A Malazan Book of the Fallen Collection 2

myself, and there is no scent of illusion to his flesh and bone. He is an old man, and nothing more.'
    'And who stands in his shadow?' the Bonecaster named Bek Okhan rasped.
    The Destriant blinked. 'No-one, as far as I can tell.'
    The three T'lan Imass said nothing, yet Karnadas suspected a silent exchange among them, and perhaps with their distant kin as well.
    'Mortal Sword,' the priest said in a low voice, 'do we inform the prince of this? What of the Mask Council?'
    'Further counsel is indeed required before that decision can be made, sir,' Brukhalian replied. 'At the very least, we shall await the return of the Shield Anvil. Furthermore, there is the issue of additional communications this night, is there not?'
    Fener's blessing, I'd forgotten. 'Indeed there is.' Quick Ben . . . by the cloven hoof, we have allies stepping out of every closet . . .
    Bendal Home spoke. 'Mortal Sword Brukhalian, your soldier Itkovian has decided that their public arrival into the city – with the company of the caravan's wounded – will include six of the T'lan Ay that now accompany our kin.'
    'T'lan Ay?' Karnadas asked. 'Not a name I've heard before.'
    'Wolves from the times of ice, long ago. Like us, undead.'
    Brukhalian smiled.
    A moment later, Karnadas also smiled. 'The prince asked for ... leverage, did he not, Mortal Sword?'
    'He shall have it, sir.'
    'So he shall.'
    'If you have further need of us this evening,' Bendal Home said to Brukhalian, 'simply call upon us.'
    'Thank you, sirs.'
    The three T'lan Imass fell into clouds of dust.
    'I take it,' the Destriant murmured, 'we need not offer our guests accommodation.'
    'Evidently not. Walk with me, sir, we have much to discuss and scant time.'
    Karnadas rose. 'No sleep this night.'
    'None, alas.'
     
    Two bells before dawn, Brukhalian stood alone in his private chamber. Exhaustion hung on him like a rain-sodden cloak, yet he would not yield to it. The Shield Anvil and his troop were soon to arrive, and the Mortal Sword was determined to await them – a commander could do no less.
    A single lantern defied the gloom in the chamber, throwing lurid shadows before it. The centre hearth remained a grey smudge of dead coals and ashes. The air was bitter cold, and it was this alone that kept Brukhalian wakeful.
    The sorcerous meeting with Quick Ben and Caladan Brood had proved, beneath its surface courtesies, strained – it was clear to both the Mortal Sword and Karnadas that their distant allies were holding back. The uncertainties plaguing their final intentions, and their guardedness, though understandable in the circumstances, left the two Grey Swords uncomfortable. Relief of Capustan was not, it seemed, their primary goal. An attempt would be made, but the Mortal Sword began to suspect it would be characterized by feints and minor skirmishes – late arriving at best – rather than a direct confrontation. This led Brukhalian to suspect that Caladan Brood's vaunted army, worn down by years of war with this Malazan Empire, had either lost the will to fight, or was so badly mauled that its combat effectiveness was virtually gone.
    None the less, he could still think of ways in which to make these approaching allies useful. Often, the perception of threat was sufficient . . . if we can hurt the Septarch badly enough to make him lose his nerve upon the imminent arrival of Brood's relieving army. Or, if the defence crumbled, then an avenue of withdrawal for the Grey Swords was possible. The question then would be, at what point could the Mortal Sword honourably conclude that the contract's objectives no longer obtained? The death of Prince Jelarkan? Collapse of wall defences? Loss of a section of the city?
    He sensed the air suddenly tear behind him, the sound like the faintest whisper as of parting fabric. A breath of lifeless wind flowed around him. The Mortal Sword slowly turned.
    A tall, gauntly armoured figured was visible within the warren's grey-smeared portal. A face of pallid, lined skin over taut bones, eyes set deep within ridged sockets and brow, the glimmer of tusks protruding above the lower lip. The figure's mouth curved into a faint, mocking smile. 'Fener's Mortal Sword,' he said in the language of the Elin, his voice low and soft, 'I bring you greetings from Hood, Lord of Death.'
    Brukhalian grunted, said nothing.
    'Warrior,' the apparition continued after a moment, 'your reaction to my arrival seems almost ... laconic. Are you truly as calm as you would have me