re talking about.''

    He reached down, the calluses ridging the index finger and thumb of his sword hand scraping her chin and jawline as he raised her face. She winced in the bright light when he pushed her hair back. ''Durhang,'' he whispered. ''Queen''s heart, girl, you look ten years older than the last time I saw you, and when was that? Two weeks back.''

    ''Ask Beneth,'' she mumbled, pulling her head away from his touch.

    ''Ask him what?''

    ''For me. In your bed. He''ll say yes, but only if he''s drunk. He''ll be drunk tonight. He grieves for the dead with a jug. Or two. Touch me then.''

    He straightened. ''Where''s Heboric?''

    ''Heboric? Deepsoil.'' She thought to ask why he wanted him instead of her, but the question drifted away. He could touch her tonight. She''d grown to like calluses.

    Beneth was paying Captain Sawark a visit and he''d decided to take her with him. He was looking to make a deal, Felisin belatedly realized, and he''d offer her to the captain as an incentive.

    They approached Rathole Round from Work Road, passing Bula''s Inn where half a dozen off-duty Dosii guards lounged around the front door, their bored gazes tracking them.

    ''Walk a straight line, lass,'' Beneth grumbled, taking her arm. ''And stop dragging your feet. It''s what you like, isn''t it? Always wanting more.''

    An undercurrent of disgust had come to his tone when he spoke to her. He''d stopped making promises. I''ll make you my own, girl. Move in with me. We won''t need anyone else. Those gruff, whispered assurances had vanished. The realization did not bother Felisin. She''d never really believed Beneth anyway.

    Directly ahead, Sawark''s Keep rose squat from the centre of Rathole Round, its huge, rough-cut blocks of stone stained from the greasy smoke that never really left Skullcup. A lone guard stood outside the entrance, a pike held loosely in one hand. ''Hard luck,'' he said once they were near.

    ''What is?'' Beneth demanded.

    The soldier shrugged. ''This morning''s cave-in, what else?''

    ''We might''ve saved some,'' Beneth said, ''if Sawark had sent us some help.''

    ''Saved some? What''s the point? Sawark''s not in the mood if you''ve come here to complain.'' The man''s flat eyes flicked to Felisin. ''If you''re here with a gift, that would be another matter.'' The guard opened the heavy door. ''He''s in the office.''

    Beneth grunted. Tugging at Felisin''s arm, he dragged her through the portal. The ground floor was an armoury, weapons lining the walls in locked racks. A table and three chairs were off to one side, the leavings of the guards'' breakfast crowding the small tabletop. Up from the room''s centre rose an iron staircase.

    They ascended a single flight to Sawark''s office. The captain sat behind a desk that seemed cobbled together from driftwood. His chair was plushly padded with a high back. A large, leather-bound tally book was opened before him. Sawark set down his quill and leaned back.

    Felisin could not recall ever having seen the captain before. He made a point of remaining aloof, isolated here within his tower. The man was thin, devoid of fat, the muscles on his bared forearms like twisted cables under pale skin. Against the present fashion, he was bearded, the wiry black ringlets oiled and scented. The hair on his head was cut short. Watery green eyes glittered from a permanent squint above high cheekbones. His wide mouth was bracketed in deep downturned lines. He stared steadily at Beneth, ignoring Felisin as if she was not there.

    Beneth pushed her down in a chair close to one wall, on Sawark''s left, then sat himself down in the lone chair directly facing the captain. ''Ugly rumours, Sawark. Want to hear them?''

 Page 50

    The captain''s voice was soft. ''What will that cost me?''

    ''Nothing. These are free.''

    ''Go on, then.''

    ''The Dosii are talking loud at Bula''s. Promising the Whirlwind.''

    Sawark scowled. ''More of that nonsense. No wonder you give me this news free, Beneth, it''s worthless.''

    ''So I too thought at the beginning, but¡ª''

    ''What else have you to tell me?''

    Beneth''s eyes dropped to the ledger on the desk. ''You''ve tallied this morning''s dead? Did you find the name you sought?''

    ''I sought no particular name, Beneth. You think you''ve guessed something, but there''s nothing there. I''m losing patience.''

    ''There were four mages among the victims¡ª''

    ''Enough! Why are you here?''

    Beneth shrugged, as if tossing away whatever suspicions he held. ''A gift,'' he said, gesturing to Felisin. ''Very young. Docile, but ever eager. No spirit to resist ¨C do whatever you want, Sawark.''

    The captain''s scowl darkened.

    ''In exchange,'' Beneth continued, ''I wish the answer to a single question. The slave Baudin was arrested this morning ¨C why?''

    Felisin blinked. Baudin? She shook her head, trying to clear it of the fog that marked her waking hours. Was this important?

    ''Arrested in Whipcord Lane after curfew. He got away but one of my men recognized him and so the arrest was effected this morning.'' Sawark''s watery gaze finally swung to Felisin. ''Very young, you said? Eighteen, nineteen? You''re getting old, Beneth, if you call that very young.''

    She felt his eyes exploring her like ghost hands. This time, the sensation was anything but pleasing. She fought back a shiver.

    ''She''s fifteen, Sawark. But experienced. Arrived but two transports ago.''

    The captain''s eyes sharpened on her, and she watched, wondering, as all the blood drained from his face.

    Beneth surged to his feet. ''I''ll send another. Two young girls from the last shipment.'' He stepped close to Felisin and pulled her upright. ''I guarantee your satisfaction, Captain. They''ll be here within the hour¡ª''

    ''Beneth.'' Sawark''s voice was soft. ''Baudin works for you, does he not?''

    ''An acquaintance, Sawark. Not one of my trusted ones. I asked because he''s on my reach crew. One less strong man will slow us if you''re still holding him tomorrow.''

    ''Live with it, Beneth.''

    Neither one believes the other. The thought was like a glimmer of long-lost awareness in Felisin. She drew a deep breath. Something''s happening. I need to think about it. I need to be listening. Listening, right now.

    In answer to Sawark''s suggestion, Beneth sighed heavily. ''I shall have to do just that, then. Until later, Captain.''

    Felisin did not resist as Beneth propelled her towards the stairs. Once outside he pulled her across the Round, not answering the Keep guard as the man said something in a sneering tone. Breathing hard, Beneth dragged her into the shadows of an alley, then swung her around.

    His voice was a harsh rasp. ''Who are you, girl, his long-lost daughter? Hood''s breath! Clear your wits! Tell me what happened just now in that office! Baudin? What''s Baudin to you? Answer me!''

    ''He''s ¨C he''s nothing¡ª''

    The back of his hand when it struck her face was like a sack of rocks. Light exploded behind Felisin''s eyes as she sprawled sideways. Blood streamed from her nose as she lay unmoving in the alley''s rotting refuse. Staring dumbly at the ground six inches away, she watched the red pool spread in the dust.

    Beneth dragged her upright and threw her up against a wood-slatted wall. ''Your full name, lass. Tell me!''

    ''Felisin,'' she mumbled. ''Just that¡ª''

    Snarling, he raised his hand again.

    She stared at the marks her teeth had left just above the knuckles. ''No! I swear it! I was a foundling¡ª''

    Disbelief crazed his eyes. ''A what?''

    ''Found outside the Fener Monastery on Malaz Island ¨C the Empress made accusations ¨C followers of Fener. Heboric¡ª''

    ''Your ship came from Unta, lass. What do you take me for? You''re noble-born¡ª''

    ''No! Only well cared for. Please, Beneth, I''m not lying. I don''t understand Sawark. Maybe Baudin spun a tale, a lie to save his own skin¡ª''

    ''Your ship sailed from Unta. You''ve never even been to Malaz Island. This monastery, near which city?''

    ''Jakata. There''s only two cities on the island. The other''s Malaz City, I was sent there for a summer. Schooling. I was in training to be a priestess. Ask Heboric, Beneth. Please.''

 Page 51

    ''Name me the poorest quarter of Malaz City.''

    ''Poorest?''

    ''Name it!''

    ''I don''t know! The Fener Temple is in Dockfront! Is it the poorest? There were slums outside the city, lining the Jakata Road. I was there for but a season, Beneth! And I hardly saw Jakata ¨C we weren''t allowed! Please, Beneth, I don''t understand any of this! Why are you hurting me? I''ve done everything you wanted me to do ¨C I slept with your friends, I let you trade me, I made myself valuable¡ª''

    He struck her again, no longer seeking answers or a way through her frantic lies ¨C a new reason had appeared in his eyes, birthing a bright rage. He beat her systematically, in silent, cold fury. After the first few blows, Felisin curled herself tight around the pain, the shadow-cooled alley dust feeling like a balm where her flesh lay upon it. She struggled to concentrate on her breathing, closing in on that one task, drawing the air in, fighting the waves of agony that came with the effort, then releasing it slowly, a steady stream that carried the pain away.

    Eventually she realized that Beneth had stopped, that perhaps he''d only struck her a few times, and that he had left. She was alone in the alley, the thin strip of sky overhead darkening with dusk. She heard occasional voices in the street beyond, but no-one approached the narrow aisle she huddled in.

    She woke again later. Apparently she had passed out while crawling towards the alley mouth. The torchlit Work Road was a dozen paces away. Figures ran through her line of sight. Through the constant ringing in her ears, she heard shouts and screams. The air stank of smoke. She thought to resume crawling, then consciousness slipped away again.

    Cool cloth brushed her brow. Felisin opened her eyes.

    Heboric was bending over her and seemed to be studying her pupils, each in turn. ''You with us, lass?''

    Her jaw ached, her lips were crusted together with scabs. She nodded, only now realizing that she was lying in her own bed.

    ''I''m going to rub some oil on your lips, see if we can prise them open without it hurting too much. You need water.''

    She nodded again, and steeled herself against the pain of his ministrations as he dabbed at her mouth with the oil-soaked cloth strapped onto the stub of his left arm. He spoke as he worked. ''Eventful night for us all. Baudin escaped the gaol, lighting a few buildings to flame for diversion. He''s hiding somewhere here in Skullcup. No-one tried the cliff walls or Sinker Lake ¨C the cordon of guards lining Beetle Road up top reported no attempts to breach, in any case. Sawark''s posted a reward ¨C wants the bastard alive, not least because Baudin went and killed three of his men. I suspect there''s more to the tale, what do you think? Then Beneth reports you missing from the Twistings work line this morning, starts me wondering. So I go to talk to him at the midday break ¨C says he last saw you at Bula''s last night, says he''s cut you loose because you''re all used up, sucking more smoke into your lungs than air, as if he ain''t to blame for that. But all the while he''s talking, I''m studying those cut marks on his knuckles. Beneth was in a fight last night, I see, and the only damage he''s sporting is what was done by somebody''s teeth. Well, the weeding''s done and nobody''s keeping an eye on old Heboric, so I spend the afternoon looking, checking alleys, expecting the worst I admit¡ª''

    Felisin pushed his arm away. Slowly she opened her mouth, wincing at the pain and feeling the cool prick of reopened gashes. ''Beneth,'' she managed. Her chest hurt with every breath.

    Heboric''s eyes were hard. ''What of him?''

    ''Tell him ... from me ... tell him I''m ... sorry.''

    The old man slowly leaned back.

    ''I want him ... to take me back. Tell him. Please.''

    Heboric rose. ''Get some rest,'' he said in a strangely flat voice as he moved out of her line of sight.

    ''Water.''

    ''Coming up, then you sleep.''

    ''Can''t,'' she said.

    ''Why not?''

    ''Can''t sleep ... without a pipe. Can''t.''

    She sensed him staring at her. ''Your lungs are bruised. You''ve some cracked ribs. Will tea do? Durhang tea.''

    ''Make it strong.''

    Hearing him fill a cup of water from the cask, she closed her eyes.

    ''Clever story, lass,'' Heboric said. ''A foundling. Lucky for you I''m quick. I''d say there''s a good chance Beneth believes you now.''

    ''Why? Why do you tell me this?''

    ''To put you at ease. I guess what I mean is ¨C'' he approached with the cup of water between his forearms ''- he just might take you back, lass.''

 Page 52

    ''Oh. I... I don''t understand you, Heboric''

    He watched her raise the clay cup to her lips. ''No,'' he said, ''you do not.''

    Like an enormous wall, the sandstorm descended down the west slope of the Estara Hills and approached the coastal road with a deathly moan. While such inland storms were rare on the peninsula, Kalam had faced their wrath before. His first task was to leave the road. It ran too close to the sea cliff in places, and such cliffs were known to collapse.

    The stallion complained as he angled him down the road''s scree bank. For a thick-muscled, vicious beast, the horse was overfond of comforts. The sands were hot, the footing treacherous with hidden sinkholes. Ignoring the stallion''s neck tugs and head-tossing, he drove him down and onto the basin, then kicked the animal into a canter.

    A league and a half ahead was Ladro Landing, and beyond that, on the banks of a seasonal river, Ladro Keep. Kalam did not plan on staying there if he could help it. The Keep''s commander was Malazan, and so too were his guards. If he could, the assassin would outrun the worst of the storm, hoping to regain the coastal road beyond the Keep, then continue on south to the village of Intesarm.

    Keening, the ochre wall drew the horizon on Kalam''s left ever closer. The hills had vanished. A turgid gloom curtained the sky. The flap and skitter of fleeing rhizan surrounded him. Hissing a curse, the assassin spurred the stallion into a gallop.

    As much as he detested horses in principle, the animal was magnificent when in full stride, seeming to flow effortlessly over the ground with a rhythm forgiving of Kalam''s modest skills. He would come no closer to admitting a growing affection towards the stallion.

    As he rode, he glanced to see the edge of the storm less than a hundred paces away. There would be no outrunning it. A swirling breaker of whipped sand marked where the wind met the ground. Kalam saw fist-sized rocks in that rolling surf. The wall would crash over them within minutes. Its roar filled the air.

    Slightly ahead and on a course that would intercept them, Kalam saw within the ochre cloud a grey stain. He threw himself back in the saddle, sawing the reins. The stallion shrilled, broken out of his rhythm, slewing with his hooves as he stumbled to a stop.

    ''You''d thank me if you had half a brain,'' Kalam snarled. The grey stain was a swarm of chigger fleas. The voracious insects waited for storms like this one, then rode the winds in search of prey. The worst of it was, one could not see them straight on; only from the side were they visible.

    As the swarm swept past ahead of them, the storm struck.

    The stallion staggered when the wall rolled over them. The world vanished inside a shrieking, whirling ochre haze. Stones and gravel pelted them, drawing flinches from the stallion and grunts of pain from Kalam. The assassin ducked his hooded head and leaned into the wind. Through the slit in his telaba scarf, he squinted ahead, nudging his mount forward at a walk. He leaned down over the animal''s neck, reached out one gloved hand and cupped it over the stallion''s left eye to shield it from flying stones and grit. For being out here, the assassin owed him that much.

    They continued on for another ten minutes, seeing nothing through the cloak of flying sand. Then the stallion snorted, rearing. Snapping and crunching sounds rose from beneath them. Kalam squinted down. Bones, on all sides. The storm had blown out a graveyard ¨C a common enough occurrence. The assassin regained control of his mount, then tried to pierce the ochre gloom. Ladro Landing was nearby, but he could see nothing. He nudged the stallion forward, the animal stepping daintly around the skeletal clumps.

    The coastal road appeared ahead, along with guardhouses flanking what had to be the bridge. The village must be on his right ¨Cif the damned thing hasn''t blown away. Beyond the bridge, then, he would find Ladro Keep.

    The single-person guardhouses both gaped empty, like sockets in a massive geometric skull.

    His horse stabled, Kalam crossed the compound, leaning against the wind and wincing at the ache in his legs as he approached the keep''s gatehouse entrance. Ducking within the alcove, he found himself beyond the storm''s howl for the first time in hours. Drifts of fine sand filled the gatehouse''s corners, but the dusty air was calm. No guardsman held the post: the lone stone bench was vacant.

    Kalam raised the heavy iron ring on the wood door, slamming it down hard. He waited. Eventually he heard the bars being drawn on the other side. The door swung back with a grating sound. An old kitchen servant regarded him with his one good eye.

    ''Inside, then,'' he grumbled. ''Join the others.''

    Kalam edged past the old man and found himself in a large common room. Faces had turned with his entrance. At the far end of the main table, which ran the length of the rectangular chamber, sat four of the keep''s guardsmen, Malazans, looking foul-tempered. Three jugs squatted in puddles of wine on the tabletop. To one side, next along the table, was a wiry, sunken-eyed woman, her face painted in a style best left to young maidens. At her side was an Ehrlii merchant, probably the woman''s husband.

 Page 53

    Kalam bowed to the group, then approached the table. Another servant, this one younger than the doorman by only a few years, appeared with a fresh jug and a goblet, hesitating until the assassin settled on where he would sit ¨C opposite the merchant couple. He set the goblet down and poured Kalam a half-measure, then backed away.

    The merchant showed durhang-stained teeth in a welcoming smile. ''Down from the north, then?''

    The wine was some kind of herbal concoction, too sweet and cloying for the climate. Kalam set the goblet down, scowling. ''No beer in this hold?''

    The merchant''s head bobbed. ''Aye, and chilled at that. Alas, only the wine is free, courtesy of our host.''

    ''Not surprised it''s free,'' the assassin muttered. He gestured to the servant. ''A tankard of beer, if you please.''

    ''Costs a sliver,'' the servant said.

    ''Highway robbery, but my thirst is master.'' He found a clipped Jakata and set it on the table.

    ''Has the village fallen into the sea, then?'' the merchant asked. ''On your way down from Ehrlitan, how stands the bridge?''

    Kalam saw a small velvet bag on the tabletop in front of the merchant''s wife. Glancing up, he met her pitted eyes. She gave him a ghastly wink.

    ''He''ll not add to your gossip, Berkru darling. A stranger come in from the storm, is all you''ll learn from this one.''

    One of the guardsmen raised his head. ''Got something to hide, have ya? Not guarding a caravan, just riding alone? Deserting the Ehrlitan Guard, or maybe spreading the word of Dryjhna, or both. Now here ya come, expecting the hospitality of the Master ¨C Malazan born and bred.''

    Kalam eyed the men. Four belligerent faces. Any denial of the sergeant''s accusations would not be believed. The guards had decided he belonged in the dungeon for the night at least, something to break the boredom. Yet the assassin was not interested in shedding blood. He laid his hands flat on the table, slowly rose. ''A word with you, Sergeant,'' he said. ''In private.''

    The man''s dark face turned ugly. ''So you can slit my throat?''

    ''You believe me capable of that?'' Kalam asked in surprise. ''You wear chain, you''ve a sword at your belt. You''ve three companions who no doubt will stay close ¨C if only to eavesdrop on the words we exchange between us.''

    The sergeant rose. ''I can handle you well enough on my own,'' he growled. He strode to the back wall.

    Kalam followed. He withdrew a small pendant from under his telaba and held it up. ''Do you recognize this, Sergeant?'' he asked softly.

    Cautiously, the man leaned forward to study the symbol etched on the pendant''s flat surface. Recognition paled his features as he involuntarily mouthed, ''Clawmaster.''

    ''An end to your questions and accusations, Sergeant. Do not reveal what you now know to your men ¨C at least until after I am gone. Understood?''

    The sergeant nodded. ''Pardon, sir,'' he whispered.

    Kalam hooked a half-smile. ''Your unease is earned. Hood''s about to stride this land, and you and I both know it. You erred today, but do not relax your mistrust. Does the Keep Commander understand the situation beyond these walls?''

    ''Aye, he does.''

    The assassin sighed. ''Makes you and your squad among the lucky ones, Sergeant.''

    ''Aye.''

    ''Shall we return to the table now?''

    The sergeant simply shook his head in answer to his squad''s querying expressions.

    As Kalam returned to his beer, the merchant''s wife reached for the velvet bag. ''The soldiers have each requested a reading of their futures,'' she said, revealing a Deck of Dragons. She held the deck in both hands, her unblinking eyes on the assassin. ''And you? Would you know of your future, stranger? Which gods smile upon you, which gods frown¡ª''

    ''The gods have little time or inclination to spare us any note,'' Kalam said with contempt. ''Leave me out of your games, woman.''

    ''So you cow the sergeant,'' she said, smiling, ''and now seek to cow me. See the fear your words have wrought in me? I shake with terror.''

    With a disgusted snort, Kalam slid his gaze away.

    The common room boomed as the front door was assailed.

    ''More mysterious travellers!'' the woman cackled.

    Everyone watched as the doorman reappeared from a side chamber and shuffled towards the door. Whoever waited outside was impatient ¨C thunder rang imperiously through the room even as the old man reached for the bar.

    As soon as the bar cleared the latch, the door was pushed hard. The doorman stumbled back. Two armoured figures appeared, the first one a woman. Metal rustled and boots thumped as she strode into the centre of the chamber. Flat eyes surveyed the guards and the other guests, held briefly on each of them before continuing on. Kalam saw no special attention accorded him.

 Page 54

    The woman had once held rank ¨C perhaps she still did, although her accoutrements and colours announced no present status; nor was the man behind her wearing anything like a uniform.

    Kalam saw weals on both their faces and smiled to himself. They''d run into chigger fleas, and neither looked too pleased about it. The man jerked suddenly as one bit him somewhere beneath his hauberk, cursing, he began loosening the armour''s straps.

    ''No,'' the woman snapped.

    The man stopped.

    She was Pardu, a southern plains tribe; her companion had the look of a northerner ¨C possibly Ehrlii. His dusky skin was a shade paler than the woman''s and bare of any tribal tattooing.

    ''Hood''s breath!'' the sergeant snarled at the woman. ''Not another step closer! You''re both crawling with chiggers. Take the far end of the table. One of the servants will prepare a cedar-chip bath ¨C though that will cost you.''

    For a moment the woman seemed ready to resist, but then she gestured to the unoccupied end of the table with one gloved hand and her companion responded by pulling two chairs back before seating himself stiffly in one of them. The Pardu took the other. ''A flagon of beer,'' she said.

    ''The Master charges for that,'' Kalam said, giving her a wry smile.

    ''The Seven''s fate! The cheap bastard ¨C you, servant! Bring me a tankard and I''ll judge if it''s worth any coin. Quickly now!''

    ''The woman thinks this a tavern,'' one of the guards said.

    The sergeant spoke. ''You''re here by the grace of this Keep''s commander. You''ll pay for the beer, you''ll pay for the bath, and you''ll pay for sleeping on this floor.''

    ''And this is grace?''

    The sergeant''s expression darkened ¨C he was Malazan, and he shared the room with a Clawmaster. ''The four walls, the ceiling, the hearth and the use of the stables are free, woman. Yet you complain like a virgin princess ¨C accept the hospitality or be gone.''

    The woman''s eyes narrowed, then she removed a handful of jakatas from a belt pouch and slammed them on the tabletop. ''I gather,'' she said smoothly, ''that your gracious master charges even you for beer, Sergeant. So be it, I''ve no choice but to buy everyone here a tankard.''

    ''Generous,'' the sergeant said with a stiff nod.

    ''The future shall now be prised loose,'' the merchant''s wife said, trimming the Deck.

    Kalam saw the Pardu flinch upon seeing the cards.

    ''Spare us,'' the assassin said. ''There''s nothing to be gained from seeing what''s to come, assuming you''ve any talent at all, which I doubt. Save us all from the embarrassment of your performance.''

    Ignoring him, the old woman angled herself to face the guardsmen. ''All your fates rest upon ... this!'' She laid out the first card.

    Kalam barked a laugh.

    ''Which one is that?'' one of the guards demanded.

    ''Obelisk,'' Kalam said. ''The woman''s a fake. As any seer of talent would know, that card''s inactive in Seven Cities.''

    ''An expert in divination, are you?'' the old woman snapped.

    ''I visit a worthy seer before any overland journey,'' Kalam replied. ''It would be foolish to do otherwise. I know the Deck, and I''ve seen when the reading was true, when power showed the hand. No doubt you intended to charge these guardsmen once the reading was done, once you''d told them how rich they were going to become, how they''d live to ripe old ages, fathering heroes by the score¡ª''

    Her expression unveiling the charade''s end, the old woman screamed with rage and flung the Deck at Kalam. It struck him on the chest, cards clattering on the tabletop in a wild scatter ¨C which settled into a pattern.

    The breath hissed from the Pardu woman, the only sound to be heard within the common room.

    Suddenly sweating, Kalam looked down at the cards. Six surrounded a single, and that single card ¨C he knew with certainty ¨C was his. The Rope, Assassin of Shadow. The six cards encircling it were all of one House. King, Herald, Mason, Spinner, Knight, Queen . . . High House Death, Hood''s House all arrayed . . . around the one who carries the Holy Book of Dryjhna. ''Ah, well,'' Kalam sighed, glancing up at the Pardu woman, ''I guess I sleep alone tonight.''

    The Red Blade Captain Lostara Yil and her companion soldier were the last to leave Ladro Keep, over an hour after their target had departed on his stallion, riding south through the dusty wake of the sandstorm.

    The forced proximity with Kalam had been unavoidable, but just as he was skilled at deception, so too was Lostara. Bluster could be its own disguise, arrogance a mask hiding an altogether deadlier assurance.

 Page 55

    The Deck of Dragons'' unexpected fielding had revealed much to Lostara, not only about Kalam and his mission. The Keep''s sergeant had shown himself by his expression to have been a co-conspirator ¨C yet another Malazan soldier prepared to betray his Empress. Evidently, Kalam''s stop at the Keep had not been as accidental as it appeared.

    Checking their horses, Lostara turned as her companion emerged from the Keep. The Red Blade grinned up at her. ''You were thorough, as always,'' he said. ''The commander led me a merry chase, however. I found him in the crypt, struggling to climb into a fifty-year-old suit of armour. He was much thinner in his youth, it seems.''

    Lostara swung herself into the saddle. ''None still breathing? You''re certain you checked them all? What of the servants in the back hallway ¨C I went through them perhaps too quickly.''

    ''You left not a single heart still beating, Captain.''

    ''Very good. Mount up. That horse of the assassin''s is killing these ones ¨C we shall acquire fresh horses in Intesarm.''

    ''Assuming Baralta got around to arranging them.'' Lostara eyed her companion. ''Trust Baralta,'' she said coolly.

    ''And be glad that ¨C this time ¨C I shall not report your scepticism.''

    Tight-lipped, the man nodded. ''Thank you, Captain.''

    The two rode down the keep road, turning south on the coastal road.

    The entire main floor of the monastery radiated in a circular pattern around a single room that was occupied by a circular staircase of stone leading down into darkness. Mappo crouched beside it.

    ''This would, I imagine, lead down to the crypt.''

    ''If I recall correctly,'' Icarium said from where he stood near the room''s entrance, ''when nuns of the Queen of Dreams die the bodies are simply wrapped in linen and placed on recessed ledges in the crypt walls. Have you an interest in perusing corpses?''

    ''Not generally, no,'' the Trell said, straightening with a soft grunt. ''It''s just that the stone changes as soon the stairs descend below floor level.''

    Icarium raised a brow. ''It does?''

    ''The level we''re on is carved from living rock ¨C the cliff''s limestone. It''s rather soft. But beneath it there are cut granite blocks. I believe the crypt beneath us is an older construct. Either that or the nuns and their cult hold that a crypt''s walls and approach must be dressed, whereas living chambers need not be.''

    The Jhag shook his head, approaching. ''I would be surprised. The Queen of Dreams is Life-aspected. Very well, shall we explore?''

    Mappo descended first. Neither had much need for artificial light, the darkness below offering no obstacle. The spiral steps showed the vestiges of marble tiling, but the passage of many feet long ago had worn most of them away. Beneath, the hard granite defied all evidence of erosion.

    The stairs continued down, and down. At the seventieth step they ended in the centre of an octagonally walled chamber. Friezes decorated each wall, the colours hinted at in the many shades of grey. Beyond the staircase''s landing, the floor was honeycombed with rectangular pits, cut down through the tiles and the granite blocks beneath removed. These blocks were now stacked over what was obviously a portalway. Within each pit was a shrouded corpse.

    The air was dry, scentless.

    ''These paintings do not belong to the cult of the Queen,'' Mappo said, stating the obvious, for the scenes on the walls revealed a dark mythos. Thick fir trees reared black, moss-stained boles on all sides. The effect created was of standing in a glade deep in an ancient forest. Between the trunks here and there was the hint of hulking, four-legged beasts, their eyes glowing as if in reflected moonlight.

    Icarium crouched down, running a hand over the remaining tiles. ''This floor held a pattern,'' he said, ''before the nuns'' workers cut graves in it. Pity.''

    Mappo glanced at the blocked doorway. ''If answers to the mysteries here exist, they lie beyond that barricade.''

    ''Recovered your strength, friend?''

    ''Well enough.'' The Trell went to the barrier, pulled down the highest block. As he tipped it down into his arms, he staggered, voicing a savage grunt. Icarium rushed to help him lower the granite block to the floor. ''Hood''s breath! Heavier than I''d expected.''

    ''I''d gathered that. Shall we work together, then?''

    Twenty minutes later they had cleared sufficient blocks to permit their passage into the hallway beyond. The final five minutes they had an audience, as a squall of bhok''aral appeared on the staircase, silently watching their efforts from where they clung from the railings. When first Mappo and then Icarium clambered through the opening, however, the bhok''arala did not follow.

 Page 56

    The hallway stretched away before them, a wide colonnade lined by twin columns that were nothing less than the trunks of cedars. Each bole was at least an arm-span in diameter. The shaggy, gouged bark remained, although most of it had fallen away and now lay scattered over the floor.

    Mappo laid a hand on one wooden pillar. ''Imagine the effort of bringing these down here.''

    ''Warren,'' Icarium said, sniffing. ''The residue remains, even after all these centuries.''

    ''After centuries? Can you sense which warren, Icarium?''

    ''Kurald Galain. Elder, the Warren of Darkness.''

    ''Tiste Andii? In all the histories of Seven Cities that I am aware of, I''ve never heard mention of Tiste Andii present on this continent. Nor in my homeland, on the other side of the Jhag Odhan. Are you certain? This does not make sense.''

    ''I am not certain, Mappo. It has the feel of Kurald Galain, that is all. The feel of Dark. It is not Omtose Phellack nor Tellann. Not Starvald Demelain. I know of no other Elder Warrens.''

    ''Nor I.''

    Without another word the three began walking.

    By Mappo''s count, the hallway ended three hundred and thirty paces later, opening out into another octagonal chamber, this one with its floor raised a hand''s width higher than that of the hallway. Each flagstone was also octagonal, and on each of them images had been intricately carved, then defaced with gouges and scoring in what seemed entirely random, frenzied destruction.

    The Trell felt his hackles stiffening into a ridge on his neck as he stood at the room''s threshold. Icarium was beside him.

    ''I do not,'' the Jhag said, ''suggest we enter this chamber.''

    Mappo grunted agreement. The air stank of sorcery, old, stale and clammy and dense with power. Like waves of heat, magic bled from the flagstones, from the images carved upon them and the wounds many of those images now bore.

    Icarium was shaking his head. ''If this is Kurald Galain, its flavour is unknown to me. It is ... corrupted.''

    ''By the defilement?''

    ''Possibly. Yet the stench from those claw marks differs from what rises from the flagstones themselves. Is it familiar to you? By Dessembrae''s mortal tears it should be, Mappo.''

    The Trell squinted down at the nearest flagstone bearing scars. His nostrils flared. ''Soletaken. D''ivers. The spice of shapeshifters. Of course.'' He barked out a savage laugh that echoed in the chamber. ''The Path of Hands, Icarium. The gate ¨C it''s here.''

    ''More than a gate, I think,'' Icarium said. ''Look upon the undamaged carvings ¨C what do they remind you of?''

    Mappo had an answer to that. He scanned the array with growing certainty, but the realization it offered held no answers, only more questions. ''I see the likeness, yet there is an ... unlikeness, as well. Even more irritating, I can think of no possible linkage ...''

    ''No such answers here,'' Icarium said. ''We must go to the place we first intended to find, Mappo. We approach comprehension ¨C I am certain of that.''

    ''Icarium, do you think Iskaral Pust is preparing for more visitors? Soletaken and D''ivers, the imminent opening of the gate. Is he ¨C and by extension Shadow Realm ¨C the very heart of this convergence?''

    ''I do not know. Let''s ask him.''

    They stepped back from the threshold.

    ''We approach comprehension.'' Three words evoking terror within Mappo. He felt like a hare in a master archer''s sights, each direction of flight so hopeless as to leave him frozen in place. He stood at the side of powers that staggered his mind, power past and powers present. The Nameless Ones, with their charges arid hints and visions, their cowled purposes and shrouded desires. Creatures of fraught antiquity, if the Trellish legends held any glimmer of truth. And Icarium, oh, dear friend, I can tell you nothing. My curse is silence to your every question, and the hand I offer as a brother will lead you only into deceit. In love''s name, I do this, at my own cost . . . and such a cost.

    The bhok''arala awaited them at the stairs and followed the two men at a discreet distance up to the main level.

    They found the High Priest in the vestibule he had converted into his sleeping chamber. Muttering to himself, Iskaral Pust was filling a wicker rubbish container with rotted fruit, dead bats and mangled rhizan. He threw Mappo and Icarium a scowl over one shoulder as they stood at the room''s entrance.

    ''If those squalid apes are following you, let them ''ware my wrath,'' Iskaral hissed. ''No matter which chamber I choose, they insist on using it as repository for their foul leavings. I have lost patience! They mock a High Priest of Shadow at their peril!''

 Page 57

    ''We have found the gate,'' Mappo said.

    Iskaral did not pause in his cleaning. ''Oh, you have, have you? Fools! Nothing is as it seems. A life given for a life taken. You have explored every corner, every cranny, have you? Idiots! Such overconfident bluster is the banner of ignorance. Wave it about and expect me to cower? Hah. I have my secrets, my plans, my schemes. Iskaral Pust''s maze of genius cannot be plumbed by the likes of you. Look at you two. Both ancient wanderers of this mortal earth. Why have you not ascended like the rest of them? I''ll tell you. Longevity does not automatically bestow wisdom. Oh no, not at all. I trust you are killing every spider you spy. You had better be, for it is the path to wisdom. Oh yes indeed, the path!

    ''Bhok''arala have small brains. Tiny brains inside their tiny round skulls. Cunning as rats, with eyes like glittering black stones. Four hours, once, I stared into one''s eyes, he into mine. Never once pulling gaze away, oh no, this was a contest and one I would not lose. Four hours, face to face, so close I could smell his foul breath and he mine. Who would win? It was in the lap of the gods.''

    Mappo glanced at Icarium, then cleared his throat. ''And who, Iskaral Pust, won this . . . this battle of wits?''

    Iskaral Pust fixed a pointed stare on Mappo. ''Look upon him who does not waver from his cause, no matter how insipid and ultimately irrelevant, and you shall find in him the meaning of dull-witted. The bhok''aral could have stared into my eyes for ever, for there was no intelligence behind them. Behind his eyes, I mean. It was proof of my superiority that I found distraction elsewhere.''

    ''Do you intend to lead the D''ivers and Soletaken to the gate below, Iskaral Pust?''

    ''Blunt are the Trell, determined in headlong stumbling and headlong in stumbling determination. As I said. You know nothing of the mysteries involved, the plans of Shadowthrone, the many secrets of the Grey Keep, the Shrouded House where stands the Throne of Shadow. Yet I do. I, alone among all mortals, have been shown the truth arrayed before me. My god is generous, my god is wise, as cunning as a rat. Spiders must die.

    The bhok''arala have stolen my broom and this quest I set before you two guests. Icarium and Mappo Trell, famed wanderers of the world, I charge you with this perilous task ¨C find me my broom.''

    Out in the hallway, Mappo sighed. ''Well, that was fruitless. What shall we do now, friend?''

    Icarium looked surprised. ''It should be obvious, Mappo. We must take on this perilous quest. We must find Iskaral Pust''s broom.''

    ''We have explored this monastery, Icarium,'' the Trell said wearily. ''I noticed no broom.''

    The Jhag''s mouth quirked slightly. ''Explored? Every corner, every cranny? I think not. Our first task, however, is to the kitchen. We must outfit ourselves for our impending explorations.''

    ''You are serious.''

    ''I am.''

    The flies were biting in the heat, as foul-tempered as everything else beneath the blistering sun. People filled Hissar''s fountains until midday, crowded shoulder to shoulder in the tepid, murky waters, before retiring to the cooler shade of their homes. It was not a day for going outside, and Duiker found himself scowling as he drew on a loose, thinly woven telaba while Bult waited by the door.

    ''Why not under the moon,'' the historian muttered. ''Cool night air, stars high overhead with every spirit looking down. Now that would ensure success!''

    Bult''s sardonic grin did not help matters. Strapping on his rope belt, Duiker turned to the grizzled commander. ''Very well, lead on, Uncle.''

    The Wickan''s grin widened, deepening the scar until it seemed he had two smiles instead of one.

    Outside, Kulp waited with the mounts, astride his own small, sturdy-looking horse. Duiker found the cadre mage''s glum expression perversely pleasing.

    They rode through almost empty streets. It was marrok: early afternoon, when sane people retired indoors to wait out the worst of the summer heat. The historian had grown accustomed to napping during marrok; he was feeling grumpy, all too out of sorts to attend Sormo''s ritual. Warlocks were notorious for their impropriety, their deliberate discombobulating of common sense. For the defence of decency done, the Empress might be excused the executions. He grimaced ¨C clearly not an opinion to be safely voiced within hearing range of any Wickans.

    They reached the city''s northern end and rode out on a coastal track for half a league before swinging inland, into the wastes of the Odhan. The oasis they approached an hour later was dead, the spring long since dried up. All that remained of what had once been a lush, natural garden amidst the sands was a stand of withered, gnarled cedars rising from a carpet of tumbled palms.

 Page 58

    Many of the trees bore strange projections that drew Duiker''s curiosity as they led their horses closer.

    ''Are those horns in the trees?'' Kulp asked.

    ''Bhederin, I think,'' the historian replied. ''Jammed into a fork, then grown past, leaving them embedded deep in the wood. These trees were likely a thousand years old before the water vanished.''

    The mage grunted. ''You''d think they''d be cut down by now, this close to Hissar.''

    ''The horns are warnings,'' Bult said. ''Holy ground. Once, long ago. Memories remain.''

    ''As well they should,'' Duiker muttered. ''Sormo should be avoiding hallowed sand, not seeking it out. If this place is aspected, it''s likely an inimical one to a Wickan warlock.''

    ''I''ve long since learned to trust Sormo E''nath''s judgement, Historian. You''d do well to learn the like.''

    ''It''s a poor scholar who trusts anyone''s judgement,'' Duiker said. ''Even and perhaps especially his own.''

    ''¡°You walk shifting sands,¡±'' Bult sighed, then gave him another grin, ''as the locals would say.''

    ''What would you Wickans say?'' Kulp asked.

    Bult''s eyes glittered with mischief. ''Nothing. Wise words are like arrows flung at your forehead. What do you do? Why, you duck, of course. This truth a Wickan knows from the time he first learns to ride ¨C long before he learns to walk.''

    They found the warlock in a clearing. The drifts of sand had been swept aside, revealing a heaved and twisted brick floor ¨C all that remained of a structure of some sort. Chips of obsidian glittered in the joins.

    Kulp dismounted, eyeing Sormo who stood in the centre, hands hidden within heavy sleeves. He swatted at a fly. ''What''s this, then, some lost, forgotten temple?''

    The young Wickan slowly blinked. ''My assistants concluded it had been a stable. They then left without elaborating.''

    Kulp scowled at Duiker. ''I despise Wickan humour,'' he whispered.

    Sormo gestured them closer. ''It is my intention to open myself to the sacred aspect of this kheror, which is the name Wickans give to holy places open to the skies¡ª''

    ''Are you mad?'' Kulp''s face had gone white. ''Those spirits will rip your throat out, child. They are of the Seven¡ª''

    ''They are not,'' the warlock retorted. ''The spirits in this kheror were raised in the time before the Seven. They are the land''s own and if you must liken them to a known aspect, then it must be Tellann.''

    ''Hood''s mercy,'' Duiker groaned. ''If it is indeed Tellann, then you will be dealing with T''lan Imass, Sormo. The undead warriors have turned their backs on the Empress and all that is the Empire, ever since the Emperor''s assassination.''

    The warlock''s eyes were bright. ''And have you not wondered why?''

    The historian''s mouth snapped shut. He had theories in that regard, but to voice them ¨C to anyone ¨C would be treason.

    Kulp''s dry question to Sormo broke through Duiker''s thoughts. ''And has Empress Laseen tasked you with this? Are you here to seek a sense of future events or is that just a feint?''

    Bult had stood a few paces from them saying nothing, but now he spat. ''We need no seer to guess that, Mage.''

    The warlock raised his arms out to his sides. ''Stay close,'' he said to Kulp, then his eyes slid to the historian. ''And you, see and remember all you will witness here.''

    ''I am already doing so, Warlock.''

    Sormo nodded, closed his eyes.

    His power spread like a faint, subtle ripple, sweeping over Duiker and the others to encompass the entire clearing. Daylight faded abruptly, replaced by a soft dusk, the dry air suddenly damp and smelling of marshlands.

    Ringing the glade like sentinels were cypresses. Mosses hung from branches in curtains, hiding what lay beyond in impenetrable shadow.

    Duiker could feel Sormo E''nath''s sorcery like a warm cloak; he had never before felt a power such as this one. Calm and protective, strong yet yielding. He wondered at the Empire''s loss in exterminating these warlocks. An error she''s clearly corrected, though it might well be too late. How many warlocks were lost in truth?

    Sormo loosed an ululating cry that echoed as if they stood within a vast cavern.

    The next moment the air was alive with icy winds, arriving in warring gusts. Sormo staggered, his eyes now open and widening with alarm. He drew a breath, then visibly recoiled at the taste and Duiker could not blame him. Bestial stench rode the winds, growing fouler by the moment.

    Taut violence filled the glade, a sure promise announced in the sudden thrashing of the moss-laden branches. The historian saw a swarming cloud approach Bult from behind and shouted a warning. The Wickan whirled, long-knives in his hands. He screamed as the first of the wasps stung.

 Page 59

    ''D''ivers!'' Kulp bellowed, one hand grasping Duiker''s telaba and pulling the historian back to where Sormo stood as if dazed.

    Rats scampered over the soft ground, shrilly screaming as they attacked a writhing bundle of snakes.

    The historian felt heat on his legs, looked down. Fire ants swarmed him up to his thighs. The heat rose to agony. He screamed.

    Swearing, Kulp unleashed his warren in a pulse of power. Shrivelled ants fell from the historian''s legs like dust. The attacking swarm flinched back, the D''ivers retreating.

    The rats had overrun the snakes and now closed in on Sormo. The Wickan frowned at them.

    Off where Bult crouched slapping futilely at the stinging wasps, liquid fire erupted in a swath, the flames tumbling over the veteran.

    Tracking back to the fire''s source, Duiker saw that an enormous demon had entered the clearing. Midnight-skinned and twice the height of a man, the creature voiced a roar of fury and launched a savage attack on a white-furred bear ¨C the glade was alive with D''ivers and Soletaken, the air filled with shrieks and snarls. The demon landed on the bear, driving it to the ground with a snap and crunch of bones. Leaving the animal twitching, the black demon leapt to one side and roared a second time, and this time Duiker heard meaning within it.

    ''It''s warning us!'' he shouted at Kulp.

    Like a lodestone the demon''s arrival drew the D''ivers and Soletaken. They fought each other in a frenzied rush to attack the creature.

    ''We have to get out of here!'' Duiker said. ''Pull us out, Kulp ¨Cnow!''

    The mage hissed in rage. ''How? This is Sormo''s ritual, you damned book-grub!''

    The demon vanished beneath a mob of creatures, yet clearly remained upright, as the D''ivers and Soletaken clambered up what seemed a solid pillar of stone. Black-skinned arms appeared, flinging away dead and dying creatures. But it could not last.

    ''Hood take you, Kulp! Think of something!''

    The mage''s face tightened. ''Drag Bult to Sormo. Quickly! Leave the warlock to me.'' With that, Kulp bolted to Sormo, shouting in an effort to wake the youth from whatever spell held him. Duiker spun to where Bult lay huddled five paces away. His legs felt impossibly heavy beneath the prickling pain of the ant bites as he staggered to the Wickan.

    The veteran had been stung scores of times, his flesh was misshapen with fiery swelling. He was unconscious, possibly dead. Duiker gripped the man''s harness and dragged him to where Kulp continued accosting Sormo E''nath.

    As the historian arrived, the demon gave one last shriek, then disappeared beneath the mound of attackers. The D''ivers and Soletaken then surged towards the four men.

    Sormo E''nath was oblivious, his eyes glazed, unheeding of the mage''s efforts to shout him into awareness.

    ''Wake him or we''re dead,'' Duiker gasped, stepping over Bult to face the charging beasts with naught but a small knife.

    The weapon would little avail him as a seething cloud of hornets swiftly closed the distance.

    The scene was jolted, and Duiker saw they were back in the dead oasis. The D''ivers and Soletaken were gone. The historian turned to Kulp. ''You did it! How?''

    The mage glanced down at a sprawled, moaning Sormo E''nath. ''I''ll pay for it,'' he muttered, then met Duiker''s eyes. ''I punched the lad. Damn near broke my hand doing it, too. It was his nightmare, wasn''t it?''

    The historian blinked, then shook himself and crouched down beside Bult. ''This poison will kill him long before we can get help¡ª''

    Kulp squatted, ran his good hand over the veteran''s swollen face. ''Not poison. More like an infecting warren. I can deal with this, Duiker. As with your legs.'' He closed his eyes in concentration.

    Sormo E''nath slowly pushed himself into sitting position. He looked around, then tenderly touched his jaw, where the ridged imprint of Kulp''s knuckles stood like puckered islands in a spreading flush of red.

    ''He had no choice,'' Duiker told him.

    The warlock nodded.

    ''Can you talk? Any loose teeth?''

    ''Somewhere,'' he said clearly, ''a crow flaps broken-winged on the ground. There are but ten left.''

    ''What happened there, Warlock?''

    Sormo''s eyes flicked nervously. ''Something unexpected, Historian. A convergence is underway. The Path of Hands. The gate of the Soletaken and the D''ivers. An unhappy coincidence.''

    Duiker scowled. ''You said Tellann¡ª''

    ''And so it was,'' the warlock cut in. ''Is there a blending between shapeshifting and Elder Tellann? Unknown. Perhaps the D''ivers and Soletaken are simply passing through the warren ¨C imagining it unoccupied by T''lan Imass and therefore safer. Indeed, no T''lan Imass to take umbrage with the trespass, leaving them with only each other to battle.''

 Page 60

    ''They''re welcome to annihilate each other, then,'' the historian grumbled, his legs slowly giving way beneath him until like Sormo he sat on the ground.

    ''I shall help you in a moment,'' Kulp called over.

    Nodding, Duiker found himself watching a dung beetle struggle heroically to push aside a fragment of palm bark. He sensed something profound in what he watched, but was too weary to pursue it.

    CHAPTER FIVE

    Bhok''arala seem to have originated in the wastes of Raraku. Before long, these social creatures spread outward and were soon seen throughout Seven Cities. As efficacious rat control in settlements, the bhok''arala were not only tolerated, but often encouraged. It was not long before a lively trade in domesticated breeds became a major export...

    The usage and demonic investment of this species among mages and alchemists is a matter for discussion within treatises more specific than this one. Bank''s Three Hundred and Twenty-first Treatise offers a succinct analysis for interested scholars ...

    Denizens of Raraku

    Imrygyn Tallobant

    With the exception of the sandstorm ¨C which they had waited out in Trob ¨C and the unsettling news of a massacre at Ladro Keep, told to them by an outrider from a well-guarded caravan bound for Ehrlitan, the journey to within sight of G''danisban had proved uneventful for Fiddler, Crokus and Apsalar.

    Although Fiddler knew that the risks that lay ahead, south of the small city out in the Pan''potsun Odhan, were severe enough to eat holes in his stomach, he had anticipated a lull in the final approach to G''danisban. What he had not expected to find was a ragtag renegade army encamped outside the city walls.

    The army''s main force straddled the road but was shielded by a dun line of hills on the north side. The canal road led the three unsuspecting travellers into the camp''s perimeter lines. There had been no warning.

    A company of footmen commanded the rosad from flanking hills and oversaw diligent questioning of all who sought entry to the city. The company was supported by a score of Arak tribal horsewarriors who were evidently entrusted with riding down any traveller inclined to flee the approach to the makeshift barricade.

    Fiddler and his charges would have to ride on through and trust to their disguises. The sapper was anything but confident, although this lent a typically Gral scowl to his narrow features which elicited a wholly proper wariness in two of the three guards who stepped forward to intercept them at the barricade.

    ''The city is closed,'' the unimpressed guard nearest them said, punctuating his words by spitting between the hooves of Fiddler''s mount.

    It would later be said that even a Gral''s horse knew an insult when it saw one. Before Fiddler could react, his mount''s head snapped forward, stripping the reins from the sapper''s hands, and bit the guardsman in the face. The horse had twisted its head so that the jaws closed round the man''s cheeks and tore into cheeks, upper lip and nose. Blood gushed. The guardsman dropped like a sack of stones, a piercing, keening sound rising from him.

    For lack of anything else to grip, Fiddler snagged the gelding''s ears and pulled hard, backing the beast away even as it prepared to stomp on the guard''s huddled form. Hiding his shock behind an even fiercer frown, the sapper unleashed a stream of Gral curses at the two remaining men, who had both backed frantically clear before lowering their pikes. ''Foul snot of rabid dogs! Anal crust of dysenteried goats! Such a sight for two young newlyweds to witness! Will you curse their marriage but two weeks since the blessed day? Shall I loose the fleas on my head to rend your worthless flesh from your jellied bones?''

    As Fiddler roared every Gral utterance of disgust he could recall in an effort to keep the guards unbalanced, a troop of the Arak horsewarriors rode up with savage haste.

    ''Gral! Ten jakatas for your horse!''

    ''Twelve, Gral! To me!''

    ''Fifteen and my youngest daughter!''

    ''Five jakatas for three tail hairs!''

    Fiddler turned his fiercest frown on the riders. ''Not one of you is fit to smell my horse''s farts!'' But he grinned, unstrapping a beer-filled bladder and tossing it one-handed to the nearest Arak. ''But let us camp with your troop this night and for a sliver you may feel its heat with your palms ¨C once only! For more you must pay!''

    With wild grins, the Araks passed the skin between them, each taking deep swigs to finalize the ritual exchange. By sharing beer, Fiddler had granted them status as equals, the gesture stripping the cutting barb from the insult he had thrown their way.

    Fiddler glanced back at Crokus and Apsalar. They looked properly shaken. Biting back his own nausea, the sapper winked.

 Page 61

    The guards had recovered but before they could close in, the tribesmen drove their mounts to block them.

    ''Ride with us!'' one of the Araks shouted to Fiddler. As one, the troop wheeled about. Regaining the reins, Fiddler spurred the gelding after them, sighing when he heard behind him the newlyweds following suit.

    It was to be a race to the Arak camp, and, true to its sudden legendary status, the Gral horse was determined to burst every muscle in its body to win. Fiddler had never before ridden such a game beast, and he found himself grinning in spite of himself, even as the image of the guardsman''s ravaged face remained like a chill knot in the pit of his stomach.

    The Arak tipis lined the edges of a nearby hill''s windswept summit, each set wide apart so that no shade from a neighbour''s could cast insult. Women and children came to the crest to watch the race, screaming as Fiddler''s mount burst through the leading line, swerving to throw a shoulder into the fastest competitor. That horse stumbled, almost pitching its rider from his wood and felt saddle, then righted itself with a furious scream at being driven from the race.

    Unimpeded, Fiddler leaned forward as his horse reached the slope and surged up its grassy side. The line of watchers parted as he reached the crest and reined in amidst the tipis.

    As any plains tribe would, the Arak chose hilltops rather than valley floors for their camps. The winds kept the insects to a minimum ¨C boulders held down the tipi edges to prevent the hide tents from blowing away ¨C and the rising and setting of the sun could be witnessed to mark ritual thanksgiving.

    The camp''s layout was a familiar one to Fiddler, who had ridden with Wickan scouts over these lands during the Emperor''s campaigns. Marking the centre of the ring of tipis was a stone-lined hearth. Four wooden posts off to one side, between two tipis, and joined together with a single hemp rope, provided the corral for the horses. Bundles of rolled felt lay drying nearby, along with tripods bearing stretched hides and strips of meat.

    The dozen or so camp dogs surrounded the snapping gelding as Fiddler paused in the saddle to take his bearings. The scrawny, yipping mongrels might prove a problem, he realized, but he hoped that their suspicions would apply to all strangers, Gral included. If not, then his disguise was over.

    The troop arrived moments later, the horsewarriors shouting and laughing as they reined in and threw themselves from their saddles. Appearing last on the summit''s crest were Crokus and Apsalar, neither of whom seemed ready to share in the good humour.

    Seeing their faces reminded Fiddler of the mangled guardsman on the road below. He regained his scowl and slipped from the saddle. ''The city is closed?'' he shouted. ''Another Mezla folly!''

    The Arak rider who''d spoken before strode up, a fierce grin on his lean face. ''Not Mezla! G''danisban has been liberated! The southern hares have fled the Whirlwind''s promise.''

    ''Then why was the city closed to us? Are we Mezla?''

    ''A cleansing, Gral! Mezla merchants and nobles infest G''danisban. They were arrested yesterday and this day they are being executed. Tomorrow morning you shall lead your blessed couple into a free city. Come, this night we celebrate!''

    Fiddler squatted in Gral fashion. ''Has Sha''ik raised the Whirlwind, then?'' He glanced back at Crokus and Apsalar, as if suddenly regretting having taken on the responsibility. ''Has the war begun, Arak?''

    ''Soon,'' he said. ''We were cursed with impatience,'' he added with a smirk.

    Crokus and Apsalar approached. The Arak went off to assist in the preparations for the night''s festivities. Coins were flung at the gelding''s hooves and hands cautiously reached out to rest lightly on the animal''s neck and flanks. For the moment the three travellers were alone.

    ''That was a sight I will never forget,'' Crokus said, ''though I wish to Hood I could. Will the poor man live?''

    Fiddler shrugged. ''If he chooses to.''

    ''We''re camping here tonight?'' Apsalar asked, looking around.

    ''Either that or insult these Arak and risk disembowelling.''

    ''We will not fool them for much longer,'' Apsalar said. ''Crokus doesn''t speak a word of this land''s tongue, and mine is a Malazan''s accent.''

    ''That soldier was my age,'' the Daru thief muttered.

    Frowning, the sapper said, ''Our only other choice is to ride into G''danisban, so that we may witness the Whirlwind''s vengeance.''

    ''Another celebration of what''s to come?'' Crokus demanded. ''This damned Apocalypse you''re always talking about? I get the feeling that this land''s people do nothing but talk.''

 Page 62

    Fiddler cleared his throat. ''Tonight''s celebration in G''danisban,'' he said slowly, ''will be the flaying alive of a few hundred Malazans, Crokus. If we show eagerness to witness such an event, these Arak may not be offended by our leaving early.''

    Apsalar turned to watch half a dozen tribesmen approach. ''Try it, Fiddler,'' she said.

    The sapper came close to saluting. He hissed a curse. ''You giving me orders, Recruit?''

    She blinked. ''I think I was giving orders . .. when you were still clutching the hem of your mother''s dress, Fiddler. I know ¨C the one who possessed me. It''s his instincts that are ringing like steel on stone right now. Do as I say.''

    The chance for a retort vanished as the Arak arrived. ''You are blessed, Gral!'' one of them said. ''A Gral clan is on its way to join the Apocalypse! Let us hope that like you they bring their own beer!''

    Fiddler made a kin gesture, then soberly shook his head. ''It cannot be,'' he said, mentally holding his breath. ''I am outcast. More, these newlyweds insist we enter the city ... to witness the executions in further blessing of their binding. I am their escort, and so must obey their commands.''

    Apsalar stepped forward and bowed. ''We wish no offence,'' she said.

    It wasn''t going well. The Arak faces arrayed before them had darkened. ''Outcast? No kin to honour your trail, Gral? Perhaps we shall hold you for your brothers'' vengeance, and in exchange they leave us your horse.''

    With exquisite perfection, Apsalar stamped one foot to announce the rage of a pampered daughter and new wife. ''I am with child! Defy me and be cursed! We go to the city! Now!''

    ''Hire one of us for the rest of your journey, blessed lady! But leave the riven Gral! He is not fit to serve you!''

    Trembling, Apsalar prepared to lift her veil, announcing the intention to voice her curse.

    The Araks flinched back.

    ''You covet the gelding! This is nothing more than greed! I shall now curse you all¡ª''

    ''Forgive!'' ''We bow down, blessed lady!'' ''Touch not your veil!'' ''Ride on, then! To the city below! Ride on!''

    Apsalar hesitated. For a moment Fiddler thought she would curse them anyway. Instead she spun about. ''Escort us once more, Gral,'' she said.

    Surrounded by worried, frightened faces, the three mounted up.

    An Arak who had spoken earlier now stepped close to the sapper. ''Stay only the night, then ride on hard, Gral. Your kin will pursue you.''

    ''Tell them,'' Fiddler said, ''I won the horse in a fair fight. Tell them that.''

    The Arak frowned. ''Will they know the story?''

    ''Which clan?''

    ''Sebark.''

    The sapper shook his head.

    ''Then they shall ride you down for the pleasure of it. But I shall tell them your words, anyway. Indeed, your horse was worth killing for.''

    Fiddler thought back to the drunken Gral he''d bought the gelding from in Ehrlitan. Three jakata. The tribesmen who moved into the cities lost much. ''Drink my beer this night, Arak?''

    ''We shall. Before the Gral arrive. Ride on.''

    As they rode onto the road and approached G''danisban''s north gate, Apsalar said to him, ''We are in trouble now, aren''t we?''

    ''Is that what your instincts tell you, lass?''

    She grimaced.

    ''Aye,'' Fiddler sighed. ''That we are. I made a mistake with that outcast story. I think now, given your performance back there, that the threat of your curse would have sufficed.''

    ''Probably.''

    Crokus cleared his throat. ''Are we going to actually watch these executions, Fid?''

    The sapper shook his head. ''Not a chance. We''re riding straight through, if we can.'' He glanced at Apsalar. ''Let your courage falter, lass. Another temper tantrum and the citizens will rush you out the south gate on a bed of gold.''

    She acknowledged him with a wry smile.

    Don''t fall in love with this woman, Fid, old friend, else you loosen your guard of the lad''s life, and call it an accident of fate ...

    Spilled blood stained the worn cobbles under the arched north gate and a scatter of wooden toys lay broken and crushed to either side of the causeway. From somewhere close came the screams of children dying.

    ''We can''t do this,'' Crokus said, all the colour gone from his face. He rode at Fiddler''s side, Apsalar holding her mount close behind them. Looters and armed men appeared now and then farther down the street, but the way into the city seemed strangely open. A haze of smoke hung over everything, and the burnt-out shells of merchant stores and residences gaped desolation on all sides.

 Page 63

    They rode amidst scorched furniture, shattered pottery and ceramics, and bodies twisted in postures of violent death. The children''s dying screams, off to their right, had mercifully stopped, but other, more distant screams rose eerily from G''danisban''s heart.

    They were startled by a figure darting across their paths, a young girl, naked and bruised. She ran as if oblivious to them, and clambered under a broken-wheeled cart not fifteen paces from Fiddler and his party. They watched her scramble under cover.

    Six armed men approached from a side street. Their weapons were haphazard, and none wore armour. Blackened blood stained their ragged telaban. One spoke. ''Gral! You see a girl? We''re not done with her.''

    Even as he asked his question, another of them grinned and gestured to the cart. The girl''s knees and feet were clearly visible.

    ''A Mezla?'' Fiddler asked.

    The group''s leader shrugged. ''Well enough. Fear not, Gral, we''ll share.''

    The sapper heard Apsalar draw a long, slow breath. He eased back in his saddle.

    The group split in passing around Fiddler, Crokus and Apsalar. The sapper casually leaned after the nearest man and thrust the point of his long-knife into the base of his skull. The Gral gelding pivoted beneath Fiddler and kicked out with both rear hooves, shattering another man''s chest and propelling him backward, sprawling on the cobbles.

    Regaining control of the gelding, Fiddler drove his heels into its flanks. They bolted forward, savagely riding down the group''s generous leader. From under the horse''s stamping hooves came the sound of snapping bones and the sickening crushing of his skull. Fiddler twisted in the saddle to find the remaining three men.

    Two of them writhed in keening pain near Apsalar, who sat calm in the saddle, a thick-bladed kethra knife in each gloved hand.

    Crokus had dismounted and was now crouching over the last body, removing a throwing knife from a blood-drenched throat.

    They all turned at a grinding of potsherds to see the girl claw her way clear of the cart, scramble to her feet, then race into the shadows of an alley, disappearing from view.

    The sound of horsemen coming from the north gate reached them.

    ''Ride on!'' Fiddler snapped.

    Crokus leapt onto his mount''s back. Apsalar sheathed her blades and gave the sapper a nod as she gathered up the reins.

    ''Ride through ¨C to the south gate!''

    Fiddler watched the two of them gallop on, then he slipped from the gelding''s back and approached the two men Apsalar had wounded. ''Ah,'' he breathed when he came close and saw their slashed-open crotches, ''that''s the lass I know.''

    The troop of horsemen arrived. They all wore ochre sashes diagonally across their chain-covered chests. Their commander opened his mouth to speak but Fiddler was first.

    ''Is no man''s daughter safe in this seven-cursed city? She was no Mezla, by my ancestors! Is this your Apocalypse? Then I pray the pit of snakes awaits you in the Seven Hells!''

    The commander was frowning. ''Gral, you say these men were rapists?''

    ''A Mezla slut gets what she deserves, but the girl was no Mezla.''

    ''So you killed these men. All six of them.''

    ''Aye.''

    ''Who were the other two riders with you?''

    ''The pilgrims I am sworn to protect.''

    ''And yet they ride into the city''s heart... without you at their side.''

    Fiddler scowled.

    The commander scanned the victims. ''Two yet live.''

    ''May they be cursed with a hundred thousand more breaths before Hood takes them.''

    The commander leaned on his saddlehorn and was silent a moment. ''Rejoin your pilgrims, Gral. They have need of your services.''

    Growling, Fiddler remounted. ''Who rules G''danisban now?''

    ''None. The army of the Apocalypse holds but two districts. We shall have the others by the morrow.''

    Fiddler pulled the horse around and kicked it into a canter. The troop did not follow. The sapper swore under his breath ¨C the commander was right, he should not have sent Crokus and Apsalar on. He knew himself lucky in that his remaining with the rapists could so easily be construed as typically Gral ¨C the opportunity to brag to the red-swathed riders, the chance to voice curses and display a tribesman''s unassailable arrogance ¨C but it risked offering up to contempt his vow to protect his charges. He''d seen the mild disgust in the commander''s eyes. In all, he''d been too much of a Gral horsewarrior. If not for Apsalar''s frightening talents, those two would now be in serious trouble.

    He rode hard in pursuit, noting belatedly that the gelding was responding to his every touch. The horse knew he was no Gral, but it''d evidently decided he was behaving in an approved manner, well enough to accord him some respect. It was, he reflected, this day''s lone victory.

 Page 64

    G''danisban''s central square was the site of past slaughter. Fiddler caught up with his companions when they had just begun walking their horses through the horrific scene. They both turned upon hearing his approach, and Fiddler could only nod at the relief in their faces when they recognized him.

    Even the Gral gelding hesitated at the square''s edge. The bodies covering the cobbles numbered several hundred. Old men and old women, and children, for the most part. They had all been savagely cut to pieces or, in some cases, burned alive. The stench of sun-warmed blood, bile and seared flesh hung thick in the square.

    Fiddler swallowed back his revulsion, cleared his throat. ''Beyond this square,'' he said, ''all pretences of control cease.''

    Crokus gestured shakily. ''These are Malazan?''

    ''Aye, lad.''

    ''During the conquest, did the Malazan armies do the same to the locals here?''

    ''You mean, is this just reprisal?''

    Apsalar spoke with an almost personal vehemence. ''The Emperor warred against armies, not civilians¡ª''

    ''Except at Aren,'' Fiddler sardonically interjected, recalling his words with the Tanno Spiritwalker. ''When the T''lan Imass rose in the city¡ª''

    ''Not by Kellanved''s command!'' she retorted. ''Who ordered the T''lan Imass into Aren? I shall tell you. Surly, the commander of the Claw, the woman who took upon herself a new name¡ª''

    ''Laseen.'' Fiddler eyed the young woman quizzically. ''I have never before heard that assertion, Apsalar. There were no written orders ¨C none found, in any case¡ª''

    ''I should have killed her there and then,'' Apsalar muttered.

    Astonished, Fiddler glanced at Crokus. The Daru shook his head.

    ''Apsalar,'' the sapper said slowly, ''you were but a child when Aren rebelled then fell to the T''lan Imass.''

    ''I know that,'' she replied. ''Yet these memories... they are so clear. I was... sent to Aren ... to see the slaughter. To find out what happened. I... I argued with Surly. No-one else was in the room. Just Surly and ... and me.''

    They reached the other end of the square. Fiddler reined in and regarded Apsalar for a long moment.

    Crokus said, ''It was the Rope, the patron god of assassins, who possessed you. Yet your memories are¡ª''

    ''Dancer''s.'' As soon as he said it, Fiddler knew it was true. ''The Rope has another name. Cotillion. Hood''s breath, so obvious! No-one doubted that the assassinations occurred. Both Dancer and the Emperor ... murdered by Laseen and her chosen Clawmasters. What did Laseen do with the bodies? No-one knows.''

    ''So Dancer lived,'' Crokus said with a frown. ''And ascended. Became a patron god in the Warren of Shadow.''

    Apsalar said nothing, watching and listening with a carefully controlled absence of expression on her face.

    Fiddler was cursing himself for a blind idiot. ''What House appeared in the Deck of Dragons shortly afterward? Shadow. Two new Ascendants. Cotillion ... and Shadowthrone ...''

    Crokus''s eyes widened. ''Shadowthrone is Kellanved,'' he said. ''They weren''t assassinated ¨C either of them. They escaped by ascending.''

    ''Into the Shadow Realm.'' Fiddler smiled wryly. ''To nurse their thoughts of vengeance, leading eventually to Cotillion possessing a young fishergirl in Itko Kan, to begin what would be a long, devious path to Laseen. Which failed. Apsalar?''

    ''Your words are true,'' she said without inflection.

    ''Then why,'' the sapper demanded, ''didn''t Cotillion reveal himself to us? To Whiskeyjack, to Kalam? To Dujek? Dammit, Dancer knew us all ¨C and if that bastard understood the notion of friendship at all, then those I''ve just mentioned were his friends¡ª''

    Apsalar''s sudden laugh rattled both men. ''I could lie and say he sought to protect you all. Do you really wish the truth, Bridgeburner?''

    Fiddler felt himself flushing. ''I do,'' he growled.

    ''Dancer trusted but two men. One was Kellanved. The other was Dassem Ultor, the First Sword. Dassem is dead. I am sorry if this offends you, Fiddler. Thinking on it, I would suggest that Cotillion trusts no-one. Not even Shadowthrone. Emperor Kellanved ... well enough. Ascendant Kellanved ¨C Shadowthrone ¨C ah, that is something wholly different.''

    ''He was a fool,'' Fiddler pronounced, gathering up his reins.

    Apsalar''s smile was strangely wistful.

    ''Enough words,'' Crokus said. ''Let''s get out of this damned city.''

    ''Aye.''

    The short journey from the square to the south gate was surprisingly uneventful, for all the commander''s warnings. Dusk shrouded the streets and smoke from a burning tenement block spread an acrid haze that made breathing tortured. They rode through the silent aftermath of slaughter, when the rage has passed and awareness returns with shock and shame.

 Page 65

    The moment was a single indrawn breath in what Fiddler knew would be an ever-burgeoning wildfire. If the Malazan legions had not been withdrawn from nearby Pan''potsun, there would have been the chance of crushing the life from this first spark, with a brutality to match the renegades''. When slaughter is flung back on the perpetrators, the thirst for blood is quickly quenched.

    The Emperor would have acted swiftly, decisively. Hood''s breath, he would never have let it slide this far.

    Less than a tenth of a bell after leaving the square they passed beneath the smoke-blackened arch of an unguarded south gate. Beyond stretched the Pan''potsun Odhan, flanked to the west by the ridge that divided the Odhan from the Holy Desert Raraku. The night''s first stars flickered alight overhead.

    Fiddler broke the long silence. ''There is a village a little over two leagues to the south. With luck it won''t be a carrion feast. Not yet, anyway.''

    Crokus cleared his throat. ''Fiddler, if Kalam had known ... about Dancer, I mean, Cotillion ...''

    The sapper grimaced, glanced at Apsalar. ''She''d be with him right now.''

    Whatever response Crokus intended was interrupted by a squealing, flapping shape that dropped down out of the darkness to collide with the lad''s back. Crokus let out a shout of alarm as the creature gripped his hair and clambered onto his head.

    ''It''s just Moby,'' Fiddler said, trying to shake off the jitters the familiar''s arrival had elicited. He squinted. ''Looks like he''s been in a scrap,'' he observed.

    Crokus pulled Moby down into his arms. ''He''s bleeding everywhere!''

    ''Nothing serious, I''d guess,'' Fiddler said.

    ''What makes you so sure?''

    The sapper grinned. ''Ever seen bhok''arala mate?''

    ''Fiddler,'' Apsalar''s tone was tight. ''We are pursued.''

    Reining in, Fiddler rose in the stirrups and twisted around. In the distant gloom was a cloud of dust. He hissed a curse. ''The Gral clan.''

    ''We ride weary mounts,'' Apsalar said.

    ''Aye. Queen grant us there''s fresh horses to be had in New Velar.''

    At the base of three converging gorges, Kalam left the false path and carefully guided his horse through a narrow drainage channel. The old memories of the ways into Raraku felt heavy in his bones. Everything''s changed, yet nothing has changed.

    Of the countless trails that passed through the hills, all but a few led only to death. The false routes were cleverly directed away from the few waterholes and springs. Without water, Raraku''s sun was a fatal companion. Kalam knew the Holy Desert, the map within his head ¨C decades old ¨C was seared anew with every landmark he recognized. Pinnacles, tilted rocks, the wend of a flood channel ¨C he felt as if he had never left, for all his new loyalties, his conflicting allegiances. Once more, a child of this desert. Once more, servant to its sacred need.

    As the wind and sun did to the sand and stone, Raraku shaped all who had known it. Crossing it had etched the souls of the three companies that would come to be called the Bridgeburners. We could imagine no other name. Raraku burned our pasts away, making all that came before a trail of ashes.

    He swung the stallion onto a scree, rocks and sand skittering and tumbling as the beast scrambled up the slope, regaining the true path along the ridge line that would run in a slow descent westward to Raraku''s floor.

    Stars glittered like knife-points overhead. The bleached limestone crags shone silver in the faint moonlight, as if reflecting back memories of the day just past.

    The assassin led his horse between the crumbled foundations of two watchtowers. Potsherds and fractured brick crunched under the stallion''s hooves. Rhizan darted from his path with a soft flit of wings. Kalam felt he had returned home.

    ''No farther,'' a rasping voice warned.

    Smiling, Kalam reined in.

    ''A bold announcement,'' the voice continued. ''A stallion the colour of sand, red telaba ...''

    ''I announce what I am,'' Kalam replied casually. He had pinpointed the source of the voice, in the deep shadows of a sinkhole just beyond the left-hand watchtower. There was a crossbow trained on the assassin, but Kalam knew he could dodge the quarrel, rolling from the saddle with the stallion between him and the stranger. Two well-thrown knives into the darker shape amidst the shadows would punctuate the exchange. He felt at ease.

    ''Disarm him,'' the voice drawled.

    Two massive hands closed on his wrists from behind and savagely pulled both his arms back, until he was dragged, cursing with rage, over the stallion''s rump. As soon as he cleared the beast, the hands twisted his body around and drove him hard, face first, into the stony ground. The air knocked from his lungs, Kalam was helpless.

 Page 66

    He heard the one who''d spoken rise up from the sinkhole and approach. The stallion snapped his teeth but was swiftly calmed at a soft word from the stranger. The assassin listened as the saddlebags were lifted away and set on the ground. Flaps opened. ''Ah, he''s the one, then.''

    The hands released Kalam. Groaning, the assassin managed to roll over. A giant of a man stood over him, his face tattooed like shattered glass. A long single braid hung down the left side of his chest. The man wore a cloak of bhederin hide over a vest of armour that seemed made of clam shells. The wooden handle and stone pommel of a bladed weapon of some kind jutted from just under his left arm. The broad belt over the man''s loincloth was oddly decorated with what looked to Kalam like dried mushroom caps of various sizes. He was over seven foot tall, yet muscled enough to seem wide, and his flat, broad face gazed down without expression.

    Regaining his breath, the assassin sat up. ''A sorcerous silence,'' he muttered, mostly to himself.

    The man who now held the Book of the Apocalypse heard the gruff whisper and snorted. ''You fancy no mortal could get that close to you without your hearing him. You tell yourself it must have involved magic. You are wrong. My companion is Toblakai, an escaped slave from the Laederon Plateau of Genabackis. He''s seen seventeen summers and has personally killed forty-one enemies. Those are their ears on his belt.'' The man rose, offering Kalam his hand. ''You are most welcome to Raraku, Deliverer. Our long vigil is ended.''

    Grimacing, Kalam accepted the man''s hand and felt himself pulled effortlessly to his feet. The assassin brushed the dust from his clothes. ''You are not bandits, then.''

    The stranger barked a laugh. ''No, we are not. I am Leoman, Captain of Sha''ik''s Bodyguard. My companion refuses his name to strangers, and we shall leave it at that. We are the two she chose.''

    ''I must deliver the Book into Sha''ik''s hands,'' Kalam said. ''Not yours, Leoman.''

    The squat warrior ¨C by his colour and clothing a child of this desert ¨C held out the Book. ''By all means.''

    Cautiously, the assassin retrieved the heavy, battered tome.

    A woman spoke behind him. ''You may now give it to me, Deliverer.''

    Kalam slowly closed his eyes, struggling to gather the frayed ends of his nerves. He turned.

    There could be no doubting. The small, honey-skinned woman standing before him radiated power in waves, the smell of dust and sand whipped by winds, the taste of salt and blood. Her rather plain face was deeply lined, giving her an appearance of being around forty years old, though Kalam suspected she was younger ¨C Raraku was a harsh home.

    Involuntarily, Kalam dropped to one knee. He held out the Book. ''I deliver unto you, Sha''ik, the Apocalypse.'' And with it, a sea of blood ¨C how many innocent lives shattered, to bring hasten down? Hood take me, what have I done?

    The Book''s weight left his hands as she accepted it. ''It is damaged.''

    The assassin looked up, slowly rose.

    Sha''ik was frowning, one finger tracing a torn corner of the leather cover. ''Well, one should not be surprised, given that it is a thousand years old. I thank you, Deliverer. Will you now join my band of soldiers? I sense great talents in you.''

    Kalam bowed. ''I cannot. My destiny lies elsewhere.'' Flee, Kalam, before you test the skills of these bodyguards. Flee, before uncertainty kills you.

    Her dark eyes narrowed on his searchingly, then widened. ''I sense something of your desire, though you shield it well. Ride on, then, the way south is open to you. More, you shall have an escort¡ª''

    ''I need no escort, Seer¡ª''

    ''But you shall have one in any case.'' She gestured and a bulky, ungainly shape appeared from the gloom.

    ''Holy One,'' Leoman hissed warningly.

    ''You question me?'' Sha''ik snapped.

    ''The Toblakai is as an army, nor are my skills lacking, Holy One, yet¡ª''

    ''Since I was a child,'' Sha''ik cut in, her voice brittle, ''one vision has possessed me above all others. I have seen this moment, Leoman, a thousand times. At dawn I shall open the Book, and the Whirlwind shall rise, and I shall emerge from it ... renewed. ¡°Blades in hands and unhanded in wisdom,¡± such are the wind''s words. Young, yet old. One life whole, another incomplete. I have seen, Leoman!'' She paused, drew a breath. ''I see no other future but this one. We are safe.'' Sha''ik faced Kalam again. ''I acquired a ... a pet recently, which I now send with you, for I sense ... possibilities in you, Deliverer.'' She gestured again.

    The huge, ungainly shape moved closer and Kalam took an involuntary step backward. His stallion voiced a soft squeal and stood trembling.

 Page 67

    Leoman spoke. ''An aptorian, Deliverer, from the realm of Shadow. Sent into Raraku by Shadowthrone ... to spy. It belongs to Sha''ik now.''

    The beast was a nightmare, close to nine feet tall, crouching on two thin hind limbs. A lone foreleg, long and multijointed, jutted down from its strangely bifurcated chest. From a hunched, angular shoulder blade, the demon''s sinuous neck rose to a flat, elongated head. Needle fangs ridged its jawline, which was swept back and naturally grinning like a dolphin''s. Head, neck and limbs were black, while its torso was a dun grey. A single, flat black eye regarded Kalam with appalling awareness.

    The assassin saw barely healed scarring on the demon. ''It''s been in a fight?''

    Sha''ik scowled. ''A D''ivers. Desert wolves. She drove them off¡ª''

    ''More like a tactical withdrawal,'' Leoman added dryly. ''The beast does not eat or drink, so far as we''ve seen. And though the Holy One believes otherwise, it appears to be entirely brainless ¨C that look in its eye is likely a mask hiding very little.''

    ''Leoman plagues me with doubts,'' Sha''ik said. ''It is his chosen task and I grow increasingly weary of it.''

    ''Doubts are healthy,'' Kalam said, then snapped his mouth shut.

    The Holy One only smiled. ''I sensed you two were alike. Leave us, then. The Seven Holies know, one Leoman is enough.''

    With a final glance at the young Toblakai, the assassin vaulted back into the saddle, swung the stallion to the south trail and nudged him into a trot.

    The aptorian evidently preferred some distance between them; it moved parallel to Kalam at over twenty paces away, a darker stain in the night, striding awkwardly yet silently on its three bony legs.

    After ten minutes of riding at a fast trot, the assassin slowed the stallion to a walk. He had delivered the Book, personally seen to the rise of the Whirlwind. Answered his blood''s call, no matter how stained the motivation.

    The demands of his other life lay ahead. He would kill the Empress, to save the Empire. If he succeeded, Sha''ik''s rebellion was doomed. Control would be restored. And if I fail, they will bleed each other to exhaustion, Sha''ik and Laseen, two women of the same cloth ¨C Hood, they even looked alike. It was not a far reach, then, for Kalam to see in his shadow a hundred thousand deaths. And he wondered if, throughout Seven Cities, readers of the Deck of Dragons now held a newly awakened Herald of Death in their trembling hands.

    Queen''s blessing, it''s done.

    Minutes before dawn, Sha''ik sat down cross-legged before the Book of the Apocalypse. Her two guards flanked her, each in the ruins of a watchtower. The Toblakai youth leaned on his two-handed ironwood sword. A battered bronze helmet missing a cheek-guard was on his head, his eyes hidden in the shadow of a slitted half-visor. His companion''s arms were crossed. A crossbow leaned against one hide-wrapped leg. Two one-handed morning stars were thrust through his broad leather belt. He wore a colourless telaba scarf over a peaked iron helm. Below it, his smooth-shaven face showed, latticed by thirty years of sun and wind. His light-blue eyes were ever restless.

    The dawn''s rays swept over Sha''ik. The Holy One reached down and opened the Book.

    The quarrel struck her forehead an inch above her left eye. The iron head shattered the bone, plunging inward a moment before the spring-driven barbs opened like a deadly flower inside her brain. The quarrel''s head then struck the inside of the back of her skull, exiting explosively.

    Sha''ik toppled.

    Tene Baralta bellowed and watched with satisfaction as Aralt Arpat and Lostara Yil led the twelve Red Blades in a charge towards the two hapless bodyguards.

    The desert warrior had dropped and rolled a moment after Sha''ik''s death. The crossbow now in his hands bucked. Aralt Arpat''s chest visibly caved inward as the quarrel drove through his breastbone. The tall sergeant was knocked backward, sprawling in the dust.

    The commander bellowed in fury, drew his tulwars and joined the attack.

    Lostara''s squad threw lances in staggered succession when but fifteen paces from the Toblakai.

    Tene Baralta''s eyes widened in astonishment as not one of the six lances struck home. Impossibly lithe for one of such bulk, the Toblakai seemed to simply step through them, shifting weight and dipping a shoulder before springing to close, his archaic wooden sword sweeping across in a backswing that connected with the leading Red Blade''s knees. The man went down in a cloud of dust, both legs shattered.

    Then the Toblakai was in the squad''s midst. As Tene Baralta sprinted to reach them, he saw Lostara Yil reel back, blood spraying from her head, her helmet spinning away to bounce across the potsherd gravel. A second soldier fell, his throat crushed by a thrust from the wooden sword.

 Page 68

    Arpat''s squad attacked the desert warrior. Chains snapped as the morning stars lashed out and struck with deadly accuracy. There was no more difficult a weapon to parry than a morning star ¨C the chain wrapped over any block, sending the iron ball unimpeded to its target. The weapon''s greatest drawback was that it was slow to recover, but in the instant that Tene Baralta glanced over to gauge the battle, he saw that the desert warrior fought equally well with either hand, and was staggering his attacks, resulting in a perpetual sequence of blows that none of the soldiers facing him could penetrate. A helmed head crumpled under the impact in the momentary span of the commander''s glance.

    In an instant Tene Baralta''s tactics shifted. Sha''ik was dead. The mission was a success ¨C there would be no Whirlwind. It was pointless throwing lives away against these two appalling executioners ¨C who had, after all, failed in guarding Sha''ik''s life and now sought naught but vengeance. He barked out the recall, and watched as his soldiers battled to extricate themselves from the two men. The effort proved costly, as three more fell before the remaining fighters cleared a space in which to turn and run.

    Two of Lostara Yil''s soldiers were loyal enough to drag the dazed sergeant with them in their retreat.

    Bristling at the sight of the routed Red Blades, Tene Baralta swallowed down a stream of bitter curses. Tulwars held out, he shielded the soldiers'' withdrawal, his nerves on fire at the thought of either bodyguard accepting the challenge.

    But the two men did not pursue, resuming their positions at the watchtowers. The desert warrior crouched to reload his crossbow.

    The sight of the weapon readied was the last Tene Baralta had of the two killers, as the commander then ducked out of sight and jogged with his soldiers back to the small canyon where the horses were tethered.

    In the high-walled arroyo, the Red Blades stationed their lone surviving crossbowman on the south-facing crest, then paused to staunch wounds and regain their breaths. Behind them, their horses nickered at the smell of blood. A soldier splashed water on Lostara''s red-smeared face. She blinked, awareness slowly returning to her eyes.

    Tene Baralta scowled down at her. ''Recover yourself, Sergeant,'' he growled. ''You are to regain Kalam''s trail ¨C at a safe distance.''

    She nodded, reaching up to probe the gash on her forehead. ''That sword was wood.''

    ''Yet as hard as steel, aye. Hood take the Toblakai ¨C and the other one at that. We''ll leave them be.''

    A slightly wry expression coming to her face, Lostara Yil simply nodded again.

    Tene reached down a gauntleted hand and pulled the sergeant to her feet. ''A fine shot, Lostara Yil. You killed the god-cursed witch and all that went with her. The Empress shall be pleased. More than pleased.''

    Weaving slightly, Lostara went to her horse, pulled herself into the saddle.

    ''We ride to Pan''potsun,'' Tene Baralta told her. ''To spread the word,'' he added with a dark grin. ''Do not lose Kalam, Sergeant.''

    ''I''ve yet to fail in that,'' she said.

    You know I''ll count these losses as yours, don''t you! Too clever, lass.

    He watched her ride away, then swung his glare on his remaining soldiers. ''Cowards! Lucky for you that I guarded your retreat. Mount up.''

    Leoman laid out the blanket on the flat ground between the two watchtower foundations, and rolled Sha''ik''s linen-wrapped body onto it. He knelt beside it a moment, motionless, then wiped grimy sweat from his brow.

    The Toblakai stood nearby. ''She is dead.''

    ''I see that,'' Leoman said dryly, reaching to collect the blood-spattered Book, which he slowly rewrapped in cloth.

    ''What do we do now?''

    ''She opened the Book. It was dawn.''

    ''Nothing happened, except a quarrel going through her head.''

    ''Damn you, I know!''

    The Toblakai crossed his massive arms, fell silent.

    ''The prophecy was certain,'' Leoman said after a few minutes. He rose, wincing at his battle-stiffened muscles.

    ''What do we do now?'' the young giant asked again.

    ''She said she would be ... renewed ...'' He sighed, the Book heavy in his hands. ''We wait.''

    The Toblakai raised his head, sniffed. ''There''s a storm coming.''

    BOOK TWO - WHIRLWIND

    I have walked old roads

    This day

    That became ghosts with

    Coming night

    And were gone to my eyes

    With dawn.

    Such was my journey

    Leagues across centuries

    In one blink of the sun

    Pardu epitaph

    CHAPTER SIX

    Early in Kellanved''s reign, cults proliferated among the Imperial armies, particularly among the Marines. It should be remembered that this was also the time of Dassem Ultor, First Sword and Supreme Commander of the Malazan forces ... a man sworn to Hood ...

 Page 69

    Malazan Campaigns, vol. II

    Duiker

    Beneth sat at his table in Bula''s, cleaning his nails with a dagger. They were immaculate, making the habit an affectation. Felisin had grown familiar with his poses and what they betrayed of his moods. The man was in a rage, shot through with fear. Uncertainties now plagued his life; like bloodily larvae they crawled beneath his skin, growing as they gnawed on his flesh.

    His face, his forehead and his thick, scarred wrists all glistened with sweat. The pewter mug of chilled Saltoan wine sat untouched on the battered tabletop, a row of flies marching round and round the mug''s rim.

    Felisin stared at the tiny black insects, memories of horror returning to her. Hood''s acolyte, who was not there. A man-shaped swarm of Death''s sprites, the buzz of wings shaping words...

    ''There''s light in your eyes again, lass,'' Beneth said. ''Tells me you''re realizing what you''ve become. An ugly light.'' He pushed a small leather pouch across the table until it sat directly before her. ''Kill it.''

    Her hand trembled as she reached for the bag, loosened the ties and removed a button of durhang.

    He watched her crumbling the moist pollen into her pipe bowl.

    Six days, and Baudin was still missing. Captain Sawark had called in Beneth more than once. Skullcup was very nearly dismantled during the search, patrols on Beetle Road up on the rim were doubled ¨C round and round ¨C and Sinker Lake was dredged. It was as if the man had simply vanished.

    Beneth took it personally. His control of Skullcup was compromised. He''d called her back to his side, not out of compassion, but because he no longer trusted her. She knew something ¨C something about Baudin ¨C and worse, he knew she was more than she pretended to be.

    Beneth and Sawark have spoken, Heboric said the day she''d left ¨C when his ministrations had done enough to allow her to fake a well-being sufficient to justify her leaving. Be careful, lass. Beneth is taking you back, but only to personally oversee your destruction. What was haphazard before is now precise, deliberate. He''s been given guidelines.

    How do you know any of this?

    True, I''m just guessing. But Baudin''s escape has given Beneth leverage over Sawark, and he''s likely to have used it to get the inside story on you. Sawark''s granted him more control ¨C there won''t be another Baudin ¨C neither man can afford it. Sawark has no choice but to give Beneth more control. . . more knowledge . . .

    The durhang tea had given her relief from the pain of her fractured ribs and her swollen jaw, but it had not been potent enough to dull her thoughts. Minute by minute, she''d felt her mind drag her ever closer to desperation. Leaving Heboric had been a flight, her journey back to Beneth a panicked necessity.

    He smiled as she set flame to the durhang.

    ''Baudin wasn''t just a dockside thug, was he?''

    She frowned at him through a haze of smoke.

    Beneth set the dagger down and gave it a spin. They both watched the blade''s flashing turns. When it ceased, the point faced Beneth. He scowled, spun it a second time. As the point slowed to face him again he picked up the dagger and slid it back into the sheath at his belt, then reached for the pewter mug.

    The flies scattered as he raised the mug to his lips.

    ''I don''t know anything about Baudin,'' Felisin said.

    His deep-set eyes studied her for a long moment. ''You haven''t figured anything out about anything, have you? Which makes you either thick ... or wilfully ignorant.''

    She said nothing. A numbness was spreading through her.

    ''Was it me, lass? Was it so much of a surrender becoming mine? I wanted you, Felisin. You were beautiful. Sharp ¨C I could see that in your eyes. Am I to blame for you, now?''

    He saw her glance down at the pouch on the table and offered up a wry smile. ''Orders are orders. Besides, you could have said no.''

    ''At any time,'' she said, looking away.

    ''Ah, not my fault, then.''

    ''No,'' she replied, ''the faults are all mine, Beneth.''

    Abruptly he rose. ''There''s nothing pleasant in the air tonight. The She''gai''s begun ¨C the hot wind ¨C all your suffering until now has just been a prelude, lass. Summer begins with the She''gai. But tonight...'' He stared down at her but did not finish the sentence, simply taking her by the arm and pulling her upright. ''Walk with me.''

    Beneth had been granted the right to form a militia, consisting of his chosen slaves, each now armed with a clout. Throughout the night they patrolled the makeshift streets of Skullcup. The curfew''s restriction would now be punctuated with beating followed by execution for anyone caught out in the open after nightfall. The guards would handle the execution ¨C Beneth''s militia took their pleasure in the beating.

 Page 70

    Beneth and Felisin joined the patrol squad, half a dozen men she knew well, as Beneth had bought their loyalty with her body. ''If it''s a quiet night,'' he promised them, ''we''ll take time for some relaxation come the dawn.'' The men grinned at that.

    They walked the littered aisles of sand, watchful but seeing no-one else. Coming opposite a gambling establishment called Suruk''s, they saw a crowd of Dosii guardsmen. The Dosii captain, Gunnip, was with them. Their night-hooded gazes followed the patrol as it continued on.

    Beneth hesitated, as if of a mind to speak with Gunnip, then, with a loud sigh through his nostrils, resumed walking. One hand reached up to rest on the pommel of his knife.

    Felisin became dully aware of something, as if the hot wind breathed a new menace into the night air. The chatter of the militiamen, she noted, had fallen away, and signs of nervousness were evident. She extracted another button of durhang and popped it into her mouth, where it rested cool and sweet between cheek and gum.

    ''Watching you do that,'' Beneth muttered, ''reminds me of Sawark.''

    She blinked. ''Sawark?''

    ''Aye. The worse things get, the more he shuts his eyes.''

    Her words came out slurred. ''And what things are getting worse?''

    As if in answer, a shout followed by harsh laughter sounded behind them, coming from the front of Suruk''s. Beneth halted his men with a gesture, then walked back to the crossroads they had just passed. From there he could see Suruk''s ¨C and Gunnip''s soldiers.

    Like a wraith rising up and stealing through Beneth, tension slowly filled the man''s posture. As she watched, vague alarms rang in Felisin''s skull. She hesitated, then turned to the militiamen. ''Something''s happened. Go to him.''

    They were watching as well. One of them scowled, one hand sliding skittish along his belt to the clout. ''He ain''t gived us no orders,'' he growled. The others nodded, fidgeting as they waited in the shadows.

    ''He''s standing alone,'' she said. ''Out in the open. I think there''s arrows trained on him¡ª''

    ''Shut your face, girl,'' the militiaman snapped. ''We ain''t going out there.''

    Beneth almost backed up a step, then visibly steeled himself.

    ''They''re coming for him,'' Felisin hissed.

    Gunnip and his Dosii soldiers wandered into view, closing a half-circle around Beneth. Cocked crossbows resting on forearms pointed towards him.

    Felisin spun to the militiamen. ''Back him up, damn you!''

    ''Hood take you!'' one of the men spat back. The patrol was scattering, slipping back into the shadows and then into the dark alleyways beyond.

    ''You all alone back there, lass?'' Captain Gunnip called out. His soldiers laughed. ''Come join Beneth here. We''re just telling him some things, that''s all. No worry, lass.''

    Beneth turned to speak to her. A Dosii guardsman stepped up and struck him across the face with a gauntleted hand. Beneth staggered, swearing as he brought his hands up to his shattered nose.

    Felisin stumbled backward, then twisted and ran, even as crossbows thudded. Quarrels whipped past her on either side as she plunged into an alley mouth. Laughter echoed behind her.

    She ran on, the alley paralleling Rust Ramp. A hundred paces ahead waited Darkhall and the barracks. She was out of breath when she stumbled into the open area surrounding the two Malazan buildings, her heart hammering in her chest as if she was fifty years old, not fifteen. Slowly, the shock of seeing Beneth struck down spread through her.

    Voices shouted from behind the barracks. Horse hooves pounded. A score of slaves appeared, running towards where Felisin stood with a half-hundred mounted Dosii soldiers behind them. Lances took some men in the back, driving them down into the dust. Unarmed, the slaves tried to flee, but the Dosii had now completed the encirclement. Belatedly, Felisin realized that escape had been denied her as well.

    I saw Beneth bleed. From that thought followed another. Now we die.

    The Dosii horses trampled men and women. Tulwars swung down. In hopeless silence, the slaves were dying. Two riders closed in on Felisin. She watched, wondering which of them would reach her first. One gripped a lance, angled down to take her in the chest. The other held his wide-bladed sword high, readied for a downward chop. In their faces she saw flushed joy and was surprised at the inhumanity of the expression.

    When they were both but moments away, quarrels thudded into their chests. Reeling, both men toppled from the saddles. Felisin turned to see a troop of Malazan crossbowmen advancing in formation, the front line kneeling to reload while the second line slipped a few paces ahead, took aim, then as one loosed quarrels into the milling Dosii horsemen. Animals and men screamed in pain.

 Page 71

    A third volley broke the Dosii, scattering them back into the darkness beyond the barracks.

    A handful of slaves still lived. A sergeant barked an order and a dozen soldiers moved forward, checking the bodies littering the area, then pushing the survivors back towards the troop''s position.

    ''Come with me,'' a voice hissed beside Felisin.

    She blinked, slow to recognize Pella''s face. ''What?''

    ''We''re quartering the slaves at the stables ¨C but not you.'' He gently took her arm. ''We''re badly outnumbered. Defending slaves isn''t a high priority, I''m afraid. Sawark wants this mutiny crushed. Tonight.''

    She studied his face. ''What are you saying?''

    The sergeant had pulled his troop into a more defensible position at an alley mouth. The twelve detached soldiers were pushing the slaves down the side street that led to the stables. Pella guided Felisin in the same direction. Once out of sight of the sergeant, he addressed the other soldiers. "Three of you, with me.''

    One replied, ''Has Oponn stirred your brains, Pella? I don''t feel safe as it is, and you want to split the squad?''

    Another growled, ''Let''s just get rid of these damned slaves and get back, afore the sergeant marches to rejoin the captain.''

    ''This is Beneth''s woman,'' Pella said.

    ''I don''t think Beneth is still alive,'' Felisin said dully.

    ''He was not five minutes ago, lass,'' Pella said, frowning. ''Bloodied a bit, nothing more. He''s rallying his militia right now.'' He swung to the others. ''We''ll need Beneth, Reborid, never mind Sawark''s bluster. Now, three of you ¨C we''re not going far.''

    With a scowl, the one named Reborid gestured to two others.

    A fire had been started in Skullcup''s western arm ¨C somewhere on Spit Row. Unchecked, it was spreading fast, throwing a lurid orange glow up against the underbellies of billowing smoke.

    As Pella dragged Felisin along, Reborid talked unceasingly. ''Where in Hood''s name is the Be''thra Garrison? You think they can''t see the flames? There were Malazan squads up patrolling Beetle Road ¨C a rider would have been sent ¨C the troop should be here by now, dammit.''

    There were bodies in the streets, huddled, motionless shapes. The small party went around them without pause.

    ''Hood knows what Gunnip''s thinking,'' the soldier went on. ''Sawark will see every damn Dosii within fifty leagues of here gutted and left out under the sun.''

    ''This is the place,'' Pella said, tugging Felisin to a halt. ''Defensive position,'' he ordered the others. ''I''ll be but a moment.''

    They were at Heboric''s house. No light leaked from the shutters. The door was locked. Snorting with disgust, Pella kicked the flimsy barrier aside. His hand against her back, he pushed her into the darkness within, then followed.

    ''There''s no-one here,'' Felisin said.

    Pella did not reply, still pushing her along, until they reached the cloth divider behind which was the ex-priest''s bedroom. ''Pull it aside, Felisin.''

    She did, stepping into the small room. Pella followed.

    Heboric sat on his cot, staring up at them in silence.

    ''I wasn''t sure,'' Pella said in a low voice, ''if you still wanted her along.''

    The ex-priest grunted. ''What of you, Pella? We might manage¡ª''

    ''No. Take her instead. I''ve got to rejoin the captain ¨C we''ll crush this mutiny ¨C but the timing''s perfect for you ...''

    Heboric sighed. ''Aye, that it is. Fener''s grunt, Baudin, step out of them shadows. This lad''s no risk to us,''

    Pella started as a massive shape separated itself from behind the hanging. Baudin''s narrow-set eyes glittered in the dimness. He said nothing.

    Shaking himself, Pella stepped back to the entrance, gripping the grimy cloth with one hand. ''Fener guard you, Heboric''

    ''Thank you, lad. For everything.''

    Pella gave a curt nod, then was gone.

    Felisin frowned at Baudin. ''You''re wet.''

    Heboric rose. ''Is all ready?'' he asked Baudin.

    The big man nodded.

    ''Are we escaping?'' Felisin asked.

    ''Aye.''

    ''How?''

    Heboric scowled. ''You''ll see soon enough.''

    Baudin picked up two large leather packs from behind him, and tossed one effortlessly to Heboric, who trapped it deftly between his arms. The sound the pack made when the ex-priest caught it made it obvious to Felisin that it was in fact a sealed bladder, filled with air. ''We''re going to swim Sinker Lake,'' she said. ''Why? There''s nothing but a sheer cliff on the other side.''

 Page 72

    ''There''s caves,'' Heboric said. ''You can reach them when the water level''s low ... ask Baudin, since he''s been hiding in one for a week.''

    ''We have to take Beneth,'' Felisin pronounced.

    ''Now, lass¡ª''

    ''No! You owe me ¨C both of you! You wouldn''t be alive to even do this, Heboric, if it wasn''t for me. And for Beneth. I''ll find him, meet you at the lakeshore¡ª''

    ''No, you won''t,'' Baudin said. ''I''ll get him.'' He handed Felisin the bladder.

    She watched him slip out through a back door she hadn''t known was there, then slowly turned to regard Heboric. He was crouched down, examining the loose netting wrapped around the packs. ''I wasn''t part of your escape plan, was I, Heboric?''

    He glanced up, raised his brows. ''Until tonight, it seemed you''d made Skullcup your paradise. I didn''t think you''d be interested in leaving.''

    ''Paradise?'' For some reason the word shook her. She sat down on the cot.

    Eyeing her, he shrugged. ''Beneth provided.''

    She held his gaze until, after a long moment, he finally pulled away, hefting the pack as he rose with a grunt. ''We should get going,'' he said gruffly.

    ''I''m not much in your eyes any more, am I, Heboric? Was I ever?'' Felisin, House of Paran, whose sister was Adjunct Tavore, whose brother rode with Adjunct Lorn. noble-born, a spoiled little girl. A whore.

    He did not reply, making his way to the gap in the back wall.

    The western half of Skullcup was in flames, lighting the entire bowl a grainy, wavering red. Heboric and Felisin saw evidence of clashes as they hurried down Work Road towards the lake ¨C downed horses, dead Malazan and Dosii guards. Bula''s Inn had been barricaded, then the barriers breached. From the darkness of the doorway, as they passed, came a faint moaning.

    Felisin hesitated, but Heboric hooked her arm. ''You don''t want to go in there, lass,'' he said. ''Gunnip''s men hit that place early on, and hard.''

    Beyond the town''s edge, Work Road stretched empty and dark all the way to the Three Fates fork. Through the rushes on their left was the glimmer of Sinker Lake''s placid surface.

    The ex-priest led her down into the grasses, bade her crouch down, then did the same. ''We''ll wait here,'' he said, wiping sweat from his wide, tattooed forehead.

    The mud under her knees was clammy, pleasantly cool. ''So we swim to the cave ... then what?''

    ''It''s an old mineshaft, leading up beyond the rim, well past Beetle Road. There will be supplies left for us at the other end. From there, it''s out across the desert.''

    ''Dosin Pali?''

    He shook his head. ''Straight west, to the inside coast. Nine, ten days. There''s hidden springs ¨C Baudin has memorized their locations. We''ll get picked up by a boat and taken across to the mainland.''

    ''How? Who?''

    The ex-priest grimaced. ''An old friend with more loyalty than is probably good for him. Hood knows, I''m not complaining.''

    ''And Pella was the contact?''

    ''Aye, some obscure connection to do with friends of fathers and uncles and friends of friends or something like that. He first approached you, you know, but you didn''t catch on. So he found me himself.''

    ''I don''t remember anything like that.''

    ''A quote, attributed to Kellanved and recorded by the man arranging our escape ¨C Duiker.''

    ''A familiar name ...''

    ''The Imperial Historian. He spoke on my behalf at the trial. Then, afterwards, arranged to be sent to Hissar by warren.'' He fell silent, slowly shook his head. ''To save a bitter old man who more than once denounced his written histories as deliberate lies. If I live to stand face to face with Duiker, I think I owe the man an apology.''

    A buzzing, frenzied sound reached them, coming from the smoky air above the town. The sound grew louder. Sinker Lake''s smooth surface vanished beneath what seemed a spray of hailstones.

    Felisin crouched lower in fear. ''What is it? What''s happening?''

    Heboric was silent a moment, then he hissed, ''Bloodflies! Drawn, then driven, by the fires. Quickly, lass, scoop up mud ¨C cover yourself! And then me. Hurry!''

    Glittering clouds of the insects swept into view, racing like gusts of fog.

    Frantic, Felisin dug her fingers into the cool mud between the reed stems, slapping handfuls against her neck, arms, face. As she worked she crawled forward on her knees until she sat in the lake water, then she turned to Heboric. ''Come closer!''

    He scrambled to her side. ''They''ll dive through the water, girl ¨C you need to get out of there ¨C cover your legs in mud!''

 Page 73

    ''Once I''m done with you,'' she said.

    But it was too late. All at once the air was almost unbreathable as a cloud engulfed them. Bloodflies shot down into the water like darts. Pain lanced through her thighs.

    Heboric pushed her hands away, then ducked down. ''Mind yourself, lass!''

    The command was unnecessary, as all thoughts of helping Heboric had vanished with the first savage bite. Felisin leapt from the water, clawed gouges of mud free and slapped them down on her blood-smeared thighs. She quickly added more down to her calves, her ankles and feet. Insects crawled through her hair. Whimpering, she clawed them away, then covered her head with mud. Bloodflies rode her drawn gasps into her mouth, biting as she gagged and spat. She found herself biting down, crunching them, and their bitter juices burned like acid. They were everywhere, blinding her as they gathered in frenzied clumps around her eyes. Screaming, she scraped them away, then reached down and found more mud. Soothing darkness, yet her screaming did not stop, would not stop. The insects were at her ears. She filled them with mud. Silence.

    Handless arms wrapped tight around her, Heboric''s voice reaching her as if from a great distance away. ''It''s all right, lass ¨C it''s all right. You can stop screaming, Felisin. You can stop.''

    She had curled into a ball amidst the reeds. The pain of the bites was passing to numbness ¨C on her legs, around her eyes and ears, and in her mouth. Cool, soft numbness. She heard herself fall silent.

    ''The swarm''s passing,'' Heboric said. ''Fener''s blessing too fierce a touch for them. We''re all right, lass. Wipe clear your eyes ¨C see for yourself.''

    She made no move. It was too easy to lie still, the numbness spreading through her.

    ''Wake up!'' Heboric snapped. ''There''s an egg in every bite, each secreting a poison that deadens, turns your flesh into something soft. And dead. Food for the larvae inside those eggs. You understanding me, lass? We need to kill those eggs ¨C I''ve a tincture, in the pouch at my belt ¨C but you''ll need to apply it yourself, right? An old man without hands can''t do it for you¡ª''

    She moaned.

    ''Wake up, damn you!''

    He struck her, pushed, then kicked. Cursing, Felisin sat up. ''Stop it, I''m awake!'' Her words slurred passing through her numbed mouth. ''Where is that pouch?''

    ''Here. Open your eyes!''

    She could barely see through the puffed swelling, but a strange blue penumbra rising from Heboric''s tattoos illuminated the scene. He was unbitten. Fener''s blessing too fierce a touch.

    He gestured at the pouch at his belt. ''Quickly, those eggs are about to hatch, then the larvae will start eating you ¨C from the inside out. Open the pouch ... there, the black bottle, the small one. Open it!''

    She removed the stopper. A bitter smell made her recoil.

    ''One drop, on your fingertip, then push that drop right into the wound, push it hard. Then the next one and the next¡ª''

    ''I ¨C I can''t feel the ones around my eyes¡ª''

    ''I''ll guide you, lass. Hurry.''

    The horror did not end. The tincture, a foul, dark-brown juice that stained her skin yellow, did not kill the emerging larvae, but drove them out. Heboric directed her hands to the ones around her eyes and ears as each sluggishly wriggled free, and she plucked them from the holes made by the bites, each larva as long as a nail clipping, limp with the soporific effect of the tincture. The bites she could see illustrated what was happening around her eyes and ears. In her mouth, the tincture''s bitterness overrode the bloodfly larvae''s poison, making her head spin and her heart beat alarmingly fast. The larvae fell like grains of rice onto her tongue. She spat them out.

    ''I''m sorry, Felisin,'' Heboric said after she had done. He was examining the bites around her eyes, his expression filled with compassion.

    A chill ran through her. ''What''s wrong? Will I go blind? Deaf? What is it, Heboric!''

    He shook his head, slowly sat back. ''Bloodfly bites ... the deadening poison kills the flesh. You''ll heal, but there will be pockmarks. I''m so sorry, lass. It''s bad around your eyes. It''s bad.. .''

    She almost laughed, her head reeling. Another shiver rippled through her and she hugged herself. ''I''ve seen those. Locals. Slaves. Here and there¡ª''

    ''Aye. Normally, bloodflies don''t swarm. It must have been the flames. Now listen, a good enough healer ¨C someone with High Denul ¨C can remove the scarring. We''ll find ourselves such a healer, Felisin. I swear it, by Fener''s tusks, I swear it.''

    ''I feel sick.''

 Page 74

    ''That''s the tincture. Rapid heart, chills, nausea. It''s the juice of a plant native to Seven Cities. If you drank down what''s left in that tiny bottle you''d be dead in minutes.''

    This time she did laugh, the sound shaky and brittle. ''I might welcome Hood''s Gates, Heboric'' She squinted at him. The blue glow was fading. ''Fener must be very forgiving.''

    He frowned at that. ''I can make no sense of it, to be honest. I can think of more than one High Priest to Fener who''d choke at the suggestion that the boar god was ... forgiving.'' He sighed. ''But it seems you''re right.''

    ''You might want to offer thanks. A sacrifice.''

    ''I might,'' he growled, looking away.

    ''It must have been a great offence that drove you from your god, Heboric.''

    He did not reply. After a moment he rose, eyes on the flame-wracked town. ''Riders coming.''

    She sat up straighter, still too dizzy to stand. ''Beneth?''

    He shook his head.

    Moments later a troop of Malazans rode up, halting directly opposite Heboric and Felisin. At the head was Captain Sawark. A Dosii blade had laid open one cheek. His uniform was wet and dark with blood. Felisin involuntarily shrank back from his cold lizard eyes as they fixed on her.

    He finally spoke, ''When you''re up on the rim . . . look south.''

    Heboric cursed softly in surprise. ''You''re letting us go? Thank you, Captain.''

    His face darkened. ''Not for you, old man. It''s seditious bastards like you that are the cause of all this. I''d rather spit you on a spear right now.'' He made as if to say something more, his eyes finding Felisin once again, but instead he simply reined his mount around.

    The two fugitives watched the troop ride back into Skullcup. They were heading for a battle. Felisin knew this instinctively. Another sourceless certainty told her, in a whisper, that they would all die. Captain Sawark. Pella. Every Malazan. She glanced over at Heboric. The man looked thoughtful as he watched the troop reach the edge of town, then vanish into the smoke.

    A moment later Baudin rose from a bed of reeds nearby.

    Felisin clambered to her feet and stepped towards him. ''Where''s Beneth?''

    ''Dead, lass.''

    ''You ¨C you...'' Her words were drowned out in a flood of pain rising up within her, an anguish more thorough in shattering her than anything she''d yet suffered. She staggered back a step.

    Baudin''s small, flat eyes held steady on her.

    Heboric cleared his throat. ''We''d best hurry. Dawn''s not far off, and while I doubt our crossing the lake is likely to be noticed, there''s no point in making our intentions obvious. After all, we''re Malazan.'' He strode down to the waiting bladders. ''The plan is to wait out the coming day at the other end of the reach, then set out after sunset. Less likely that any roving bands of Dosii will see us.''

    Dully, Felisin followed the two men to the lake''s edge. Baudin strapped one of the packs against Heboric''s chest. Felisin realized she would have to share the other bladder with Baudin. She studied the big man as he checked the netting one last time.

    Beneth''s dead. So he says. He probably didn''t even look for him. Beneth''s alive. He must be. Nothing more than a bloodied face. Baudin''s lying.

    Sinker Lake''s water washed the last of the mud and tincture from Felisin''s skin. It was not nearly enough.

    The cliff face bounced back the echoes of their harsh breaths. Chilled and feeling the water striving to pull her down, Felisin tightened her grip on the netting. ''I see no cave,'' she gasped.

    Baudin grunted. ''Surprised you can see anything at all,'' he said.

    She made no reply. The flesh around her eyes had swollen until only slits remained. Her ears felt like slabs of meat, heavy and huge, and the flesh inside her mouth had closed around her teeth. She was having difficulty breathing, constantly clearing her throat without effect. The discomforts left her feeling dislocated, as if she had no vanity left to sting, bringing an almost amused relief.

    Surviving this is all that counts. Let Tavore see all the scars she''s given me, the day we come face to face. I need say nothing, then, to justify my revenge.

    ''The opening is under the surface,'' Heboric said. ''We need to puncture these bladders and swim down. Baudin will go first, with a rope tied to his waist. Hold on to that rope, lass, else you''ll be pulled to the bottom.''

    Baudin handed her a dagger, then laid the rope over the bobbing pack. A moment later he pushed himself towards the cliff wall and vanished beneath the lake''s surface.

    Felisin snatched at the rope, gripping it hard as she watched the coils play out. ''How far down?''

 Page 75

    ''Seven, eight feet,'' Heboric said. ''Then about fifteen feet through the cave until you''ll find your next breath. Can you manage it, lass?''

    I will have to.

    Faint screams drifted across the lake. The burning town''s last, pitiful cries. It had happened so swiftly, almost quietly ¨C a single night to bring Skullcup to a bloody end. It didn''t seem real.

    She felt a tug on the rope.

    ''Your turn,'' Heboric said. ''Puncture the bladder, let it sink away from you, then follow the rope.''

    She reversed her grip on the dagger and stabbed down. A gust of air whistled, the pack sagging. Like hands, the water pulled her down. She snatched a frantic breath before slipping under. In a moment the rope no longer led down, but up. She came up against the slick face of the cliff. The dagger fell away as she clutched the rope with both hands and pulled herself along.

    The cave mouth was a deeper blackness, the water bitter cold. Already her lungs screamed for air. She felt herself blacking out, but savagely pushed the feeling away. A glimmer of reflected light showed ahead. Kicking out as her mouth filled with water, she clawed her way towards it.

    Hands reached down to grip her tunic''s hemmed collar and pulled her effortlessly up into air, into light. She lay on hard, cold stone, racked with coughs. An oil-wick lantern glowed beside her head. Beyond it, leaning against the wall, were two wood-framed travel packs and bladders swollen with water.

    ''You lost my damned knife, didn''t you?''

    ''Hood take you, Baudin.''

    He grunted his laugh, then focused his attention on reeling in the rope. Heboric''s head broke the black surface moments later. Baudin pulled the ex-priest onto the rock shelf.

    ''Must be trouble up top,'' the big man said. ''Our supplies were brought down here.''

    ''So I see.'' Heboric sat up, gasping as he recovered his breath.

    ''Best you two stay here while I scout,'' Baudin said.

    ''Aye. Off with you, then.''

    As Baudin disappeared up the reach, Felisin sat up. ''What kind of trouble?''

    Heboric shrugged.

    ''No,'' she said. ''You''ve suspicions.''

    He grimaced. ''Sawark said, ¡°Look south.¡±''

    ''So?''

    ''So just that, lass. Let''s wait for Baudin, shall we?''

    ''I''m cold.''

    ''We spared no room for extra clothing. Food and water, a few weapons, a fire kit. There''s blankets but best keep them dry.''

    ''They''ll dry out soon enough,'' she snapped, crawling over to one of the packs.

    Baudin returned a few minutes later and crouched down beside Heboric. Shivering under a blanket, Felisin watched the two men. ''No, Baudin,'' she said as he prepared to whisper something to the ex-priest, ''loud enough for all of us.''

    The big man glanced at Heboric, who shrugged.

    ''Dosin Pali is thirty leagues away,'' Baudin said. ''Yet you can see its glow.''

    Heboric frowned. ''Even a firestorm wouldn''t be visible at such a distance, Baudin.''

    ''True enough, and it''s no firestorm. It''s sorcery, old man. A mage battle.''

    ''Hood''s breath,'' Heboric muttered. ''Some battle!''

    ''It''s come,'' Baudin growled.

    ''What has?'' Felisin asked.

    ''Seven Cities has risen, lass. Dryjhna. The Whirlwind''s come.''

    The hogg boat was all of thirteen feet in length. Duiker paused a long moment before clambering down into it. Six inches of water sloshed beneath the two flat boards that formed the craft''s deck. Rags stoppered a score of minor leaks in the hull, with various degrees of efficacy. The smell of rotting fish was almost overwhelming.

    Wrapped in his army-issue raincape, Kulp had not moved from where he stood on the dock. ''And what,'' he asked tonelessly, ''did you pay for this ... boat?''

    The historian sighed, glancing up at the mage. ''Can you not repair it? What was your warren again, Kulp?''

    ''Boat repair,'' the man answered.

    ''Very well,'' Duiker said, climbing back onto the dock. ''I take your point. To cross the Strait you will need something more seaworthy than this. The man who sold me this craft seems to have exaggerated its qualities.''

    ''A haral''s prerogative. Better had you hired a craft.''

    Duiker grunted. ''Who could I trust?''

    ''Now what?''

    The historian shrugged. ''Back to the inn. This requires a new plan.''

    They made their way up the rickety dock and entered the dirt track that passed for the village''s main thoroughfare. The fisher shacks on either side displayed a paucity of pride common to small communities in the shadow of a large city. Dusk had fallen, and apart from a pack of three scrawny dogs taking turns rolling on the carcass of a fish, there was no-one about. Heavy curtains blotted out most of the light coming from the shacks. The air was hot, an inland wind holding at bay the sea breeze.

 Page 76

    The village inn stood on stilts, a sprawling, single-storey structure of bleached wood frame, burlap walls and thatched roof. Crabs scuttled in the sand beneath it. Opposite the inn was the stone blockhouse of a Malazan Coastal Guard detachment ¨C four sailors from Cawn and two marines whose appearance betrayed nothing of their origins. For them, the old national allegiances no longer held any relevance. The new Imperial breed, Duiker mused as he and Kulp entered the inn and returned to the table they''d occupied earlier. The Malazan Guards were crowded around another, close to the back wall where the burlap had been pulled aside, revealing the tranquil scene of withered grasses, white sand and glittering sea. Duiker envied the soldiers the fresh air that no doubt drifted in to where they sat.

    They''d yet to approach, but the historian knew it was only a matter of time. In this village travellers would be rare, and one wearing the field cape of a soldier even rarer. Thus far, however, translating curiosity into action had proved too great an effort.

    Kulp gestured to the barman for a jug of ale, then leaned close to Duiker. ''There''s going to be questions. Soon. That''s one problem. We don''t have a boat. That''s another. I''m a poor excuse for a sailor, that''s a third¡ª''

    ''All right, all right,'' the historian hissed. ''Hood''s breath, let me think in peace!''

    His expression sour, Kulp leaned back.

    Moths danced clumsily between the sputtering lanterns in the room. There were no villagers present, and the lone barman''s attention seemed close to obsessive on the Malazan soldiers, holding his thin, dark eyes on them even as he set down the ale jug in front of Kulp.

    Watching the barman leave, the mage grunted. ''This night''s passing strange, Duiker.''

    ''Aye.'' Where is everyone?

    The scrape of a chair drew their attention to the ranking Malazan, a corporal by the sigil on his surcoat, who''d risen and now approached. Beneath the dull tin sigil was a larger stain, where the surcoat''s dye was unweathered ¨C the man had once been a sergeant.

    To match his frame, the corporal''s face was flat and wide, evincing north Kanese blood somewhere in his ancestry. His head was shaved, showing razor scars, some still blotted with dried blood. His gaze was fixed on Kulp.

    The mage spoke first. ''Watch your tongue, lest you keep walking backwards.''

    The soldier blinked. ''Backwards?''

    ''Sergeant, then corporal ¨C you bucking for private now? You''ve been warned.''

    The man seemed unaffected. ''I see no rank showing,'' he growled.

    ''Only because you don''t know what to look for. Go back to your table, Corporal, and leave our business to us.''

    ''You''re Seventh Army.'' He clearly had no intention of returning to his table. ''A deserter.''

    Kulp''s wiry brows rose. ''Corporal, you''ve just come face to face with the Seventh''s entire Mage Cadre. Now back out of my face before I put gills and scales on yours.''

    The corporal''s eyes flicked to Duiker, then back to Kulp.

    ''Wrong,'' the mage sighed. ''I''m the entire cadre. This man''s my guest.''

    ''Gills and scales, huh?'' The corporal set his wide hands down on the tabletop and leaned close to Kulp. ''I get even a sniff of you opening a warren, you''ll find a knife in your throat. This is my guardpost, magicker, and any business you got here is my business. Now, start explaining yourselves, before I cut those big ears off your head and add ''em to my belt. Sir.''

    Duiker cleared his throat. ''Before this goes any further¡ª''

    ''Shut your mouth!'' the corporal snapped, still glaring at Kulp.

    Distant shouting interrupted them. ''Truth!'' the corporal bellowed. ''Go see what''s happening outside.''

    A young Cawn sailor leapt to his feet, checking a newly issued short sword scabbarded at his hip as he crossed to the door.

    ''We are here,'' Duiker told the corporal, ''to purchase a boat¡ª''

    A startled curse came from just outside, followed by a frantic scrabbling of boots on the rickety inn steps. The recruit named Truth tumbled back inside, his face white. An impressive stream of Cawn dockside curses issued from the youth''s mouth, finishing with: ''- got an armed mob outside, Corporal, and they ain''t interested in talking. Saw them split, about ten heading to the Ripath.''

    The other sailors were on their feet. One addressed the corporal. ''They''ll torch her, Gesler, then we''ll be stuck on this stinking strip of beach¡ª''

    ''Arms out and form up,'' Gesler growled. He rose, turning to the other marine. ''Front door, Stormy. Find out who''s leading that group out there and stick a quarrel between his eyes.''

 Page 77

    ''We have to save the boat!'' the sailors'' spokesman said.

    Gesler nodded. ''That we will, Vered.''

    The marine named Stormy took position at the door, his cocked assault crossbow appearing as if from nowhere. Outside, the shouting had grown louder, closer. The mob was working itself into the courage it needed to rush the inn. The boy Truth stood in the centre of the room, the short sword twitching in his hand, his face red with rage.

    ''Calm yourself, lad,'' Gesler said. His eyes fell to Kulp. ''I''m less likely to cut off your ears if you open a warren now, Mage.''

    Duiker asked, ''You''ve made enemies in this village, Corporal?''

    The man smiled. ''This has been coming for some time. Ripath is fully provisioned. We can get you to Hissar... maybe ... we got to get out of this first. Can you use a crossbow?''

    The historian sighed, then nodded.

    ''Expect some arrows through the walls,'' Stormy said from the doorway.

    ''Found their leader yet?''

    ''Aye, and he''s keeping his distance.''

    ''We can''t wait ¨C to the back door, everyone!''

    The barman, who''d been crouching behind the small counter on one side of the room, now stepped forward, hunched crablike in expectation of the first flight of arrows through the burlap wall. ''The tab, Mezla ¨C many weeks now. Seventy-two jakatas¡ª''

    ''What''s your life worth?'' Gesler asked, gesturing for Truth to join the sailors as they slipped through the break in the rear wall.

    The barman''s eyes went wide, then he ducked his head. ''Seventy-two jakatas, Mezla?''

    ''About right,'' the corporal nodded.

    Cool, damp air, smelling of moss and wet stone, filled the room. Duiker looked at Kulp, who mutely shook his head. The historian rose. ''They''ve got a mage, Corporal¡ª''

    A roar rushed from the street outside and struck the front of the inn like a wave. The wooden frame bowed, the burlap walls bellying. Kulp loosed a warning shout, pitching from his chair and rolling across the floor. Wood split, cloth tore.

    Stormy lunged away from the front, and all at once everyone left in the room was bolting for the rear exit. The floor lifted under them as the front stilts lost their footing, pitching everyone towards the back wall. Tables and chairs toppled, joining the headlong rush. Screaming, the barman vanished under a rack of wine jugs.

    Tumbling through the rent, Duiker fell through the darkness to land on a heap of dried seaweed. Kulp landed on him, all knees and elbows, driving the breath from the historian''s lungs.

    The inn was still rising from the front as the sorcerous wave took hold of all it touched, and pushed.

    ''Do something, Kulp!'' Duiker gasped.

    In answer the mage pulled the historian upright, spun him around, then gave him a hard shove. ''Run! That''s what we''re going to do!''

    The sorcery ravaging the inn abruptly ceased. Still balanced on its rear stilts, the building pitched back down. Cross-beams snapped. The inn seemed to explode, the wood frame shattering. The ceiling collapsed straight down, hitting the floor in a cloud of sand and dust.

    Stumbling beside Duiker as they hurried down to the beach, Stormy grunted, ''Hood''s just paid the barman''s tab, eh?'' The marine gestured with the crossbow he carried. ''I''m here to take care of you. Corporal''s gone ahead ¨C we''re looking at a scrap getting to Ripath''s dock.''

    ''Where''s Kulp?'' Duiker demanded. It had all happened so fast, he was feeling overwhelmed with confusion. ''He was here beside me¡ª''

    ''Gone sniffing after that spell-caster is my guess. Who can figure mages, eh? Unless''n he''s run away. Hood knows he ain''t showed much so far, eh?''

    They reached the strand. Thirty paces to their left Gesler and the sailors were closing in on a dozen locals who''d taken up positions in front of a narrow dock. A low, sleek patrol craft with a single mast was moored there. To the right the beach stretched in a gentle curve southward, to distant Hissar ... a city in flames. Duiker staggered to a halt, staring at the ruddy sky above Hissar.

    Togg''s teats!'' Stormy hissed, following the historian''s gaze. ''Dryjhna''s come. Guess we won''t be taking you to the city after all, eh?''

    ''Wrong,'' Duiker said. ''I need to rejoin Coltaine. My horse is in the stables ¨C never mind the damn boat.''

    ''They''re pinching her flanks right now, I bet. Around here, people ride camels, eat horses. Forget it.'' He reached out but the historian pulled away and began running up the strand, away from Ripath and the scrap that had now started there.

    Stormy hesitated, then, growling a curse, set off after Duiker.

 Page 78

    A flash of sorcery ignited the air above the front street, followed by an agonized shriek.

    Kulp, Duiker thought. Delivering or dying. He stayed on the beach, running parallel to the village, until he judged he was opposite the stables, then he turned inward, scrabbling through the weeds of the tide line. Stormy moved up beside the historian.

    ''I''ll just see you safe on your way, eh?''

    ''My thanks,'' Duiker whispered.

    ''Who are you anyway?''

    ''Imperial Historian. And who are you, Stormy?''

    The man grunted. ''Nobody. Nobody at all.''

    They slowed as they slipped between the first row of huts, keeping to the shadows. A few paces from the street the air blurred in front of them and Kulp appeared. His cape was scorched, his face red from a fireflash.

    ''Why in Hood''s name are you two here?'' he demanded in a hiss. ''There''s a High Mage out prowling around ¨C Hood knows why he''s here. Problem is, he knows I''m here, which makes me bad company to be around ¨C I barely squeezed the last one¡ª''

    ''That scream we heard was yours?'' Duiker asked.

    ''Ever had a spell roll onto you? My bones have been rattled damn near out of their sockets. I shat my pants, too. But I''m alive.''

    ''So far,'' Stormy said, grinning.

    ''Thanks for the blessing,'' Kulp muttered.

    Duiker said, ''We need to¡ª''

    The night blossomed around them, a coruscating, flame-lit explosion that flung all three men to the ground. The historian''s shriek of pain joined two others as the sorcery seemed to claw into his flesh, clutch icy cold around his bones, sending jolts of agony up his limbs. His scream rose higher as the relentless pain reached his brain, blotting out the world in a blood-misted haze that seemed to sizzle behind his eyes. Duiker thrashed about and rolled across the ground, but there was no escape. This sorcery was killing him, a horrifyingly personal assault, invading every corner of his being.

    Then it was gone. He lay unmoving, one cheek pressed against the cool, dusty ground, his body twitching in the aftermath. He''d soiled himself. He''d pissed himself. His sweat was a bitter stink.

    A hand clutched the collar of his telaba. Kulp''s breath gusted hot at his ear as the mage whispered, ''I slapped back. Enough to sting. We need to get to the boat ¨C Gesler''s¡ª''

    ''Go with Stormy,'' Duiker gasped. ''I''m taking the horses¡ª''

    ''Are you mad?''

    Biting back a scream, the historian pushed himself to his feet. He staggered as memories of pain rippled through his limbs. ''Go with Stormy, damn you ¨C go!''

    Kulp stared at the man, then his eyes narrowed. ''Aye, ride as a Dosii. Might work ...''

    Stormy, his face white as death, plucked the mage''s sleeve. ''Gesler won''t wait for ever.''

    ''Aye.'' With a final nod at Duiker, the mage joined the marine. They ran hard back down to the beach.

    Gesler and the sailors were in trouble. Bodies lay sprawled in the churned-up sand around the dock ¨C the first dozen locals and two of the Cawn sailors. Gesler, flanked by Truth and another sailor, were struggling to hold at bay a newly arrived score of villagers ¨C men and women ¨C who flung themselves forward in a spitting frenzy, using harpoons, mallets, cleavers, some with only their bare hands. The remaining two sailors ¨C both wounded ¨C were on Ripath, feebly attempting to cast off the lines.

    Stormy led Kulp to within a dozen paces of the mob, then the marine crouched, took aim and fired a quarrel into the press. Someone shrieked. Stormy slung the crossbow over a shoulder and drew a short sword and gutting dagger. ''Got anything for this, Mage?'' he demanded, then, without waiting for a reply, he plunged forward, striking the mob on its flank. Villagers reeled; none was killed, but many were horribly maimed as the marine waded into the press ¨C the dead posed no burden; the wounded did.

    Gesler now held the dock alone, as Truth was pulling a downed comrade back towards the boat. One of the wounded sailors on Ripath''s deck had stopped moving.

    Kulp hesitated, knowing that whatever sorcery he unleashed would draw down on them the High Mage. The cadre mage did not think it likely that he could withstand another attack. All his joints were bleeding inside, swelling the flesh with blood. By the morning he would not be able to move. If I survive this night. Even so, more subtle ploys remained.

    Kulp raised his arms, voicing a keening shriek. A wall of fire erupted in front of him, then rolled, tumbling and growing, rushing towards the villagers. Who broke, then ran. Kulp sent the flame up the beach in pursuit. When it reached the banked sward, it vanished.

 Page 79

    Stormy whirled. ''If you could do that¡ª''

    ''It was nothing,'' Kulp said, joining the men.

    ''A wall of¡ª''

    ''I meant nothing! A Hood-blinked illusion, you fool! Now, let''s get out of here!''

    They lost Vered twenty spans from the shore, a harpoon-head buried deep in his chest finally gushing the last of his blood onto the slick deck. Gesler unceremoniously rolled the man over the side. Remaining upright in addition to the corporal were the youth Truth, Stormy and Kulp. Another sailor was slowly losing a battle with a slashed artery in his left thigh and was but minutes from Hood''s Gate.

    ''Everyone stay quiet,'' Kulp whispered. ''Show no lights ¨C the High Mage is on the beach.''

    Breaths were held, including a pitiless hand clamped down over the dying sailor''s mouth until the man''s moaning ceased.

    With barely a storm-sail rigged, Ripath slipped slowly from the shallow bay, her keel parting water with a soft susurration.

    Loud enough, Kulp knew. He opened his warren, threw sounds in random directions, a muted voice here, a creak of wood there. He cast a shroud of gloom over the area, holding the power of his warren back, letting it trickle forth to deceive, not challenge.

    Sorcery flashed sixty spans to their left, fooled by a thrown sound. The gloom swallowed the magic''s light.

    The night fell silent once again. Gesler and others seemed to grasp what Kulp was doing. Their eyes held on him, hopeful, with barely checked fear. Truth held the tiller, motionless, not daring to do anything but keep the sail ahead of the soft breeze.

    It seemed they merely crawled on the water. Sweat dripped from Kulp ¨C he was soaked through with the effort of evading the High Mage''s questing senses. He could feel those deadly probes, only now realizing that his opponent was a woman, not a man.

    Far to the south, Hissar''s harbour was a glowing wall of black-smeared flames. No effort was made to angle towards it, and Kulp understood as well as the others that there would be no succour found there. Seven Cities had risen in mutiny.

    And we''re at sea. Is there a safe harbour left to us? Gesler said this boat was provisioned ¨C far enough to take us to Aren? Through hostile waters at that... A better option would be Falar, but that was over six hundred leagues south of Dosin Pali.

    Then another thought struck him, even as the questing of the High Mage faded, then finally vanished. Heboric light Touch ¡ª the poor bastard''s heading for the rendezvous if all''s gone as planned. Crossing a desert to a lifeless coast. ''Breathe easy now,'' the mage said. ''She''s abandoned the hunt.''

    ''Out of range?'' Truth asked.

    ''No, just lost interest. I''d guess she has more important matters to attend to, lad. Corporal Gesler.''

    ''Aye?''

    ''We need to cross the strait. To the Otataral Coast.''

    ''What in Hood''s name for, Mage?''

    ''Sorry, this time I''m pulling rank. Do as I command.''

    ''And what if we just push you over the side?'' Gesler enquired calmly. ''There''s dhenrabi out here, feeding along the edge of Sahul Shelf. You''d be a tasty morsel...''

    Kulp sighed. ''We go to pick up a High Priest of Fener, Corporal. Feed me to a dhenrabi and no-one mourns the loss. Anger a High Priest and his foul-tempered god might well cock one red eye in your direction. Are you prepared for that risk?''

    The corporal leaned back and barked a laugh. Stormy and Truth were grinning as well.

    Kulp scowled. ''You find this amusing?''

    Stormy leaned over the gunnel and spat into the sea. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, then said, ''It seems Fener''s already cocked an eye in our direction, Mage. We''re Boar Company, of the disbanded First Army. Before Laseen crushed the cult, that is. Now we''re just marines attached to a miserable Coastal Guard.''

    ''Ain''t stopped us from following Fener, Mage,'' Gesler said. ''Or even recruiting new followers to the warrior cult,'' he added, nodding towards Truth. ''So just point the way ¨C Otataral Coast, you said. Angle her due east, lad, and let''s get this sail up and ready the spinnaker for the morning winds.''

    Slowly, Kulp sat back. ''Anyone else need to wash out their leggings?'' he asked.

    Wrapped in his telaba, Duiker rode from the village. There were figures to either side of the coastal road, featureless in the faint moon''s light. The cool desert air seemed to carry in it the residue of a sandstorm, a desiccating haze that parched the throat. Reaching the crossroads, the historian reined in. Southward the coastal road continued on, down to Hissar. A trader track led west, inland. A quarter-mile down this track was encamped an army.

 Page 80

    There was no order evident. Thousands of tents were haphazardly pitched around a huge central corral shrouded in fire-lit clouds of dust. Tribal chants drifted across the sands. Along the track, no more than fifty long paces from Duiker''s position, a hapless squad of Malazan soldiers writhed on what were locally called Sliding Beds ¨C four tall spears each set upright, the victim set atop the jagged points, at the shoulders and upper thighs. Depending on their weight and their strength of will in staying motionless, the impaling and the slow slide down to the ground could take hours. With Hood''s blessing, the morrow''s sun would hasten the tortured death. The historian felt his heart grow cold with rage.

    He could not help them, Duiker knew. It was challenge enough to simply stay alive in a countryside aflame with murderous lust. But there would come a time for retribution. If the gods will it.

    Mage fires blossomed vast and ¨C at this distance ¨C silent over Hissar. Was Coltaine still alive? Bult? The Seventh? Had Sormo divined what was coming in time?

    He tapped his heels against his mount''s flanks, continued down the coastal road. The renegade army''s appearance was a shock. It had emerged as if from nowhere, and for all the chaos of the encampment there were commanders there, filled with bloodthirsty intent and capable of achieving what they planned. This was no haphazard revolt. Kulp said a High Mage. Who else is out there? Sha''ik has had years in which to build her army of the Apocalypse, despatch her agents, plan this night ¨C and all that will follow. We knew it was happening. Laseen should have stuck Pormqual''s head on a spike long ago. A capable High Fist could have crushed this.

    ''Dosii kim''aral!''

    Three cloaked shapes rose from the flood track on the inland side of the road. ''A night of glory!'' Duiker responded, not slowing as he rode past.

    ''Wait, Dosii! The Apocalypse waits to embrace you!'' The figure gestured towards the encampment.

    ''I have kin in Hissari Harbour,'' the historian replied. ''I go to share in the riches of liberation!'' Duiker reined in suddenly and pulled his horse around. ''Unless the Seventh has won back the city ¨C is this the news you have for me?''

    The spokesman laughed. ''They are crushed. Destroyed in their beds, Dosii! Hissar has been freed of the Mezla curse!''

    ''Then I ride!'' Duiker kicked the horse forward again. He held his breath as he continued on, but the tribesmen did not call after him. The Seventh gone? Does Coltaine ride a sliding bed right now? It was hard to believe, yet it might well be true. Clearly the attack had been sudden, backed by high sorcery ¨C with me dragging Kulp away, on this night of all nights, Hood curse my bones. For all the lives within him, Sormo E''nath was still a boy, his flesh hardly steeled to such a challenge. He might well have bloodied a few noses among the enemy''s mages. To expect or hope for more than that was being unfair. They would have fought hard, every one of them. Hissar''s price would have been high.

    Nonetheless, Duiker would have to see for himself. The Imperial Historian could do no less. More, he could ride among the enemy and that was an extraordinary opportunity. Never mind the risks. He would gather all the information he could, anticipating an eventual return to the ranks of a Malazan punitive force, where his knowledge could be put to lethal use. In otter words, a spy. So much for objectivity, Duiker. The image of the Malazan soldiers lining the trader track, dying slowly on the sliding beds, was enough to sear away his detachment.

    Magic flared in the fishing village half a mile behind him. Duiker hesitated, then rode on. Kulp was a survivor, and by the look of that Coastal Guard, he had veterans at his side. The mage had faced powerful sorcery before ¨C what he could not defeat, he could escape. Duiker''s soldiering days were long past, his presence more of an impediment than an asset ¨C they were better off without him.

    But what would Kulp do now? If there were any survivors among the Seventh, then the cadre mage''s place was with them. What, then, of Heboric''s fate? Well, I''ve done what I could for the old handless bastard. Fener guard you, old man.

    There were no refugees on the road. It seemed the fanatic call to arms was complete ¨C all had proclaimed themselves soldiers of Dryjhna. Old women, fisherwives, children and pious grandfathers. Nonetheless, Duiker had been expecting to find Malazans, or at the very least signs of their passage, scenes where their efforts to escape came to a grisly end. Instead, the raised military road stretched bare, ghostly in the moon''s silver light.

    Against the glare of distant Hissar appeared desert cape-moths, wheeling and fluttering like flakes of ash as broad across as a splayed hand as they crossed back and forth in front of the historian. They were carrion-eaters, and they were heading in the same direction as Duiker, in growing numbers.

 Page 81

    Within minutes the night was alive with the silent, spectral insects, whirling past the historian on all sides. Duiker struggled against the chill dread rising within him. ''The world''s harbingers of death are many and varied.'' He frowned, trying to recall where he''d heard those words. Probably from one of the countless dirges to Hood, sung by the priests during the Season of Rot in Unta.

    The first of the city''s outlying slums appeared in the fading gloom ahead, a narrow cluster of shacks and huts clinging to the shelf above the beach. Smoke now rode the air, smelling of burning painted wood and scorched cloth. The smell of a city destroyed, the smell of anger and blind hatred. It was all too familiar to Duiker, and it made him feel old.

    Two children raced across the road, ducking between shacks. One voiced a laugh that pealed with madness, too knowing by far to come from one so young. The historian rode past the spot, his skin crawling. He was astonished to feel the fear within him ¨C afraid of children? Old man, you don''t belong here.

    The sky was lightening over the strait on his left. The cape-moths were plunging into the city ahead, vanishing inside the roiling clouds of smoke. Duiker reined in. The coastal road split here, the main track leading straight to become a main thoroughfare of the city. A second road, on the right, skirted the city and led to the Malazan barracks compound. The historian gazed down that road, squinting. Black columns of smoke rose half a mile away above the barracks, the columns bending high up where a desert wind caught hold and pushed them seaward.

    Butchered in their beds? The possibility suddenly seemed all too real. He rode towards the barracks. On his right, as shadows appeared with the rising sun, the city of Hissar burned. Support beams were giving way, mudbrick walls tumbling, cut stone shattering explosively in the blistering heat. Smoke covered the scene with its deathly, bitter shawl. Every now and then a distant scream sounded from the city''s heart. It was clear that the mutiny''s destructive ferocity had turned on itself. Freedom had been won, at the cost of everything.

    He reached the trampled earth where the trader encampment had once been ¨C where he and the warlock Sormo had witnessed the divination. The camp had been hastily abandoned, possibly only hours earlier. A pack of dogs from the city now rooted through the rubbish left behind.

    Opposite the grounds, and on the other side of the Faladhan road, rose the fortified wall of the Malazan compound. Duiker slowed his mount to a walk, then a halt. Streaks of black scarred the few sections of bleached stone remaining upright. The sorcery that had assailed the wall had breached it in four places that he could see, each one a sundering of stone wide enough to rush a phalanx through. Bodies crowded the breaches, sprawled amidst the tumbled blocks. None wore much in the way of armour, and the weapons Duiker saw scattered about ranged from antique pikes to butcher''s cleavers.

    The Seventh had fought hard, meeting their attackers at every breach; in the face of savage sorcery, they had cut down their attackers by the score. No-one had been caught asleep in his bed. The historian felt a trickle of hope seep into his thoughts.

    He glanced down the road, down to where the nut trees lined the cobbled street. There had been a cavalry sortie of some kind, close to the compound''s inner city gate. Two horses lay among dozens of Hissari bodies, but no lancers that he could see. Either they''d been lucky enough to lose no-one in the attack, or they''d had the time to retrieve their slain and wounded comrades. There was a hand of organization here, a strong one. Coltaine? Bult?

    He saw no-one living down the length of the street. If battle continued, it had moved on. Duiker dismounted and approached one of the breaches in the compound wall. He clambered over the rubble, avoiding the stones slick with blood. Most of the attackers, he saw, had been killed by quarrels. Many bodies were virtually pincushioned with the stubby arrows. The range had been devastatingly short, the effect lethal. A frenzied, disorganized rush by a mob of ill-equipped Hissari stood no chance against such concentrated fire. Duiker saw no bodies beyond the ridge of tumbled stone.

    The compound''s training field was empty. Bulwarks had been raised here and there to establish murderous crossfire should the defence at the breaches fail ¨C but there was no sign that that had occurred.

    He stepped down from the ridge of shattered stone. The Malazan headquarters and the barracks had been torched. Duiker now wondered if the Seventh had not done it themselves. Announcing to all that Coltaine had no intention of hiding behind walls, the Seventh and the Wickans marched out, in formation. How did they fare?

    He returned to his waiting horse. Back in the saddle he could see more smoke, billowing heavily from the Malazan Estates district. Dawn had brought a strange calm to the air. To see the city so empty of life made it all seem unreal, as if the bodies sprawled in the streets were but scarecrows left over from a harvest festival. The capemoths had found them, however, covering the forms completely, their large wings slowly fanning as they fed.

 Page 82

    As he rode towards the Malazan Estates, he could hear the occasional shout and faint scream in the distance, barking dogs and braying mules. The roar of fires rose and fell like waves clawing a cliff face, carrying gusts of heat down the side streets hissing and rustling through the litter.

    Fifty paces from the Estates Duiker found the first scene of true slaughter. The Hissari mutineers had struck the Malazan quarter with sudden ferocity, probably at the same time as the other force had hemmed in the Seventh at the compound. The merchant and noble houses had thrown their own private guards forward in frantic defence, but they were too few and, lacking cohesion, had been quickly and savagely cut down. The mob had poured into the district, battering down estate posterns, dragging out into the wide street Malazan families.

    It was then, Duiker saw as his mount picked a careful path through the bodies, that madness had truly arrived. Men had been gutted, their entrails pulled out, wrapped around women ¨C wives and mothers and aunts and sisters ¨C who had been raped before being strangled with the intestinal ropes. The historian saw children with their skulls crushed, babies spitted on tapu skewers. However, many young daughters had been taken by the attackers as they plunged deeper into the district. If anything, their fates would be more horrific than those visited on their kin.

    Duiker viewed all he saw with a growing numbness. The terrible agony that had been unleashed here seemed to remain coiled in the air, poised, ready to snatch at his sanity. In self-defence, his soul withdrew, deeper, ever deeper. His power to observe remained, however, detached completely from his feelings ¨C the release would come later, the historian well knew: the shaking limbs, the nightmares, the slow scarification of his faith.

    Expecting to see more of the same, Duiker rode towards the first square in the district. What he saw instead jarred him. The Hissari mutineers had been ambushed in the square and slaughtered by the score. Arrows had been used and then retrieved, but some shattered shafts remained. The historian dismounted to pick one up. Wickan. He believed he could now piece together what had occurred.

    The barracks compound had been besieged. Whoever commanded the Hissari had intended to prevent Coltaine and his forces from striking out into the city, and, if the sorcery''s level was any indication, had sought the complete annihilation of the Malazan army. In this the commander had clearly failed. The Wickans had sortied, broken through the encirclement, and had ridden directly to the Estates ¨C where they well knew the planned slaughter would have already begun. Too late to prevent the first attack at the District Gates, they had altered their route, riding around the mob, and set up an ambush in the square. The Hissari, in their thirst for more blood, had plunged forward, crossing the expanse without the foresight of scouts.

    The Wickans had then killed them all. There was no risk of reprisal to prevent them later retrieving their arrow shafts. The killing must have been absolute, every escape closed off, then the precise, calculated murder of every Hissari in the square.

    Duiker swung about at the sound of approaching footsteps. A band of mutineers approached from the gates behind him. They were well armed, with pikes in their hands and tulwars at their hips. Chain vests glinted from beneath the red telaban they wore. On their heads were the peaked bronze helmets of the City Guard.

    ''Terrible slaughter!'' Duiker wailed, drawing out the Dosii accent. ''It must be avenged!''

    The sergeant leading the squad eyed the historian warily. ''You have the dust of the desert upon you,'' he said.

    ''Aye, I have ridden down from the High Mage''s forces to the north. A nephew, who dwelt in the harbour district. I seek to join him¡ª''

    ''If he yet lives, old man, you shall find him marching with Reloe.''

    ''We have driven the Mezla from the city,'' another soldier said. ''Outnumbered, already sorely wounded and burdened with ten thousand refugees¡ª''

    ''Silence, Geburah!'' the sergeant snapped. He narrowed his gaze on Duiker. ''We go to Reloe now. Come with us. All of Hissari shall be blessed in joining in the final slaughter of the Mezla.''

    Conscription. No wonder there''s no-one about. They''re in the holy army whether they like it or not. The historian nodded. ''I shall. I have vowed to protect the life of my nephew, you see...''

    ''The vow to scourge Seven Cities of the Mezla is greater,'' the sergeant growled. ''Dryjhna demands your soul, Dosii. The Apocalypse has come ¨C armies gather all across the land and all must harken to the call.''

    ''Last night I joined in spilling the blood of a Mezla Coastal Guard ¨C my soul was given to her keeping then, Hissari.'' Duiker''s tone held a warning to the young sergeant. Respect your elders, child.

 Page 83

    The man answered the historian with an acknowledging nod.

    Leading his horse by the reins, Duiker accompanied the squad as they made their way through the Estates. Kamist Reloe''s army, the sergeant explained, was marshalling on the plain to the southwest of the city. Three Odhan tribes were maintaining contact with the hated Mezla, harrying the train of refugees and the too few soldiers trying to protect them. The Mezla were seeking to reach Sialk, another coastal city twenty leagues south of Hissar. What the fools did not know, the man added with a dark grin, was that Sialk had fallen as well, and even now thousands of Mezla nobles and their families were being driven up the north road. The Mezla commander was about to see a doubling of citizens he was sworn to defend.

    Kamist Reloe would then encircle the enemy, his forces outnumbering them seven to one, and complete the slaughter. The battle was expected to take place in three days'' time.

    Duiker made agreeable noises through all this, but his mind was racing. Kamist Reloe was a High Mage, one believed to have been killed in Raraku over ten years ago, in a clash with Sha''ik over who was destined to lead the Apocalypse. Instead of killing her rival, it was now apparent that Sha''ik had won his loyalty. The hint of murderous rivalry, feuds and personality clashes had served Sha''ik well in conveying to the Malazans an impression of internal weaknesses plaguing her cause. All a lie. We were deceived, and now we are suffering the cost.

    ''The Mezla army is as a great beast,'' the sergeant said as they neared the city''s edge, ''wounded by countless strikes, flanks streaming with blood. The beast staggers onward, blind with pain. In three days, Dosii, the beast shall fall.''

    The historian nodded thoughtfully, recalling the seasonal boar hunts in the forests of northern Quon Tali. A tracker had told him that among the hunters who were killed in such hunts, most met their fate after the boar had taken a fatal wound. An unexpected, final lashing out, a murderous lunge that seemed to defy Hood''s grip on the beast. Seeing victory only moments away stripped caution from the hunters. Duiker heard something of that overconfidence in the mutineer''s words. The beast streamed with blood, but it was not yet dead.

    The sun climbed the sky as they travelled south.

    The chamber''s floor sagged like a bowl, carpeted in thick, feltlike drifts of dust. Almost a third of a league into the hill''s stone heart, the rough-cut walls had cracked like glass, fissures reaching down from the vaulted roof. In the centre of the room lay a fishing boat resting on one flank, its lone mast''s unreached sail hanging like rotted webbing. The dry, hot air had driven the dowels from the joins and the planks had contracted, splaying beneath the boat''s own weight.

    ''This is no surprise,'' Mappo said from the portal way.

    Icarium''s lips quirked slightly, then he stepped past the Trell and approached the craft. ''Five years? Not longer ¨C I can still smell the brine. Do you recognize the design?''

    ''I curse myself for having taken no interest in such things,'' Mappo sighed. ''Truly I should have anticipated moments like these ¨C what was I thinking?''

    ''I believe,'' Icarium said slowly, resting a hand on the boat''s prow, ''this is what Iskaral Pust wished us to find.''

    ''I thought the quest was for a broom,'' the Trell muttered.

    ''No doubt his broom will turn up of its own accord. It was not the goal of the search we were to value, but the journey.''

    Mappo''s eyes narrowed suspiciously on his friend, then his canines showed in an appreciative grin. ''That is always the way, isn''t it?'' He followed the Jhag into the chamber. His nostrils flared. ''I smell no brine.''

    ''Perhaps I exaggerated.''

    ''I''ll grant you it does not look like it''s been here for centuries. What are we to make of this, Icarium? A fishing boat, found in a room deep within a cliff in a desert thirty leagues from anything bigger than a spring. The High Priest sets before us a mystery.''

    ''Indeed.''

    ''Do you recognize the style?''

    ''Alas, I am as ignorant of water craft and other things of the sea as you, Mappo. I fear we have already failed in Iskaral Pust''s expectations.''

    The Trell grunted, watching Icarium begin examining the boat.

    ''There are nets in here, deftly made. A few withered things that might have been fish once ... ah!'' The Jhag reached down. Wood clattered. He straightened, faced Mappo, in his hands the High Priest''s broom.

    ''Do we now sweep the chamber?''

    ''I think our task is to return this to its rightful owner.''

    ''The boat or the broom?''

    Icarium''s brows rose. ''Now that is an interesting question, friend.''

 Page 84

    Mappo frowned, then shrugged. If there had been anything clever in his query, it was there purely by chance. He was frustrated. Too long underground, too long inactive and at the whim of a madman''s schemes. It was an effort to bend his mind to this mystery, and indeed he resented the assumption that it was worth doing at all. After a long moment, he sighed. ''Shadow swept down on this craft and its occupant, plucked them both away and delivered them here. Was this Pust''s own boat? He hardly strikes me as from fisher bloodlines. I''ve not heard a single dockside curse pass his lips, no salty metaphors, no barbed catechisms.''

    ''So, not Iskaral Pust''s craft.''

    ''No. Leaving...''

    ''Well, either the mule or Servant.''

    Mappo nodded. He rubbed his bristled jaw. ''I''ll grant you a mule in a boat dragging nets through shoals might be interesting enough to garner a god''s curiosity, sufficient to collect the two for posterity.''

    ''Ah, but what would be the value without a lake or pond to complete the picture? No, I think we must eliminate the mule. This craft belongs to Servant. Recall his adept climbing skills¡ª''

    ''Recall the horrid soup¡ª''

    ''That was laundry, Mappo.''

    ''Precisely my point, Icarium. You are correct. Servant once plied waters in this boat.''

    ''Then we are agreed.''

    ''Aye. Hardly a move up in the world for the poor man.''

    Icarium shook himself. He raised the broom like a standard. ''More questions for Iskaral Pust. Shall we begin the return journey, Mappo?''

    Three hours later the two weary men found the High Priest of Shadow seated at the table in the library. Iskaral Pust was hunched over a Deck of Dragons. ''You''re late,'' he snapped, not looking up. ''The Deck keens with fierce energy. The world outside is in flux ¨C your love of ignorance is not worthy of these precipitous times. Attend this field, travellers, or remain lost at your peril.''

    Snorting his disgust, Mappo strode to where the jugs of wine waited on a shelf. It seemed even Icarium had been brought short by the High Priest''s words, as he dropped the broom clattering on the floor and pulled back a chair opposite Iskaral Pust. The frustrated air about the Jhag did not make likely an afternoon of calm conversation. Mappo poured two cups of wine, then returned to the table.

    The High Priest raised the Deck in both hands, closed his eyes and breathed a silent prayer to Shadowthrone. He began a spiral field, laying the centre card first.

    ''Obelisk!'' Iskaral squealed, shifting nervously on his chair. ''I knew it! Past present future, the here, the now, the then, the when¡ª''

    ''Hood''s breath!'' Mappo breathed.

    The second card landed, its upper left corner overlapping Obelisk''s lower right. ''The Rope ¨C Shadow Patron of Assassins, hah!'' Subsequent cards followed in swift succession, Iskaral Pust announcing their identities as if his audience were ignorant or blind. ''Oponn, the male Twin upright, the luck that pushes, ill luck, terrible misfortune, miscalculation, poor circumstance ... Sceptre ... Throne ... Queen of High House Life ... Spinner of High House Death ... Soldier of High House Light . .. Knight of Life, Mason of Dark ...'' A dozen more cards followed, then the High Priest sat back, his eyes thinned to slits, his mouth hanging open. ''Renewal, a resurrection without the passage through Hood''s Gates. Renewal...'' He looked up, met Icarium''s eyes. ''You must begin a journey. Soon.''

    ''Another quest?'' the Jhag asked so quietly that Mappo''s hackles rose in alarm.

    ''Aye! Can you not see, fool?''

    ''See what?'' Icarium whispered.

    Clearly ignorant that his life hung by a thread, Iskaral Pust rose, wildly gesturing at the field of cards. ''It''s right here in front of you, idiot! As clear as my Lord of Shadow could make it! How have you survived this long?'' In his frenzy, the High Priest snatched at the wispy patches of hair that remained on his head, yanking the tufts this way and that. He was fairly hopping in place. ''Obelisk! Can''t you see? Mason, Spinner, Sceptre, Queens and Knights, Kings and fools!''

    Icarium moved lightning fast, across the table, both hands closing around the High Priest''s neck, snatching him into the air and dragging him across the tabletop. Iskaral Pust gurgled, his eyes bulging as he kicked feebly.

    ''My friend,'' Mappo warned, fearing he would have to step in and pry Icarium''s hands from his victim''s neck before lasting damage was done.

    The Jhag threw the man back down, shaken by his own anger. He drew a deep breath. ''Speak plainly, priest,'' he said calmly.

    Iskaral Pust writhed for a moment longer on the tabletop, scattering the wooden cards to the floor, then he stilled. He looked up at Icarium with wide, tear-filled eyes. ''You must venture forth,'' he said in a ravaged voice. ''Into the Holy Desert.''

 Page 85

    ''Why?''

    ''Why? Why? Sha''ik is dead.''

    ''We have to assume,'' Mappo said slowly, ''that the characteristic of never answering directly is bred into the man. As natural as breathing.''

    They sat in the vestibule the Trell had been given as his quarters. Iskaral Pust had vanished only a few minutes after voicing his pronouncement, and of Servant there had been no sign since their return from the cavern housing the fishing boat.

    Icarium was nodding. ''He spoke of a resurrection. It must be considered, for this sudden death of Sha''ik seems to defy every prophecy, unless indeed the ¡°renewal¡± marks a return from Hood''s Gates.''

    ''And Iskaral Pust expects us to attend this rebirth? How effortlessly has he ensnared us in his mad web. For myself, I am glad the witch is dead, and I hope she remains that way. Rebellion is ever bloody. If her death plucks this land back from the brink of mutiny, then to interfere would put us in great peril.''

    ''You fear the wrath of the gods?''

    ''I fear being unwittingly used by them, or their servants, Icarium. Blood and chaos is the wine and meat of the gods ¨C most of them, anyway. Especially the ones most eager to meddle in mortal affairs. I will do nothing to achieve their desires.''

    ''Nor I, friend,'' the Jhag said, rising from his chair with a sigh. ''Nonetheless, I would witness such a resurrection. What deceit has the power to wrest a soul from Hood''s clasp? Every ritual of resurrection I have ever heard attempted inevitably resulted in a price beyond reckoning. Even as he relinquishes a soul, Hood ensures he wins in the exchange.''

    Mappo closed his eyes, kneaded his broad, scarred brow. My friend, what are we doing here? I see your desperation, seeking every path in the hopes of revelation. Could I speak openly to you, I would warn you from the truth. ''This is an ancient land,'' he said softly. ''We cannot guess what powers have been invested in the stone, sand and earth. Generation upon generation.'' He glanced up, suddenly weary. ''When we wandered the edge of Raraku, Icarium, I always felt as if I was walking the narrowest strand, in a web stretching to every horizon. The ancient world but sleeps, and I feel its restless shifting ¨C more now than ever before.'' Do not awaken this place, friend, lest it awaken you.

    ''Well,'' Icarium said after a long, thoughtful moment, ''I shall venture out in any case. Will you accompany me, Mappo Trell?''

    His eyes on the heaved pavestones of the floor, Mappo slowly nodded.

    The wall of sand rose seamlessly into the sky''s ochre dome. Somewhere in that fierce, swirling frenzy was the Holy Desert Raraku. Fiddler, Crokus and Apsalar sat on their lathered mounts at the top of a trail that led down the slope of the hills, out onto the desert wastes. A thousand paces into Raraku and the world simply disappeared.

    A faint, sibilant roar reached them.

    ''Not,'' Crokus said quietly, ''your average storm, I assume.''

    His spirits had been low since awakening in the morning to find that Moby had once again disappeared. The creature was discovering its wild instincts, and Fiddler suspected they wouldn''t see it again.

    ''When I heard mention of the Whirlwind,'' the Daru thief continued after a moment, ''I assumed it was ... well ... figurative. A state of being, I suppose. So tell me, do we now look upon the true Whirlwind? The wrath of a goddess?''

    ''How can a rebellion be born in the heart of that?'' Apsalar wondered. ''It would be a challenge to even open one''s eyes in that storm, much less orchestrate a continent-wide uprising. Unless, of course, it''s a barrier, and beyond there is calm.''

    ''Seems likely,'' Crokus agreed.

    Fiddler grunted. ''Then we''ve no choice. We ride through.''

    Their Gral hunters were less than ten minutes behind them, driving equally exhausted horses. They numbered at least a score, and even considering Apsalar''s god-given skills, and the assortment of Moranth munitions in Fiddler''s pack, the option of making a stand against the warriors was not a promising prospect.

    The sapper glanced at his companions. Sun and wind had burned their faces, leaving white creases at the corners of the eyes. Chapped, peeling and split lips showed as straight lines, bracketed by deeper lines. Hungry, thirsty, weaving in their saddles with exhaustion ¨C he was in as bad a shape, he well knew. Worse, given he had not the reserves of youth to draw upon. Mind you, Raraku marked me once before. Long ago. I know what''s out there.

    The other two seemed instinctively to understand Fiddler''s hesitation, waiting with something like respect, even as the sound of thundering horse hooves rolled up the trail at their backs.

 Page 86

    Apsalar finally spoke. ''I wish to know more ... of this desert. Its power...''

    ''You shall,'' Fiddler growled. ''Wrap up your faces. We go to greet the Whirlwind.''

    Like a wing sweeping them into its embrace, the storm closed around them. A savage awareness seemed to ride the spinning sand, reaching relentlessly past the folds of their telaban, a thousand abrasive fingers clawing paths across their skin. Loose cloth and rope ends spiked upward, whipping with urgent rhythm. The roar filled the air, filled their skulls.

    Raraku had awakened. All that Fiddler had sensed the last time he rode these wastes, sensed as an underlying restlessness, the spectral promise of nightmares beneath the surface, was now unleashed, exultant with freedom.

    Heads ducked, the horses plodded onward, buffeted by wayward gusts of sand-filled air. The ground underneath was hard-packed clay and rubble ¨C the once deep cloak of fine white sand had been lifted from the surface, now sang in the air, and with it were stripped away the patient, all-covering centuries.

    The group dismounted, hooded their mounts'' heads, then led them on.

    Bones appeared underfoot. Rusting lumps of armour, chariot wheels, remnants of horse and camel tack, pieces of leather, the humped foundation stones of walls ¨C what had been a featureless desert now showed its bones, and they crowded the floor in such profusion as to leave Fiddler in awe. He could not take a step without something crunching underfoot.

    A high stone-lined bank suddenly blocked their way. It was sloped, rising to well above their heads. Fiddler paused for a long moment, then he gathered his mount''s reins and led the climb. Scrambling, stumbling against the steep bank, they eventually reached the top and found themselves on a road.

    The paving stones were exquisitely cut, evenly set, with the thinnest of cracks visible between them. Bemused, Fiddler crouched down, trying to hold his focus as he studied the road''s surface ¨C a task made more difficult by the streams of airborne sand racing over the stones. There was no telling its age. While he imagined that, even buried beneath the sands, there would be signs of wear, he could detect none. Moreover, the engineering showed skill beyond any masonry he''d yet seen in Seven Cities.

    To his right and left the road ran spearshaft-straight as far as his squinting eyes could see. It stood like a vast breakwater that even this sorcerous storm could not breach.

    Crokus leaned close. ''I thought there were no roads in Raraku!'' he shouted over the storm''s keening wail.

    The sapper shook his head, at a loss to explain.

    ''Do we follow it?'' Crokus asked. ''The wind''s not as bad up here¡ª''

    As far as Fiddler could judge, the road angled southwest-ward, deep into the heart of Raraku. To the northeast it would reach the Pan''potsun Hills within ten leagues ¨C in that direction they would come to the hills perhaps five leagues south of where they had left them. There seemed little value in that. He stared again down the road to his right. The heart of Raraku. It is said an oasis lies there. Where Sha''ik and her renegades are encamped. How far to that oasis? Can water be found anywhere in between here and there? Surely a road crossing a desert would be constructed to intersect sources of water. It was madness to think otherwise, and clearly the builders of this road were too skilled to be fools. Tremorlor . . . If the gods will it, Ms track will lead us to that legendary gate. Raraku has a heart, Quick Ben said. Tremorlor, a House of the Azath.

    Fiddler mounted the Gral gelding. ''We follow the road,'' he yelled to his companions, gesturing southwestward.

    They voiced no complaints, turning to their mounts. They had bowed to his command, Fiddler realized, because both were lost in this land. They relied on him completely. Hood''s breath, they think I know what I''m doing. Should I now tell them that the plan to find Tremorlor rests entirely on the faith that the fabled place actually exists? And that Quick Ben''s suppositions are accurate, despite his unwillingness to explain the source of his certainty? Do I tell them we''re more likely to die out here than anything else ¨C if not from wasting thirst, then at the hands of Sha''ik''s fanatical followers?

    ''Fid!'' Crokus cried, pointing up the road. He spun around to see a handful of Gral warriors ascending the bank, less than fifty paces away. Their hunters had split up into smaller parties, as dismissive of the sorcerous storm as Fiddler''s group had been. A moment later they saw their quarry and voiced faint war cries as they pulled their horses onto the flat top.

    ''Do we run?'' Apsalar asked.

    The Gral had remounted and were now unslinging their lances.

    ''Looks like they''re not interested in conversation,'' the sapper muttered. In a louder voice he said, ''Leave them to me! You two ride on!''

 Page 87

    ''What, again?'' Crokus slid back down from his horse. ''What would be the point?''

    Apsalar followed suit. She stepped close to Fiddler, her eyes meeting his. ''With you dead, what are our chances of surviving this desert?''

    About as bad as with me leading you. He fought the temptation to give voice to his thought, simply shrugging in reply as he unlimbered his crossbow. ''I mean to make this a short engagement,'' he said, loading a cusser quarrel into the weapon''s slot.

    The Gral had pulled their mounts into position on the road. Lances lowered, they kicked the horses into motion.

    Despite himself, Fiddler''s heart broke for those Gral horses, even as he aimed and fired. The quarrel struck the road three paces in front of the charging tribesmen. The detonation was deafening, the blast a bruised gout of flame that drove back the airborne sand and the wind carrying it, and flung the attackers and their mounts like a god''s hand, backward onto the road and off the sides. Blood shot upward to pull sand down like hail. In a moment the wind swept the flames and smoke away, leaving nothing but twitching bodies.

    A pointless pursuit, and now pointless deaths. I am not Gral. Would the crime of impersonation trigger such a relentless hunt? I wish I could have asked you, warriors.

    ''For all that they have twice saved us,'' Crokus said, ''those Moranth munitions are horrible, Fiddler.''

    Silent, the sapper loaded another quarrel, slipped a leather thong over the bone trigger to lock it, then slung the heavy weapon over a shoulder. Climbing back into the saddle, he gathered the reins in one hand and regarded his comrades. ''Stay sharp,'' he said. ''We may ride into another party without warning. If we do, try to break through them.''

    He lightly kicked the mare forward.

    The wind came as laughter to his ears, the sound seemingly stained with pleasure at witnessing senseless violence. It was eager for more. The Whirlwind awakened ¨C this goddess is mad, riven with insanity ¨C who is there that can stop her? Fiddler''s slitted eyes stared down the road, the featureless march of stones leading, ever leading, into an ochre, swirling maw. Into nothingness.

    Fiddler growled an oath, pushing away the futility clawing at his thoughts. They would have to find Tremorlor, before the Whirlwind swallowed them whole.

    The aptorian was a darker shade thirty paces on Kalam''s left, striding with relentless ease through the sand-filled wind. The assassin found himself thankful for the storm ¨C his every clear sighting of his unwanted companion scraped his nerves raw. He''d encountered demons before, on battlefields and in war-ravaged streets. Often they had been thrown into the fray by Malazan mages, and so were allies of a sort, even as they went about exacting the wills of their masters with apparent indifference to all else. On thankfully rarer occasions, he''d come face to face with a demon unleashed by an enemy. At such times survival was his only concern, and survival meant flight. Demons were flesh and blood, to be sure ¨C he''d seen enough of one''s insides once, after it had been blown apart by one of Hedge''s cusser quarrels, to retain the unwelcome intimacy of the memory ¨C but only fools would try to face down a demon''s cold rage and singularity of purpose.

    Only two kinds of people die in battle, Fiddler had once said, fools and the unlucky. Trading blows with a demon was both unlucky and foolish.

    For all that, the aptorian grated strangely on Kalam''s eyes, like an iron blade trying to cut granite. Even to focus too long on the beast was to invite a wave of nausea.

    There was nothing welcome in Sha''ik''s gift. Gift . . . or spy. She''s unleashed the Whirlwind and now the goddess rides her, as certain as possession. That''s likely to trim short the wick of gratitude. Besides, even Dryjhna would not so readily waste an aptorian demon on something so mundane as escort. So, friend Apt, I cannot trust you.

    Over the past few days he''d tried losing the beast, departing camp silently an hour before dawn, plunging into the thickest twists of spinning wind. Outracing the creature was a hopeless task ¨C it could outpace any earthly animal in both speed and endurance, and for all his efforts Apt held on to him like a well-heeled hound ¨C although mercifully at a distance.

    The wind scoured the rock-scabbed hills with a voracious fury, carving into cracks and fissures as if hungering to spring loose every last speck of sand. The smooth, humped domes of bleached limestone lining the ridges on either side of the shallow valley he rode along seemed to age before his eyes, revealing countless wrinkles and scars.

    He''d left the Pan''potsun Hills behind six days earlier, crossing the seamless border into another sawbacked ridge of hills called the Anibaj. The territory this far south of Raraku was less familiar to him. He''d come close on occasion, following the well-travelled trader tracks skirting the eastern edge of the range. The Anibaj were home to no tribes, although hidden monasteries were rumoured to exist.

 Page 88

    The Whirlwind had rolled out of Raraku the night before, a star-blotting tidal wave of sorcery that left Kalam shaken despite his anticipating its imminent arrival. Dryjhna had awakened with a hunger fierce enough to render the assassin appalled. He feared he would come to regret his role, and every sighting of Apt only deepened that fear.

    The Anibaj were lifeless to Kalam''s eyes. He''d seen no sign of habitation, disguised or otherwise. The occasional stronghold ruin hinted at a more crowded past, but that was all. If ascetic monks and nuns hid in these wastelands, the blessing of their deities kept them from mortal eyes.

    And yet, as he rode hunched on his saddle, the wind pummelling his back, Kalam could not shake the sense that something was trailing him. The awareness had risen within him over the past six hours. A presence was out there ¨C human or beast ¨C beyond the range of his sight, following, somehow clinging to his trail. He knew his and his horse''s scent only preceded them, driven south on the wind, and no doubt swiftly tattered apart before it had gone ten paces. Nor did any tracks his horse left last much beyond a few seconds. Unless the hunter''s vision was superior to the assassin''s ¨C which he did not think likely ¨C so that he was able to stay just beyond Kalam''s own range, the only explanation he was left with was ... Hood-spawned sorcery. The last thing I need.

    He glared to the left again and could make out Apt''s vast shape, its strangely mechanical flow as it kept pace with him. The demon showed no alarm ¨C mind you, how could one tell? ¨C but rather than drawing comfort from it he felt instead a growing unease, a suspicion that the demon''s role no longer included protecting him.

    Abruptly the wind fell, the roar shifting to the hiss of settling sand. Grunting in surprise, Kalam reined in and looked back over his shoulder. The storm''s edge was a tumbling, stationary wall five paces behind him. Sand rained from it forming scalloped dunes along a slightly curving edge that ran to the horizon''s edge both east and west. Overhead the sky had lightened to a faintly burnished copper. The sun, hanging an hour above the western horizon, was the colour of beaten gold.

    The assassin walked his horse on another dozen paces, then halted a second time. Apt had not emerged from the storm. A shiver of alarm took hold and he reached for the crossbow hanging from its strap on the saddlehorn.

    A jolt of sudden panic took his horse and the beast shied sideways, head lifted and ears flattened. A strong, spicy smell filled the air. Kalam rolled from the saddle even as something passed swiftly through the air over him. Relinquishing his grip on the unloaded crossbow, the assassin unsheathed both long-knives even as his right shoulder struck the soft sand, his momentum taking him over and onto his feet in a low crouch. His attacker ¨C a desert wolf of startling mass ¨C had failed in clearing the sidestepping horse and was now scrambling for purchase athwart the saddle, its amber eyes fixed on Kalam.

    The assassin lunged forward, thrusting with the narrow blade in his right hand. Another wolf struck him from the left, a writhing weight of thick muscle and snapping jaws, taking him to the ground. His left arm was pinned by the beast''s weight. Long canines gouged into the mail links covering his shoulder. Rings popped and snapped, the teeth breaking through and pushing hard against his flesh.

    Kalam reached around and drove the point of his right long-knife high into the animal''s flank, the blade slipping under the spine just fore of the wolf''s hip. The tightening jaws released his shoulder; jerking back, the animal kicked to pull away from him. As the assassin struggled to pull the blade free, he felt the edge bite bone. The Aren steel bent, then snapped.

    Howling in pain, the wolf leapt away, back hunched, spinning as if chasing its tail in an effort to close its jaws on the jutting fragment of blade.

    Spitting sand, Kalam rolled to his feet. The first wolf had been thrown from its purchase across the saddle by the horse''s frenzied bucking. It had then taken a solid kick to the side of the head. The beast stood dazed half a dozen paces away, blood running from its nose.

    There were others, somewhere behind the storm wall, their growls, yips and snarls muted by the wind. They battled something, it was obvious. Kalam recalled Sha''ik''s mention of a D''ivers that had attacked the aptorian ¨C inconclusively ¨C some weeks earlier. It seemed the shapeshifter was trying again.

    The assassin saw his horse bolt away down the trail, southward, bucking as it went. He spun back to the two wolves, only to find them gone, twin spattered paths of blood leading back to the storm. From within the Whirlwind all sounds of battle had ceased.

    A moment later, Apt lumbered into view. Dark blood streamed from its flanks and dripped from its needle fangs, making the grin of its jawline all the more ghastly. It swung its elongated head and regarded Kalam with its black, knowing eye.

 Page 89

    Kalam scowled. ''I risk enough without this damned feud of yours, Apt.''

    The demon clacked its jaws, a snakelike tongue darting out to lick the blood from its teeth. He saw it was trembling ¨C some of the puncture wounds near its neck looked deep.

    Sighing, the assassin said, ''Treating you will have to await finding my horse.'' He reached for the small canteen at his belt. ''But at the very least I can clean your wounds.'' He stepped forward.

    The demon flinched back, head ducking menacingly.

    Kalam stopped. ''Perhaps not, then.'' He frowned. There was something odd about the demon, standing on a low hump of bleached bedrock, its head turned as its slitted nostrils flared to test the air. The assassin''s frown deepened. Something. . . After a long moment, he sighed, glancing down at the grip of the broken long-knife in his right hand. He''d carried the matched pair for most of his adult life, like a mirror to the twin loyalties within him. Which of the two have I now lost?

    He brushed dust from his telaba, collected his crossbow, slinging it over a shoulder, then began the walk southward, down the trail towards the distant basin. Alongside him, and closer now, Apt followed, head sunk low, its single forelimb kicking up puffs of dust that glowed pink in the sun''s failing light.

    CHAPTER SEVEN

    Death shall be my bridge.

    Toblakai saying

    Burning wagons, the bodies of horses, oxen, mules, men,. women and children, pieces of furniture, clothing and other household items lay scattered on the plain south of Hissar, for as far as Duiker could see. Here and there mounds of bodies rose like earthless barrows, where warriors had made a last, desperate stand. There''d been no mercy to the killing, no prisoners taken.

    The sergeant stood a few paces in front of the historian, as silent as his men as he took in the scene that was the Vin''til Basin and the battle that would become known for the village less than a league distant, Bat''rol.

    Duiker leaned in his saddle and spat. ''The wounded beast had fangs,'' he said sourly. Oh, well done, Coltaine! They''ll hesitate long before closing with you again. The bodies were Hissari ¨C even children had been flung into the fighting. Black, scorched scars crossed the battlefield as if a god''s claws had swept down to join the slaughter. Pieces of burned meat clogged the scars ¨C human or beast, there was no means of telling. Capemoths fluttered like silent madness over the scene. The air stank of sorcery, the clash of warrens had spread greasy ash over everything. The historian felt beyond horror, his heart hardened enough to feel only relief.

    Somewhere to the southwest was the Seventh, remnants of loyal Hissari auxiliaries, and the Wickans. And tens of thousands of Malazan refugees, bereft of their belongings . . . but alive. The peril remained. Already, the army of the Apocalypse had begun regrouping ¨C shattered survivors contracting singly and in small groups towards the Meila Oasis where awaited the Sialk reinforcements and latecoming desert tribes. When they renewed the pursuit, they would still vastly outnumber Coltaine''s battered army.

    One of the sergeant''s men returned from his scouting to the west. ''Kamist Reloe lives,'' he announced. ''Another High Mage brings a new army from the north. There will be no mistakes next time.''

    The words were less reassuring to the others than they would have been a day ago. The sergeant''s mouth was a thin slash as he nodded. ''We join the others at Meila, then.''

    ''Not I,'' Duiker growled.

    Eyes narrowed on him.

    ''Not yet,'' the historian added, scanning the battlefield. ''My heart tells me I shall find the body of my nephew ... out there.''

    ''Seek first among the survivors,'' one soldier said.

    ''No. My heart does not feel fear, only certainty. Go on. I shall join you before dusk.'' He swung a hard, challenging gaze to the sergeant. ''Go.''

    The man gestured mutely.

    Duiker watched them stride westward, knowing that should he see them again, it would be from the ranks of the Malazan army. And somehow they would be less than human then. The game the mind must play to unleash destruction. He''d stood amidst the ranks more than once, sensing the soldiers alongside him seeking and finding that place in the mind, cold and silent, the place where husbands, fathers, wives and mothers became killers. And practice made it easier, each time. Until it becomes a place you never leave.

    The historian rode out into the battlefield, almost desperate to rejoin the army. It was not a time to be alone, in the heart of slaughter, where every piece of wreckage or burnt and torn flesh seemed to cry out silent outrage. Sites of battle held on to a madness, as if the blood that had soaked into the soil remembered pain and terror and held locked within it the echoes of screams and death cries.

 Page 90

    There were no looters, naught but flies, capemoths, rhizan and wasps ¨C Hood''s myriad sprites, wings fanning and buzzing in the air around him as he rode onward. Half a mile ahead a pair of riders galloped across the south ridge, heading west, their telaban whipping twisted and wild behind them.

    They had passed out of his sight by the time Duiker reached the low ridge. Before him the dusty ground was rutted and churned. The column that had departed the battlesite had done so in an orderly fashion, though its width suggested that the train was huge. Nine, ten wagons abreast. Cattle. Spare mounts . . . Queen of Dreams! How can Coltaine hope to defend all this? Two score thousand refugees, perhaps more, all demanding a wall of soldiers protecting their precious selves ¨C even Dassem Ultor would have balked at this.

    Far to the east the sky was smeared ruddy brown. Like Hissar, Sialk was aflame. But there had only been a small Marine garrison in that city, a stronghouse and compound down at the harbour, with its own jetty and three patrol craft. With Oponn''s luck they''d made good their withdrawal, though in truth Duiker held little hope in that. More likely they would have sought to protect the Malazan citizens ¨C adding their bodies to the slaughter.

    It was simple enough to follow the trail Coltaine''s army and the refugees had made, southwestward, inland, into the Sialk Odhan. The nearest city in which they might find succour, Caron Tepasi, was sixty leagues distant, with the hostile clans of the Tithan occupying the steppes in between. And Kamist Reloe''s Apocalypse in pursuit. Duiker knew he might rejoin the army only to die with them.

    Nevertheless, the rebellion might well have been crushed elsewhere. There was a Fist in Caron Tepasi, another in Guran. If either or both had succeeded in extinguishing the uprising in their cities, then a feasible destination was available to Coltaine. Such a journey across the Odhan, however, would take months. While there was plenty of grazing land for the livestock, there were few sources of water, and the dry season had just begun. No, even to contemplate such a journey is beyond desperation. It is madness.

    That left ... counterattack. A swift, deadly thrust, retaking Hissar. Or Sialk. A destroyed city offered more opportunity for defence than did steppe land. Moreover, the Malazan fleet could then relieve them ¨C Pormqual might be a fool, but Admiral Nok is anything but. The 7th Army could not be simply abandoned, for without it any hope of quickly ending the rebellion was lost.

    For the moment, however, it was clear that Coltaine was leading his column to Dryj Spring, and despite the headstart, Duiker expected to rejoin him well before then. The foremost need for the Malazans now was water. Kamist Reloe would know this as well. He had Coltaine trapped into predictability, a position no commander desired. The fewer choices the Fist possessed, the more dire was the situation.

    He rode on. The sun slowly angled westward as he continued following the detritus-strewn trail, its mindless regard making Duiker feel insignificant, his hopes and fears meaningless. The occasional body of a refugee or soldier who had died of wounds lay on the trackside, dumped without ceremony. The sun had swelled their corpses, turning the skin deep red and mottled black. Leaving such unburied bodies in their wake would have been a difficult thing to do. Duiker sensed something of the desperation in that beleaguered force.

    An hour before dusk a dust cloud appeared a half-league inland. Tithan horsewarriors, the historian guessed, riding hard towards Dryj Spring. There would be no peace for Coltaine and his people. Lightning raids on horseback would harry the encampment''s pickets; sudden drives to peel away livestock, flaming arrows sent into the refugee wagons ... a night of unceasing terror.

    He watched the Tithansi slowly pull ahead, and contemplated forcing his weary mount into a canter. The tribal riders no doubt led spare mounts, however, and the historian would have to kill his horse in the effort to reach Coltaine before them. And then he could do naught but warn of the inevitable. Besides, Coltaine must know what''s coming. He knows, because he once rode as a renegade chieftain, once harried a retreating Imperial army across the Wickan plains.

    He continued on at a steady trot, thinking about the challenge of the night ahead: the ride through enemy lines, the unheralded approach to the Seventh''s nerve-frayed pickets. The more he thought on it, the less likely seemed his chances of surviving to see the dawn.

    The red sky darkened with that desert suddenness, suffusing the air with the colour of drying blood. Moments before he lost the last of the light, Duiker chanced to glance behind him. He saw a grainy cloud, visibly expanding as it swept southward. It seemed to glitter with a hundred thousand pale reflections, as if a wind was flipping the underside of birch leaves at the edge of a vast forest. Capemoths, surely in their millions, leaving Hissar behind, flying to the scent of blood.

 Page 91

    He told himself that it was a mindless hunger that drove them. He told himself that the blots, stains and smudges in that billowing, sky-filling cloud were only by chance finding the shape of a face. Hood, after all, had no need to manifest his presence. Nor was he known as a melodramatic god ¨C the Lord of Death was reputed to be, if anything, ironically modest. Duiker''s imaginings were the product of fear, the all too human need to conjure symbolic meaning from meaningless events. Nothing more.

    Duiker kicked his horse into a canter, eyes fixed once more on the growing darkness ahead.

    From the crest of the low rise, Felisin watched the seething floor of the basin. It was as if insanity''s grip had swept out, from the cities, from the minds of men and women, to stain the natural world. With the approach of dusk, as she and her two companions prepared to break camp for the night''s walk, the basin''s sand had begun to shiver like the patter of rain on a lake. Beetles began emerging, each black and as large as Baudin''s thumb, crawling in a glittering tide that soon filled the entire sweep of desert before them. In their thousands, then hundreds of thousands, yet moving as one, with a singular purpose. Heboric, ever the scholar, had gone off to determine their destination. She had watched him skirt the far edge of the insect army, then vanish beyond the next ridge.

    Twenty minutes had passed since then.

    Crouching beside her was Baudin, his forearms resting on the large backpack, squinting to pierce the deepening gloom. She sensed his growing unease but had decided that she would not be the one to give voice to their shared concern. There were times when she wondered at Heboric''s grasp of what mattered over what didn''t. She wondered if the old man was, in fact, a liability.

    The swelling had ebbed, enough so that she could see and hear, but a deeper pain remained, as if the bloodily larvae had left something behind under her flesh, a rot that did more than disfigure her appearance, but laid a stain on her soul as well. There was a poison lodged within her. Her sleep was filled with visions of blood, unceasing, a crimson river that carried her like flotsam from sunrise to sunset. Six days since their escape from Skullcup, and a part of her looked forward to the next sleep.

    Baudin grunted.

    Heboric reappeared, jogging steadily along the basin''s edge towards their position. Squat, hunched, he was like an ogre shambling out from a child''s bedtime story. Blunt knobs where his hands should be, about to be raised to reveal fang-studded mouths. Tales to frighten children. I could write those. I need no imagination, only what I see all around me. Heboric, my boar-tattooed ogre. Baudin, red-scarred where one ear used to be, the hair growing tangled and bestial from the puckered skin. A pair to strike terror, these two.

    The old man reached them, kneeling to sling his arms through his backpack. ''Extraordinary,'' he mumbled.

    Baudin grunted again. ''But can we get around them? I ain''t wading through, Heboric''

    ''Oh, aye, easily enough. They''re just migrating to the next basin.''

    Felisin snorted. ''And you find that extraordinary?''

    ''I do,'' he said, waiting as Baudin tightened the pack''s straps. ''Tomorrow night they''ll march to the next patch of deep sand. Understand? Like us they''re heading west, and like us they''ll reach the sea.''

    ''And then?'' Baudin asked. ''Swim?''

    ''I have no idea. More likely they''ll turn around and march east, to the other coast.''

    Baudin strapped on his own pack and stood. ''Like a bug crawling the rim of a goblet,'' he said.

    Felisin gave him a quick glance, remembering her last evening with Beneth. The man had been sitting at his table in Bula''s, watching flies circle the rim of his mug. It was one of the few memories that she could conjure up. Beneth, my lover, the Fly King circling Skullcup. Baudin left him to rot, that''s why he won''t meet my eye. Thugs never lie well. He''ll pay for that, one day.

    ''Follow me,'' Heboric said, setting off, his feet sinking into the sand so that it seemed he walked on stumps to match those at the end of his arms. He always started out fresh, displaying an energy that struck Felisin as deliberate, as if he sought to refute that he was old, that he was the weakest among them. The last third of the night he would be seven or eight hundred paces behind them, head ducked, legs dragging, weaving with the weight of the pack that nearly dwarfed him.

    Baudin seemed to have a map in his head. Their source of information had been precise and accurate. Even though the desert seemed lifeless, a barrier of wasting deadliness, water could be found. Spring-fed pools in rock outcroppings, sinks of mud surrounded by the tracks of animals they never saw, where one could dig down an arm-span, sometimes less, and find the life-giving water.

 Page 92

    They had carried enough food for twelve days, two more than was necessary for the journey to the coast. It was not a large margin but it would have to suffice. For all that, however, they were weakening. Each night, they managed less distance in the hours between the sun''s setting and its rise. Months at Skullcup, working the airless reaches, had diminished some essential reserve within them.

    That knowledge was plain, though unspoken. Time now stalked them, Hood''s most patient servant, and with each night they fell back farther, closer to that place where the will to live surrendered to a profound peace. There''s a sweet promise to giving up, hut realizing that demands a journey. One of spirit. You can''t walk to Hood''s Gate, you find it before you when the fog clears.

    ''Your thoughts, lass?'' Heboric asked. They had crossed two ridge lines, arriving on a withered pan. The stars were spikes of iron overhead, the moon yet to rise.

    ''We live in a cloud,'' she replied. ''All our lives.''

    Baudin grunted. ''That''s durhang talking.''

    ''Never knew you were so droll,'' Heboric said to the man.

    Baudin fell silent. Felisin grinned to herself. The thug would say little for the rest of the night. He did not take well being mocked. I must remember that, for when he next needs cutting down.

    ''My apologies, Baudin,'' Heboric said after a moment. ''I was irritated by what Felisin said and took it out on you. More, I appreciated the joke, no matter that it was unintended.''

    ''Give it up,'' Felisin sighed. ''A mule comes out of a sulk eventually, but it''s nothing you can force.''

    ''So,'' Heboric said, ''while the swelling''s left your tongue, its poison remains.''

    She flinched. If you only knew the full truth of that.

    Rhizan flitted over the cracked surface of the pan, their only company now that they''d left the mindless beetles behind. They had seen no-one since crossing Sinker Lake the night of the Dosii mutiny. Rather than loud alarms and frenetic pursuit, their escape had effected nothing. For Felisin, it made the drama of that night now seem somehow pathetic. For all their self-importance, they were but grains of sand in a storm vaster than anything they could comprehend. The thought pleased her.

    Nevertheless, there was cause for worry. If the uprising had spread to the mainland, they might arrive at the coast only to die waiting for a boat that would never come.

    They reached a low serrated ridge of rock outcroppings, silver in the starlight and looking like the vertebrae of an immense serpent. Beyond it stretched a wavelike expanse of sand. Something rose from the dunes fifty or so paces ahead, angled like a toppled tree or marble column, though, as they came nearer, they could see that it was blunted, crooked.

    A vague wind rustled on the sands, twisting as if in the wake of a spider-bitten dancer. Gusts of sand caressed their shins as they strode on. The bent pillar, or whatever it was, was proving farther away than Felisin had first thought. As a new sense of scale formed in her mind, her breath hissed between her teeth.

    ''Aye,'' Heboric whispered in reply.

    Not fifty paces away. More like five hundred. The wind-blurred surface had deceived them. The basin was not a flat sweep of land, but a vast, gradual descent, rising again around the object ¨C a wave of dizziness followed the realization.

    The scythe of the moon had risen above the southern horizon by the time they reached the monolith. By unspoken agreement, Baudin and Heboric dropped their packs, the thug sitting down and leaning against his, already dismissive of the silent edifice towering over them.

    Heboric removed the lantern and the firebox from his pack. He blew on the hoarded coals, then set alight a taper, which he used to light the lantern''s thick wick. Felisin made no effort to help, watching with fascination as he managed the task with a deftness belying the apparent awkwardness of the scarred stumps of his wrists.

    Slinging one forearm under the lantern''s handle, he rose and approached the dark monolith.

    Fifty men, hands linked, could not encircle the base. The bend occurred seven or eight man-lengths up, at about three-fifths of the total length. The stone looked both creased and polished, dark grey under the colourless light of the moon.

    The glow of the lantern revealed the stone to be green, as Heboric arrived to stand before it. She watched his head tilt back as he scanned upward. Then he stepped forward and pressed a stump against the surface. A moment later he stepped back.

    Water sloshed beside her as Baudin drank from a waterskin. She reached out and, after a moment, he passed it to her. Sand whispered as Heboric returned. The ex-priest squatted.

    Felisin offered him the bladder. He shook his head, his toadlike face twisted into a troubled frown.

 Page 93

    ''Is this the biggest pillar you''ve seen, Heboric?'' Felisin asked. ''There''s a column in Aren ... or so I''ve heard ... that''s as high as twenty men, and carved in a spiral from top to bottom. Beneth described it to me once.''

    ''Seen it,'' Baudin grumbled. ''Not as wide, but maybe higher. What''s this one made of, Priest?''

    ''Jade.''

    Baudin grunted phlegmatically, but Felisin saw his eyes widen slightly. ''Well, I''ve seen taller. I''ve seen wider¡ª''

    ''Shut up, Baudin,'' Heboric snapped, wrapping his arms around himself. He glared up at the man from under the ridge of his brows. ''That''s not a column over there,'' he rasped. ''It''s a finger.''

    Dawn stole into the sky, spreading shadows on the landscape. The details of that carved jade finger were slowly prised from the gloom. Swells and folds of skin, the whorls of the pad, all became visible. So too did a ridge in the sand directly beneath it ¨C another finger.

    Fingers, to hand. Hand to arm, arm to body . . . For all the logic of that progression, it was impossible, Felisin thought. No such thing could be fashioned, no such thing could stand or stay in one piece. A hand, but no arm, no body.

    Heboric said nothing, wrapped around himself, motionless as the night''s darkness faded. He held the wrist that had touched the edifice tucked under him, as if the memory of that contact brought pain. Staring at him in the growing light, Felisin was struck anew by his tattoos. They seemed to have deepened somehow, become sharper.

    Baudin finally rose and began pitching the two small tents, close to the base of the finger, where the shadows would hold longest. He ignored the towering monolith as if it was nothing more than the bole of a tree, and set about driving deep into the sand the long, thin spikes through the first tent''s brass-hooped corners.

    An orange tint suffused the air as the sun climbed higher. Although Felisin had seen that colour of sky before on the island, it had never before been so saturated. She could almost taste it, bitter as iron.

    As Baudin began on the second tent, Heboric finally roused himself, his head lifting as he sniffed the air, then squinted upward. ''Hood''s breath!'' he growled. ''Hasn''t there been enough?''

    ''What is it?'' Felisin demanded. ''What''s wrong?''

    ''There''s been a storm,'' the ex-priest said. ''That''s Otataral dust.''

    At the tents, Baudin paused. He ran a hand across one shoulder, then frowned at his palm. ''It''s settling,'' he said.

    ''We''d best get under cover¡ª''

    Felisin snorted. ''As if that will do any good! We''ve mined the stuff, in case you''ve forgotten. Whatever effect it''s had on us, it''s happened long ago.''

    ''Back at Skullcup we could wash ourselves at day''s end,'' Heboric said, slinging an arm through the food pack''s strap and dragging it towards the tents.

    She saw that he still held his other stump ¨C the one that had touched the edifice ¨C tight against his midriff.

    ''And you think that made a difference?'' she asked. ''If that''s true, why did every mage who worked there die or go mad? You''re not thinking clearly, Heboric¡ª''

    ''Sit there, then,'' the old man snapped, ducking under the first tent''s flap and pulling the pack in after him.

    Felisin glanced at Baudin. The thug shrugged, resumed readying the second tent, without evident haste.

    She sighed. She was exhausted, yet not sleepy. If she took to the tent, she would in all likelihood simply lie there, eyes open and studying the weave of the canvas above her face.

    ''Best get inside,'' Baudin said.

    ''I''m not sleepy.''

    He stepped close, the motion fluid like a cat''s. ''I don''t give a damn if you''re sleepy or not. Sitting out under the sun will dry you out, meaning you''ll drink more water, meaning less for us, meaning get in this damned tent, lass, before I lay a hand to your backside.''

    ''If Beneth was here you wouldn''t¡ª''

    ''The bastard''s dead!'' he snarled. ''And Hood take his rotten soul to the deepest pit!''

    She sneered. ''Brave now ¨C you wouldn''t have dared stand up against him.''

    He studied her as he would a bloodfly caught in a web. ''Maybe I did,'' he said, a sly grin showing a moment before he turned away.

    Suddenly cold, Felisin watched the thug stride over to the other tent, crouch down and crawl inside. I''m not fooled, Baudin. You were a mongrel skulking in alleys, and all that''s changed is that you''ve left the alleys behind. You''d squirm in the sand at Beneth''s feet, if he were here. She waited another minute in defiance before entering her own tent.

 Page 94

    Unfurling her bedroll, she lay down. Her eagerness to sleep was preventing her from doing so. She stared up at the dark imperfections in the canvas weave, wishing she had some durhang or a jug of wine. The crimson river of her dreams had become an embrace, protective and welcoming. She conjured from memory an echo of the image, and all the feelings that went with it. The river flowed with purpose, ordered and in-exorable; when in its warm currents, she felt close to understanding that purpose. She knew she would discover it soon, and with that knowledge her world would change, become so much more than it was now. Not just a girl, plump and out of shape and used up, the vision of her future reduced to days when it should be measured in decades ¨C a girl who could call herself young only with sneering irony. For all that the dream promised her, there was a value in self-contempt, a counterpoint between her waking and sleeping hours, what was and what could be. A tension between what was real and what was imagined, or so Heboric would put it from his acid-pocked critical eye. The scholar of human nature held it in low opinion. He would deride her notions of destiny, and her belief that the dream offered something palpable would give him cause to voice his contempt. Not that he''s needed cause. I hate myself, but he hates everyone else. Which of us has lost the most?

    She awoke groggy, her mouth parched and tasting of rust. The air was grainy, a dim grey light seeping through the canvas. She heard sounds of packing outside, a short murmur from Heboric, Baudin''s answering grunt. Felisin closed her eyes, trying to recapture the steady, flowing river that had carried her through her sleep, but it was gone.

    She sat up, wincing as every joint protested. The others experienced the same, she knew. A nutritional deficiency, Heboric guessed, though he did not know what it might be. They had dried fruit, strips of smoked mule and some kind of Dosii bread, brick-hard and dark.

    Muscles aching, she crawled from the tent into the chill morning air. The two men sat eating, the packets of rations laid out before them. There was little left, with the exception of the bread, which was salty and tended to make them desperately thirsty. Heboric had tried to insist that they eat the bread first ¨C over the first few days ¨C while they were still strong, not yet dehydrated, but neither she nor Baudin had listened, and for some reason he abandoned the idea with the next meal. Felisin had mocked him for that, she recalled. Unwilling to follow your own advice, eh, old man? Yet the advice had been good. They would reach the salt-laden, deathly coast with naught but even saltier bread to eat, and little water to assuage their thirst.

    Maybe we didn''t listen because none of us believed we would ever reach the coast. Maybe Heboric decided the same after that first meal. Only I wasn''t thinking that far ahead, was I? No wise acceptance of the futility of all this. I mocked and ignored the advice out of spite, nothing more. As for Baudin, well, rare was the criminal with brains, and he wasn''t at all rare.

    She joined the breakfast, ignoring their looks as she took an extra mouthful of lukewarm water from the bladder when washing down the smoked meat.

    When she was done, Baudin repacked the food.

    Heboric sighed. ''What a threesome we are!'' he said.

    ''You mean our dislike of each other?'' Felisin asked, raising a brow. ''You shouldn''t be surprised, old man,'' she continued. ''In case you haven''t noticed, we''re all broken in some way. Aren''t we? The gods know you''ve pointed out my fall from grace often enough. And Baudin''s nothing more than a murderer ¨C he''s dispensed with all notions of brotherhood, and is a bully besides, meaning he''s a coward at heart...'' She glanced over to see him crouched at the packs, flatly eyeing her. Felisin gave him a sweet smile. ''Right, Baudin?''

    The man said nothing, the hint of a frown in his expression as he studied her.

    Felisin returned her attention to Heboric. ''Your flaws are obvious enough ¨C hardly worth mentioning¡ª''

    ''Save your breath, lass,'' the ex-priest muttered. ''I don''t need no fifteen-year-old girl telling me my failings.''

    ''Why did you leave the priesthood, Heboric? Skimmed the coffers, I suppose. So they cut your hands off, then tossed you onto the rubbish heap behind the temple. That''s certainly enough to make anyone take up writing history as a profession.''

    ''Time to go,'' Baudin said.

    ''But he hasn''t answered my question¡ª''

    ''I''d say he has, girl. Now shut up. Today you carry the other pack, not the old man.''

    ''A reasonable suggestion, but no thanks.''

    Face darkening, Baudin rose.

    ''Leave it be,'' Heboric said, moving to sling the straps through his arms. In the gloom Felisin saw the stump that had touched the jade finger for the first time. It was swollen and red, the puckered skin stretched. Tattoos crowded the end of the wrist, turning it nearly solid dark. She realized then that the etchings had deepened everywhere on him, grown riotous like vines.

 Page 95

    ''What''s happened to you?''

    He glanced over. ''I wish I knew.''

    ''You burned your wrist on that statue.''

    ''Not burned,'' the old man said. ''Hurts like Hood''s own kiss, though. Can magic thrive buried in Otataral sand? Can Otataral give birth to magic? I''ve no answers, lass, for any of this.''

    ''Well,'' she muttered, ''it was a stupid thing to do ¨C touching the damned thing. Serves you right.''

    Baudin started off without comment. Ignoring Heboric, Felisin fell in behind the thug. ''Is there a waterhole ahead this night?'' she asked.

    The big man grunted. ''Should''ve asked that before you took more than your ration.''

    ''Well, I didn''t. So, is there?''

    ''We lost half a night yesterday.''

    ''Meaning?''

    ''Meaning no water until tomorrow night.'' He looked back at her as he walked. ''You''ll wish you''d saved that mouthful.''

    She made no reply. She had no intention of being honourable when the time came for her next drink. Honour''s for fools. Honour''s a fatal flaw. I''m not going to die on a point of honour, Baudin. Heboric''s probably dying anyway. It''d be wasted on him.

    The ex-priest trudged in her wake, the sound of his footfalls dimming as he fell farther back as the hours passed. In the end, she concluded, it would be she and Baudin, just the two of them, standing facing the sea at the western edge of this Queen-forsaken island. The weak always fall to the wayside. It was the first law of Skullcup; indeed, it was the first lesson she''d learned ¨C in the streets of Unta on the march to the slaveships.

    Back then, in her naivety, she''d looked upon Baudin''s murder of Lady Gaesen as an act of reprehensible horror. If he were to do the same today ¨C putting Heboric out of his misery ¨C she would not even blink. A long journey, this one. Where will it end? She thought of the river of blood, and the thought warmed her.

    True to Baudin''s prediction, there was no waterhole to mark the end of the night''s journey. The man selected as a campsite a sandy bed surrounded by wind-sculpted projections of limestone. Bleached human bones littered the bed, but Baudin simply tossed them aside when laying out the tents.

    Felisin sat down with her back to rock and watched for Heboric''s eventual appearance at the far end of the flat plain they had just crossed. He had never lagged behind this distance before ¨C the plain was over a third of a league across ¨C and as the dawn''s blush lightened the skyline before her, she began to wonder if his lifeless body wasn''t lying out there somewhere.

    Baudin crouched beside her. ''I told you to carry the food pack,'' he said, squinting eastward.

    Not out of sympathy for the old man, then. ''You''ll just have to go find it, won''t you?''

    Baudin straightened. Flies buzzed around him in the still-cool air as he stared eastward for a long moment.

    She watched him set off, softly gasping as he loped into a steady jog once clear of the rocks. For the first time she became truly frightened of Baudin. He''s been hoarding food ¨Che has a hidden skin of water ¨C there''s no other way he could still have such reserves. She scrambled to her feet and rushed over to the other pack.

    The tents had been raised, the bedrolls set out within them. The pack sat in a deflated heap close by. Left in it was a wrapped pouch that she recognized as containing their first-aid supplies, a battered flint and tinder box that she''d not seen before ¨C Baudin''s own ¨C and, beneath a flap sewn along one edge at the bottom of the pack, a small, flat packet of deer hide.

    No skin of water, no hidden pockets of food. Unaccountably, her fear of the man deepened.

    Felisin sat down in the soft sand beside the pack. After a moment she reached to the hide packet, loosened its drawstrings and unfolded it to reveal a set of fine thief''s tools ¨C an assortment of picks, minute saws and files, knobs of wax, a small sack of finely ground flour, and two dismantled stilettos, the needlelike blades deeply blued and exuding a bitter, caustic smell, the bone hafts polished and dark-stained, the small hilts in pieces that hinged together to form an X-shaped guard, and holed and weighted pommels of iron wrapped around lead cores. Throwing weapons. An assassin''s weapons. The last item in the packet was tucked into a leather loop: the talon of some large cat, amber-coloured and smooth. She wondered if it held poison, painted invisibly on its surface. The item was ominous in its mystery.

    Felisin rewrapped the packet, returning it and everything else to the pack. She heard heavy footsteps approach from the east and straightened.

    Baudin appeared from between the limestone projections, the pack on his shoulders and Heboric in his arms.

 Page 96

    The thug was not even out of breath.

    ''He needs water,'' Baudin said as he strode into the camp and laid the unconscious man down on the soft sand. ''In this pack, lass, quickly¡ª''

    Felisin did not move. ''Why? We need it more, Baudin.''

    The man paused for a heartbeat, then slipped his arms free of the pack and dragged it around. ''Would you want him saying the same, if you were the one lying here? Soon as we get off this island, we can go our separate ways. But for now, we need each other, girl.''

    ''He''s dying. Admit it.''

    ''We''re all dying.'' He unstoppered the bladder and eased it between Heboric''s cracked lips. ''Drink, old man. Swallow it down.''

    ''Those are your rations you''re giving him,'' Felisin said. ''Not mine.''

    ''Well,'' he said with a cold grin, ''no-one would think you anything but noble-born. Mind you, opening your legs for anyone and everyone back in Skullcup was proof enough, I suppose.''

    ''It kept us all alive, you bastard.''

    ''Kept you plump and lazy, you mean. Most of what me and Heboric ate came from the favours I did for the Dosii guards. Beneth gave us dregs to keep you sweet. He knew we wouldn''t tell you about it. He used to laugh at your noble cause.''

    ''You''re lying.''

    ''As you say,'' he said, still grinning.

    Heboric coughed, his eyes opening. He blinked in the dawn''s light.

    ''You should see yourself,'' Baudin said to him. ''From five feet away you''re one solid tattoo ¨C as dark as a Dal Honese warlock. Up this close and I can see every line ¨C every hair of the Boar''s fur. It''s covered your stump, too, not the one that''s swollen but the other one. Here, drink some more¡ª''

    ''Bastard!'' Felisin snapped. She watched as the last of their water trickled into the old man''s mouth. He left Beneth to die. Now he''s trying to poison the memory of him, too. It won''t work. I did what I did to keep them both alive, and they hate that fact ¨C both of them. It eats them inside, the guilt for the price I paid. And that''s what Baudin''s now trying to deny. He''s cutting his conscience loose, so when he slips one of those knives into me he won''t feel a thing. ]ust another dead noble-born. Another Lady Gaesen.

    She spoke loudly, meeting Heboric''s eyes. ''I dream a river of blood every night. I ride it. And you''re both there, at first, but only at first, because you both drown in that river. Believe anything you like. I''m the one who''s going to live through this. Me. Just me.''

    She left the two men to stare at her back as she walked to her tent.

    The next night, they found the spring an hour before the moon rose. It revealed itself at the base of a stone depression, fed from below by some unseen fissure. The surface appeared to be grey mud. Baudin went down to its edge, but made no move to scoop out a hole and drink the water that would seep into it. After a moment, her head spinning with weakness, Felisin dropped the food pack from her shoulders and stumbled down to kneel beside him.

    The grey was faintly phosphorescent and consisted of drowned capemoths, their wings spread out and overlapping to cover the entire surface. Felisin reached to push the floating carpet aside but Baudin''s hand snapped out, closing on her wrist.

    ''It''s fouled,'' he said. ''Full of capemoth larvae, feeding off the bodies of their parents.''

    Hood''s breath, not more larvae. ''Strain the water through a cloth,'' Felisin said.

    He shook his head. ''The larvae piss poison, fill the water with it. Eliminates any competition. It''ll be a month before the water''s drinkable.''

    ''We need it, Baudin.''

    ''It''ll kill you.''

    She stared down at the grey sludge, her desire desperate, an agonized fire in her throat, in her mind. This can''t be. We''ll die without this.

    Baudin turned away. Heboric had arrived, weaving as he staggered down the bedrock slope. His skin was black as the night, yet shimmering silver as the etched highlights of the boar hair reflected the stars overhead. Whatever infection had seized the stump of his right wrist had begun to fade, leaving a suppurating, crackled network of split skin. It exuded a strange smell of powdered stone.

    He was an apparition, and in answer to his nightmarish appearance Felisin laughed, on the edge of hysteria. ''Remember the Round, Heboric? In Unta? Hood''s acolyte, the priest covered in flies ... who was naught but flies. He had a message for you. And now, what do I see? Staggering into view, a man aswarm ¨C not in flies but in tattoos. Different gods, but the same message, that''s what I see. Let Fener speak through those peeling lips, old man. Will your god''s words echo Hood''s? Is the world truly a collection of balances, the infinite tottering to and fro of fates and destinies? Boar of Summer, Tusked Sower of War, what do you say?''

 Page 97

    The old man stared at her. His mouth opened, but no words came forth.

    ''What was that?'' Felisin cupped an ear. ''The buzzing of wings? Surely not!''

    ''Fool,'' Baudin muttered. ''Let''s find a place to camp. Not here.''

    ''Ill omens, murderer? I never knew they meant anything to you.''

    ''Save your breath, girl,'' Baudin said, facing the stone slope.

    ''Makes no difference,'' she replied. ''Not now. We''re still dancing in the corner of a god''s eye, but it''s only for show. We''re dead, for all our twitching about. What''s Hood''s symbol in Seven Cities? They call him the Hooded One here, don''t they? Out with it, Baudin, what''s carved on the Lord of Death''s temple in Aren?''

    ''I''d guess you already know,'' Baudin said.

    ''Capemoths, the harbingers, the eaters of rotting flesh. It''s the nectar of decay for them, the rose bloating under the sun. Hood delivered us a promise in the Round at Unta, and it''s just been fulfilled.''

    Baudin climbed to the rim of the depression, her words following him up. Orange-tinged by the rising sun, he turned and looked down on her. ''So much for your river of blood,'' he said in a low, amused voice.

    Dizziness washed through her. Her legs buckled and she abruptly sat down, jarring her tailbone on the hard bedrock. She glanced over to see Heboric lying huddled an arm-span away. The soles of his moccasins had worn through, revealing ravaged, glistening flesh. Was he already dead? As good as. ''Do something, Baudin.''

    He said nothing.

    ''How far to the coast?'' she asked.

    ''Doubt it would matter,'' he replied after a moment. ''The boat was to have patrolled for three or so nights, no longer. We''re at least four days from the coast and getting weaker by the hour.''

    ''And the next water?''

    ''About seven hours'' walk. More like fourteen, the shape we''re in.''

    ''You seemed spry enough last night!'' she snapped. ''Running off to collect Heboric. You don''t seem as parched as us, either¡ª''

    ''I drink my own piss.''

    ''You what?''

    He grunted. ''You heard me.''

    ''Not a good enough answer,'' she decided after thinking a moment. ''And don''t tell me you''re eating your own shit, too. It still wouldn''t explain things. Have you made a pact with some god, Baudin?''

    ''You think doing something like that''s a simple task? Hey, Queen of Dreams, save me and I''ll serve you. Tell me, how many of your prayers have been answered? Besides, I ain''t got faith in anything but me.''

    ''So you haven''t given up yet?''

    She thought he wouldn''t answer, but after a long minute in which she''d begun to sink into herself, he startled her awake with a blunt ''No.''

    He removed his pack, then skidded back down the slope. Something in the able economy of his movements filled her with sudden dread. Calls me plump, eyes me like a piece of flesh ¨C not to use like Beneth did, but more as if he''s eyeing his next meal. Heart hammering, she watched for the first move, a hungry flash in his small, bestial eyes.

    Instead he crouched down beside Heboric, pulling the unconscious man onto his back. He leaned close to listen for breath, then sat back, sighing.

    ''He''s dead?'' Felisin asked. ''You do the skinning ¨C I won''t eat tattooed skin no matter how hungry I am.''

    Baudin glanced at her momentarily, but said nothing, returning to his examination of the ex-priest.

    ''Tell me what you''re doing,'' she finally said.

    ''He lives, and that alone may save us.'' He paused. ''How far you fall, girl, matters nothing to me. Just keep your thoughts to yourself.''

    She watched him peel Heboric''s rotting clothing away, revealing the astonishing weave of tattooing beneath. Baudin then moved to keep his own shadow behind him before bending close to study the dark patterning on the ex-priest''s chest. He was looking for something.

    ''A raised nape,'' she said dully, ''the ends pulled down and almost touching, almost a circle. It surrounds a pair of tusks.''

    He stared, eyes narrowing.

    ''Fener''s own mark, the one that''s sacred,'' she said. ''It''s what you''re looking for, isn''t it? He''s excommunicated, yet Fener remains within him. That much is obvious by those living tattoos.''

    ''And the mark?'' he asked coolly. ''How did you come to know such things?''

    ''A lie I spun for Beneth,'' she explained as the man resumed his examination of the ex-priest''s crowded flesh. ''I needed Heboric to support it. I needed details of the cult. He told me. You mean to call on the god.''

 Page 98

    ''Found it,'' he said.

    ''Now what? How do you reach another man''s god, Baudin? There''s no keyhole in that mark, no sacred lock you can pick.''

    He jerked at that, his eyes glittering as they bore into her own.

    She didn''t blink, revealed nothing.

    ''How do you think he lost his hands?'' Felisin asked innocently.

    ''He was a thief, once.''

    ''He was. But it was the excommunication that took them. There was a key, you see. The High Priest''s warren to his god. Tattooed on the palm of his right hand. Held to the sacred mark ¨C hand to chest, basically ¨C as simple as a salute. I spent days healing from Beneth''s beating, and Heboric talked. Told me so many things ¨C I should have forgotten all of it, you know. Drinking durhang tea by the gallon, but that brew just dissolved the surface, that filter that says what''s important, what isn''t. His words poured in unobstructed, and stayed. You can''t do it, Baudin.''

    He raised Heboric''s right forearm, studied the glistening, flushed stump in the growing light.

    ''You can never go back,'' she said. ''The priesthood made sure of that. He isn''t what he was, and that''s that.''

    With a silent snarl Baudin pulled the forearm around to push the stump against the sacred mark.

    The air screamed. The sound battered them, flung them both down to scrabble, claw, mindlessly dig into the rock ¨C away . . . away from the pain. Away! There was such agony in that shriek, it descended like fire, darkening the sky overhead, spreading hairline fissures through the bedrock, the cracks spreading outward from under Heboric''s motionless body.

    Blood streaming from her ears, Felisin tried to crawl away, up the trembling slope. The fissures ¨C Heboric''s tattoos had blossomed out from his body, leapt the unfathomable distance from skin to stone ¨C swept under her, turning the rock into something slick and greasy under her palms.

    Everything had begun to shake. Even the sky seemed to twist, yanked down into itself as if a score of invisible hands had reached through unseen portals, grasping the fabric of the world with cold, destructive rage.

    The scream was unending. Rage and unbearable pain meshed together like twin strands in an ever-tightening rope. Closing in a noose around her neck, the sound blocked the outside world ¨C its air, its light.

    Something struck the ground, the bedrock under her shuddering, throwing her upward. She came back down hard on one elbow. The bones of her arm shivered like the blade of a sword. The glare of the sun dimmed as Felisin fought for air. Her wide eyes caught a glimpse of something beyond the basin, lifting ponderously from the plain in a heaving cloud of dust. Two-toed, a fur-snarled hoof, too large for her to fully grasp, rising up, pulled skyward into a midnight gloom.

    The tattoo had leapt from stone to the air itself, a woadstained web growing in crazed, jerking blots, snapping outward in all directions.

    She could not breathe. Her lungs burned. She was dying, sucked airless into the void that was a god''s scream.

    Sudden silence, out beyond the ringing echoes in her skull. Air flooded her, cold and bitter, yet sweeter than anything she had known. Coughing, spitting bile, Felisin pushed herself onto her hands and knees, shakily raised her head.

    The hoof was gone. The tattoo hung like an after-image across the entire sky, slowly fading as she watched. Movement pulled her gaze down, to Baudin. He''d been on his knees, hands cupping the sides of his head. He now slowly straightened, tears of blood filling the lines of his face.

    The ground under her feeling strangely fluid, Felisin tottered to her feet. She looked down, blinking dumbly at the mosaic of limestone. The swirling furred patterns of the tattoo still trembled, rippling outward from her moccasins as she struggled for balance. The cracks, the tattoos . . . they go down, and down, all the way down. As if I''m standing atop a bed of league-deep nails, each nail kept upright only by the others surrounding it. Have you come from the Abyss, Fener? It''s said your sacred warren borders Chaos itself. Fener? Are you among us now? She turned to meet Baudin''s eyes. They were dull with shock, though she could detect the first glimmers of fear burning through.

    ''We wanted the god''s attention,'' she said. ''Not the god himself.'' A trembling seized her. She wrapped her arms around herself, forcing more words forth. ''And he didn''t want to come!''

    His flinch was momentary, then he rolled his shoulders in something that might have been a shrug. ''He''s gone now, ain''t he?''

    ''Are you sure of that?''

    He shook off the need to answer, looking instead at Heboric. After a moment''s study, he said, ''He breathes steadier now. Nor so wrinkled and parched. Something''s happened to him.''

 Page 99

    She sneered. ''The reward for missing getting stomped on by a hair''s breadth.''

    Baudin grunted, his attention suddenly elsewhere.

    She followed his gaze. The pool of water was gone, drained away until only a carpet of capemoth corpses remained. Felisin barked a laugh. ''Some salvation we''ve had here.''

    Heboric slowly curled himself into a ball. ''He''s here,'' he whispered.

    ''We know,'' Baudin said.

    ''In the mortal realm...'' the ex-priest continued after a moment. ''Vulnerable.''

    ''You''re looking at it the wrong way,'' Felisin said. ''The god you no longer worship took your hands. So now you pulled him down. Don''t mess with mortals.''

    Either her cold tone or brutal words in some way steeled through Heboric. He uncurled, raised his head, then sat up. His gaze found Felisin. ''Out of the mouth of babes,'' he said with a grin that knew nothing of humour.

    ''So he''s here,'' Baudin said, looking around. ''How can a god hide?''

    Heboric rose to his feet. ''I''d give what''s left of an arm to study a field of the Deck right now. Imagine the maelstrom among the Ascendants. This is not a fly-specked visitation, not a pluck and strum on the strands of power.'' He lifted his arms, frowning down at the stumps. ''It''s been years, but the ghosts are back.''

    Watching Baudin''s confusion was a struggle in itself. ''Ghosts?''

    ''The hands that aren''t there,'' Heboric explained. ''Echoes. Enough to drive a man mad.'' He shook himself, squinted sunward. ''I feel better.''

    ''You look it,'' Baudin said.

    The heat was building. In an hour it would soar.

    Felisin scowled. ''Healed by the god he rejected. It doesn''t matter. If we stay in our tents today we''ll be too weak to do anything come dusk. We have to walk now. To the next water-hole. If we don''t we''re dead.'' But I''ll outlive you, Baudin. Enough to drive the dagger home.

    Baudin shouldered his pack. Grinning, Heboric slung his arms through the straps of the pack she''d been carrying. He rose easily, though taking a step to catch his balance once he straightened.

    Baudin led the way. Felisin fell in behind him. A god stalks the mortal realm, )yet is afraid. He has power unimaginable, yet he hides. And somehow Heboric had found the strength to withstand all that had happened. And the fact that he''s responsible. This should have broken him, shattered his soul. Instead, he bends. Could his wall of cynicism withstand such a siege for long? What did he do to lose his hands?

    She had her own inner turmoil to manage. Her thoughts plundered every chamber in her mind. She still envisaged murder, yet felt a vaguely mocking wave of comradeship for her two companions. She wanted to run from them, sensing that their presence was a vortex tugging her into madness and death, yet she knew that she was also dependent on them.

    Heboric spoke behind her. ''We''ll make it to the coast. I smell water. Close. To the coast, and when we get there, Felisin, you will find that nothing has changed. Nothing at all. Do you grasp my meaning?''

    She sensed a thousand meanings to his words, yet understood none of them.

    Up ahead, Baudin gave a shout of surprise.

    Mappo Trell''s thoughts travelled westward almost eight hundred leagues, to a dusk not unlike this one but two centuries past. He saw himself crossing a plain of chest-high grass, but the grass had been plastered down, laden with what looked like grease, and as he walked the very earth beneath his hide boots shifted and shied. He''d known centuries already, wedded to war in what had become an ever-repeating cycle of raids, feuding and bloody sacrifices before the god of honour. Youth''s game, and he''d long grown weary of it. Yet he''d stayed, nailed to a single tree but only because he''d grown used to the scenery around it. It was amazing what could be endured when in the grip of inertia. He had reached a point where anything strange, unfamiliar, was cause for fear. But unlike his brothers and sisters, Mappo could not ride that fear across the full span of his life. For all that, it had taken the horror he now approached to prise him from the tree.

    He had been young when he walked out of the trader town that was his home. He was caught ¨C like so many of his age back then ¨C in a fevered backlash, rejecting the rotting immobility of the Trell towns and the elder warriors who''d become merchants trading in bhederin, goats and sheep, and now relived their fighting paths in the countless taverns and bars. He embraced the wandering ways of old, willingly suffered initiation into one of the back-land clans that had retained the traditional lifestyle.

    The chains of his convictions held for hundreds of years, snapped at last in a way he could never have foreseen.

 Page 100

    His memories remained sharp, and in his mind he once again strode across the plain. The ruins of the trader town where he''d been born were now visible. A month had passed since its destruction. The bodies of the fifteen thousand slain ¨C those that had not burned in the raging fires ¨C had long since been picked clean by the plain''s scavengers. He was returning home to bleached bone, fragments of cloth and heat-shattered brick.

    The ancient shoulder-women of his adopted clan had divined the tale from the flat bones they burned, as the Nameless Ones had predicted months earlier. While the Trell of the towns had become strangers to them all, they were kin. The task that remained was not, however, one of vengeance. This pronouncement silenced the many companions who, like Mappo, had been born in the destroyed town. No, all notions of vengeance must be purged in the one chosen for the task ahead. Thus were the words of the Nameless Ones, who foresaw this moment.

    Mappo still did not understand why he had been chosen. He was no different from his fellow warriors, he believed. Vengeance was sustenance. More than meat and water, the very reason to eat and drink. The ritual that would purge him would destroy all that he was. You will be an unpainted hide, Mappo. The future will offer its own script, writing and shaping your history anew. What was done to the town of our kin must never happen again. You will ensure that. Do you understand?

    Expressions of dreadful necessity. Yet, without the horrific destruction of the town of his birth Mappo would have defied them all. He''d walked the overgrown main street, with its riotous carpet of weeds and roots, and had seen the glimmer of sun-bleached bones at his feet.

    Near the market round, he discovered a Nameless One awaiting him, standing in the clearing''s centre, grey-faded robes flickering in the prairie wind, hood drawn back to reveal a stern woman''s visage. Pale eyes met his as he approached. The staff she held in one hand seemed to writhe in her grip.

    ''We do not see in years,'' she hissed.

    ''But in centuries,'' Mappo replied.

    ''It is well. Now, warrior, you must learn to do the same. Your elders shall decree it so.''

    The Trell slowly gazed around, squinting at the ruins. ''It has more the feel of a raider''s army ¨C it''s said that such forces exist south of Nemil¡ª''

    Her sneer surprised him with its unveiled contempt. ''One day he shall return to his home, as you''ve done here and now. Until that time, you must attend¡ª''

    ''Why me, damn you!''

    Her answer was a faint shrug.

    ''And if I defy you?''

    ''Even that, warrior, will demand patience.'' She raised the staff then, the gesture drawing his eye. The twisting, buckling wood seemed to reach hungrily for the Trell, growing, filling his world until he was lost in its tortured maze.

    ''Strange how a land untravelled can look so familiar.''

    Mappo blinked, the memories scattered by the sound of that familiar soft voice. He glanced up at Icarium. ''Stranger still how the mind''s eye can travel so far and so fast, yet return in an instant.''

    The Jhag smiled. ''With that eye you might explore the entire world.''

    ''With that eye you might escape it.''

    Icarium''s gaze narrowed as he scanned the rubble-strewn sweep of desert below. They''d climbed a tel the better to see the way ahead. ''Your memories always, fascinate me, since I seem to have so few of my own, and more so since you have always been so reluctant to share them.''

    ''I was recalling my clan,'' Mappo said, shrugging. ''It is astonishing the trivial things one comes to miss. Birthing season for the herds, the way we winnowed the weak in unspoken agreement with the plains'' wolves.'' He smiled. ''The glory I earned when I''d snuck into a raiding party''s camp and broken the tips of every warrior''s knife, then sneaked back out with no-one awakening.'' He sighed. ''I carried those points in a bag for years, tied to my war belt.''

    ''What happened to them?''

    ''Stolen back by a cleverer raider.'' Mappo''s smile broadened. ''Imagine her glory!''

    ''Was that all she stole?''

    ''Ah, leave me some secrets, friend.'' The Trell rose, brushing sand and dust from his leather leggings. ''If anything,'' he said after a pause, ''that sandstorm has grown a third in size since we stopped.''

    Hands on his hips, Icarium studied the dark wall bisecting the plain. ''I believe it has marched closer, as well,'' he said. ''Born of sorcery, perhaps the very breath of a goddess, its strength still grows. I can feel it reaching out to us.''

    ''Aye.'' Mappo nodded, repressing a shiver. ''Surprising, assuming that Sha''ik is indeed dead.''