A Malazan Book of the Fallen Collection 3

Icarium's right shoulder, single foreleg raking
huge talons down the front of the Jhag, along his ribs, seeking
the softer flesh of his belly. The demon reared, dragging
the Jhag into the air—
    But the single-edged sword would not be denied, slashing
down, cutting through the demon's neck. Black blood sprayed
as the huge body pitched sideways, legs kicking spasmodically.
Icarium landed into a crouch, then struggled to loosen the
death-grip of those jaws clamped round his shoulder.
    Beyond Icarium, the Tiste Edur was dragging Ahlrada
Ahn's body back, retreating towards the archway—
    No point. No point at all – once he's free —
    The roaring wind was abrading the stone wall, filling the
blood-laden air with glittering pieces of granite. Cracks
travelled the stone in a crazed web – the storm's roar grew
yet louder, and all at once Varat's left eardrum shattered in
a burst of agony.
     
    Staggering, his forearms bloody ribbons of flailed flesh,
Trull pulled Ahlrada Ahn closer to the portal. Ibra Gholan
no longer stood guard – in fact, the Edur saw no-one, no-one
at all.
    Have they fled? Surrendered the throne? Please, Sisters,
please. Let them escape, out of here, away from this —
    He reached the entranceway, and saw, just within, Ibra
Gholan – the warrior's back to Trull, facing the First
Throne – no, Trull saw, facing what was left of Monok
Ochem. The sorcerous windstorm must have raced into the
chamber, with a power the bonecaster could not withstand
– the T'lan Imass had been thrown back, colliding with the
right side of the throne, where, Trull saw with growing
horror, Monok Ochem had melted. Fused, destroyed and
twisted as its body was melded into the First Throne. Barely
half of the bonecaster's face was visible, one eye surrounded
by its cracked, collapsed socket.
    To either side and against the wall crouched the pitifully
few children still alive, Panek kneeling beside the prone,
motionless form of Minala, who lay in a slowly spreading
pool of blood.
    Ibra Gholan turned as Trull dragged Ahlrada into the
chamber.
    'Monok Ochem has failed,' the undead warrior intoned.
'Move from the portal, Trull Sengar. I will now meet the
Lifestealer.'
    Trull pulled his friend to one side, then knelt and settled
a hand on Ahlrada Ahn's spattered forehead. To his
surprise, the eyes flickered open.
    'Ahlrada...'
    The dying warrior sought to speak, mouth opening then
filling with bubbles of blood. A savage cough sprayed it
into Trull's face, then a single word slurred free, a moment
before Ahlrada Ahn died.
    A single word.
    'Home.'
     
    Ibra Gholan strode out to meet the one he called
Lifestealer. Four paces from the Jhag, who had finally
managed to tear free the Aptorian's death-grip, the T'lan
Imass charged.
    Stone and iron, sparks at the heart of the roaring winds,
and on those winds spun fragments of flesh, bone splinters,
clumps of sodden hair and pieces of armour.
    Collecting a spear from the scatter of weapons on the
floor, Trull limped to place himself in the entranceway.
    Ibra Gholan's attack had driven the Jhag back a step,
then another—
    A harsh cracking sound and the T'lan Imass reeled, its
flint sword shattered. Lifestealer's weapon whirled down,
tore through the undead warrior's left shoulder – another
chop, ribs bursting, pieces caught on the wind – Ibra
Gholan staggered back—
    And the sword connected with the side of the warrior's
head.
    The skull exploded into a mass of shards—
    Another swing ripped through the body, just above the
hip, straight across, through the spine, out the other side,
severing the T'lan Imass in half. Four more blows before
what was left of the undead warrior could even reach the
floor. Bone fragments skirling in every direction.
    Lifestealer tilted his head back and roared, the sound slamming
    Trull to the ground, driving all breath from his lungs – he stared,
    helpless, as the monstrosity took a step closer, then another.
     
    A flash, solid ripping of the air, and a figure stumbled as if
from nowhere into the Jhag's path. A figure who hissed, 'Damn you, Shadowthrone!' Trull saw it look up, take in the
approaching apparition, manage a single step back, then, as
the Jhag raised his sword, sorcery burst from the figure –
blinding – and when it dispelled, the wind was racing with
a banshee shriek back down the ragged corridor – and
Lifestealer was nowhere to be seen.
     
    Varat Taun watched Icarium annihilate the T'lan Imass, and
saw once more the lone