A Malazan Book of the Fallen Collection 2

Napan ... if you can call Napans civilized. From the heart of the empire, in any case.'
    'Baaljagg looks restless, my dear. We should resume our journey, what with all these undead two-legged lizards on their way.'
    'Tool said the nearest ones were still days distant. How far is it to Bastion?'
    'We should arrive by dusk tomorrow night, assuming the distance indicated on these milestones remains accurate.'
    They set off down the road, the Seguleh trailing with the travois. The cobbles underfoot, though worn deep in places, were now mostly clothed in grasses. There had been few if any travellers this season, and Toc saw no-one on the road as the day wound on. Old carcasses of cattle and sheep in the pastures to either side showed evidence of predation by wolves. No shepherds to tend the flocks, and among all domesticated livestock only goats and horses could survive a return to the wild.
    As they paused for a mid-afternoon rest on the outskirts of yet another abandoned hamlet – this one without a temple – Toc checked his weapons one more time, then hissed in frustration and glared at Lady Envy who was sitting across from him. 'This doesn't make sense. The Domin's expanding. Voraciously. Armies need food. So do cities. If the countryside's home to nothing but ghosts, who in Hood's name is supplying them?'
    Lady Envy shrugged. 'I am not the one to ask, my love. Questions of materiel and economics leave me deathly bored. Perhaps the answers to your irrelevant concerns will be found in Bastion.'
    'Irrelevant?'
    'Well, yes. The Domin is expanding. It has armies, and cities. These are facts. Details are for academics, Toc the Younger. Shouldn't you be concerning yourself with more salient matters, such as your survival?'
    He stared at her, then slowly blinked. 'Lady Envy, I am already as good as dead. So why think about it?'
    'Absurd! I value you too highly to see you simply cut down. You must learn to trust me, darling.'
    He looked away. 'Details, Lady, reveal hidden truths. Know your enemy – that's a basic tenet. What you know you can use.' He hesitated, then continued. 'Details can lead one to trust, as well, when it comes to the motives and interests of those who would be allies.'
    'Ah, I see. And what is it you wish to know?'
    He met her eyes. 'What are you doing here?'
    'Why, Toc the Younger, have you forgotten? Your T'lan Imass companion has said that the secrets of the Morn Rent can only be found within the Domin.'
    'A convenience, Lady,' he growled. 'You're busy manipulating. All of us. Me, the Seguleh, even Tool himself He gestured. 'Garath, your pup. He could be a Hound of Shadow—'
    'He could be indeed,' she smiled. 'I believe, however, that he is reluctant.'
    'What does that mean?'
    'You are very easily exasperated, my dear. If you're a leaf trembling on a wide, deep river, relax and ride the current. It's always worked for me, I assure you. As for manipulation, do you truly believe I have the power to pull and prod a T'lan Imass? The Seguleh are, uhm, unique – we travel in step, after all, thus the notion of coercion does not arise.'
    'Not yet, maybe. But it will, Lady.'
    She shrugged. 'Finally, I have no control over Garath, or Baaljagg. Of that I assure you.'
    He bared his teeth. 'Leaving just me.'
    She reached out, rested a slim hand lightly on his arm. 'In that, darling, I am simply a woman.'
    He shook her hand off. 'There's sorcery in your charms, Lady Envy. Don't try and tell me otherwise.'
    'Sorcery? Well, yes, you could call it that, I suppose. Mystery as well, yes? Wonder, and excitement. Hope and possibilities. Desire, darling, is a most alluring magic. And, my love, it is one to which I am not immune ...'
    She leaned closer, her eyes half closed. 'I will not force my kiss upon you, Toc the Younger. Don't you see? The choice must be yours, else you shall indeed be enslaved. What do you say?'
    'Time to get going,' he said, rising. 'Obviously, I won't be hearing any honest answers from you.'
    'I have just given them!' she retorted, also standing.
    'Enough,' he said, collecting his gear. 'I've stopped playing, Lady Envy. Take the game elsewhere.'
    'Oh, how I dislike you when you're like this!'
    'Sulk away,' he muttered, setting off down the road.
    'I shall lose my temper, young man! Do you hear me?'
    He stopped, glanced back. 'We've got a few leagues' worth of daylight left.'
    'Oh!' She stamped her foot. 'You're just like Rake!'
    Toc's lone eye slowly widened, then he grinned. 'Take a few deep