A Malazan Book of the Fallen Collection 3

else could hear, the woman in
black began the Shadow Dance.
     
    Telorast and Curdle, who had been hiding in a fissure near
the flat-topped boulder, now edged forward.
    'She's gone into her own world,' Curdle said, nonetheless
whispering, her skeletal head bobbing and weaving, tail
flicking with unease. Before them, Not-Apsalar danced, so
infused with shadows she was barely visible. Barely in this
world at all.
    'Never cross this one, Curdle,' Telorast hissed. 'Never.'
    'Wasn't planning to. Not like you.'
    'Not me. Besides, the doom's come upon us – what are we
going to do?'
    'Don't know.'
    'I say we cause trouble, Curdle.'
    Tiny jaws clacked. 'I like that.'
     
    Quick Ben rose suddenly. 'I've got no choice,' he said.
    Kalam swore, then said, 'I hate it when you say that,
Quick.'
    The wizard drew out another doll, this one trailing long
threads. He set it down a forearm's reach from the others,
then looked over and nodded to Kalam.
    Scowling, the assassin unsheathed one of his long-knives
and stabbed it point-first into the sand.
    'Not the otataral one, idiot.'
    'Sorry.' Kalam withdrew the weapon and resheathed it,
then drew out the other knife. A second stab into the sand.
    Quick Ben knelt, carefully gathering the threads and
leading them over to the long-knife's grip, where he
fashioned knots, joining the doll to the weapon. 'See these
go taut—'
    'I grab the knife and pull you back here. I know, Quick,
this ain't the first time, remember?'
    'Right. Sorry.'
    The wizard settled back into his cross-legged position.
    'Hold on,' Fiddler said in a growl. 'What's going on here?
You ain't planning something stupid, are you? You are.
Damn you, Quick—'
    'Be quiet,' the wizard said, closing his eyes. 'Me and
Shadowthrone,' he whispered, 'we're old friends.' Then he
smiled.
    In the clearing, Kalam fixed his gaze on the doll that was
now the only link between Quick Ben and his soul. 'He's
gone, Fid. Don't say nothing, I need to concentrate. Those
strings could go tight at any time, slow, so slow you can't
even see it happen, but suddenly ...'
    'He should've waited,' Fiddler said. 'I wasn't finished saying
what I was planning on saying, and he just goes. Kal, I
got a bad feeling. Tell me Quick and Shadowthrone really
are old friends. Kalam? Tell me Quick wasn't being
sarcastic'
    The assassin flicked a momentary look up at the sapper,
then licked his lips, returning to his study of the threads.
Had they moved? No, not much anyway. 'He wasn't being
sarcastic, Fid.'
    'Good.'
    'No, more sardonic, I think.'
    'Not good. Listen, can you pull him out right now? I
think you should—'
    'Quiet, damn you! I need to watch. I need to concentrate.'
Fid's got a bad feeling. Shit.
     
    Paran and Noto Boil rode up and halted in the shadow cast
by the city wall. The captain dismounted and stepped up to
the battered façade. With his dagger he etched a broad,
arched line, beginning on his left at the wall's base, then
up, over – taking two paces – and down again, ending at
the right-side base. In the centre he slashed a pattern, then
stepped back, slipping the knife into its scabbard.
    Remounting the horse, he gathered the reins and said,
'Follow me.'
    And he rode forward. His horse tossed its head and
stamped its forelegs a moment before plunging into,
and through, the wall. They emerged moments later onto a
litter-strewn street. The faces of empty, lifeless buildings,
windows stove in. A place of devastation, a place where
civilization had crumbled, revealing at last its appallingly
weak foundations. Picked white bones lay scattered here and
there. A glutted rat wobbled its way along the wall's gutter.
    After a long moment, the healer appeared, leading his
mount by the reins. 'My horse,' he said, 'is not nearly as
stupid as yours, Captain. Alas.'
    'Just less experienced,' Paran said, looking round. 'Get
back in the saddle. We may be alone for the moment, but
that will not last.'
    'Gods below,' Noto Boil hissed, scrambling back onto his
horse. 'What has happened here?'
    'You did not accompany the first group?'
    They rode slowly onto the gate avenue, then in towards
the heart of G'danisban.
    'Dujek's foray? No, of course not. And how I wish the
High Fist was still in command.'
    Me too. 'The Grand Temple is near the central square –
where is Solid's Temple?'
    'Soliel? Captain Kindly, I cannot enter that place – not
ever again.'
    'How did you come to be disavowed, Boil?'
    'Noto Boil, sir. There was a disagreement ... of a
political