A Malazan Book of the Fallen Collection 1

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 – he's nothing—'
    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—'
    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—'
    Disbelief crazed his eyes. 'A what?'
    'Found outside the Fener Monastery on Malaz Island – the Empress made accusations – followers of Fener. Heboric—'
    'Your ship came from Unta, lass. What do you take me for? You're noble-born—'
    '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—'
    '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.'
    '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 – 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 – I slept with your friends, I let you trade me, I made myself valuable —'
    He struck her again, no longer seeking answers or a way through her frantic lies – 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 – the cordon of guards lining Beetle Road up top reported no attempts to breach, in any case. Sawark's posted a reward – 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 – 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