A Malazan Book of the Fallen Collection 3

air.
The creature's weight pushed him further forward, then, as
it saw the precipice they were both about to plunge over,
the forearm loosened.
    But Mappo held fast, twisting to drag the beast with him
as he fell.
    Another shriek, and he finally caught full sight of the
thing. Demonic, mouth opened wide, needle-like fangs
fully locked in their hinges, each as long as Mappo's thumb,
glistening black eyes, the pupils vertical and the hue of
fresh blood.
    T'rolbarahl.
    How?
    He saw its rage, its horror, as they both plummeted from
the cliff.
    Falling.
    Falling ...
    Gods, this was —

BOOK TWO

BENEATH THIS NAME

In darkness he came, this brutal slayer of kin,
discharged and unleashed, when all but ghosts
fled the wild dishevelled swagger – oh he knew pain,
twin fires of vast oblivion burning his soul—
and so the ghosts did gather, summoned by
one who would stand, mortal and feckless,
in the terrible slayer's path, would stand,
this precious fool, and gamble all in the clasping
of hand, warm to cold, and be led to the place
long vanished, and beasts long vanquished
would at his word awaken once more.
    And who was there to warn him? Why, no-one,
and what found its way free was no friend to
the living. When you play horror against horror,
dear listener, leave all hope behind—
and ride a fast horse.
    Master Blind
Saedevar of the Widecut Jhag

CHAPTER SEVEN
    Never bargain with a man who has nothing to lose.
    Sayings of the Fool
Thenys Bule
     
    L eoman of the Flails staggered from the inner sanctum, a sheen of
    sweat on his face. In a hoarse voice he asked, 'Is it night yet?'
    Corabb rose quickly, then sat back down on the bench as
blackness threatened to engulf him – he had been sitting
too long, watching Dunsparrow attempt to pace a trench in
the stone floor. He opened his mouth to reply, but the
Malazan woman spoke first.
    'No, Leoman, the sun rides the horizon.'
    'Movement yet from the Malazan camps?'
    'The last runner reported half a bell ago. Nothing at that
time.'
    There was a strange, triumphant gleam in Leoman's eyes
that troubled Corabb, but he had no time to ask as the great
warrior strode past. 'We must hurry. Back to the palace –
some final instructions.'
    The enemy was attacking this very night? How could
Leoman be so certain? Corabb stood once again, more
slowly this time. The High Priestess had forbidden
witnesses to the ritual, and when the Queen of Dreams
manifested, even the High Priestess and her acolytes had
left the chamber with discomfited expressions, leaving
Leoman alone with the goddess. Corabb fell in two steps
behind his leader, prevented from drawing closer by that
damned woman, Dunsparrow.
    'Their mages will make detection difficult,' the Third
was saying as they headed out of the temple.
    'No matter,' Leoman snapped. 'It's not like we have any
worthy of the name anyway. Even so, we need to make it
look as if we're trying.'
    Corabb frowned. Trying? He did not understand any of
this. 'We need soldiers on the walls!' he said. 'As many as
can be mustered!'
    'We can't hold the walls,' Dunsparrow said over her
shoulder. 'You must have realized that, Corabb Bhilan
Thenu'alas.'
    'Then – then, why are we here?'
    The sky overhead was darkening, the bruise of dusk only
moments away.
    Through empty streets, the three of them rushed along.
Corabb's frown deepened. The Queen of Dreams. Goddess
of divination and who knew what else. He despised all
gods, except, of course, for Dryjhna the Apocalyptic.
Meddlers, deceivers, murderers one and all. That Leoman
would seek one out ... this was troubling indeed.
    Dunsparrow's fault, he suspected. She was a woman. The
Queen's priesthood was mostly women – at least, he
thought it was – there'd been a High Priestess, after all, a
blurry-eyed matron swimming in the fumes of durhang and
likely countless other substances. Just to stand near her was
to feel drunk. Too seductive by far. Nothing good was going
to come of this, nothing at all.
    They approached the palace and, finally, some signs of
activity. Warriors moving about, weapons clanking, shouts
from the fortifications. So, the outer walls would be
breached – no other reason for all this preparation. Leoman
expected a second siege, here at the palace itself. And soon.
    'Warleader!' Corabb said, shouldering Dunsparrow aside.
'Give me command of the palace gates! We shall hold
against the Malazan storm in the name of the Apocalypse!'
    Leoman glanced back at him, considering, then he
shook his