A Malazan Book of the Fallen Collection 3

rose, tottered, then staggered for the door.
    'Hold it!' Quick Ben demanded behind him. 'There's this
face-down card in front of me! You said it closes the game!'
    'It just did,' mumbled the sergeant as he struggled with
the latch.
    'Do I turn it over, then?'
    'No.'
    Fiddler stumbled out into the corridor and Keneb
listened to the man's ragged footsteps receding towards the
stairs leading to the deck. The Fist, shaking his head,
pushed himself upright. He looked at the others.
    No-one else had moved.
    Then, with a snort, Apsalar rose and walked out. If she
was as drunk as Keneb felt, she did not show any signs of it.
    A moment later both Quick Ben and Kalam followed.
    Under the table, Bottle was snoring.
    The Adjunct and T'amber, Keneb slowly realized, were
both looking at the unturned card. Then, with a hiss of
frustration, Tavore reached out and flipped it over. After a
moment, she half-rose and leaned forward on the table to
read its title. 'Knight of Shadow. I have never heard of such
a card. T'amber, who, what did you—'
    'I didn't,' T'amber interrupted.
    'You didn't what?'
    She looked up at the Adjunct. 'Tavore, I have never seen
that card before, and I certainly didn't paint it.'
    Both women were silent again, both staring down at the
strange card. Keneb struggled to focus on its murky image.
'That's one of those Greyskins,' he said.
    'Tiste Edur,' T'amber murmured.
    'With a spear,' the Fist continued. 'A Greyskin, like the
ones we saw on those black ships ...' Keneb leaned back,
his head swimming. 'I don't feel very well.'
    'Please stay for a moment, Fist. T'amber, what just
happened here?'
    The other woman shook her head. 'I have never seen a
field laid in such a manner. It was ... chaotic – sorry, I did
not mean that in an elemental sense. Like a rock bouncing
down a gorge, ricocheting from this and that, yet, everywhere
it struck, it struck true.'
    'Can you make sense of it?'
    'Not much. Not yet.' She hesitated, scanning the cards
scattered all over the map-table. 'Oponn's presence was ...
unexpected.'
    'The push or the pull,' Keneb said. 'Someone's undecided
about something, that's what Fiddler said. Who was it again?'
    'Kalam Mekhar,' the Adjunct replied. 'But the Herald of
Death intervenes—'
    'Not the Herald,' cut in T'amber, 'but an inactive
version, a detail I believe is crucial.'
    Muted shouts from beyond announced the sighting of
Malaz Harbour. The Adjunct faced Keneb. 'Fist, these are
your orders for this night. You are in command of the
Fourteenth. No-one is to disembark, barring those I will
dispatch on my own behalf. With the exception of the Froth Wolf all other ships are to remain in the harbour itself
– all commands directing the fleet to tie up at a pier or jetty
are to be ignored until I inform you otherwise.'
    'Adjunct, any such orders, if they reach me, will be from
the Empress herself. I am to ignore those?'
    'You are to misunderstand, Fist. I leave the details of that
misunderstanding to your imagination.'
    'Adjunct, where will you be?'
    The woman studied him for a moment, then it seemed
she reached a decision. 'Fist Keneb, the Empress awaits me
in Mock's Hold. I expect she will not wait until morning to
issue her summons.' A flicker of emotion in her face. 'The
soldiers of the Fourteenth Army do not return as heroes, it
would appear. I will not expose their lives to unnecessary
risks. In particular I speak of the Wickans and the Khundryl
Burned Tears. As for the Perish, the nature of their alliance
depends upon my conversation with the Empress. Unless
circumstances warrant a change, I assume their disposition
rests with Laseen, but I must await her word on that.
Ultimately, Fist, it is for Mortal Sword Krughava – do the
Perish disembark and present to the Empress as they did
with us, or, if events turn unfortunate, do they leave? My
point is this, Keneb, they must be free to choose.'
    'And Admiral Nok's view on that?'
    'We are agreed.'
    'Adjunct,' said Keneb, 'if the Empress decides to attempt
to stay the Perish, we could end up with a battle in Malaz
Harbour. Malazan against Malazan. This could start a
damned civil war.'
    Tavore frowned. 'I do not anticipate anything so
extreme, Fist.'
    But Keneb persisted. 'Forgive me, but I believe it is you
who misunderstands. The Perish swore service to you, not
the Empress.'
    'She will not listen to that,' T'amber said, with an unexpected
tone of frustration in her voice, even as she
walked to where Bottle slept. A kick elicted a grunt,