A Malazan Book of the Fallen Collection 4

and so I was witness to
many events on this world and on others. Tell Hannan
Mosag this: a god in pain is not the same as a god obsessed
with evil. Your Warlock King's obsessions are his own. It
would seem, alas, that he is . . . confused. For that, I am
merciful this night . . . and this night alone. Hereafter,
should he resume his interference, he will know the extent
of my displeasure.'
    'I shall convey your words with precision, Silchas Ruin.'
    'You should choose a better god to worship, Ventrala.
Tortured spirits like company, even a god's.' He paused,
then said, 'Then again, perhaps it is the likes of you who
have in turn shaped the Crippled God. Perhaps, without
his broken, malformed worshippers, he would have healed
long ago.'
    Soft rasping laughter from the wraith.
    Silchas Ruin walked back through the doorway. 'I am
conscripting some horses,' he said without turning round.
    Moments later, the wraith slithered after him.
    The orthen, which had been clambering about in seemingly
aimless motion, now began to withdraw from the
chamber.
    Ventrala was alone once more. To the stairs, find the Atri- Preda – an escort, for the journey back to Letheras. And I will speak to Hannan Mosag. And I will tell him about death in the pass. I will tell him of a Soletaken Tiste Andii with two knife wounds in his back, wounds that will not heal. Yet . . . he forbears.
    Silchas Ruin knows more of the Crippled God than any of us, barring perhaps Rhulad. But he does not hate. No, he feels pity.
    Pity, even for me.
    Seren Pedac heard the horses first, hoofs thumping at the
walk up the forested trail. The night sky above the fort was
strangely black, opaque, as if from smoke – yet there was no
glow from flames. They had heard the concussion, the
destruction of at least one stone wall, and Kettle had yelped
with laughter, a chilling, grotesque sound. Then, distant
screams and, all too quickly thereafter, naught but silence.
    Silchas Ruin appeared, leading a dozen mounts, accompanied
by sullen moaning from the scabbarded swords.
    'And how many of my kin did you slay this time?' Fear
Sengar asked.
    'Only those foolish enough to oppose me. This pursuit,'
he said, 'it does not belong to your brother. It is the
Warlock King's. I believe we cannot doubt that he seeks
what we seek. And now, Fear Sengar, the time has come to
set our knives on the ground, the two of us. Perhaps
Hannan Mosag's desires are a match to yours, but I assure
you, such desires cannot be reconciled with mine.'
    Seren Pedac felt a heaviness settle in the pit of her
stomach. This had been a long time in coming, the one
issue avoided again and again, ever excused to the demands
of simple expediency. Fear Sengar could not win this battle
– they all knew it. Did he intend to stand in Silchas Ruin's
way? One more Tiste Edur to cut down? 'There is no compelling
reason to broach this subject right now,' she said.
'Let's just get on these horses and ride.'
    'No,' Fear Sengar said, eyes fixed on the Tiste Andii's.
'Let it be now. Silchas Ruin, in my heart I accept the truth
of Scabandari's betrayal. You trusted him, and you suffered
unimaginably in consequence. Yet how can we make
reparation? We are not Soletaken. We are not ascendants.
We are simply Tiste Edur, and so we fall like saplings before
you and your swords. Tell me, how do we ease your thirst for
vengeance?'
    'You do not, nor is my killing your kin in any way an
answer to my need. Fear Sengar, you spoke of reparation. Is
this your desire?'
    The Edur warrior was silent for a half-dozen heartbeats,
then he said, 'Scabandari brought us to this world.'
'Yours was dying.'
    'Yes.'
    'You may not be aware of this,' Silchas Ruin continued,
'but Bloodeye was partly responsible for the sundering of
Shadow. Nonetheless, of greater relevance, to me, are the
betrayals that came before that particular crime. Betrayals
against my own kin – my brother, Andarist – which set
such grief upon his soul that he was driven mad.' He slowly
cocked his head. 'Did you imagine me naive in fashioning
an alliance with Scabandari Bloodeye?'
    Udinaas barked a laugh. 'Naive enough to turn your back
on him.'
    Seren Pedac shut her eyes. Please, Indebted, just keep your mouth shut. Just this once.
    'You speak truth, Udinaas,' Silchas Ruin replied after a
moment. 'I was exhausted, careless. I did not imagine he
would be so . . . public. Yet, in retrospect, the betrayal had
to be absolute – and that included the slaughter of