The Complete Malazan Book of the Fallen (891 page)

‘Is it which?'

‘What?'

‘Is it simple or is it peaceful?'

‘It isn't and that's my point!'

‘That wasn't your point. Your point was you don't want it and if that's the case, then head on over to the Malazan Embassy and throw yourself on the mercy of whoever and if they don't hang you they'll sign you up all over again.'

‘The point
was
, I'd like being retired if I only could be!'

‘I'm going to the cellar to check on stock.'

Antsy watched him leave, then snorted and shook his head. ‘That man needs help.'

‘So go help him,' Blend said from the next table over.

Antsy jumped in his seat, then glared at her. ‘Stop doing that! Anyway, I didn't mean that kind of help. Oh, gods, my head aches.'

‘Sometimes,' Blend said, ‘I try to make myself as quiet as possible because that way the military marching band in my skull maybe won't find me.'

‘Huh,' said Antsy, brows knitting. ‘Never knew you played an instrument, Blend. Which one?'

‘Pipes, drums, flute, rattle, horn, waxstring.'

‘Really? All at once?'

‘Of course. You know, I think I'd be annoyed if I headed upstairs and found Picker creeping out of Scillara's room right about now.'

‘So stay sitting right there.'

‘Well, it's only my imagination inventing the scene.'

‘You sure?'

She lasted four or five heartbeats before swearing under her breath and rising.

Antsy watched her leave, then smiled. ‘It's better,' he said to no one, ‘when you don't have an imagination. Like me.' He paused, scowled. ‘Mind, could be I could use one right about now, so I could figure out how and when them assassins are gonna try again. Poison. Magic. Knives. Crossbow quarrels in the night, through the window, right through the shutters, a perfect shot. Thump to the floor goes Antsy, the Hero of Mott Wood. A spear up through that floor just to finish him off, since they been tunnelling for weeks and was waiting, knowing he'd fall right there right then, aye.'

He sat, eyes wide, red moustache twitching.

Sitting in the shadows in the far corner, back resting against the wall, Duiker watched with wry amusement. Extraordinary, how some people survived and others didn't. The soldier's face was always the same once the mask fell away – a look of bemusement, the faint bewildered surprise to find oneself still alive, knowing all too well there was no good reason for it, nothing at all but the nudge of luck, the emptiness of chance and circumstance. And all the unfairness of the world made a bitter pool of the eyes.

A commotion from the back room and a moment later the narrow door opened and out walked the bard, grey hair tousled by sleep, eyes red even at this distance. A glance over at Antsy. ‘There's lice in the mattress,' he said.

‘I doubt they mind the company,' the ex-sergeant replied, levering himself upright and making for the stairs.

The bard stared after him for a moment, then headed over to the bar, where he poured himself a tankard of pungent, dark Rhivi beer. And came over to where sat Duiker.

‘Historians and bards both,' he said, sitting down.

Duiker nodded, understanding well enough.

‘But what you observe and what I observe, well, that can turn out quite differently. Then again, maybe the distinction is merely superficial. The older I get, the more I suspect just that. You describe events, seeing the great sweep of things. I look at the faces, rushing by so fast they might be no more than a blur if I don't take care. To see them true, to remember them all.'

‘Where are you from?' Duiker asked.

The bard drank down a mouthful and set the tankard carefully before him. ‘Korel, originally. But that was a long time ago.'

‘Malazan invasion?'

An odd smile as the man studied the tankard on the table before him. His hands, however, remained in his lap. ‘If you mean Greymane, then yes.'

‘So which of the countless contradictory tales are true? About him, I mean.'

The bard shrugged. ‘Never ask that of a bard. I sing them all. Lies, truths, the words make no distinction in what they tell, nor even the order they come in. We do as we please with them.'

‘I've been listening to you these past few nights,' said Duiker.

‘Ah, an audience of one. Thank you.'

‘You've sung verses of
Anomandaris
I've never heard before.'

‘The unfinished ones?' The bard nodded and reached for the tankard. ‘“Black Coral, where stand the Tiste Andii…”' He drank another mouthful.

‘Have you come from there, then?'

‘Did you know that there is no god or goddess in all the pantheon that claims to be the patron – or matron – of bards? It's as if we've been forgotten, left to our own devices. That used to bother me, for some reason, but now I see it for the true honour it represents. We have been made unique, in our freedom, in our responsibility. Is there a patron of historians?'

‘Not that I'm aware of. Does this mean I'm free, too?'

‘It's said you told the tale of the Chain of Dogs once, here in this very room.'

‘Once.'

‘And that you have been trying to write it down ever since.'

‘And failing. What of it?'

‘It may be that expositional prose isn't right for the telling of that story, Duiker.'

‘Oh?'

The bard set the tankard to one side and slowly leaned forward, fixing the historian with grey eyes. ‘Because, sir, you see their faces.'

Anguish welled up inside Duiker and he looked away, hiding his suddenly trembling hands. ‘You don't know me well enough for such matters,' he said in a rasp.

‘Rubbish. This isn't a personal theme here, historian. It's two professionals discussing their craft. It's me, a humble bard, offering my skills to unlock your soul and all it contains – everything that's killing it, moment by moment. You can't find your voice for this. Use mine.'

‘Is that why you're here?' Duiker asked. ‘Like some vulture eager to lap up my tears?'

Brows lifted. ‘You are an accident. My reasons for being here lie…elsewhere. Even if I could explain more, I would not. I cannot. In the meantime, Duiker, let us fashion an epic to crush the hearts of a thousand generations.'

And now, yes, tears rolled down the lined tracks of the historian's face. And it took all the courage he still possessed to then nod.

The bard leaned back, retrieving his tankard. ‘It begins with you,' he said. ‘And it ends with you. Your eyes to witness, your thoughts alone. Tell me of no one's mind, presume nothing of their workings. You and I, we tell nothing, we but
show
.'

‘Yes.' Duiker looked up, back into those eyes that seemed to contain – and hold sure – the grief of the world. ‘What's your name, bard?'

‘Call me Fisher.'

 

Chaur was curled up at the foot of the bed, snoring, twitching like a dreaming dog. Picker observed him for a moment before settling back on the mattress. How had she got here? Was that raw tenderness between her legs what she thought it was and if so then did Barathol remember as little of it as she did? Oh, too complicated to work out. She wasn't ready to be thinking of all those things, she wasn't ready to be thinking at all.

She heard someone moving down the hall. Then a muted conversation, punctuated by a throaty laugh that did not belong to Blend or anyone else Picker knew, meaning it was probably that woman, Scillara. Picker gasped slightly at a sudden recollection of holding the woman's breasts in her hands and hearing that laugh but up close and a lot more triumphant.

Gods, did I sleep with them all? Damn that Quorl Milk!

A wheeze from Chaur and she started guiltily – but no, she'd not do any such thing to an innocent like him. There were limits – there had to be limits.

A muffled knock on the door.

‘Oh, come in, Blend.'

And in she came, light-footed as a cat, and her expression seemed filled up with something, on the verge of bursting.

No, not tears, please.
‘I don't remember nothing, Blend, so don't start on me.'

Blend held back a moment longer, then erupted.

In howling laughter, bending over in convulsions.

Chaur sat up on the floor, blinking and smiling, then he too was laughing.

Picker glared at Blend, wanting to kill her. ‘What's so damned funny?'

Blend managed to regain control over herself. ‘They pretty much carried us all the way back. But then we woke up and we all had one thing and one thing only on our minds. They didn't stand a chance!'

‘Gods below.' Then she stiffened. ‘Not Chaur—'

‘No, Scillara got him in here first.'

Chaur was still laughing, tears rolling down his face. He seemed to be losing control and all at once Picker felt alarmed. ‘Stop now, Chaur! Stop!'

The wide empty eyes fixed on her, and all mirth vanished.

‘Sorry,' she said. ‘It's all right. Go down to the kitchen and get something to eat, Chaur, there's a lad.'

He rose, stretched, scratched himself, then left the room. He barked one last laugh somewhere near the stairs.

Picker rubbed at her face. ‘Not Antsy, too. Don't tell me…'

Blend shrugged. ‘Lust is blind, I suppose. And let's hope all memory of it stays that way. I fear all his fantasies came true last night…only he can't remember any of it!'

‘I feel sick.'

‘Oh, relax, it's what all those parts are made for, after all.'

‘Where is Barathol?'

‘Went out early. With Mallet for company. Looking for the Blacksmiths' Guild. You must remember his big, er, hands.'

‘My kitten remembers, all right.'

Another snort from Blend. ‘Meow.'

 

The grey gloom of the cellar seemed to defy the lantern's light, but Bluepearl was used to that, and he was only marginally surprised when the ghost shuffled out from the wall at the far end where rested a half-dozen casks still sealed by the monks' sigil. Sunk to his hips in the floor, the ghost paused and looked round, finally spying the Malazan standing near the steep stone steps.

The ghost waded closer. ‘Is that you, Fellurkanath?'

‘Fella what? You're dead, monk, and you've been dead for some time, I'd wager – who wears tri-cornered hats these days?'

‘Oh,' the ghost moaned, clutching his face, ‘K'rul has coughed me out. Why? Why now? I've nothing useful to tell, especially not to any foreigner. But he's stirring below, isn't he? Is that why? Am I to be the voice of dire warning? What do you care? It's already too late anyway.'

‘Someone's trying to murder us.'

‘Of course they are. You're squatting and they don't want company. You should broach a cask, one of these. That will tell you everything you need to know.'

‘Oh, really now. Go away.'

‘Who raised the floor and why? And look at this.' The ghost pushed his head back to reveal that his throat had been sliced open, all the way back to his spine. Gory, bloodless flesh and slashed veins and arteries vaguely silver in the dim light. ‘Was this the ultimate sacrifice? Little do you know.'

‘Do I need to get a necromancer down here?' Bluepearl demanded. ‘Go away!'

‘The living never heed the dead,' muttered the ghost, lowering his head and turning round to walk back towards the far wall. ‘And that's just it. If we didn't know better, why, we'd be still alive. Think about that, if you dare.'

Vanishing into the heavy stones, and gone.

Bluepearl sighed, looked round until he found the bottle he was looking for. ‘Hah, I knew we had one. Quorl Milk. Why should they get all the fun?'

 

The two men trundled just behind the woman, so eager they trod on her heels as they fought for some imagined dominant position. Faint had never seen anything so pathetic, and the way the witch played all innocent, even when she worked her two men just to keep trouble stirred up – all of it seemingly accidental, of course, but it wasn't accidental because Precious Thimble knew precisely what she was up to and as far as Faint was concerned that was cruel beyond all reason.

It didn't help, either, that the two men – evidently brothers – looked so much alike. With the same way of walking, the same facial expressions, the same tone of voice. If they were no different from each other, then why not just choose one and be done with it?

Well, she didn't expect any of them to last very long in any case. For most shareholders, the first trip was the deadliest one. It came with not knowing what to expect, with not reacting fast enough or just the right way. The first journey into the warrens killed over half first-timers. Which meant that Precious Thimble (who struck Faint as a survivor) might well have her choice taken from her, when either Jula or Amby Bole went down somewhere on the trail.

As they rounded the corner and came within sight of the carriage, Faint saw that Glanno Tarp was already seated up top. Various rituals had been triggered to effect repairs to the huge conveyance; the horses looked restless and eager to be away – as mad as the rest of them, they were. Off to one side and now watching Faint, Quell and their new shareholders approaching, stood Reccanto Ilk and Sweetest Sufferance, and a third man – huge, round-shouldered, and tattooed in a pattern of—

‘Uh oh,' said Master Quell.

That's the one, isn't it? The caravan guard, the one who survived the Siege of Capustan. What was his name again?

‘This is not for you, Gruntle,' Master Quell said.

‘Why not?'

‘I've got some damned good reasons for saying no to you, and if you just give me a moment I'll come up with them.'

The man's feral smile revealed elongated canines.

‘The Trell is inside,' Reccanto said. ‘Want me to get him, Quell? We should get going, right?'